Back in the Land of the Living on Halloween. And an Outfit Post.

A Repeat C-section BITES!  

Recovery is much harder than the first one.

I remember bouncing out of the house just a few days after my first c-section. Unbelievably easy! This time, I did not luck out as much :O( Two weeks post partum, and I'm still knocking back the ibprofen, and moving in slow motion. 

Even after following every direction by the nurse -- no sudden movements, ice pack, hot pad, otc meds around the clock, and slow walks everyday -- I still feel painful soreness and burning.

But hey, today is Halloween. 

NOTHING is going to make me miss trick or treating with my girlie girls. So grab the ice packs and hot pads, and put on a decent outfit too. To the mall we go, for candy hunting! 

I must admit: after two weeks of around-the-clock feeding, burping and changing diapers, it felt pretty refreshing being in the land of the living.

Thank goodness for flow-y tops. They cover up the flabby middle that post partum moms carry.

Layering with a simple black cardigan makes this outfit more forgiving for a post baby body.

A pair of stretchy leggings is a must for pregnancy and after.

So glad we live in Seattle, where breastfeeding in public is well accepted.

A new mom's best accessory is still a sturdy car seat.

 

 Happy Halloween, girlies!

Thank you for joining my first official outing.

 

What did you do this Halloween?

 

Thank You! And Be Safe!

This post is dedicated to our family in New Jersey.

Thank you for the delicious cookies from Cheryl's, as well as your lovely message. We don't have much family and friends in Seattle, but your constant care and support make us feel so loved.

Also, please be safe during Hurricane Sandy. Stay indoors, and evacuate if you need to.

From Seattle. With love.

I often endorse products and services for profit (see my disclosure page). But this one for Cheryl's Gourmet Cookies is not a paid promotion or endorsement. 

Our family has been using Cheryl's for years as presents. Its intricately-packaged sugar cookies really are delicious. They just melt in your mouth. If you ever want to send a unique present to loved ones, give Cheryl's a try.

Website: Cheryl's Cookies, Desserts, Gifts

Stuck in a Funk? Change Up Your Looks with These Fall Trends.

Are your looks stuck in a funk?  

Hey, it's okay to get so busy with life that you become mundane with the same old makeup and hair. It's much easier repeating the same routine, right? 

After breastfeeding and changing dirty diapers day after day for two weeks, I screamed for an update last night, and found a few trends I cannot wait to attempt. 

Just in case you need a change like I do, here are a few trends this fall you might want to try:

Brown Smokey Eye Makeup

Good-bye sexy evening smokey. Hello daytime brown. While this look keeps the smoldering smokey effect, it looks much softer and daytime appropriate with shades of brown. It's pretty and convenient.

If you need a tutorial, visit my other blog's latest post: Cheap Makeup Reviews - Brown Smokey Eye Tutorial

Wear Glasses. Or Ditch Them.

If you don't wear glasses, but crave that geek chic look, then wear a pair of fake eye glasses just for fun. 

Or, if you wear glasses already, ditch them, and let your bright eyes be the focus for once. And if you really like this no-glasses look, get contacts, or even lasik eye surgery to make the change permanent.

Green Eye Shadow

Feeling bold? Try an eye shadow that's as brilliant and beautiful as green.

Barely There Makeup

Sick of piling on colors? Leave them off, and go au-natural with barely there makeup.

Exaggerated Cat Eyes

Sex up your eyes for night with uber thick, uber long black liner. Meowww!

Part Your Hair in the Middle

Need an alternative to your regular side part? Try Rachel Zoe's boho chic do with wavy locks that part in the middle.

  

  
 

 How about you?

Any changes you want to make this fall?

The Flowers of War Makeup - My Humble Replication

Have you watched The Flowers of War? A must see, if you ask me. An untold tale of two groups of women, doubtful to ever cross paths, except under the tragic circumstances of war. But aren't tragedies the very birth place for acts of valor? Where ordinary people do exordinary things, and where heroes are born?

Watch the movie, and you will see what I mean.

Aside from the film's wonderful story telling and cinematography, I was also in awe with the makeup. Women of 1930's China oozed of glamour! 

Of course, with my homegrown skills, I was never going to give it a decent replication. But I had to try. Here is my humble attempt to replicate the makeup from ladies of The Flowers of War.

Actress Ni Ni in 1930's glam makeup.

Products I Used:

1. Gel eyeliner and pencil eyeliner.

2. Lengthening mascara. Lots of it.

 

3. A soft, bronze eye shadow.

4. Matte foundation.

5. Face powder.

6. Deep, red lipstick.

The result?

Well, not quite the same as The Flowers of War girls, but it's as close as I can get.

 

Thanks for reading.

 

Have you seen the movie?

 

How do you like this super glam period makeup?

       

 
  

What I Am Loving Right Now

Isn't fall a fantastic season? Even in Seattle's drizzly atmosphere, you can find many reasons to fall in love with fall. 

Here are what I'm loving right now, in the fall:

Baking scrumptious pies.

Apple, pumpkin...all homemade and all delicious.

Wearing all shades of browns. 

How about a vampy color for Halloween?

 

Receiving get well wishes from family and friends.

A lovely bouquet from the M, F and K gang.

This one came from hubby and Jo.

Snacking on Meiji chocolate-covered almonds.

Just can't say no to sweets.

Hearty almond covered with creamy chocolate - mmmmmm!

Trying a new night cream with lighter formula.

Light for night? A must try.

Guzzling down extra water, like all breastfeeding moms do.

0 calories and so hydrating.

And most of all, enjoying quality time with my new baby girl.

She's a baby for only one year. Savoring every precious minute.

What about you, girlie?

What are you loving right now?

Quick Beauty Trick - How to Turn Daytime Eye Makeup into Nighttime Eye Makeup in One Step

No time to spare?  Here's an easy and quick beauty trick that turns daytime makeup to nighttime makeup in one step, and under one minute too.

If you have only moments between logging off at work and dashing to happy hour, you need a fast and easy way to turn daytime makeup for the office to nighttime makeup for a posh downtown joint. 

I know how you feel -- rushed but still wanting to refresh your look. (Before becoming a stay-at-home mom, I was one of you, remember?) 

Here's what I did to go from day to night in a dash:

Use a charcoal-colored powder shadow, and smudge existing eyeliner. Keep as close to your lash line as possible.

Using: Cover Girl Eye Enhancer in Shimmering Onyx.

Just a few smudges creates sexy nighttime eyes.

What does this do?

It quickly gives your eyes a smokey effect.

Before

Daytime eye makeup that's office appropriate.

After

Nighttime eye makeup perfect for happy hour and beyond.

 

Hope you found this quick beauty trick helpful.

 

Any other suggestions for going from day to night?

   

Caesarean Section Diary - My Real Life C Section Experience

What's the fuss about a caesarean section? 

Oh, nothing, no big deal, except it's a MAJOR STOMACH SURGERY!  Not only is a c section painful and dangerous, it is also difficult to recover from. Even though it's worth the agony -- hey, you get to hold a baby in the end -- a c section is still a surgical procedure with the potential of causing complications.

Yes, it's all worth it in the end.

Why Document a Caesarean Section Diary?

Because my first c section was horrible! Despite taking an 80-dollar class, where we watched an educational video, and reading numerous online forums about c sections, I still freaked and became hysterical in surgery. My husband, a big man, had to hold me down with two nurses. My blood pressure was so high, the medical staff had to knock me out. (Very dangerous, by the way.)

I wish I had received a real life depiction of a c section beforehand, so I could have felt more emotionally prepared.

Now that I just finished my second one, which was much calmer, I've decided to share the experience with others. Hopefully this little caesarean section diary will relax other women who are also preparing for the same experience. If it doesn't ease their anxieties, it will at least paint them a real life picture.


The Night Before

6 p.m.          
Ate a good meal. Because you can't eat 8 hours before surgery. We went to the Cheesecake Factory, and I had myself a fat chop.

Not bad for a "last meal."

  
10 p.m.
Traded in luxury wash for surgical soap in the shower.

Not glamorous, but necessary for avoiding infections.

12 a.m.
Absolutely no makeup for the next few days. But no one said anything about nails.

Nail polish eases anxieties.

2 a.m.
One last bite of cheesecake.
Okay, one last piece. 
Hey! What if I never wake up tomorrow?

An indulgent treat before mandatory starvation.

The Day Of

10 a.m.
Last minute packing. Can you say "slacker?"

Can't forget about makeup for homecoming pictures.

12 p.m.
Getting ready, and being a girlie girl ONE LAST TIME.

One last chance for a girlie endeavor.

 

1 p.m.
After drooling over everyone else's lunch, I was ready for the hospital.

All set for the big event.

2 - 4 p.m.
Nervously waited for surgery. Watching Ellen with hubby calmed nerves.

Laughing is a good distraction.

4 p.m.
After one last meeting with medical staff, and getting a brief description of the hour ahead, I walked -- yes, they made me walk myself -- into the operating room.

Pursed lips indicate 10/10 anxiety level. Funny socks were comfy though.

4:30 - 5:30 p.m.

Freaked out as I walked into the operating room.

Got stabbed five times by anesthesiologist before spiral worked. (Very painful. Not fun.)

Bottom is numb. Curtains go up.

Whimpered. Cried. But mostly stayed calm with hubby's encouragement.

Tugging. Pressure. Squeezed my eyes shut. "Get her out! Get her out!"

HOLY COW! Is that wet thing my baby?

WAH! WAH! Baby cried.

Relief. Tears. In love.

And then, nothing mattered. 

Wow. That was quick. See? Not so bad after all.


The Night Of (Recovery)

8 p.m. and forward
After two hours in the post-op room, where you breastfeed the little one immediately, mom and baby then enters a very nice birthing suite. It even has a fold out bed for dad.

As the pain medication wears off, you will feel burning, irritating sensation around incision. Make friends with the "call button" to your nurse. In fact, make friends with your nurse. Make sure you receive pain medication on the dot. And speak up if you need something stronger.

The call button saw a lot of thumb action that night.

 

You'll need to breastfeed all night. Expect zero sleep. Also expect your partner to help out, because you cannot move.

4:30 a.m. and still feeding. A long night indeed.

If your incision burns, like most c section patients, ice it. Before the nurse arrived with professional ice pack, my husband improvised with a rubber glove.

Later, I used the same glove of ice as a beauty trick to de-puff my face :O)

Our homemade ice pack.

A good beauty trick too.

 

Getting bored? Watch your favorite shows on an iPad or laptop. 
By the way, how addictive is ABC's Nashville?

A buffet of cool shows - hospital doesn't seem so bad after all.

Enjoying an episode of Nashville.

Next Day

12 p.m.
Still no sleep :O( but you can at least eat a regular meal.
We had yummy Thai food.

  

Can't walk straight, but at least appetite's back.

 

 

 After three days in the postpartum wing, many pain pills, and much discomfort, we finally made it home.

And yes, it's still all worth it!

 

How about you, girlie?

Have you had a caesarean section?

What was your experience like?