taryn k.
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My name is Taryn. I'm in my twenties. I come from the land down under. I'm married. I work full time. I like pretty things. My favourite food is watermelon. I hate dancing. I like to talk. I tend to contradict myself. I hate snails. I like you for reading my blog.

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19 July 2012, 7:18 PM
What I Actually Used From My Hospital Bag


I'm taking my chances here and sitting down to write a few blog posts - the baby is asleep and seems to be out for a while, but we shall have to see how we go. You may or may not get to read this post when it was intended.

I thought I'd follow up on the "What's In My Hospital Bag?" post with a "What I Actually Used" post. Thought they may be helpful for any mummies-to-be out there that, like me, weren't sure what they should take to hospital.

I would also like to point out that I had none of this mythical waiting around for things to get going time during labour that all the pregnancy books speak of. It was all go!
What I Used:
  • Underwear - had plenty, but probably didn't need to buy specific hospital underwear.
  • Nursing bras - although not the ones I had packed. My mum ended up going and getting me a pack of sleeping bras from Target that are absolutely amazing for lounging and sleeping in.  They're not very supportive, so I wouldn't go for them if you have an overly abundant chest, but for me they're a Godsend.
  • iPhone and headphones - all our photos and videos were taken on my phone since it's so gosh-darn convenient. I used the headphones a couple of times during nighttime feedings to watch some youtube videos on my phone, just to try and keep myself awake.
  • Flannel (during labour to wipe my brow and the following evening since it was quite warm in the wards), shampoo and conditioner, shower gel, cleanser, eye cream, hair ties, hair brush, toothbrush, toothpaste and lipbalm.
  • Maternity sanitary pads. Yes.
  • Plastic bag - used as intended, as a bag to take home soiled clothes in.
  • All three shirts, and got Joe to bring me a singlet from home, but only because the ward was so warm
  • All three pairs of pants
  • Jumper - only wore on the way home, but was necessary
  • Burp cloth
  • Nappies and wipes - the hospital did provide a pack of each of these, but once they were gone that was it. So very glad I took these!
  • Two of the onesies - I was only in hospital for two days, so that was plenty
  • Sleeping sack - OMG THIS THING IS AWESOME. I will elaborate another time, but seriously, get some of these
  • Nursing pillow
  • Dummies - wasn't sure if I would be judged by the nurses for using these (you know, people and their opinions), but they actually suggested them when she was crying a couple of times. No worries then!
  • Pink blanket - in the car on the drive home
  • Slippers
What I Didn't Use:
  • Socks - but only because it was warm in the hospital
  • Camera, video camera, battery charger and ereader - I would still suggest you pack these, we just found it easier to use my iPhone
  • Makeup removal wipes, hair dryer, hair straightener, all makeup - I sucked up my vanity and just went with it
  • Nursing pads and nipple cream - I found I didn't need these while in hospital, but did once I got home. I'd still pack them anyway
  • Husbands change of clothes - I packed these in case Joe wanted to get in the shower with me during labour, but as it turned out, I didn't want anyone touching me during that whole ordeal, so he stayed a safe distance away from me (he was there for me but not right there, you know?). Probably still a good idea to pack them though
  • Muslin wraps - the hospital provided linen, so not really necessary
  • Modesty apron - probably should of used this a couple of times (my poor male friends just didn't know where to look!)
  • Change mat - I knew I wasn't going to use this, but thought I'd list it anyway
  • Hats, socks and extra changes of clothes - technically I didn't need to take any clothes, since the hospital provided them, but I still would recommend taking a couple of sizes
So really, I didn't do too bad.  I didn't want for anything (besides the singlet top) and I didn't feel as if I had overpacked.  Pretty much everything I didn't use I would definitely still recommend taking, so I feel like that was a successful packing job. 

image courtesy of weheartit.com

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17 July 2012, 10:10 PM
Guest Post: Asos.com


When pregnant the last thing on your mind is looking fashionable, you want clothes that are comfortable and practical and if they happen to be in the latest trends then that just happens to be a massive bonus! Luckily the ASOS Maternity range is full of bump friendly styles to keep you wrapped up all snug this winter.
Coloured jeans and leggings are a great trend this season and they also happen to be really comfortable too, so a fab choice for all you mums to be. (Of course the traditional denim style will always be a winner if coloured trousers are a little scary!) With inbuilt elasticated waistbands they will grow with you throughout your precious nine months and also keep you nice and warm.
Tunics are a great floaty choice to cover up an ever expanding bump, this heart print one is super cute and looks great with leggings. For a laid back day look team with Chelsea boots and a leather jacket.
Chunky cardigans are great for snuggling up in with a good book, (well, if we ever get the chance that is) and you don’t even have to buy these from the maternity section. Buy a couple of sizes up so that you have plenty of room to grow into and if you choose a style with an added belt you can pull it in after you give birth, at least then you don’t feel like you have wasted money for only a short period of time!

When choosing maternity wear be sure to think about all your accessories that are already in your wardrobe as you don’t want to buy your clothes to then realise you have to buy handbags, shoes and jewellery to go with them (although this does sound like a great idea) and enjoy your pregnancy in style.

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28 June 2012, 3:07 PM
Debut

I really don't know how to start this blogpost - I tried "Hi guys!" and "Long time, no see", but neither seemed to work, so I'm just going to get straight into it.

Baby K is out!

I am finally, finally the proud and adoring mother of little Taylor Elise.  She is now sixteen days old and doing amazingly well.  She was born early on a Tuesday morning with a full head of dark hair and weighing in at seven pounds seven ounces.



Needless to say, life during these past two weeks has been slightly different to usual.  Sleep patterns have been altered, eating habits have changed, my nails haven't been painted in ages, home decor is quite different, time management has gone out the window and my heart has grown immensely and permanently. Nothing has ever felt quite so natural as having Taylor.

I'm going to try and keep up with blogging, but I wouldn't be surprised if the nature of my posts changes a little over the coming months.  At this stage I'm still getting to know Taylor and she's still getting to know what she wants and what her habits may be, so I'm going to be quite flexible with the amount I'll be posting and when.  Not that this blog has ever been particularly consistant, let's be honest.

I have a few posts lined up - a couple make-up reviews, hauls, home organisation and mummy-blog posts - that I'm eager to get uploaded and share with you, but I suppose it depends on when time (and Taylor) permits.

Take care, will speak to you soon!

xx




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22 May 2012, 4:16 PM
What's In My Hospital Bag?

Day twelve of maternity leave and I found myself with not a whole lot to do.  Up until now I've been busy pretty much every single day, but today I managed to sleep in until 9am and have quite a leisurely morning.

It did give me an excellent opportunity to finally finish packing my hospital bag - and since I found these types of posts and videos on youtube incredibly helpful, I thought I do a post of my very own.
Bit of a disclaimer first - I'm someone who is quite happy to overpack, and by no means is everything listed here necessity.  I'd just much rather have something handy if I decide I want it rather than pack lightly and wish I had something. 

I'm going through the public hospital system in Australia and my elected hospital doesn't really supply much besides linen, hospital gowns and a pack of nappies, so it's really up to the mum-to-be to bring her own bits and pieces.  There's also no accomodation for the daddies-to-be, so Joe will be going home each night, which will be handy if it turns out I've forgotten something.  Hospital stays are generally three days, or five days for a caesarian, so I've based my packing on the three day stay.


Of course I still have a few things I'll be throwing in at the last minute, so I've made sure I have my list next to my bag, so that hopefully nothing gets forgotton in the frenzy of early labour.

Underwear type stuff - pack of daggy undies in a larger size that I don't mind getting rid of if I have to; two nursing bras (one comfy and one slightly more structured); two pairs of cozy socks since it will be autumn/winter by the time I'm in hospital.  I bought these from Big W a couple of months ago and have been waiting ever-so-patiently to wear them.

Tech stuff - camera, video camera, battery charger, rechargeable batteries, headphones, wall chargers and ereader. All fairly self explanatory. Iphone and its charger will be thrown in at the last minute.

Face cloth; mini hair straightener (just in case - I don't really intend to use it, but whatever, I've never taken it out of the box before); Biore cleansing wipes and toiletry bag.

Toiletry bag - cotton pads; kabuki; body wash; cleanser; shampoo & conditioner; argan oil; razor; bobby pins; hair lackies; dry shampoo; headbands; brown eyeliner; mascara; lipbalm; BB Cream and eye cream.  Still need to throw in my face powder - I don't really intend on wearing too much make-up, but I figure if there's going to be lots of visitors and photos being taken and I might feel like I need a bit of sprucing up.


Super fun stuff - nursing pads; maternity pads (I'm taking two packs just in case); nipple cream and plastic bag (for dirty clothes to bring home for washing).



Two long sleeved t-shirts, comfy enough to sleep in and one short sleeved t-shirt, all with front openings for easy access to the girls.


One pair of super comfy, baggy pajama pants, two pairs on yoga pants.  I'll probably end up wearing a pair of yoga pants on the way home since they're comfy and it's socially acceptable to wear them in public.


Soft pullover with open front - most likely to be worn on the way home, but might be handy depending on the weather and A/C of the hospital.  Apparently I like all my loungewear to be grey, haha.



Husbands stuff - spare change of shirt, underwear and a pair of bathers.  I plan of using the hospital shower during labour as a form of pain relief (God help me!) and if I decide Joe needs to get in there with me I'm sure the midwives would appreciate him wearing pants.


Onto the cute baby stuff!  Now, I know that I have definitely overpacked for Baby K, but her bag was already semi-packed as a nappy bag, so I just left everything in there and added a couple of things.
Fuzzy pink blanket for the drive home; modesty apron in case I'm nursing and have visitors (I'm fairly modest, but who knows, that may all fly out the door in a few weeks time); two burp clothes; muslin wrap.


Nappy wallet with change mat; baby wipes and nappies (many, many more than pictured).

The nappy wallet is so cute - I know I won't be using it during this hospital stay, but it was an item I already had in the bag.  I was given this as a gift from a friend, but I searched the brand and apparently she purchased it from this etsy seller. I love it.

Four singlets; three onesies; one long sleeved t-shirt; two pairs of socks; one pair of scratch mittens and two beanies.  I've packed a couple different sizes since we obviously have no idea how big Baby K will be - I was a fairly average size baby but Joe was a bit of a whopper, so I wanted to be prepared for either situation.

Two sleep suits and a sleeping sack.  The sleeping sack is an alternative to wrapping baby in a swaddle and I've read excellent reviews, so I thought I'd give them a go.

I found this blue bag organiser on ebay for a few dollars and added it to a regular tote bag I found in a local boutique.  Everything fits so nicely :)



So all packed and ready to go!  Baby seat has been fitted in the car, all baby linen has been washed and the moses basket is all made up, pantry and freezer are stocked with food, cameras are charged and ready, hospital tour and antenatal classes have been attended.
Feeling fairly ready to go!

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29 April 2012, 2:22 PM
DIY - Wall Decor

I'm in bed have an afternoon lay down before I'm meant to go meet a friend for afternoon tea and just remembered I had a bit of a baby room update to post.


I found this inspiration pic somewhere on Pinterest or tumblr and wanted to replicate the frames for Baby Ks room, but I'm generally not very crafty or artistic, so I wasn't really sure how it would turn out - and although it isn't quite as good as I hoped, I'm still happy with it.



I started by buying a bunch of cheap frames from The Reject Shop for about $4 each and painted them all white. I still had some leftover touch up paint for our door frames that was just taking up space, so I used that (not sure what I'll do now if one of the doors needs touching up, but we'll cross that bridge later). I also found some frames that I've bought/been given over the years that don't really suit my taste anymore as they are and painted them too. That was the easy part.


Arranging the frames as they would go on the wall was kinda difficult for me as, like i said, I'm not naturally a very artistic person. I eventually found a layout I was happy with, then just had to find the prints to go in them. 


http://www.etsy.com/listing/88064040/damask-digital-paper-pack-in-pink-and


http://www.etsy.com/listing/95697826/pink-digital-papers-ruth-paper-pack-for

I ended up downloading from etsy sellers and printing then on my home computer, but this probably would have worked better if I picked up some papers from a scrapbooking store or something. My printer isn't exactly world class.
















I mapped out the layout on the wall using a very simple method - probably not the most efficient way to do it, but it worked. I used the largest frame in the bottom left hand corner as my guide to measure from and worked out the distance I needed between each picture hook. I then taped up blue painters tape as an outline on the wall and using a spirit level marked out the hook placements. Then I realised I didn't have enough hooks. So plans went on hold a couple days until I remembered to pick some up from the supermarket.


I ended up using the Command 3M wire hooks that come in packs of 3 for around $6. I like them mostly because I don't have a drill and because I don't like to commit to actual holes in the wall. I wouldn't recommend applying them for the first time in hot weather or on freshly painted walls though, as the glue can melt and down will come hook, paint and all. Happened in my study. Not particularly a good time.


So finished product looks a little something like this:






Like I said, I'm quite happy with it, even though it's not quite as effective as the inspiration pictures I found. At least I have a layout and the frames now, so I can switch up the prints whenever I want.


DIY - such fun.

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14 April 2012, 8:14 PM
waiting for the cold









Gawd, I love winter clothes. Not that we're quite there yet - it was about 30 degrees Celsius today, so I'm still walking around in shorts and singlets - but I'm so looking forward to leggings and jackets and scarves and textures.

As always, I'll be on the hunt for the perfect winter knits again this season, knits that cover my bum so I can wear them casually with leggings and boots and just be good to go.  I find wearing jeans so uncomfortable these days - they're generally so stiff. Oh, and when I say 'these days' I mean even before I was with child.

Speaking of Baby K, she's cooking along nicely, we had the 31 week midwife check up earlier this week.  We're on a bit of a countdown now.  I've nearly finished setting up her bedroom ready for her arrival and may or may not have already packed the bag I'll be taking to the hospital (organised or a touch OCD?).

Ooh, I almost forgot to mention - I placed a cheeky order on shopbop.com just before the Easter long weekend. I finally, finally purchased myself a gold toned Michael Kors watch.  I've been contemplating this purchase for a good two years now, but I figured after the baby comes there may not be as much spare cash lying around - so I bit the bullet and ordered the Jet Set Sport Watch in Gold and it is bea-u-tiful.  I'm sure you've probably seen it somewhere on the interwebz before, but I'll take be sure to include it in my next OOTD (coz you know I'm going to wear that shizz every day for the rest of my life). 

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01 April 2012, 7:21 PM
another attempt at style while bump-ing

'Twas the first day of April today, and it was such a typical April day.  Nice cool morning, perfect for snuggling up in bed with a cup of tea (and the man), lazy breakfast catching up on blogs & YouTube videos, warmed up slightly around lunch time (but not too warm) with a light sprinkling of rain, and now it's 7pm and cool enough to curl up in a fluffy, albeit short sleeved, dressing gown.  Happy.

Today was my cousin's 21st birthday afternoon BBQ, so I had to dress myself and the burgeoning baby bump in something smart, but relaxed.  I must admit, getting dressed in something other than sweats is getting increasingly difficult and I imagine I'll be saying goodbye to the heels soon! 








Dress: Temt (XL singlet top, but I've been wearing it as a dress)
Pullover: Temt (this season)
Boots: Deena and Ozzy via Urban Outfitters
Necklace: Diva, years ago
Watch: Urban Outfitters Asos.com (July 2011)
Sideways Cross Bracelet & 'Love' Ring: Sportsgirl
Nails: Essie Ridge Filling Base Coat & Chi Chi Disco Diva on tips.
Bump: Grew it myself

What else can I talk about this lovely Sunday evening? 

I went and saw The Hunger Games on opening night last week - I went in with no expectations and was quite happy with it.  I thought the actual games themselves could've been a little more epic, but I suppose they did what they could with the PG rating.  I felt that they didn't make the tributes innocent enough, if that makes sense.  The careers were just a tad too hard-core.  They almost made up for it at the end with Cato's desperate speech, but not quite.  And I don't think they quite managed to show just how tough the games were.  I didn't really feel that Katniss had that much of a rough time before the fire started, and I'm not sure they managed to properly portray Katniss's feelings towards Peeta, but ah well.  That said, I think it was a very good book to movie adaptation.  I'll definitely be getting it on DVD when it comes out.

I can't wait for my maternity leave to start.  I'm finishing up in May, a month before my due date, so hopefully I get a couple of weeks to get organised and get a couple good sleeps in before she makes her debut.  I bought some bits and pieces for my hospital bag on Saturday - fluffy socks and nursing bras - so I'm slowly getting organised.  I'm on the 10 week countdown now!!

Looking forward to the short working week and the Easter weekend now - are you doing anything for the four day weekend?  Not sure of my plans yet, but a couple of my close friends happen to have their birthdays this weekend, so it's not going to be all rest and relaxation I'm sure.

Happy April everyone!

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27 March 2012, 8:45 PM
Baby, baby, baby OH

I apologise in advance if this becomes a bit of a baby blog from here on in - the bump is getting so big now it's kinda beginning to consume my life (not that that is a bad thing).  This past weekend was spent beginning to deck out the baby room, or nursery if you will, so I thought I'd show you some of the bits that I've done.  I'm still working full time, so it's a bit slowly-slowly, but there's been a little bit of action.

First up, the tissue pompoms - you may notice that the look on my face is really quite ecstatic.  This is mostly because I was ecstatic.  I am by no means a crafty person; most things I attempt to make end up as a miserable fail, so I was so, so excited when the pompoms turned out how I wanted them.  The messy bedroom is another pregnancy symptom FYI ;)


I've kept my body out of shot because I'm kind of not wearing any pants.  Another pregnancy symptom.

I've made eight so far, a couple in each shade (white, pastel pink, hot pink, burgundy).  I might end up doing a few in a soft grey as well since I'm planning on incorporating a little of that into the decor. 



I started hanging them up yesterday, but gave up after the first four because it was quite late in the day and I was well and truly tuckered out by then.  I'll resume with the rest next weekend, but you can sort of see what I'm trying to accomplish here.


If you'd like a tutorial or more information about how I did these, let me know and I'll do it when I make the grey ones.  You can buy them premade on Etsy, but it's cheaper to make them and so amazingly easy.  I've attached them to the ceiling with painters tape, in case you're interested, which I reccommend since it doesn't peel off the paint.  The cot is a 'meat-safe' cot, which we got second hand, mainly because we have a cat and I'd rather not worry that she could jump in and smother the baby. It's not the prettiest, I know, but peace of mind isn't overrated.

Sunday was the day of my baby shower, which my lovely sister hosted at my parents house.  The day went really well and I had so much fun, and man, we got spoilt! 

This is how our living room floor looked after I'd finished showing everything to Joe when I got home later that evening.  Guess what gender the baby is, I dares ya.


My sister also bought me this Moses basket - I believe the stand in Gertie & Me (second-hand) and the basket itself was from Big W.  In case you've not heard of them, Moses baskets are used as an alternative to the traditional bassinet.  I just liked the sleek-ness of the basket - I'm not really a very 'frilly' person - and I like the fact that it will be easy to move around the house.


And lastly, I also managed to make it to Ikea this weekend.  We didn't end up picking up any of the items I blogged about earlier, since they were quite different in reality, but we did make sure to bring home at least one flat-pack box.
  

In case I haven't mentioned it before, I am really quite the man in our household and Joe is kind of the woman.  No gender stereotypes here in the house of K.  I generally do all the handy work and Joe generally does the dishes.  And I love it that way.  So here I am, not being particularly attractive, assembling the exciting flat-packed Ikea chest of drawers.


And the finished product. Yay!



I plan on doing a proper nursery tour when I'm finished, but just thought I'd give you a little update.  Let me know if this is a little on the boring side and I'll try and limit the baby posts - but like I said, there's not really a lot going on in my life besides the incubation at the moment.

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