Pandora, Le Sophie…. The Girls Went Shopping!

Kings complains a lot about Ms Rockstar’s “bedhead,” so I’ve been looking for hairbands and hats… (These are from best dressed kids…)

White bobbles beret…

Instead of:

pic from here

Great for smoothing down the “crazy hair” babies often get…. Except…

Why don’t babies come with two heads,  for when you can’t decide on headgear?

Harry Belafonte’s Coconut Woman comes to mind…

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Not liking Rockstar’s old hat…

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Oh, oh, this my favorite. Guess who:

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Hint:

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(Pic originally from here)

What, Boey Pai Say? But you smiled, right?

Ok fun’s over. Here’s the rest of the Cheese Sandwich Post (Today I Ate A Cheese Sandwich For Lunch a.k.a. Nobody Cares Post) about my love of Pandora charms (don’t scoff ok, I have readers who email me about their own Pandoras) and Ms Rockstar’s love of aged French giraffe chew toys (um, for that hard day in the office?)…

Old Bracelet:

Oops my child is in the way wondering what I’m doing in the cab.

OK old bracelet:

Since Kings and Rockstar originally picked out a few charms on a starter bracelet, the 2 hearts wearing crowns are there whether they match anything or not, for obvious reasons. And yes you can guess exactly why I have a couple star beads. One rockstar each. There’s one for JD too – the flowers with very light blue centers near one end of the bracelet – same shade as her one blue eye.

The gold leaves with diamonds charm I bought couple CNYs ago, when we visited my parents’ home in Penang. CNYs used to be very stressful for me growing up, we always had to be right on time to go visiting, stuff like that. It was with trepidation after many such memories that I went back – to what surprised me as the best CNY I had ever had in Penang. So when we got back to HK I wanted to have that memory with me.

The first thing that strikes you entering my parents’ home is the giant leaves from various creeper and other plants in huge pots my mum has lovingly tended, around the entrance:

Anyway. Then I wanted to add glass beads in a not-too-pink color in honor of Ms Rockstar. Except I don’t imagine they’ll match the turquoise polka-dotted bead then-3yr-old Rockstar picked out.

Me: Look at my bracelet. D’you remember which beads you and Daddy picked out? (It’s been a really, really long time – I couldn’t wear the bracelet all through my pregnancy, and even when I did wear it I can’t remember Rockstar ever noticing. Not to mention he picked it out in like, 10 minutes flat, before “crashing” whereby Kings brought him to nap in a cafe nearby while I carried on shopping).

Rockstar: <looking dutifully> Sure. I picked this (turquoise polka-dot) one to represent the snow (starter bracelet was purchased somewhere in a San Francisco mall at Christmas, after a trip to Lake Tahoe – Rockstar really loves snow), Daddy picked this (teal enamel celtic bead next to polka dot) one after we laughed so much at him eating that fortune cookie with the fortune still inside. It’s supposed to look like a fortune cookie.

Me: <Thinking: crap. There goes my chance to change anything. And how come he remembers when it was more than 2 years ago – that’s half his lifetime> You actually remember all that?

Rockstar: Yeah. Why?

Me: I wanted to get some pink beads for the baby. But I’m having a hard time matching the blue ones.

Rockstar: You can take mine out, Mum <shrugs>.

Me: Really? You don’t mind?

Rockstar: Really. Just take it out. <turns back to whatever he was messing with during dinner>

I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Now that turquoise polka-dot bead also reminds me of this conversation. (When I point that out to Rockstar, he looks pleased. Before going back to being absorbed with whatever it was he was gravely attending to before I interrupted.)

So new bracelet (yes photo bombed by Mustela diaper cream):

Actually not too bad after all, right?

But whether it matches doesn’t really matter after all. This is why sometimes you see mums wearing fugly jewelry. And I’d rather have this than say a tennis bracelet (by the time you’re done with gold/ gemstone charms your Pandora’ll probably cost about there – cos you feel the pain less, adding precious charms over the years, instead of dropping it all in one go for the tennis bracelet and it is addictive <sheepish>)

On an aside though, I wanted to point out the silver heart with blue spinel next to Ms Rockstar’s not-too-pink bead. The manager at the Pandora flagship in Central was impressed. That bead was on sale in the UK to commemorate Kate and Wills’ wedding. It was given to me by Mum of Cherub. She left HK in the end 🙁

Rockstar wearing chartreuse Lord Of The Flies illustration-esqe Piggy tee

(I mention because she then sent an amazingly thoughtful baby gift package and looong handwritten note after some planning re timing with the hub – it was brought to me in the hospital freshly mailed from her newly movied-into home in the States and I still don’t know how she did that – think dragon-ended baby eating utensils, an arty farty piggy tee for Rockstar, a onesie with “Sayang” written in pink, a very Malaysian-looking stuffed toy tapir (WHERE did she get these, I always wonder), and a HUGE lifesaver of a book about the aerodynamics of flying paper planes and lots of folding instructions, among others. Rockstar was launching paper planes about the room for days, while we were busy with the unexpectedly early new arrival.)

“C & W,” Catherine and William. My mum’s a huge Royals fan, from Princess Diana days.

Then I also discovered this bead that’s supposed to fit your Pandora bracelet, from personalized boutique:

As in, you can have a bead made with your kid(s)’/ dog’s/ cat’s/ hamster’s name. I haven’t ordered these before, but I’ve bought name necklaces from the site over the years, I agree with other reviewers their service and execution of personalization requests is great. Besides, who can resist their CEO:

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Ms Rockstar’s turn to do a review. She picked……

Sophie the French Giraffe from Mothercare. Was wondering what all the fuss about this giraffe was (the Mothercare lady enthusiastically goes “yes, and they are back in stock!” when I ask), and what was up with the slightly creepy eyes, until I read that its design hasn’t changed since 1961 and how they make it is a closely guarded secret.

Way to go Marketing.

Ms Rockstar agrees.

Le Sophie, le mademoiselle Rockstar. Nom, nom, nom. Love Sophie, you yummy animal.

(But seriously, I have teething rings, teething jewelry, various interesting-looking (to me) baby chews, the baby still loves the giraffe best.)

Too bad about the squeaking though. JD keeps stalking it. One day you see a pic of it in JD’s basket, you’ll know I have to get Ms Rockstar another one. Except how’m I going to tell the dog’s and the baby’s apart? <shudder>