Sewing projects

Lately in my current state i'm feeling kind of lazy to sew..actually on the inside i still have lots of plans and ideas what to sew but physically i'm just always so exhausted..just cutting up fabric takes so much energy especially cos i have to bend on knees with the big belly in the way..so awkward and uncomfortable..argh..well, you know how it is..at this stage of pregnancy everything is uncomfortable, really..

but i know i have little time to sew now..after the baby comes it'll get worse..i won't have time to sleep, let alone sew eh? so i try to squeeze juga some sewing when i can...but no new designs or anything..just things i'm already familiar with..

another ruffle dress for baby...

using the same pattern i made before..

a nursing cover for myself..i just realised i'm not really prepared for breastfeeding! i've no nursing tops...i haven't been refreshing myself with breastfeeding how-to...unlike the first pregnancy, betul2 semangat learn about bfeeding...i hope i haven't forgotten how :)

i made a messenger bag for Farah, Cikgu Julie's daughter.. I used Amy Butler fabrics for both inside and out...

the compartments are basically similar to my husband's workbag..with a compartment for laptop..

i hope you like it Farah :) congratulations for the 8As!

why do i keep avoiding to complete Baby's quilt, i don't know...i made some blocks already..tapi mcm malaaaas sgt nak complete it...hish...tonight for example i made a small project lain pulak...sbb malas nak kluarkan balik quilt tu..

Pesta Sushi

Recently I've been craving sushi..but you know how pregnant ladies cannot eat sushi, right...sbb ikan2 raw tak masak kalau pegi kedai..don't knowlah this pregnancy asik nak mkn bende yg tak patut mkn jer..anyways, during Cikgu Julie's visit we met 2 other ex-cikgu STAR, Cikgu N and her husband, Sensei..ni kes cikgu STAR kawen sama cikgu STAR la ni..hehe..they're here in London, studying..they're just the most adorable couple..Sensei ni org Jepun...jadi Cikgu N pun pandai masak masakan jepun tau...fuh...mmg rezeki saya...diorg siap dtg rumah saya bawak segala ingredients dan tolong masakkan saya sushi! alamak how lucky am i...

Cikgu N punya tertib masak pun dah sama mcm org jepun daa...punyalah sabar...susah giler rupenye nak masak...

Cikgu N tgh ajar mcmana nak gulung sushi tu...

Ni antara sushi2 yg dah siap...sedap giler fuh...i got first pick sbb org mengidam kononnye...haha...

the happy couple...thank you so much masakkan saya sushi ye!!

Sensei pulak ajar mcmana nak gulung yg bentuk kon tu..ape..sashimi?tak ingat nama..

Tu dia lauk2 dia yg masuk dlm sushi tu..kitorg buat pesta sushi la smlm..masing2 try gulung sendiri..mmg seronok betullah..last night was Cikgu Julie's last night here..

Semua dlm gambar ni either budak STAR or Cikgu STAR..kecuali budak kecik kat tgh yg sengih macam kerang busuk tu...

Harini Cikgu Julie and Zaid nak balik dah...waaa...sedihnya....Adam mesti nangis ni karang...we really loved having you guys here la Cikgu..Adam mesti miss Zaid..take care on your way back...

Al-Fatihah

We just found out about the passing of our dear close friend, Reza. Mcm tak percaya that it happened...

Al- Fatihah for him please...

Kesiannya his wife, Jimal and their little boy, who looks exactly like Reza...

36 weeks check-up

I had a check-up today - 36 weeks now - full term!

The scan went great...Baby is in good position, head down...her size is small normal, weight 2.3kg which is great considering my diabetes..

then we went to see the doctor and she checked my glucose diary. It's not good news, I've been having many readings of 9-10.9 eventhough i'm following the same diet...she said it's getting worse towards the end of my pregnancy because there are more hormones making the insulin ineffective..so in the end she prescribed me with tablets to help making my insulin more efficient..

they don't know the side effects of the tablets..but she said they do know however that if the Baby continue to grow in me surrounded by high sugar, she will have high chances of developing low blood sugar (because her body produces extra insulin in the womb to cope with the extra sugar) once she is delivered, and this is dangerous and she may have to be taken into special care unit..so now i'm taking the tablets..hopefully it'll help control my glucose level now...

suddenly now i'm getting so stressed and nervous about labour...bag hospital tak pack lagi, nak pack pun rase mcm semua bende takde..semua bende tak ready lg...byk lagi barang nak kene beli...baju2 baby semua tak basuh lg, taktau mana nak beli laundry detergent and bottle cleanser suitable for baby..kat sini tak jual lak kat kedai brg baby mcm kat msia..agaknye diorg pakai detergents biasa je kot...i've got to pack a bag for Adam too right?sian dia kene tinggal..what and how to cook in confinement...what does the maternity ward look like, what is the state of the shared toilets..why is My Brestfriend nursing pillow so damn expensive it's unaffordable(Chun! simpan tau pillow tu...hehe) ok now i'm just babbling...byk sgt bende going through my mind now...i know everybody is gonna tell me to relax :) i'm trying, trust me..

Cikgu Julie's visit

No updates on the blog for a while...been pretty busy because we have some special guests in the house...Cikgu Julie, my husband's favourite teacher from STAR came to visit with her son, Zaid..

Adam immediately got attached to Zaid. Sayang betul dgn Abg Zaid...celik2 mata je soh abg dukung dia...Abg Zaid pun mmg rajin layan Adam..

Gambar ni nampak ceria tapi sebenarnya we were all frozen cold! gigil2...cuba tgk expression muka Adam...dia dah senyap jer sbb dah kesejukkan...this week temperature very low..we had first snow on wednesday...snow came very early this year nampaknye...lebat tapi tak accumulate yet..

tgk Adam senyum bukan main sweet kan? actually if you look closely his cheeks ade air mata meleleh2...dia baru lepas menangis tak hingatnye...sbbnye kitorg baru kluar dr Hamleys (huge toy store) so dia sedih gile tanak kluar Hamleys..sambil dia meraung kitorg masuk this Ferrari shop. Lps dia nampak car tu, Abg Zaid ajak dia amik gamba, terus happy and smile dgn air mata still berjujuran...lawak betul..

This is the famous Cikgu Julie. Cikgu kesayangan my husband. When I was still his girlfriend, he brought me to her house. Kene interview dulu dgn Cikgu Julie tau baru boleh pass...hehe...

This morning bwk diorg ke carboot. Tapi dah winter tak byk dah stalls..

dgn keadaan sarat ni kadang saya tak dpt ikut diorg jalan...but i hope they're still having fun though...they are very generous guests..seboleh2 diorang tanak susahkan saya...

p/s: i have a feeling i might deliever early la...i keep having these braxton hicks contractions..bila balik berjalan je sakit2 badan esp low part of the belly...alamak please Baby jgn kluar awal sgt ye...mcm rasa tak ready lg jer...takutnya nak bersalin this time..dan takut sgt nak go through pantang post natal...uwaaa....

Pregnancy Photoshoot

Actually dah lama plan nak buat photoshoot perut besar ni...tapi susahla pulak dgn weather yg asik sejuk jer..asal keluar je tak tahan nak amik2 gamba, terus jalan/balik sbb sejuk..tapi kang lambat sgt kang terpop pulak baby ni..tak sempat nanti..i'm already 35 weeks pregnant..so last weekend i booked photography session jugaklah with Aidafiqs Photography...hehe..

sayangnye semua gamba terpaksa pakai winter coat..

actually i dah siap pakai knitted top yg show off my belly tak sanggup nak bukak winter coat in this weather..tapi oklah, nampak jugak perut makyong..lgpun this is probably the only time i'll ever be heavily pregnant in winter so adelah kenangan nanti boleh tunjuk kat Baby..

haritu pulak hujan..dahla mendung..tapi makyong still posing jugak, tak kire...

Adam was oblivious to the whole photoshoot. sbb dia sibuk nak naik rides. actually we went to a park la konon nak amik gamba..tgk2 park tu dah di convert jadi funfair..tak dpt nak amik byk pics ngan adam..tgkla mata dia melilau je..tanak dokong...tanak amik gamba...nak naik carla..nak naik trainla...nak naik horselah...

tq bang for taking my pregnancy photos :)

ok...i should be packing my hospital bag soon...any day now this baby can come...

First serger project: Baby's Ruffle Dress

I came up with a new dress design for Baby so that i could use my serger..alamak i'm so in love with this serger already..The fabrics are Sandi Henderson's Ginger Blossom (except for the red polka dots). I have a pack of Ginger Blossom fat quaters for Baby's quilt (still on-going, terbengkalai skejap) and since her dresses are so small, boleh guna fat quaters untuk buat her dress..

the edges of the ruffles are finished with rolled hem on the serger..kemas kan..i also gathered the ruffles using the serger..senang je.. all the seams inside are sewn, trimmed and encased all in one step...terus kemas..did i mention i love my serger?

For the closing i used a button..

Last night i made a pair of matching bloomers for her to wear with the dress (the bloomers are not my own pattern). cantik kalau pakai in summer kot? in cooler months she can wear the dress with leggings/tights..

aahh..tak sabar lak nak jumpa Baby...we've finally found a name for her :)

I have a serger!!!

I just bought this Janome Overlock 9200d this weekend. OMG, i can't believe i own a serger!! Thank you bang! I've always wanted one....tapi mahal sgt...kat sini tgk mcm murah jugak...plus this machine ade sale kat John Lewis...terus rembat..

The machine seemed really complicated at first...the system is not the same as a sewing machine..pening jugak mula2 tu tgk manual + dvd dia...but after a while i realise it's actually quite user-friendly for a serger..of course i haven't had to actually thread the machine, because it came pre-threaded, so i suppose the hard part will come when i have to put in fresh thread spools later...

I've started a new project (even though ade byk on-going project lain yg terbengkalai ni) just so i could use this machine. So far dah cuba standard seaming, rolled hem and gathering...wow...it makes the sewing lookes really professional...i love it!

i'll show you the project later when i finish it...

Hello Winter!

Winter is here already..oh my how quickly time passes..it's sooo cold now..

Last night we took Adam to Hyde Park's Winter Wonderland. It was awesome! The atmosphere was just really festive and merry..The moment Adam saw the place terus dia jerit 'WOW!'

Just look at the expression on his face...he was so happy and excited..he doesn't mind the cold at all..

The place was really beautiful with all the lights..tapi susah nak capture because it was nighttime..for those of you living/visiting London, pls try and go ok...cantik sgt...entry is free..(but the rides and food are ridiculously expensive)

He can hardly stop for a sec to take a pic..mata dia melilau je tgk everything around him..

Adam naik train...pandai dah dia naik rides sorang2 tak takut langsung...

before he got on this ride he fell down and hit his head on the road.dia nangis2..cpt2 check sbb Adam ni tough, he won't cry if he hurt himself unless ade benjol atau ade blood. lps check tgk ade benjol and luka sikit...sian dia...lps dah pujuk2, terus dia ckp nak naik this ride...tapi muka still serious je..takde sengih2..maybe tgh sakit lg sikit tu...

Aside from the fall, we all had fun last night...yg paling penting Adam had fun..semua rides dia nak naik...pokai Daddy dia semalam..

Big decision

Yesterday I made one of the toughest decision ever..

I sent in my resignation...

I am so scared...of the consequences which i know will come soon..but, i know in my heart that this is the best decision for our family..insyaAllah..

pls pray for me..thank you..

Good news and bad news

Yesterday I had an appointment with the diabetic midwife at the hospital. She said my glucose levels looked ok..except for a few instances..kene sound jugaklah..no sugar at all in my cooking...sigh..tapi she said still ok, i've been good..no need for insulin yet..

ok so the good news is, Babys has turned! she's not breeched anymore! alhamdulillah...we did a quick scan yesterday to make sure..yahoo! i'm so relieved...that means i still have a chance to deliver her normally...

the bad news? the midwife told me that there's NO WAY i'll be able to qualify for the Birth Centre like i wanted :( just because i've developed GDM....even if i behave really well and keep my sugar level low all the time...still, they won't accept me...sigh..takutnya nak bersalin kat the normal ward...i wish i hadn't read all the bad testimonials about the maternity ward...mcm dah dekat sgt time nak deliver ni...i'm really scared..

p/s: Kesian Adam last night dia muntah2...byk kali..we took him to A&E. they told us it was a viral infection...but this morning nampak dia mcm dah ok...hopefully takde apelah....

School Trip - Gullivers Theme Park

Yesterday the children centre organised a trip to Gullivers theme park..We decided to join..even Daddy pun kene pujuk dgn Adam ikut sekali..

Berani betul Adam naik horse ni all by himself..takut jugak kalau tgh bende tu jalan dia frightened pastu nak lompat kluar (which has happened before) but i guess Adam dah big boy now..

The weather was very sunny..which is rare now that it's winter..but still, it was freezing cold..my kaki tgn semua frozen rasenye..tapi Adam relax jer..

The theme there now is Christmas..the place is all decked out in Christmas decorations..One of the attractions is the Enchanted Forest..halfway through, we went through Santa's Room, where the children can sit on Santa's lap..kitorg lak tercegat jelah tanaklah join sekali..tapi lps lalu bilik Santa tu..masuk Toy Room pulak, where all the children get one present each! kitorg ingatkan tmpt tu toy store, i.e. kene belilah toynye...rupenye tak..mmg dpt toy betul2, free..pergh, best2 lak tu presents dia...toys bukan cikai2nye..Adam rambang mata nak pilih...last2 dia pilih motor/ATV..

Ni adam naik Ferril Wheel pulak with Daddy..I didn't go..takut, tinggi..tapi Adam punyalah berani..dah kat atas tu boleh pulak jenguk2 bawah, babai2 Mommy..tak gayat langsung dia..

Adam with Diego

The highlight of the trip has got to be meeting Dora the Explorer! Lately Adam has forgotten about his favourite show Spongebob and started watching Dora pulak. I think in comparison to Spongebob, Dora lagi byk bagusnye lah...he actually learned a lot from the show..he learned new words, some spanish, learned to say please, learned counting..the show is quite interactive, Adam ikutla Dora dance, say the words etc..

When Dora came out, there was along Q to take pics with her, tapi Adam patiently waited in Q..tak complain langsung..pastu sambil beratur tu dia dok buat flying kisses kat Dora! punyalah sayang Adam kat Dora..lps tu bila his turn came, the look on his face was priceless! punyalah happy...fuh...i think the whole trip was worth it just to see the expression on his face..

Adam's quilt

About a month back we bought a cot for baby that atttaches to our bed. I planned on making the bedding for baby's cot and ordered some nice fabrics...unfortunately those fabrics got lost in transit..then the store owner sent me the replacement..the whole thing took a long time..in the mean time Adam loved the cot and been sleeping in it..So i thought maybe I should make a cot quilt for Adam too, since the fabrics i ordered for baby of course all girly..

The moment I gave the quilt to him and spread it on the floor he immediately got idea how it's intended to be used..one side of the quilt is a track playmat, for him to play with his many cars, trains and aeroplanes. Bila dah siap i tgk nampak mcm river pulak instead of road but takpelah...hehe..

Lps dah penat tertonggeng2 on the floor dia angkat quilt soh letak atas coffee table pulak main kat situ...in the pic above he is 'polishing' his cars...

Here's the other side of the quilt. The fabrics are all from the 'To the Rescue Flannels' collection by Hoffman. Very interesting to use flannel as a quilt because it's really soft and warm..I was browsing this fabric on the internet the other day, Adam saw me and terus berminat...dia tunjuk ' Ma, car! plane! Bus!'. Pastu dia lak take over browsing.. He loves all kinds of vehicles...terus I chose these fabrics for his quilt...

Here's what it looks like on the cot. Atas cot guna this side so that dia boleh tgk2 all the pics..

Basically this quilt was rather easy to make...no difficult patchwork or anything...i just let the lovely prints do the work..I quilted it free-motion style again using transparent nylon thread so tak nampak la senget benget...hehe...

Girls Day Out

Today my husband took Adam to a tennis match with his friends and gave me the day off! I was so excited but wasn't really sure where to go...he said..pegilah tgk wayang ke..get your hair done ke..creative jugak my husband ni..great suggestions..we have only been to the cinema once since I gave birth to Adam, can you believe it? But haircut pun sounds good jugak...he said, alah, just do both..mula2 gi tgk wayang, pastu pi saloon..fuh! I knew I married you for a reason! Muahs!

So I called up my friend..her husband is going to the tennis match as well so I figured she must have the day free too..we had a girls day out today!huhu!

First we checked out the cinema but it turns out no interesting movies are showing..Twillight is showing but very late in the day about 5pm..

So we went to a spa! (treatments ape rahsia...hehe) best....and then after that still have time before the boys came back so we went to a saloon! I got a great haircut..and my friend had her eyebrow shaped and threading for her face...

hehe...mmg girly activities betul today! It's been so long since i went out with a girlfriend and just had some girly fun...hehe..balik rumah both of us perasan pretty...haha..

To my husband - you are the BEST husband in the world! muahs!

Adam? apparently he behaved sooo well during the 3-4 hours tennis match! I'm impressed! sampai tanak balik tu....on the way back my husband called me soh ckp ngan Adam ajak dia balik..I told him pls come home Mommy miss you..barulah dia kata OK...hehehe..

Adam @ Portman

Has been a while since i put any photos of Adam at school. Recently we started going back to Portman. No more swine flu cases lately..alhamdulillah...

Here's Adam with Charlotte, one of the staff there..when Adam saw the slide he immediately knew what it's for...hehe...terus pick up his favourite vehicles and slide them down - planes, helicopters and trucks. Charlotte said well done Adam..very clever of you to know that toys with wheels can go on the slide..

Here Adam is playing with cornflour goop..the mix has a very interesting texture...like solid when stationary...but flows like liquid...even i love running my hands through it..Adam usually doesn't like getting his hands messy, he's always asking for tissue or asking to wash his hands if he's got anything sticky on it..but he loved this gloop today...I think i will try make this mix at home for him to play. If you want to try it out...i think it's a 50-50 mix of corn flour and cold water...try it with food colouring for extra fun...

31 weeks scan

I went for a scan today at the hospital. Normally here you don't get to do many scans, so far I had only two scans - one in the beginning to make sure how many weeks pregnant, and once for the 5 months detail scan. Kalau kat Msia every month check up je mesti scan kan...

But now that I have GD i have to have more frequent scans. Today my husband was busy at work so I just went with Adam. Luckily it was scheduled at 1.30pm, so Adam was having his nap in the buggy the whole time..

From the scan it looked like Baby's size is normal and actually below the average, which is good considering the fact that I have GD...alhamdulillah...lets keep it up Baby..But she is still breeched, which for now is still ok...hopefully she turns soon...

next wednesday I have another appointment to see the doctor and the dietician pulak...

Little Booties

I've been on a little sewing/knitting break recently because i ran out of fabric and yarn..so i've only been sewing with scraps..

these booties are great. they were my first sewing project ever! dulu i made a pair for Adam, handsewn! because at the time i didn't have a sewing machine yet, but i really wanted to start sewing. After sewing a pair of these booties, i was hooked! so you can say they have sentimental value, sort of. You can get the pattern here. They only use small scraps of fabric, and they make great gifts too.

For these booties I quilted the soles using 2 layers of cotton and a layer of fusible fleece. The result turned out great tapi lecehnya nak quilt bende kecik ni....sib baik bila jadik nampak cute..

I just received some happy mails yesterday and today filled with gorgeous fabric and yarns. Can't wait to start sewing/knitting them!

GDM update: After pricking myself a few times, it goes more smoothly and easier now. tak sakit sgt dah. Today I was at the children center when I had to do a test. Adam kept checking if i'm still at the sink, lps tu sambung main balik. My results today alhamdulillah, within the target...

for Zue, my diet today -
breakfast cereal with milk + cup of coffee . I'm allowed to use sweetener instead of sugar.
lunch salmon pasta
dinner curried mince meat wrapped in pitta bread
snacks fruits and yogurt

basically biasa2 je kan dietnye...oklah..i don't feel deprived or anything. cuma kadang2 teringat Sneakers..hehe