40 weeks - baby is here!

Hello everyone! I'm happy to announce that my baby is here! She was born on April 17th morning, all healthy. It was a day before the due date, and the delivery took 12 hours...I will share the birth story sometime when I'm more settled down. We stayed at the hospital for 3 nights after she was born, and I decided to leave one day early. I felt like I had enough of hospital life, and I'm much happier to be back home, with my husband:) Thank you all for prayers and thoughts!

Thank you for those of you who gave me advice on what to bring to the hospital - it was really really helpful! Lots of drinks, lip balm, and socks were my friends while I was suffering with contraction pain.

Now I feel a bit sentimental that my pregnancy is over (you can read my week-by-week journey here), but I'm thinking of continuing the series as mama series on Thursdays perhaps? Any suggestions?


P.S. Hope you enjoyed the guest posts by Anna and Nette! More guest posts coming in the next few weeks...:)

39 weeks

Hello All!
Week 39, oh boy!  Its a strange feeling to look at my bump and think that soon it will be gone.  Some days I waddle downstairs and think that I can't wait for this thing to be gone and other days like today I think that I am really going to miss this big watermelon.

In the first picture I wanted to see how many items I could get to balance on Kiko.  It was harder than I thought and I only was able to balance 2. 

Below is the stuff that I have packed and ready to go for the hospital.  In the States they recommend having a "Go Bag" but in Japan you dont have to bring anything because it is all provided, even the toothbrush.  But, because I like my own stuff I am bringing my own bag.  This seems particularly important because here in Japan I will be in the Hospital for 4 or 5 days.  I can't  imagine wearing hospital pj's for 4 days.  I packed some clothes for the baby, some clothes for myself, reading material and makeup.  What did you guys have packed in your bag? Any recommendations for things to do with my 4 days in the hospital?

xo

38 weeks

38 weeks! I can't believe I only have 2 weeks or less to go. It could be tonight that baby Sophia Kiko decides to pop out. It's a weird feeling, exciting, but strange!

My little sister (4 years my younger) and my parents came over to my place, and we snapped these photos right outside of our house. 

The baby moved when my sister touched my belly - she is so active..always kicking, punching and stretching.  Except when Andy touches my belly, then she freezes! I think she is shy.

Look how flat my sister's belly is! I hope to get back into shape once the baby is born.

And she can fly...like a bird.

I barely made it off the ground. My belly is just too huge.

This blue dress was my recent vintage find from "Sanbiki no Koneko" (three kittens) in Shimokitazawa. I bought it for 600 yen (about 6 bucks). I really liked the bat sleeves, and elastic waist, so I decided to take this home with me.

One problem with the dress was that it was too long for my liking, down to mid calf level. I decided to hem it shorter.  But, having learned the lesson from my hemming experience of this polka dot dress a few weeks ago I decided to readjust my approach to hemming. If you hem a dress or skirt in the traditional way while you are in your third trimester, the center front of the skirt will raise more than expected because of the big belly. So, you must compensate!
So, this time I cut the front center of the dress 3 inches longer than the side and back.

From the side view, you can see that there is a slope - front center is longer than the side and back on dress form. Once the baby is out, I can hem the dress again to even out the front:)

Doing this will make allowance for the expanding pregnancy belly and make it so that the dress will not rise too high.  

By the way, I was asked about maternity tights and leggings by one of the blog readers recently. I thought my answers might help some other pregnant ladies out there, so I decided to post them here.

1. What about Comfort and Durability (will they last the whole pregnancy?): 

Maternity tights are super comfortable. I can't live without them now. The maternity tights have a longer length allowance from crotch to waist, and they cover the whole belly. They seem to stretch more than regular tights. As for durability, I guess it depends on how often you wear them, just like regular tights! Mine are still wearable, no  holes or other such wear and tear yet! 

2. In regards to fashion, what sort of things can they be worn with? 

I pair them with everything! Dresses, long tops, shorts etc. 

3. What are they like compared to standard tights (eg differences)?   

As I mentioned above, maternity tights has longer and stretchier in the torso in order to cover the big belly!

37 weeks

 I went to my 37 week checkup yesterday. I'm almost there! I'm still not dilated, but because of the doctor's schedule etc, I'm tentatively scheduled for induction on the 14th of April. That's exactly two weeks from now. If the baby does not seem to be ready by the next appointment, which is a week away, the doctor might change the date to the 20th of April. The doctor told me to do a lot of squats so that the baby will drop... I am pretty convinced that doing squats, walking or jumping as a natural induction effect is a wives tale. I don't think the doctor realizes how many squats I do.. but I decided to shut my mouth and ignore her comment.

Oh thankfully, no nipple pinching from the midwife this time. Thank goodness! Thank you again for everyone who gave me the advice on my last post about breast massage and breast feeding. It was so helpful! It seems pretty common to do the breast massage in Japan, and everyone talks about it here, but I'm glad to hear that it is not necessary or makes all that much difference at this point. I'd much rather leave my breasts alone now.

The weather is warming up here in Japan, and I'm glad to be able to use light weight dresses and cardigans without bundling up with heavy coats and scarves. I got this 50's vintage gown from badcollavintage on etsy last Summer. The shop has a great collection of vintage night gowns, which can be worn as dresses, so I check out her shop often. I bought this one before getting pregnant.  I can still wear this comfortably because the fabric has a stretch to it. Plus, maxi dresses are great for times when you don't feel like showing your legs or are feeling bloated.

 Last Sunday, Andy and I stopped by a small thrift shop located right close to our church. The place has all kinds of junk - washers, dishes, kimono fabrics, antique pins etc. I love going there from time to time to treasure hunt. You don't know how excited I was when I found a used stair master and weights! I went to Sports Authority the day before I found these treasures, and the cheapest stair master they had was 5000 yen (about $50). I was so glad I didn't pick it up on impulse. I actually haggled the price with the guy at the shop, and ended up getting both stair master and 4kg weight set for 1000 yen ($10).

Since my belly had grown so big, I adjusted my workout routine a bit. I used to do a lot of Bass Ruten's  fighting workout (Thai boxing), but I can no longer kick comfortably, so I stopped doing his CDs. I still do regular boxing workouts, but this stair master and weight combination will be a nice new addition to my routine.

Here is some short video that Andy put together about my week 37 workout routine :) Hope you like it! xo

36 weeks

Hi! I'm 36 weeks this week! I can't believe this "pregnancy series" is coming to a close. I really enjoyed documenting my pregnancy. I'm thinking, maybe I can continue the Thursday series as something related to the topic of motherhood, baby stuff, and crafts related to being a mom (nursing friendly clothes?) and baby craft stuff. Any suggestions or recommendations?

This polkadot dress was another purchase from the vintage shop, "sanbiki no neko" (three kittens).  if you remember I posted about shopping there during my baby moon a few weeks ago. As soon as I saw this dress, I knew I was going to take it home with me.  I love polkadot prints, and the front button design  works perfectly for nursing. I shortened the length, because the original form was calf length, which I thought was a little too long. But now, looking at these pictures, I think I hemmed it too short. I didn't take into account that the length would  raise an additional 3 inches because of my huge belly.

With the dress, I'm wearing a white cardigan my mother gave me and a Forever 21 skinny belt. I picked this belt up for 280 yen (about 2.5 USD), and it has turned out to be the second most frequently worn item from my closet.  Second only to my black opaque tights. I like to wrap it around my waist.  This effect gives me some recognizable shape other than shapeless blob!

On Wednesday, I had a doctor's visit. The baby is healthy, and is estimated to weight 3100 grams.
I had some weird pelvic pressure a couple of nights before the visit, so I thought I might have started to dilate, but the doctor said I'm not dilated yet.

At the Dr. office I had a weird experience, the midwife gave me a nipple massage.  It really hurt! Basically, she took out my breasts, shook them a couple of times and started to pinch my nipples hard. She said if I do this everyday, I won't have problem producing breast milk for the baby. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? It's painful and I really hate the idea of pinching my own nipples..:(

Up to this point in my pregnancy, I haven't had any pain from pregnancy , but this week I've been having aches in my pelvic bone area.  Unfortunately, they don't seem to be going away. The midwife told me it's a good thing since the pelvic bones are opening up for the baby.  This, however, does not give me any solution to my aches and pains. At this point, I kind of feel like an old person.  I struggle to get up and have pain taking my first step.  I will look forward to this little trial being over with.  Any thoughts on how I can alleviate this? 

35 weeks - MN1003 Wrap around maternity top variation

I'm 35 week pregnant this week! I can't believe how fast my whole pregnancy has gone. I only have 5 more weeks (or less) before baby Sophia Kiko will be born. By the way, I plan to avoid the subject of earthquakes and the nuclear power plant situation in this blog on purpose.   I'm not a news reporter (although my major in college was Broadcast Journalism..I'm such a bad writer!) and constantly dwelling on the whole situation makes me really nervous. So back to the good stuff, sewing and fashion, and the bright side of life here in Japan.

This week, I finally made myself the Meg Nielsen Maternity top variation. The original top looks like this. I think the top is great for the third trimester pregnant body.  So, I decided to do a Chie remix of the dress for a couple of reasons.  First I do not have jeans that fit me comfortably any longer so I needed to find a way to cover my bottom half. Also I wanted to make it a bit dressier because I planned on wearing this on my baby shower, which had to be canceled....because of the earthquake (I guess I couldn't completely avoid the topic). So using Meg's pattern, I made some alteration and turned it into a dress. 

I used two-way stretch jersey in peach color. After finding out that I'm pregnant with a baby girl, I find myself wearing more pink - Not sure why, but I want to feel girly in pink and peach and all that pretty colors of Spring.

I love how the dress turned out, and I've already worn it once. It's so comfortable! I think the criss cross front might work well for nursing as well.

When I wore this dress, Andy made a confession - he said one of the most unflattering pieces of clothing I own is a pair of black opaque tights. I was shocked. That's my uniform! Since I barely wear pants, I wear black opaque tights almost every day. I had no idea he thought they were ugly. So I decided to switch to half sheer gray tights to pair with my new dress.

So here is a tutorial on how I turned Meg Nielson wrap around maternity top into a maternity dress!
There are 3 pattern pieces to her original top: Front, Back and Sleeves.

1. Alteration on front pattern piece:

2. Alteration on back pattern piece:

3. Alteration on sleeve pattern piece:

This step is not necessary, I lengthened the sleeve just because I wanted the dress to have long sleeves, but if you prefer the elbow length sleeves, you can just use the original sleeve pattern piece.

4. In addition to front, back and sleeve pattern pieces, you will need to draft an I-line skirt pattern yourself.
I used the pattern I drafted for the front cross dress from my Spring collection, and added 3 inches to the top to give it a high-waisted look. Perhaps you can try this tutorial to draft your I line skirt pattern, and omit the darts, because if you use stretchy fabric, you won't need darts.

I cut 4 pieces for the skirt: 2 for front and 2 for back. The reason for this is to layer (or line) the skirt because the fabric I used was rather thin, and I was afraid that it might be sheer.

I would love to see your version of the dress! I think this is a great addition to a wardrobe even if you are not pregnant. I'm already planning on making another one for myself...but only if I can finish the 12+ custom orders I have to waiting before Sophia Kiko comes!

34 weeks - trick on wearing non-maternity clothes

Hi all! Remember I mentioned that Andy and I went thrifting in Shimokitazawa last Saturday? This is the skirt I scored for $6. Satomi's post about color evaluation (her blog is in Japanese) got me thinking about the color I use to create my wardrobe. According to her, she went to a therapist where she was told what color best  best suits an individual depending on their facial features, skin tones, hair color etc. I do not have money to blow on the therapy session, but I revisited my closet to find out that my wardrobe consists of...mostly black, gray, purple and blue. I do not have anything orange, or yellow. Orange and yellow are not my favorite colors, but I felt like a such a boring person wearing purple all the time. As for yellow, I'm consciously avoiding to wear yellow, since I feel like it matches with my skin tone too much. But perhaps I can go for different shades of yellow, such as lemon or mustard? Anyway, so when I found this bright orange skirt with yellow and teal tulip print on it for $6, I had to jump on it!

A problem I soon discovered was the waist size. It measures out as 66cm. There is no way that I fit in this skirt comfortably being 34 weeks pregnant! Although, on a side note a 66cm waist is the measurement I want to get back to after the delivery.

After some more deliberation I decided to wear it as a dress. My trick is to make a loop with an elastic band, and attach it to the skirt using safety pin. I threw on a cardigan to hide the opening part in the back. I felt like I'm wearing a moo moo with just that, so I added a belt under bust. Now I have a baby doll style dress:)

And, last but not least for today's post.  My darling friend Kaitlyn sent me the precious clothes! I can't wait to dress up my babe with these clothes!

33 weeks

Hi! Last week I posted about getting pregnancy photos taken by our friend Photographer Will Robb. The photos are ready now and I wanted to share some here! These were taken when I was 31 weeks. I have 100+ more photos but the ones above are my favorites:)

Andy and I both enjoyed the photo shoot. Will and his wife, Sue came over to our apartment with all the equipment, and set up a shop here. Obviously I'm not a professional model so I usually get pretty nervous in front of camera, but I really felt at home while he was taking the pictures. The shoot lasted for about 5 hours, but the time flew!

I love how the photos came out and it is really nice to have something to remember this time in my life.

So, I've been reading a book called "Making children mind without loosing yours" by Dr. Kevin Leman for the second time. The book was passed down from my grandmother-in-law to my mother-in-law to me. I read it when I was about 18 weeks, and now I'm getting close to the end of the pregnancy, I decided to read it again. So whenever I take a long bath, I take the book with me and read it in the bath.

I've noticed that I have a different feeling reading this book for the second time now. For instance, in the beginning of the book, Leman talks about how his doctor gave him advice about leaving the baby with a baby sitter for a couple of hours every week in order to take his wife on a date without the baby.  He discusses how this system worked worked well for both he and his wife, and (amazingly) the baby in the long run. He writes that it was really hard for him at first, but it helped a lot in order to maintain a strong love relationship between he and his wife. This, in turn, helped both of them to become stronger parents.  Quality time alone as a couple leads to quality  time together as parents.

Leman wonders what would have happened if he did not take the advice given him and instead restricted his entire life around a little baby... He strongly holds that if he had done this that the baby would not have grown up to be as responsible and disciplined as she is now.

When I first read this, I was thinking, "leaving a baby for a few hours? This won't be hard for me! I want to go out and take a break sometime and I can have my mom come over to watch the baby". But now when I re-read the same thing, I wonder if I can actually do this. I feel so attached to the baby already and leaving the baby just for a few hours sounds like a real big deal. It's strange how my feelings and attitude have changed over the past couple of months.  I feel the baby move and I'm looking forward to her coming every day.

Anyway, although it may be hard for me, I want to try to leave the baby for a few hours each week to go out with Andy.  I plan to make a conscious effort to do this even if it feels scary. Perhaps starting on my birthday, which is 10 days after my estimated due date. It will be hard I am sure, but I think it will help my whole family in the long run.

Any opinion? If you are a parent, do you find it hard to leave your baby to someone else?

P.S. Last day to enter the cut out dress giveaway! The winner will be picked and announced tomorrow:)

32 weeks

I snapped these photos after I came back from running some errands today. Thank God for the easily accessible self-timer and remote! I lost my remote a while ago, but happened to find it under the couch while I was cleaning. I'm happy that I didn't rush and buy a new one :p

While I was running some errands, I could not resist the temptation to stop at Mister Donuts. I don't know if you have Mister Donuts in your country, but it's awesome. I like Crispy Creame and Dunkin Donuts, but they cannot even compare to Mister Donuts.   Mister Donuts' donuts are not too sweet and have a terrific soft chewy texture.  Some of them are really fun, they come in the shape of bears or lions  And most come have a whipped cream filling and are covered in chocolate. As I said, I picked one up today and was chowing down while browsing through a shoe store. Then..... I saw myself in the mirror.  I really looked pregnant! Round face, big belly and a donuts in hand. It was quite comical.

I had a doctor's check up earlier this week, and the baby is doing well. She is estimated to weight 2200 grams now. Since she got big, she cannot fit in one screen for the ultra-sound, and her picture has to be divided in two.

We received some gifts for the baby from our excited family:
My mom made this cute pouch with strawberry zipper charm. I think it would be perfect to carry some small items, like pacifiers?

 From my mother-in-law: some head clips and head bands in different pastel colors. I love little baby girl's head bands, especially on bald head babies. I wonder if my baby will be born with a lot of black hair like other Asian babies, or be bald..

 More clothes...

 I finally put up the castle decal on  the wall. The nursery still does not look all that exciting.  Hopefully Andy and I can get some more decorating done.

Finally here is a short "behind the scenes" clip from our maternity photo shoot. We had the photos taken at 31 weeks, and are waiting for the finished products - I really can't wait to see them myself and show you here!