November 10 Magazine Cover

I was asked by the magazine to do one more thing for them before I leave, and that was to be their model for the cover page of the latest edition. At first I was like - uh.. I'm 30 weeks preggas. They were like - so what, its just a headshot. So I agreed. But then I realised it was so early in the morning I wouldn't even have time to get my hair or makeup done.

Cue quick makeup tip from Xtine and a phone call to my maid to ask her to come at 7am and help me get my hair up in a bun. Seriously. Cos I can't reach that high at the moment.

In the end, it didnt even matter cos my hair was hardly in it, and we ended up choosing a shot with my eyes closed.

Shooting @ Cafe Bene in Itaewon:

Setting up for the shots - just for fun:

... and the final result!

My face is a bit bloated and my nose looks funny cos I didnt highlight properly. PLUS they didnt photoshop me at all BLERGHHHH... Whatevers, some guy came up to me in the pub last night and asked me to sign his copy LOL!! I know I shouldn't have been in the pub but I really wanted 3,000W wings!

I'm contemplating "the finer things in life" hahahaha... actually I was thinking about having doner kebab for lunch :P

Not bad for seriously pregnant though, right?

xxoo

Oh good boy, Nugget!

So if you haven't heard the good news already here it is again - my placenta has moved yippee!! Here's what happened: 3 weeks ago at my last scan I was still a total previa and the dr told me there is very little chance of it budging at all given the time we have left and the fact that total previas dont usually move. ANYWAY, I'm such a doctor slut, I have been going to multiple obs cos I cant make up my mind about which hospital to use - so I went to a new dr the other day and he told me that my placenta is "low lying" (still low but the least riskiest) I was like - HUH. No way. That would mean that it has moved up 4 stages in 3 weeks --- as if. So I went BACK to my original dr who didn't believe it either until she did a scan and then she was so surprised she didnt talk for a minute! She said that I'm really lucky and with any more luck it might move another 2cm which could potentially make it safe for me to deliver naturally!!!

THANK YOU GOD for listening to our prayers, you really perform miracles in our lives!!! We prayed so so hard for this, and all out friends have too - the power of prayer people, never underestimate it!

I have to use all my self control right now not to run around everywhere RAHH!! I want to be normal again, but its still not in the safe zone so I have to keep doing what I've been doing cos obviously it's working. We'll find out in another 3-4 weeks the final position and then I will have to make a decision on delivery based on that. I'm freaking out now, cos if it is safe I dont know if I'm mentally or physically prepared for a natural birth anymore. I wanted one so bad, but then I gave up on the idea and to get myself back into that frame of mind, prepare my body physically, educate myself and do classes - will be way too late...!! WHAT TO DOOOOOO...

Whatever it will be, I am just thankful and ever grateful to God and little Nugs for helping me out by shifting that uncooperative placenta. I just know Nugs is gonna be a smart kid, he's already doing his part to make life easier for me :D

So update - lately I've been getting these sharp stabbing pains in my vagina and sometimes in my bottom. It really hurts, like someone is digging a knife in there! I thought it was Braxton Hicks but that's not meant to be painful, so I think Nugs has conveniently found his way around my innards and is probably stepping on a nerve booo :( ... I'm also not really getting more than 5hrs sleep a night, and I feel tired alllll the time. The usual constant peeing, leg cramps, back pain, weight gain, skin irritation, etc is escalating and right now I just feel like a fatigued cuddly ball that waddles around like a duck. Noodle loves it :)

I think I've also found my hospital FINALLY. Its the best women's one in Seoul - expensive but I think worth it, with an excellent international clinic and their own cord banking system, private suites, etc. I was kinda sold on the wireless internet in the rooms, and the large couches for your family to sit and sleep in. If I get the big room, I'll be able to have at least 2ppl stay with me at night if I want which is nice. The hospital system is still Korean (husband not allowed in the surgery, very little time with baby if you can't breastfeed), but I think I am strong enough to handle that. PLUS I found this Japanese place that does breast massage and I'm gonna start visiting them before I'm due so that it can help with the milk production - I dont wanna have trouble breastfeeding!! Steve wasn't breastfed at all and he has a million digestive problems and it really sucks balls, whereas I have none even though I did bad "things" and abused laxatives plus every other f**ed-up thing you could do to your body when I was young. I eat crap all the time and never get sick, and even when everyone else gets a tummy bug from something I'm always the only one that's fine - I like to think its because my mum was so diligent with my breastfeeding. THANKS MUM. Plus... I spent so much money on that breastpump I bought it better go to good use!

Here's Nugs at 30 weeks - the one on the left looks a bit like bride of Chucky lol. We missed the window of opportunity to do a 3D scan when you can see the baby's face, now he's too big and I can't do it. Never mind, not much longer to go now!

Btw, they have changed my actual due date to Xmas Day which means I'm actually more than 31weeks, but the problem is that c-sections for placenta problems have to be performed 2 weeks early - which would make Nugs a SAGGITARIUS! NOOOO!!!! I wont go into my Saggitarius complex right now, but let's just say its keeping me up at night and I would do anything NOT to have a Sag baby. Plz plz plz let me know able to have the operation on the 22nd - first day of Capricorn would be fab, even if it does mean that he will never really have a proper bday. We'll make sure he gets an extra big bday/Xmas present every year :D

Here's me @ Mui Mui restaurant with Grace Park... fab mussels, ho-hum pasta

... and at this French crepe place for dessert that was really cute but had sucky crepes and shitty service. My hair is a fake pony hehe, I took my extensions out and now I have no hair :(

Noodlely has also been very helpful lately! She's been trying out all the gifts people have given us and giving them a test run first. Here she is testing out the activity mat & brake suspension on the Bumbo wheels:

I've just been told that the newest edition of 10 Mag just came out with my face on the cover! Haven't seen it yet, hoping for minimal water retention and swelling in the face. Will post up the pictures next~~!!

xxoo

What's in a name?

So I finally signed up for my friend Mel's boyfriend Danny's business Fashionstake, which is a cool crowdfunding concept that allows you to view and make a "stake" on up and coming designers. You get to view their trunk shows and if enough capital is raised then you are offered a huge discount on the collection. If not, you dont get charged. ANYWAY... during my research I discovered that Danny actually has his own Wikipedia page (albeit a little out of date) and that got me thinking about how the results you find on Google when you search someone can sometimes be a measure of their worth (Linked In and Facebook profiles excluded).

For example... if you search my husband's name and then "Sydney" you'll get an article written about him when he was still a little'un trader hehe... if you search my name and "Sydney" you'll get one result BUT if you search my name and then "Seoul" you'll quite a few articles and fashion pieces. Wonder if that means that I'm of more value in Korea than I am back home, or if it simply means that there is noone else with the same name that lives here... (Of course, if you search "Grace Sun" on its own you'll get the fashion designer - ooooh how to differentiate myself from her!!)

What's in a name? Well, a lot really. We have spent months searching for the perfect name for Nugs and I am quite happy to announce that we have (almost) found it. We're quite sure of what it will be now, but just working on the spelling, as there are so many ways to spell it. So anyway, in order to avoid some other kid with the same name taking his glory later, I did a Google search to find how many people with combinations of that name exist right now. The good news is that it's not very popular, so only 1 or 2 results show up for each spelling. There is one spelling combination that gives no other results *woop* but it's also probably the worst way to spell it and looks weird.

Anyway, I figure that if he's a super achiever then it wont matter cos he'll always come up as the top result -  like Bruce Lee & Karl Lagerfeld.

Speaking of Nugs being the best, I decided to check out the Equestrian Club not far from my place (Nugs must be skilled in all areas of life, you see). My friend Terry is a horserider and she goes every week. They have ponies for kids and its so cute. I just know I'm gonna be a total soccer-slash-stage mum already, but really hope it doesn't become an all-consuming obsession like it did with my mum and our (mostly Emily's) music!

Terry's super friendly friend doing his jumps for the first time. It was really fun watching all the pros :)

We had a beautiful lunch at Buona Sera afterwards - its the restaurant featured in the Korean drama series "Pasta" and the service was so impeccable I forgot I was in Korea. They hang your coats, place your bag on a fancy bag hanger/hook from the table, time courses with just the right amount of interval (this is a challenge in Korea, believe me)... and give you free reign of the dessert selection.

We couldn't decide so we had one of everything. I will have to bring my mum back here, she's totally addicted to quality Italian & tiramasu and this was the best I've had in a long time. Less than 2weeks til she arrives now!

xxoo

Nugget @ 28 Weeks

Profile of face heehee:

YAY on the home stretch now! Breathed a huge sigh of relief this week as most people say that at 28wks the baby has a really good chance of survival, so if anything is to happen between now and the c-section date, I'm fairly confident that Nugget will be ok :)

The third trimester has brought with it a whole host of other symptoms though - none of them pleasant. First of all, I suddenly started getting severe heartburn that kept me up all night and was really painful. I think it has something to do with me eating big meals and too much spicy stuff haha. All my internal organs are getting squashed by the growing Nugget atm, so food travels really slowly and gets stuck. I do mini vomits in my throat all the time HAHAHA. Sleep has also become a bitch - I just can't get comfortable with this watermelon in the way & kicking me all the time... also squashing my bladder so that I have to get up 4 times a night to pee. I know this is God's way of preparing me for the sleepless nights to come, but it's making me cranky and miserable.

My belly is so big now, when Noodle wants her tummy rub I have to literally sit down on the floor to give it to her cos I can't bend. But once I'm down, I can't get up again without help so doing anything right now has become a huge hassle. Good thing mum's coming in 3 weeks, which is also when I officially finish work!

Another thing is that my weight has skyrocketed and I have stopped checking on the scales now for fear of passing out. The last time I checked a week ago I was 65. Diiiiiiiies. My gestational diabetes test came back negative, which has really given me incentive to eat as much cake and dessert as can respectfully fit in my mouth - multiple times a day. Apparently you can't get it again once it's negative so I'm super happy with an entire cheesecake in front of me atm :D

I'm also finding it increasingly hard to focus on work now and I'm spacey and forgetful all the time - sorry Ange, I know I still have to send you that press release for Dress Me Pretty but I'm just hopeless at the moment. To be honest, I can't even be bothered to blog and I haven't really been taking pictures when I go out so I can't even remember what I've been up to...

Here are a few things I have managed to remember:

Becky's bday followed by Seoul Writers book launch, where I won 6 packets of Tim Tams and gobbled them all up in 2 days. Oh yea, also the day when I should have kept my scarf on... can't control where my twins end up right now, they have a life of their own!

Our neighbours (from our old place) who we never made an effort to meet up with until now - after we've moved! Haha... everyone we know has a baby! It's so weird, I guess I never noticed all the babies around me until I got pregnant...

Pressies from neighbours, Ang (my Seoul Writers friend), and yes... that is more mooncake from ppl in Taiwan. I'm insatiable... *gob gob gob*

Nat came from Shanghai to visit and this is me and Pinky (my Indian friend) on the way to this suuuuper yummy Indian restaurant she recommended to me.

She also gave me these Bollywood movies to watch, they are really funny. Steve thinks the humour is dumb but I think there's a lot to learn about Indian culture from watching them. Everyone thinks India is like "Slumdog Millionaire" but there's another side to it that I'm really beginning to learn about. I just finished All the Best and next I'm watching Once Upon a Time in Mumbai heehee.

I've also left the magazine, but still went to attend their bday party @ Antonios Ristorante (couldn't resist the food). What a great cake!!

Chuseok break @ the W

As a consolation prize for not being able to go on our original babymoon, we took Noodle to the W Hotel in Seoul instead. It was so exciting for her - she's never been allowed in a hotel before!

On the way there, a flash flood hit Seoul and lasted about as long as we were driving for. Bizarre. It was a pretty freaky ride, see this video of what the street was like.

Noodlely - safe and warm in Daddy's arms :)

Checking in - had to wait cos our room wasn't ready?? Maybe no one wanted to check out because of the rain... BTW Steve is getting tubbier and losing his 6 pack hehe. I told him that if I've already gained 12kgs then he better keep up, and he's been trying - what a good boy haha...

Getting some (pretend) sun? At least I got one wear the maternity swimsuit that I had to ship all the way from the US and pay agency fees + ridiculous shipping + duty tax for. What I waste that it never got to see the Santorini sun.

I'm starting to get kankles!!

Dinnertime! Finally got one wear out of my Abyss by Abby kaftan:

My fave pic - 1) cos I dont look preggas and 2) cos I love Noodlely ♥

Early dinner @ french restaurant Clock 16 at the top of the Sheraton. We were the first there and it was so lovely, but the rain had ruined the view - it just looked like a patch of misty white outside.

My lamb shank was so sooo divine! Quite possibly the best I've ever had. YUMMMMERS!!

Dessert - I ordered the cherry flambe thingy that they cook in front of you. It looks a bit fug and the caramelised sugary part was actually too chewy for me, but I guess the novelty's in the display by the waiter guy.

After dinner, we went to the Legend of Flower show at the casino. It was kinda the same old, but for once I was really intrigued when the Taekwondo guys came on. Have decided that Nugget must learn martial arts cos it looks cool and I want him to be like Jaden Smith in the Karate Kid. Froggie went to the casino afterwards but they dont let pregnant women in...why?? Never mind, Noodley and I snuggled up and got room service and had heaps of fun :D

Next day - breakfast and a short stroll around the gardens. Look how ready she was for the walk! Ahh... so sweet.

Little Nugget slippers @ the gift shop:

I got a "Mother-to-be" massage @ the Away Spa in the hotel, but it was totally not what I was expecting. I thought it would be all soft and tender, but it was like full lymphatic drainage man! They must think all us pregnant women have too much water retention and need a good push to our systems :( I was in pain afterwards and since I'm not even allowed to go in the hot tubs all I could do was dip my feet in - sad.

Dinnertime again! This was the dress I bought that TOTALLY didn't fit me. I was so depressed that I called Xtine on skype and showed how I couldn't do the zip up, and then she told me to make it into a backless dress and it worked!!! It used to be high up on the back with a lace insert (like the front) but now it's backless with panels to hold up the sides. What a genius.

Oh, but first - drinks at Woobar, the best bar in Korea in my opinion. For more of what the bar looks like, see these pics from our last visit.

Froggie was laughing at how much the drinks and wings were, but that was before we got to the next place...

The ice sushi bar @ Namu restaurant, where nigiri is $25 a piece and sake cocktails are $45 each. LOL!

The rest of our dinner @ Namu. I didn't get to try the fois gras tempura :( Seriously, I've been deprived of so much this pregnancy - my freedom, a positive experience, a natural birth, and esp food. I've made a list of all the stuff I want brought to me in hospital after Nugget's born - among them raw oysters, smoked salmon, soft cheese, caviar, pate, Cab Sav & Starbucks. THX.

The silly man went to the casino AGAIN afterwards. But this time he still wasn't back by 3am and I knew he was chasing cos he came back at 10.30pm the night (because he won). HOW RIGHT I WAS hahaha... apparently he was down heaps in the first hour and spent the rest of the night getting it back. Apparently he was Matt Damon at the beginning of that poker movie? Don't get it, whatever.

My room service dessert & Miley Cyrus' "Last Song" playing on the ipad hehe:

Daddy come home, why are u losing money...?

We stayed til the afternoon the next day, but I was so tired from waiting for the addicted gambler the night before, all I did was eat breakfast and go back to sleep.

That's it, my last (pretend) holiday before Nugget arrives! After that, we've decided that we cannot be like every other couple that just gives up their lives and stays at home - so we'll leave him with grandparents while we travel the world. Teehee...

xxoo

Enough sadness, let's have some JOY!

... and what is more joyful than a lovely Sunday brunch with the Hello Kitty Club girls @ my place~!!

Food setup (spot the Kitty):

The girls, me & a Baskin'n'Robbins ice-cream cake I got for Angie's Bday :)

Hehe... Angie & Becky with the cake - so cute!

Noodle loves getting her bum sniffed ~~ and I put up a baby-safe gate so that she can start getting used to being staying in the living room. We might have to separate her & Nugget in the beginning so she has to start getting used to it:

Oh wait - I almost forgot: 

The other day, we went to Jaebum's house to try his "secret sauce" chicken wings. They were sooooo good! I found out what he puts in the recipe but sorry I can't tell  cos then it wont be a secret anymore...

YOOOOMY!!!

We were still hungry afterwards, so we went to this SUPER cool place where you eat LA Galbi off these drums. There are no seats so you have to stand, but I think that's the novelty of it. Apparently it's really famous and people were lining up to get a seat... er... stand.

I saw all these Harajuku-looking girls and Bum told us it's because the restaurant is in all the Japanese tourist books. It wasn't cheap either! Funny how you have to pay more to stand than sit LOL...

It looks like a warehouse and very minimalist:

Guess who came to Seoul today on a quick stopover to Mongolia for work - Linda! She is so fab, being an investment banker means she gets to travel everywhere for her job. I'm so jeal *sighs*... We had a speed lunch and then POOF she was gone :(

I hate this photo but it's the only one I have. I look so FAAAAT.

The other reason she's fab is because she got me MORE MOONCAKE!!! Kee Wah, my fave brand. And 2 yolks with low sugar too - how very thoughtful.

Good old Confucius box, ahhh the best!!

Going to the W Hotel tomorrow for a mini-break (as a consolation for not going to Santorini grrrrr). Taking Noodle with us too! They have a special pet service for and she'll get her own bed, treats and dog sitting for an added "fee". I bought a new Givenchy bag, 2x Tory Burch shoes, and 4 new outfits just for the occasion. I am SO... SAD.

Please dont laugh at me.

xxoo

Still bad news...

Sigh.

I'm so over hearing all this stuff that tells me I have high-risk, high-risk all the time. ARGH!!

So yesterday, I changed to a large hospital cos I dont think I can use my current doctor anymore as he's better for natural birth. Anyway, at the appointment the new doctor told me that there is very little ~ nil chance of my placenta moving up :(

PLUS on top of that she said that I have a heterogenous placenta which worsens the situation and she can see from the scan that the blood in the placenta is moving abnormally fast, which means there is a good chance I will start bleeding heavily before the operation. I have to get a bucket of blood drawn out of me as a precautionary measure so that they can use it for a blood transfusion!!

AND she said we can't tell right now if I'm a candidate for placenta accreta which is that really bad condition that can occur during the operation where I dont stop bleeding. A friend of mine knows someone that it happened to and she had to get her uterus taken out... which I guess is better than death, but that's the only other option so there's not much to choose from.

How depressing. And all these people comment on my blog saying I'm lucky and I have a perfect life?? Uh... lets swap! You can take all my hired help if you're willing to take the risk of a fatal operation with it. Hmph.

So anyway, as you can see I'm not too happy. The doc also said that its best if I dont do anything besides eating, going to the toilet and showering from now on. OMG dies... But I told her I can't give up working right now cos they still haven't found my replacement and she's like fine, but you might be hospitalised at any time grrrr!!!

The good news (as always) is that little Nugget @ 24 weeks is totally oblivious to any of this. 

Look, he's giving me a kiss!!! What an angel :)

If you want some less depressing reading material, take a look at Angela's blog - she's posted up her adventures in Seoul and the recipe to her yumdidilylicious red velvet cupcakes :) Oh, and speaking of Ange, I forgot to put up these pics she gave me from her wedding:

 

Lovely ♥

xxoo