Friday, January 12, 2007

Back again, with a super-long post:)

I'm not even going to give any excuses for not blogging for so long.
I'm 24 weeks pregnant now & so far things are going great, ok, except for the one time that almost I fainted in H&M. Oh, it was scary. Not that I've never fainted in my life, oh yes, I've fainted 4 or 5 times in the bus in India & that always got me a seat (I promise you, I didn't faint for getting a seat:) once I fainted when I was having my hair cut & I was new to Switzerland, I couldn't speak German & everyone there panicked & were about to call an ambulance when Sriram came to my rescue & explained to them that it's nothing to worry & it happens all the time, lol. After that, when I was 8 weeks pregnant with Maanasa, I fainted in my office, that was so embarrassing. Just the previous day, we had confirmed my pregnancy & we decided to wait till at least 12 weeks to inform my boss. The next morning, I fainted in the lab & they had to call an ambulance because my bp was very low & I was sweating profusely & in the emergency I woke up & had to tell them about my pregnancy. I came back to office that afternoon & everyone was making fun of me.
All this was so different, fro my recent fainting attack. Normally, I don't worry about it much because I know that It's due to my anemia & I take iron pills on & off for that. But this time Maanasa was with me. I knew that I was going to fall down any second If I don't lie down & I knew that Maanasa was running around inside the shop & I had forgotten to bring her stroller in the car. I was panicking, but thank God, I was not alone, I went with my friend A & she was immediately running to check on Maanasa & she is 31 weeks pregnant & she also had to take care of her little one, J. Thanks so much A, without you, it would have been a real nightmare. So I decided not to go out alone anymore for another 10 weeks.
I miss my coffee ): Ok I don't drink that much, but I love to drink my morning cup of coffee (with lots of milk) after Maanasa naps. Its not coffee per se, that I'm missing, it is the whole coffee break thing. I'm not sure if I can explain this without sounding stupid, but I'll try. First of all, I love Maanasa & I love the time I spend with her (what's that got to do with the coffee, you ask me, wait.. I'm coming there:). But I also crave for 'my' time, my personal time. When Maanasa wakes up in the morning, fully recharged, she is super active & by the time she's ready for her nap, I'm ready for one too:) But after she goes to sleep, I make my coffee & sit in front of the pc happily browsing through scrap forums, checking my emails, reading blogs or sometimes just reading a book. I'm in a world of my own, till I realize that I've to finish cooking lunch before she wakes or finish up the washing etc. So that's why this coffee time is so important for me. I resent it when I've to miss this. But now a days, I hate coffee, I think it's got something to do with my pregnancy. I even threw up a couple of times after coffee. I don't remember having any food aversions when I was pregnant with Maanasa.
This time I also have cravings. I crave for fruits. You won't believe, after having a sumptuous dinner, I still eat 2 or 3 kiwis or half a mango or 4,5 oranges. I'm a little worried about this though. I know fruits are good & all that, but my GTT is coming up on feb 2nd & with last pregnancy, I had gestational diabetes, borderline, but still I had to control my sugar, carbohydrate intake. Scientifically, the biochemist in me tells me what fruit intake will not cause gestational diabetes, but still....
I'm sick. I have a horrible sore throat, blocked nose & cold. My nose & throat are so dry that they are bleeding a little bit ): I'm scared that Maanasa or Sriram is going to catch it from me ):
Maanasa speaks a lot now, she understands almost everything, now Sriram & I have to talk in English if we don't want her to understand what we say, soon she'll be able to follow English too, then I'm afraid we have to talk in codes only, lol. If she gives me a kiss, she has to go find Sriram to give him one too & vice versa, she is so sweet. She is such a happy child, always laughing, undemanding, we are so very blessed, which also makes me afraid that the next one is going to be the exact opposite, lol.
Look at these adorable hair bows,

My friend Marlena from my birth board made them for Maanasa. She makes & sells these, I already bought a lot from her & now I'm buying them to give as gifts. They don't fall off like the clips I buy from the stores here, I think it has a magnet or something. I'm so excited now because till now, Maanasa would always take out her clip/bow as soon as I put them on. Now after I comb her hair, she's asking for a kip (clip) :)
Onto some scrapping news:
Amy K & Tracy B have decided to stop designing (for time being, I hope) & I am so sad about it. I loved being on their teams. Both of them invited me to be on their teams & that was such a boost to my scrapping ego:), made me really think that my layouts are not so bad after all. Tracy was my first CT boss & I can't explain the thrill I experienced when I got a pm from her inviting me to be on her team. I hope that they'll start designing again & allow me to be on their team once more.
Lori of Diamante designs invited me to be on her CT & I was super excited. She sells at Digishoppe & SBB & her stuff is gorgeous. Some layouts with her kits:

I used 'Sensual- Paper & Element pack' by Diamante Designs at Digishoppe.
The action on the photos are Acidwashed 2 and Color Pop 5 by Michelle Pearson.

Credit:
'Treasure'from the 'Life's Little Moments Collection',by Diamante Designs, coming soon to SBB.
'Acid wash' photo action, by Michelle Pearson, on the photos.

Credit:
'Magical Moments' from the 'Life's Little Moments Collection',by Diamante Designs, coming soon to SBB.
'Lighten' photo action by Michelle Pearson.
I'm also on Ake Pangestuti's guest CT for January.

Ake Pangestuti's 'It's Party Time' @ SBE, Realistic Photo Shadows - Polaroids
by Nancy Comelab @ mydigitalmuse.

SaraAmarie has moved to oscraps. Here is LO I did for her CT with the oscraps mega kit for january.

I love the colors in this kit, it is gorgeous.
(Background paper by Debra Tope, Alphas by Vicki Stegall, Purple Flower & Stitching by SaraAmarie, Scalloped Ribbon by Genevieve Sass, Purple Ribbon & white flower by Maggie Lamarre, Journaling Block by Ronee Parsons)
Michelle Pearson's Lighten & Color Pop action on the photo.
Some more layouts:
After a long time, I did a non-ct layout & I love how it turned out.

Credit:
Floral Felties, Crayon Alpha, Dotty cream background paper- a blog freebie and Lil Flurries paper pack, everything by Gina Miller.
Color Pop & Extract photo action byMichelle Pearson.

Credit:
Gentle Papers, 'Felties - Flower Field', Big Honkin' Painted Alpha, Doodlies: White Vines, everything by SaraAmarie.

Credit:
'Power of Friendship' by Royanna Fritschmann@Divine Digital.
The action on the photo is 'Tinted Sepia' by Michelle Pearson

Credit:
Correen Silke's Coral Cabaret @ Silkescraps.I used Michelle Pearson's Urban Grunge Color pop, Soften & Black&white color select actions on the photo.
Sriram & Maanasa, watching the sunset.

Credit:
'She Said' by Rachel Dickson & Correen Silke,at Scrapdish.

Credit:
'Correen Silke's 'September Brunch'. The action used on the photo is Michelle Pearson's 'Warm Sunshine'

Credit:
I used 'Urban Flowers' by Audra Little at Digiscrapshak. I used 'B&W color select' & 'Urban grunge color pop' actions on the photo, both by Michelle Pearson