Although I talk a lot about the more annoying aspects of being pregnant - weight gain, back pain, etc. - my days are filled these moments where I feel so incredibly at peace and content it stops me in my tracks.
In the mornings when I first wake up - and I lay in bed for a long time while trying to fully wake up - I lay there is a half-conscious drowsiness until a little nudge or kick from my stomach brings me back to reality and reminds me that it's not just about me anymore. In all honesty, when I first wake up in the morning I don't remember that I am pregnant. It takes either a kick or that crazy feeling when I first stand up out of bed and all of the weight in my abdomen is taken by gravity and pulled downwards that I really, truly remember.
There's a tiny human inside me.
When I unexpectedly catch my reflection in a mirror or window I stop short. I know it's me, but it's a new, altered form of me that I am not always consciously aware of. In fact, there are many moments - even when I am actively rubbing or resting my hands on my stomach - that I'm not aware of the what I am doing or the fact that my body has changed in such drastic ways. It's weird that after so many months, it's still a surprise to me so frequently.
I don't want to say that "pregnancy suits me" because that sounds so terribly cliched. However, I have been thoughtful recently about how - for the most part - this pregnancy thing is relatively effortless for me (relatively speaking of course.) It often takes aching feet, or a sharp pain in my back to remind me that I need to take it easy, rest more, and that there are simply some things I can't do anymore. I don't have that overwhelming sense of being tired all the time that you hear about, and although I do sleep a lot, I would be kidding myself if I didn't admit that I slept that much before I was pregnant when I got the chance.
I don't have crazy cravings, am not spontaneously over-emotional, and overall, my body is handling this incredibly well. I know that I am incredibly lucky.
I read a lot of blogs (or at least I used to, I'm so behind these days...) and in some of them the women write about their struggles with infertility. Some have been trying for years and years to get pregnant, and for us it only took 3 months. I say this not to brag, but to acknowledge once again out loud that I get it - I am one of the lucky ones, and I shouldn't take that for granted. So I like to take some moments to reflect and dwell and live in the moment, because even if I never get this opportunity again, I can remember how incredibly at peace and content and happy I was back when I was 30 years old, living in the suburban wilderness with my husband and dog, and giddily pregnant with my little boy.
Garden 2011
Garden 2011 is in full swing, although I certainly got a late start on it this year. The pregnancy is not the blame - it's the busy-ness of life. But of course, the pregnancy has created most of the busy-ness (how do you spell that word?? I feel like I'm just making up a spelling..) then I guess we should just blame the pregnancy after all.
Like I mentioned, I got a really late start on this garden. For that reason, I don't think it's going to be as successful as last year's, which is sort of sad. I like to always keep improving, not taking steps backwards. This post will mostly reflect on the mistakes I've made, which I hope to use as notes for next year.
1. Mistake #1 - I planted the leafy vegetables too late
I bought a pack of 4 spinach plants and 3 romaine lettuce plants (to get an early crop) as well as seeds for leaf lettuce, spinach, and chard. You might recall that last year, chard was one of my favorite crops of the season. But I didn't get the plants into OR the seeds into the ground early enough. I think it was the last week of May before I did this, and then all of a sudden it got hot out. Leafy greens are cold weather veggies, and the fact that we had such a rainy, cool spring is like a double fail for me - I think I could have had an amazing crop if I had gotten these into the ground by the first week of May.
As it stands, I'm not sure that I'll have any leafy greens to harvest this year. Huge sad face.
Mistake #2 - I picked up the wrong tomato plants
We like Roma tomatoes. You know, the small, ovular shaped tomatoes, also known as "plum" tomatoes. Last year our two Roma plants produced more tomatoes that we could keep up with (actually, we did keep up with them, but it was a challenge!)
This year I went to Home Depot, found the Roma section, picked one up and was on my merry way. Only to find when I arrived home that the plants I picked were NOT in the correct section at all, and now I had four "big boy" tomato plants on my hands. I was all ready to plant them, so I didn't want to take them back. They're in the ground, and seem to be doing fairly well but I'm not sure what I think about "big boy" tomatoes. The large plant in the middle was from one of DH's students. I think it's a cherry tomato plant, which I am kind of excited about.
Only a medium fail on the tomato plants.
Mistake #3 - I don't think I have the proper support structure in place for Snap Peas
Sugar snap peas are a new veggie I'm trying this year. I decided to plant it after making chicken lo mein all winter long and enjoying the stir fried green little veggies. (I also looked into whether or not I could grow water chestnuts, but did you know you actually need a pool of water to grow those!?!?)
Anyway, I don't know much about peas, other that the package said "provide proper support." I have no idea what proper support is, but I used the fencing that I had from last year, which we used to let the cukes climb on. Even after only a few days, the pea plants are already going over the fencing. Clearly I need more support.
Mistake #4 - I forgot to order potatoes in advance
Last year I ordered my potato spuds very early on with the rest of my garden order in the spring. This year I forgot to add the potatoes. When I went to order them, I realized that shipping is like $12 no matter how big your order. For $10 plants, that seemed outrageous. So I decided to give the Home Depot potato plants a shot. Even though they looked ridiculous before going into the ground (they were indoors and reaching like crazy to try to find sunlight) so far, the majority of them seem to be thriving. These were slightly cheaper than the nursery potatoes, so if they thrive and taste good this might not be a fail after all!!!!
I also planted cucumbers, but as of yet, don't think I messed anything up with them (fingers crossed.) But the way this garden has gone this year, it will probably be the year of "weird and random cucumber disease" that destroys all of the crops. That would just be my luck.
The next gardening post will spotlight the one single success that I've had this year, and it's a beauty.
Like I mentioned, I got a really late start on this garden. For that reason, I don't think it's going to be as successful as last year's, which is sort of sad. I like to always keep improving, not taking steps backwards. This post will mostly reflect on the mistakes I've made, which I hope to use as notes for next year.
1. Mistake #1 - I planted the leafy vegetables too late
I bought a pack of 4 spinach plants and 3 romaine lettuce plants (to get an early crop) as well as seeds for leaf lettuce, spinach, and chard. You might recall that last year, chard was one of my favorite crops of the season. But I didn't get the plants into OR the seeds into the ground early enough. I think it was the last week of May before I did this, and then all of a sudden it got hot out. Leafy greens are cold weather veggies, and the fact that we had such a rainy, cool spring is like a double fail for me - I think I could have had an amazing crop if I had gotten these into the ground by the first week of May.
As it stands, I'm not sure that I'll have any leafy greens to harvest this year. Huge sad face.
Mistake #2 - I picked up the wrong tomato plants
We like Roma tomatoes. You know, the small, ovular shaped tomatoes, also known as "plum" tomatoes. Last year our two Roma plants produced more tomatoes that we could keep up with (actually, we did keep up with them, but it was a challenge!)
This year I went to Home Depot, found the Roma section, picked one up and was on my merry way. Only to find when I arrived home that the plants I picked were NOT in the correct section at all, and now I had four "big boy" tomato plants on my hands. I was all ready to plant them, so I didn't want to take them back. They're in the ground, and seem to be doing fairly well but I'm not sure what I think about "big boy" tomatoes. The large plant in the middle was from one of DH's students. I think it's a cherry tomato plant, which I am kind of excited about.
Only a medium fail on the tomato plants.
Mistake #3 - I don't think I have the proper support structure in place for Snap Peas
Sugar snap peas are a new veggie I'm trying this year. I decided to plant it after making chicken lo mein all winter long and enjoying the stir fried green little veggies. (I also looked into whether or not I could grow water chestnuts, but did you know you actually need a pool of water to grow those!?!?)
Anyway, I don't know much about peas, other that the package said "provide proper support." I have no idea what proper support is, but I used the fencing that I had from last year, which we used to let the cukes climb on. Even after only a few days, the pea plants are already going over the fencing. Clearly I need more support.
Mistake #4 - I forgot to order potatoes in advance
Last year I ordered my potato spuds very early on with the rest of my garden order in the spring. This year I forgot to add the potatoes. When I went to order them, I realized that shipping is like $12 no matter how big your order. For $10 plants, that seemed outrageous. So I decided to give the Home Depot potato plants a shot. Even though they looked ridiculous before going into the ground (they were indoors and reaching like crazy to try to find sunlight) so far, the majority of them seem to be thriving. These were slightly cheaper than the nursery potatoes, so if they thrive and taste good this might not be a fail after all!!!!
I also planted cucumbers, but as of yet, don't think I messed anything up with them (fingers crossed.) But the way this garden has gone this year, it will probably be the year of "weird and random cucumber disease" that destroys all of the crops. That would just be my luck.
The next gardening post will spotlight the one single success that I've had this year, and it's a beauty.
30 weeks
I had my 30 week check-up on Friday and all is well. I have gained 26 pounds so far, but the doctor that I saw this most recent time was not concerned (such a relief, as I was starting to dread these appointments. I need to avoid the crazy-weight doctor I think - he stresses me out.)
We have some big decisions that we need to make in the next two weeks, including:
1. Who our pediatrician is going to be
2. Whether or not we're going to have the little guy circumcized
I have some pediatrician leads that I need to follow up on soon. There's a practice within a few minutes of the daycare that we'll be using that has gotten good reviews on some of the boards that I've been reading, and I think they seem like they'll be a good fit for us.
As far as the circumcision thing goes, I don't really know. I think I just assumed we would do it, but DH feels like it's medically unnecessary. Does anyone have any information on the pros and cons of this? I don't even know where to begin (other than good old google, of course.) Opinions are appreciated.
My stomach continues to grow at what seems like an unprecendented weight. I said it once, and I'll say it again - I can't believe I'm going to get even bigger than I already am, and still survive.
But that said, I am also very content with this whole pregnancy thing. I have very little to actually complain about. Yes, I feel enormous. That comes with the territory. Yes, my feet have been swelling, I'm hot all the time, and my back hurts a lot, but I don't have heartburn, am not excessively tired, and am more or less able to go on with my normal life without any problem. I just get the added bonus of random kicks here and there to remind me that something is going on in there.
Speaking of back pain, I have received a referral to see a physical therapist, as they believe that the back problem might be more than just sciatica (which is fairly common.) I haven't had severe back pain in over a week now, but I've also been avoiding exercise at all costs, since that usually triggered it.
I also experienced my first REAL bout of swollen feet - if I thought my feet were swollen before, I clearly had no idea. After 5 and a half hours of driving on Friday evening, I noticed that my feet felt weirdly cold. I rubbed them to try to warm them up and realized that I couldn't really feel them at all. Then I realized that they had doubled in size!!! They were so ugly and bloated that they didn't even look like they should be connected to my body. It took over 24 hours so them to get back down to their normal size, and on the return drive home yesterday I made sure to wiggle around constantly so that I wasn't cutting off the circulation. Although not entirely safe for driving, the wiggling seemed to help with the feet, and they were only mildly swollen by the time I got home.
All in all, all is well.
As of this coming Wednesday, I technically only have 9 weeks to go!!! Never at any point in this process did I ever say, "I wish time would go faster," and I'm glad for that now. I had enough "holy shit, only X number of weeks to go!!!" to keep me in line when it came to appreciating the time that I was given before this kiddo arrives. I always knew this time would come quickly, and I know the next 9 weeks will fly by. We're nearly ready as far as physically having everything we need. But really, is any first time parent ever truly "ready" when their child arrives?
30 weeks pregnant - look at that belly!
We have some big decisions that we need to make in the next two weeks, including:
1. Who our pediatrician is going to be
2. Whether or not we're going to have the little guy circumcized
I have some pediatrician leads that I need to follow up on soon. There's a practice within a few minutes of the daycare that we'll be using that has gotten good reviews on some of the boards that I've been reading, and I think they seem like they'll be a good fit for us.
As far as the circumcision thing goes, I don't really know. I think I just assumed we would do it, but DH feels like it's medically unnecessary. Does anyone have any information on the pros and cons of this? I don't even know where to begin (other than good old google, of course.) Opinions are appreciated.
From the front
My stomach continues to grow at what seems like an unprecendented weight. I said it once, and I'll say it again - I can't believe I'm going to get even bigger than I already am, and still survive.
But that said, I am also very content with this whole pregnancy thing. I have very little to actually complain about. Yes, I feel enormous. That comes with the territory. Yes, my feet have been swelling, I'm hot all the time, and my back hurts a lot, but I don't have heartburn, am not excessively tired, and am more or less able to go on with my normal life without any problem. I just get the added bonus of random kicks here and there to remind me that something is going on in there.
And of course, I need show you how big it REALLY is - clothes hide a lot
Speaking of back pain, I have received a referral to see a physical therapist, as they believe that the back problem might be more than just sciatica (which is fairly common.) I haven't had severe back pain in over a week now, but I've also been avoiding exercise at all costs, since that usually triggered it.
I also experienced my first REAL bout of swollen feet - if I thought my feet were swollen before, I clearly had no idea. After 5 and a half hours of driving on Friday evening, I noticed that my feet felt weirdly cold. I rubbed them to try to warm them up and realized that I couldn't really feel them at all. Then I realized that they had doubled in size!!! They were so ugly and bloated that they didn't even look like they should be connected to my body. It took over 24 hours so them to get back down to their normal size, and on the return drive home yesterday I made sure to wiggle around constantly so that I wasn't cutting off the circulation. Although not entirely safe for driving, the wiggling seemed to help with the feet, and they were only mildly swollen by the time I got home.
All in all, all is well.
As of this coming Wednesday, I technically only have 9 weeks to go!!! Never at any point in this process did I ever say, "I wish time would go faster," and I'm glad for that now. I had enough "holy shit, only X number of weeks to go!!!" to keep me in line when it came to appreciating the time that I was given before this kiddo arrives. I always knew this time would come quickly, and I know the next 9 weeks will fly by. We're nearly ready as far as physically having everything we need. But really, is any first time parent ever truly "ready" when their child arrives?
Thanks for the diapers!
This past week we received our first gift of diapers! We had them on all of our registries, but hadn't gotten any yet! I could barely believe it, but then I remembered that people probably wouldn't get excited about gifting something that was going to be disposed of after being filled with poop or pee.
The real mystery, though, is WHO are these diapers from?!? They were shipped by Amazon, addressed to Critter, by someone who clearly knows our address, but there was no return address or mention of who they were from.
So if the sender happens to be a reader, please let me know it was you! In the meantime, an advanced "thank you" for being the first person to give us diapers. I hear we're going to need them!
Buying Maternity Clothes
There are a handful of places that have been my go-to's for maternity clothes. Some are obvious, some less so, but I wanted to at least mention them here and the reasons that I either loved (or in some cases, hated) them. If you're ever in the market for maternity clothes, hopefully you'll find this helpful!
1. Gabriel Brothers
Yep, Gabe's. If you don't have a Gabe's near you, I am oh-so-sorry. It's one of my favorite places to shop in general, although it can be very time-consuming to find nice things sometimes, and it's often hit or miss. But the prices are dirt cheap, so I'm ok with the time spent.
I was surprised to find that they have maternity clothes, and every few weeks I've stopped by to look at the new stuff. That's the nice thing about Gabe's - they get new stuff in all the time, so the stock is constantly rotating. The stuff is generally cheap - shirts for between $5 and $7 for the most part, and really nothing more than $12.99. I got a cute dress there, 2 pairs of slightly miscolored jeans for $3 each, shorts and skinny denim capris for $7.99 each, multiple maternity shirts, and countless numbers of ribbed tank tops for $3 or less. I have purchased so much of my maternity wardrobe from Gabe's and I'm pretty sure I spent less than $150.
2. Target
The Liz Lange maternity line that is carried at Target has some really nice options, particularly in dresses. Their full-price maternity stuff is severely marked-up though, so I refuse to pay full price. However, they usually have a small maternity section on the clearance racks, and the Gabes near my house generally has a bunch of Liz Lange stuff on their racks so I look for her stuff their too. My Liz Lange denim shorts are worn every weekend, both days. I love them.
4. Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart carries a limited line of maternity clothes and they really are dirt cheap (which is what WM is known for, right?) but it's only available online so you can't try stuff on before purchasing. This is when I decided that I should really try things on. I ordered a pair of gray pants in size large. They were waaaaaay too big; I don't think they'll ever fit. Plus, they weren't really gray - they were more like green. So I kept them anyway (since they were only $13 including shipping) and ordered them again in a size medium. That would make sense right? Well, the mediums were too tight, and too short, and a totally different color than the initial pants, even though they were supposed to be the same thing. I kept these as well, although I now regret it as I more or less hate them.
I have crossed Wal-Mart off of my list of maternity clothing providers and would not recommend them.
3. Old Navy
I've only shopped for Old Navy stuff online although there is apparently an ON near me that carries some maternity stuff in store. They have some occasional sales, and their ribbed tank tops are a staple of my wardrobe. I also got a cute dress from them, but be sure to read the reviews before buying - the applique on the dress is really cheap looking, and if I had read the reviews I would have known that in advance.
4. Motherhood Maternity/Pea in a Pod
There's a MM/PinaP outlet store in the area where I generally shop, so I've never been to a regular, dedicated store for either of these brands. They have a great, robust website, but the in-store shopping experience is definitely a plus, because you can try things on. There were pants that I saw online, and thought about ordering in size medium, but then when I went into the store to try them on, the medium's were way too tight and I ended up with larges. I did order some shirts online and the size larges were too big, but since they were on sale, they really weren't worth returning.
Pea in a Pod is their designer brand, and it seems to be ridiculously overpriced. You can hold up a pair of Motherhood brand pants and an extremely similar pair of Pea pants and although you can't really see a difference visually, the price is often as much as a $100 more for the PinaP pants.
Ridiculous, I tell you. But in general, their stuff is really nice and I would highly recommend them particularly the Motherhood brand, and particularly if you have a store nearby where you can try stuff on first.
5. JCPenney
JCP primarily carries a brand called Duo Maternity. Their selection is pretty limited, but they have great options in jeans. I got two pairs of jeans that I really like from there, for a total of $32. Definitely worth checking out, but again, try stuff on first. I first saw the jeans online and they even include measurements for sizing. I measured into a medium based on their online chart, but I couldn't get the mediums up past my thighs (and it's not like I have huge thighs or anything). The size larges fit perfectly. So again, buy where you can try stuff on first.
6. Hand Me Downs
Not a place to shop, but worth mentioning. If someone offers you free maternity clothes, take them! That stuff is so overpriced that even a crappy old maternity t-shirt will save you a few bucks. And if you're crafty, you could probably take in things that are too big, or hem things that are too long. Free is free, people!
1. Gabriel Brothers
Yep, Gabe's. If you don't have a Gabe's near you, I am oh-so-sorry. It's one of my favorite places to shop in general, although it can be very time-consuming to find nice things sometimes, and it's often hit or miss. But the prices are dirt cheap, so I'm ok with the time spent.
I was surprised to find that they have maternity clothes, and every few weeks I've stopped by to look at the new stuff. That's the nice thing about Gabe's - they get new stuff in all the time, so the stock is constantly rotating. The stuff is generally cheap - shirts for between $5 and $7 for the most part, and really nothing more than $12.99. I got a cute dress there, 2 pairs of slightly miscolored jeans for $3 each, shorts and skinny denim capris for $7.99 each, multiple maternity shirts, and countless numbers of ribbed tank tops for $3 or less. I have purchased so much of my maternity wardrobe from Gabe's and I'm pretty sure I spent less than $150.
2. Target
The Liz Lange maternity line that is carried at Target has some really nice options, particularly in dresses. Their full-price maternity stuff is severely marked-up though, so I refuse to pay full price. However, they usually have a small maternity section on the clearance racks, and the Gabes near my house generally has a bunch of Liz Lange stuff on their racks so I look for her stuff their too. My Liz Lange denim shorts are worn every weekend, both days. I love them.
4. Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart carries a limited line of maternity clothes and they really are dirt cheap (which is what WM is known for, right?) but it's only available online so you can't try stuff on before purchasing. This is when I decided that I should really try things on. I ordered a pair of gray pants in size large. They were waaaaaay too big; I don't think they'll ever fit. Plus, they weren't really gray - they were more like green. So I kept them anyway (since they were only $13 including shipping) and ordered them again in a size medium. That would make sense right? Well, the mediums were too tight, and too short, and a totally different color than the initial pants, even though they were supposed to be the same thing. I kept these as well, although I now regret it as I more or less hate them.
I have crossed Wal-Mart off of my list of maternity clothing providers and would not recommend them.
3. Old Navy
I've only shopped for Old Navy stuff online although there is apparently an ON near me that carries some maternity stuff in store. They have some occasional sales, and their ribbed tank tops are a staple of my wardrobe. I also got a cute dress from them, but be sure to read the reviews before buying - the applique on the dress is really cheap looking, and if I had read the reviews I would have known that in advance.
4. Motherhood Maternity/Pea in a Pod
There's a MM/PinaP outlet store in the area where I generally shop, so I've never been to a regular, dedicated store for either of these brands. They have a great, robust website, but the in-store shopping experience is definitely a plus, because you can try things on. There were pants that I saw online, and thought about ordering in size medium, but then when I went into the store to try them on, the medium's were way too tight and I ended up with larges. I did order some shirts online and the size larges were too big, but since they were on sale, they really weren't worth returning.
Pea in a Pod is their designer brand, and it seems to be ridiculously overpriced. You can hold up a pair of Motherhood brand pants and an extremely similar pair of Pea pants and although you can't really see a difference visually, the price is often as much as a $100 more for the PinaP pants.
Ridiculous, I tell you. But in general, their stuff is really nice and I would highly recommend them particularly the Motherhood brand, and particularly if you have a store nearby where you can try stuff on first.
5. JCPenney
JCP primarily carries a brand called Duo Maternity. Their selection is pretty limited, but they have great options in jeans. I got two pairs of jeans that I really like from there, for a total of $32. Definitely worth checking out, but again, try stuff on first. I first saw the jeans online and they even include measurements for sizing. I measured into a medium based on their online chart, but I couldn't get the mediums up past my thighs (and it's not like I have huge thighs or anything). The size larges fit perfectly. So again, buy where you can try stuff on first.
6. Hand Me Downs
Not a place to shop, but worth mentioning. If someone offers you free maternity clothes, take them! That stuff is so overpriced that even a crappy old maternity t-shirt will save you a few bucks. And if you're crafty, you could probably take in things that are too big, or hem things that are too long. Free is free, people!
Week 29!
I just realized that in my week 28 post I completely failed to mention the incredible fact that I am now in my THIRD TRIMESTER! Wow... time has seriously flown by, and I cannot believe that over 2/3rds of the way through this.
Last week I said something along the lines of "movement has increased." (I'm paraphrasing, obviously.) I wonder if I should stop saying that, since this week the first thing I could think to write was "Holy hell, has the movement ever increased!!!" Basically the exact same thing, only it's so much more intense that it seems worthy of mentioning.
But how many weeks can I go exclaiming "more intense" movement, since I'm pretty sure that's par for the course at this point. Of course I'm going to feel more movement. He's getting bigger and it's getting tight in there. If I'm not feeling a ton of movement, there's probably something wrong, right?
Still no stretch marks, and my belly button is trying reeeeally hard to remain an innie, but the top part popped out a week or two ago and I'm pretty sure it's not going to stay half and half for long. The good news is that it no longer feels "weird" (remember how I couldn't describe the weird feeling I had in my belly button region a few weeks ago? Well that went away.)
These pictures were from last Wednesday - in two days, I will hit the 30 week mark!!! Ridiculous right!?!? The other night, I said, "Critter, I hope you come in 9 weeks" and DH was like, "NO! That's too soon!" And I said, "You realize there's only 10 weeks left, right?" And after a moment of silence he was like, "Holy sh*&!"
That's an understatement!
Why does it look sooo much bigger when it's not covered with a shirt?
Last week I said something along the lines of "movement has increased." (I'm paraphrasing, obviously.) I wonder if I should stop saying that, since this week the first thing I could think to write was "Holy hell, has the movement ever increased!!!" Basically the exact same thing, only it's so much more intense that it seems worthy of mentioning.
But how many weeks can I go exclaiming "more intense" movement, since I'm pretty sure that's par for the course at this point. Of course I'm going to feel more movement. He's getting bigger and it's getting tight in there. If I'm not feeling a ton of movement, there's probably something wrong, right?
Still no stretch marks, and my belly button is trying reeeeally hard to remain an innie, but the top part popped out a week or two ago and I'm pretty sure it's not going to stay half and half for long. The good news is that it no longer feels "weird" (remember how I couldn't describe the weird feeling I had in my belly button region a few weeks ago? Well that went away.)
These pictures were from last Wednesday - in two days, I will hit the 30 week mark!!! Ridiculous right!?!? The other night, I said, "Critter, I hope you come in 9 weeks" and DH was like, "NO! That's too soon!" And I said, "You realize there's only 10 weeks left, right?" And after a moment of silence he was like, "Holy sh*&!"
That's an understatement!
Maternity Dresses
Oh, maternity dresses. How difficult it has been for me to develop affection for you. You always make me feel frumpy, with your empire waists and excess material. I never had anything against empire waistlines before, but now they seem to be very unflattering. I guess there aren't a lot of ways to flatter a basketball attached to your spine.
In any case, a few weeks ago I need to shop for a maternity dress to wear to all of the weddings and showers that we had coming up this summer. I found this awesome Pea In A Pod dress, which was originally $165, but on sale for $40. I was so excited!!!
These are horrible pictures, but look at how cute this dress is!
It has pleats in the front along the belly, so it's more fitted instead of just hanging on my stomach. The busy pattern also helps to conceal the basketball.
From the front I feel like you can barely even tell that I am 6 months pregnant (at the time that this picture was taken.)
From the side view it's definitely a little more obvious, but if you can get hideous yellow hue of this photo, I think you'll agree that it's pretty darn flattering.
I wore this dress to DH's brother's wedding in Kentucky, and I felt great. Sadly I didn't get any pictures of the two of us though, except for this one, where I look pretty awful.
But even more sadly is what happened after the wedding.
I came home from Kentucky and promptly threw all of my clothes into the washer. This dress didn't feel like it was any sort of special material and I had no reason to think that it would need special treatment, although the $165 price tag should have tipped me off.
Well, I learned a little thing or two about a material called "rayon" - turns out, you shouldn't put it in the washing machine. My cute little $165-but-on-sale-for-$40 dress that I only wore once shrunk up so small that it was about half the size of the original dress. After it dried completely it had stretched out completely but it was about 3 inches shorter and quite snug. I was devastated. Especially since I had decided that the dried version was as good as the original and packed it for our first baby shower without trying it on again, and needless to say, I was self conscious the entire time. (Hopefully that didn't show too much.) I'll post some pictures of the "after" dress at some point so that you can see what I mean, but trust me when I say "READ THOSE CARE LABELS."
You can thank me later.
In any case, a few weeks ago I need to shop for a maternity dress to wear to all of the weddings and showers that we had coming up this summer. I found this awesome Pea In A Pod dress, which was originally $165, but on sale for $40. I was so excited!!!
These are horrible pictures, but look at how cute this dress is!
It has pleats in the front along the belly, so it's more fitted instead of just hanging on my stomach. The busy pattern also helps to conceal the basketball.
From the front I feel like you can barely even tell that I am 6 months pregnant (at the time that this picture was taken.)
From the side view it's definitely a little more obvious, but if you can get hideous yellow hue of this photo, I think you'll agree that it's pretty darn flattering.
I wore this dress to DH's brother's wedding in Kentucky, and I felt great. Sadly I didn't get any pictures of the two of us though, except for this one, where I look pretty awful.
But even more sadly is what happened after the wedding.
I came home from Kentucky and promptly threw all of my clothes into the washer. This dress didn't feel like it was any sort of special material and I had no reason to think that it would need special treatment, although the $165 price tag should have tipped me off.
Well, I learned a little thing or two about a material called "rayon" - turns out, you shouldn't put it in the washing machine. My cute little $165-but-on-sale-for-$40 dress that I only wore once shrunk up so small that it was about half the size of the original dress. After it dried completely it had stretched out completely but it was about 3 inches shorter and quite snug. I was devastated. Especially since I had decided that the dried version was as good as the original and packed it for our first baby shower without trying it on again, and needless to say, I was self conscious the entire time. (Hopefully that didn't show too much.) I'll post some pictures of the "after" dress at some point so that you can see what I mean, but trust me when I say "READ THOSE CARE LABELS."
You can thank me later.
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