Is there anymore room for me in those jeans?

Remember that Ginuwine song?  Takes on a whoooole new meaning when you have a big ole' belly.  This is gonna be another quick one - sorry if I've bored you all this week, I am really ready to start feeling better!

So, I can't remember whether I mentioned this in one of my "shopping for maternity clothes" posts, but right before we went to Chicago I invested in my first pair of maternity jeans.  I wasn't too sure about them at first - if you've never tried any on and have only seen them on other people, they look silly, and therefore look like they'd feel silly.  Boy, was I wrong (I know, I can't believe I am admitting it either).  They are seriously SO comfortable for a growing belly, and as much as I love the belly band, I'm sad I didn't get maternity pants any sooner than I did.  I found a pair at Old Navy that I have worn slap out, and I'm waiting for the Gap to have another denim sale so I can stock up on more.  :-)

For those of you who are new to the game, behold:

Look like a totally normal pair of jeans, right?

Closeup of the crotchal area.

What prompted me to write this post is that when I was in the bathroom today, I was thinking about how many times per day I have to go now and the real reason that maternity jeans are so much better than normal jeans.  Ready for it?  They don't have a button and zipper (see crotchal closeup above). Yup, it's true.  They literally are just one piece with an elastic band at the top, and although they look normal, they aren't - no zipper.  I know it doesn't seem like it saves you a lot of time, but multiply the 10 seconds it saves you each bathroom trip times the approximately 20 bathroom trips you make per day while pregnant, and you're talking precious minutes (around three and a half, to be exact).  Even more, imagine how much time it saves you compared to when you're wearing normal jeans + the belly band: it's not a matter of just pulling up the pants, it's rearranging them so they're not sticking out weird under the belly band, and then rearranging the belly band to ensure that the pants are secure and you won't be flashing the world by way of your pants falling down.

So, there you have it.  Maternity jeans (and pants in general) are awesome.  In addition to the bathroom time-saving enablement (not a word, I know), they are super stretchy so I'll be able to wear them for the rest of my pregnancy, I hope.

Almost Friday!

Sarah

Maternity Clothes

My bestie wrote about this very same topic not too long ago.  I have been lucky so far in that I haven't had to buy very many new things - my pre-pregnancy clothes have still worked fine, with the help of the belly band.  I've never been comfortable wearing things that were very tight due to being self-conscious, so I had a lot of flowy tops to work with and they've worked well so far.  And if I've wanted something new, I've just bought it in a size bigger than I normally would.  So far so good.

With that being said, I am going to get to the point soon where I'll need to invest in some maternity clothes - particularly as it gets colder.  A lot of my sweaters are more fitted, and I think by the time it gets a little colder they'll be too short.  While I'm sure it would be REAL hot to sport some pregnancy skin under a too-short sweater, I think I'll pass.

Sooooo over the weekend, I decided to take advantage of some of the Labor Day sales and do a little shopping, just to get a few staples like pants and layering shirts.  I don't want to spend a fortune on maternity clothes, and there were some excellent sales, so Dan and I headed to the mall to check out Old Navy, H&M, Forever 21 and the GAP.  Before I write this next bit, I would just like to disclaim with the fact that I am so happy that maternity clothes have come as far as they have, because I tend to agree with my bestie that some of the stuff our Moms had to wear was beyond heinous.

With all of that said...I was so disappointed in our shopping experience!  We went to Old Navy first, then H&M, and then Forever 21 (I decided to skip the GAP and look online based on our experience in the first three stores as well as the fact that we planned to meet a friend for lunch and were running short on time).  Old Navy's maternity section was SO small, it was literally in the back corner of the store and it was probably the size of my bathroom.  There were only 3 pair of jeans to choose from, and not a great variety of shirts.  Not to mention the fact that some of the stuff was pretty ugly.  Mamas-to-be still want to look good, too!  I did buy two things - one pair of jeans and a t-shirt that would be good for layering.

Determined not to let it get me down, I went to H&M next.  If Old Navy was bad, H&M was worse.  There was maybe one rack of maternity clothes wedged in between two kids sections, and this is probably me being a prude but all of it made me feel really old.  The Forever 21 maternity section was the biggest of the 3, and looked promising at first, but the clothes there were weird to me, too.  Maybe it is the fact that I feel like I have always had Mom taste - I am the girl that buys things at Banana Republic and J Crew from season to season in similar classic styles but different colors, and don't even get me started on my love of cardigans - but I felt like the clothes in H&M and Forever 21 were made specifically for girls on 16 and pregnant.  To me, they screamed, "I am pregnant but will still dress like I'm going to the club." 

I am HOPING that everything was jut picked over since it was Labor Day weekend and that next time I go I will have a better experience.  I did look online at the GAP and manage to fill my cart with $400 worth of things that I liked (don't worry, I didn't actually buy anything - I decided to exercise some restraint and wait until I actually needed some things), so I know there are places out there that I will like.  I haven't gone to any of the maternity-specific stores yet, either, so hopefully I will have luck at those, too.  Any suggestions from my Mom friends out there of places that carry clothes that I can still be slightly stylish and feel normal yet comfortable wearing?

In other news, it is hard to believe it is already Wednesday and only one week away from the gender reveal!  I am just so excited I can't stand it.

Hurry up Friday!

Sarah

Nesting: Operation Closet Cleanout

Anyone out there who has been following this blog for any period of time will know that I have been DREADING this chore.  It has been on my "to do" list since before I started the blog, and I have even blogged about doing it quite a few hundred times, and just have not gotten around to doing so yet.  Every time I tell myself "this is the day" or "this is the weekend," I do something else instead.  Anything else, really.  I HATE cleaning out my closet.

I am not sure why I hate this task so much.  I think part of the problem is that I am completely and utterly indecisive about even the silliest things.  So for me, deciding whether or not to keep or throw out one item of clothing may or may not take 30 minutes...and at that rate, it could take weeks for  me to finish this one small(ish) chore.  The other part of the issue is, I have a little bit of a problem when it comes to clothes and shoes.  The problem is this: I love them and cannot get enough for them.  Just walking into my closet and getting into the mindset of cleaning it out is a feat in and of itself as a result.  Not only is it tedious, but it is emotional.  Try telling yourself that yes, you for sure need to throw out your favorite skirt that you wore in college because your fat rear will never fit into it ever again.  It is really tragic!

I originally decided to clean out my closet because a girlfriend of mine gave me three huge tubs full of maternity clothes.  Luckily I have still been able to wear my regular clothes so far, because while I am oh so grateful for the clothes she's letting me borrow, I have not yet had a chance to thoroughly sort through them and organize them because I literally have nowhere to put them.  Not to worry, I took before and after photos of operation closet cleanout you could see (although I am sad to say that you can't really tell much of a difference).  The amount of stuff I decided to get rid of was astounding even to me, simply because I already did one closet clean-out this year - in March, when we moved into our house - that resulted in approximately 6 HUGE black garbage bags full to the brim with clothes, shoes and accessories.

Behold, the before:

It is an absolute disaster, and the disarray gives me a headache to even look at.  I am honestly sad to say that there was not room to hang one more piece of clothing in that closet.  I couldn't move the clothes that were filling it to the brim at all to even fit anything else in.  And that is SAD considering I have a full closet at my parents' house right now since I've been staying here for work for several weeks.  So, believe me when I say, this needed to happen.  I will refrain from mentioning that if only my husband would either (a) just move his items to some other place in the house or (b) give me a bedroom to convert to a closet, we would not have had this issue to begin with.
Here is the stash that my sisters will be thanking me for sometime this week when they have a chance to go through it and take what they want:

It doesn't look like a lot there (which is why I tried to zoom in on the piled-high circular basket), but when I transferred it to tubs I filled up 3.  Whoops.

And here is the end product:

I know what you're thinking...it doesn't really look all that different from the beginning.  I was having a hard time getting the camera to show how much extra room there is now.  You know what that means?  Time to go shopping.  Don't tell Dan.  :-)

In addition to this closet, I also cleaned out everything in our upstairs guest bedroom (future nursery) closet, so now it is completely empty (except for hangers) and impatiently awaiting Baby Geromino's arrival.  I ALSO tackled my next chore: sorting through the three bins of clothes:

While I didn't make it through all of them, I got through two out of the three.  Not too shabby for 5 hours on a holiday weekend. 

While I am proud of all of the household projects we accomplished this weekend, there is one downside: there is SO MUCH I still want to do around the house.  So much art and so many accessories to be bought, and so much decorating still left to do.  I know, it will all come in time (or when we grow a money tree in the back yard, whichever comes first), but I am so impatient!  Plus, now that Baby B is on the way, I feel sure the nursery is going to take priority at approximately 10:05 next Wednesday when we find out the gender.  Oy!

That's all for tonight!  Hopefully my nesting posts aren't boring you, because I've got another one coming up sometime this week.

Hope everyone had a happy Tuesday that didn't feel like as much of a Monday as mine did!

Sarah

What (not?) To Wear

At 16 weeks, I have officially reached the point where I have nothing to wear.  Those of you who know me and are aware of my love of all things clothing-and-shoe-related know that this was/is a pretty tragic realization.  I feel like my belly literally popped out of nowhere this week, it is for sure noticeable now to the point where people are asking about it.  As a result, dressing myself is becoming a little difficult (already?!).

I still fit in my normal pants just fine, with the aid of the belly band of course.  I'm not sure whether I ever did a post/product review on this, but for those of you who are pregnant, this thing is a life saver.  It prolongs the amount of time you can wear your normal clothes comfortably, and is a much cheaper alternative than having to buy a bunch of maternity clothes right off the bat.  It just folds over (or not, whatever makes you comfortable)  your pants, and voila, they stay up!  Demonstration:

Photo Courtesy of Amazon

Anyway, so the belly band has helped my wardrobe as well as my bank account nazi husband wallet thus far (You're welcome, Prince Danny!  Actually, he heard me talking about how I wanted a few of these and actually came home from one of his "I'm going to surprise my pregnant wife" trips with one...SO cute.  I die.).  It used to be that I could at least partially zip my pants, but really starting this week I cannot even get them to zip at all, so I've been wearing the belly band slap out.

The problem is this: while the belly band is not uncomfortable, it's not as comfortable as I feel like pants that fit would be.  Does that make sense?  And I'm still too small for a lot of the maternity clothes I've tried on.  As I have stumbled across sales at stores and outlets, I've picked up a few tops and stretchy dresses in the next size (or sizes) up, and they've worked fine so far, but a girl needs some variety!  I don't like wearing the same thing all the time, which is unfortunate because I have a feeling I will be doing so, even when I do get maternity clothes - I can't justify spending the money on a TON of new stuff that I won't be able to wear for very long.  Plus, the bigger sizes won't work for too much longer.

Not to mention, it's hard to find things that look excellent on at this point since I have a bump but not one that's big enough for serious maternity clothes.  We have several weddings coming up, and I LOVE weddings and am so excited for these, but am running out of ideas of things to wear.  I bought this Lilly Pulitzer Blake Dress (sorry the photo's so small) a few weeks ago two sizes bigger than I'd normally buy, and it came in the mail and is WAY too big...it looks like a sack on me.  Literally swallows me whole, even with the pregnant belly.  I can't exchange it because I bought it on major sale and now they are, of course, sold out.  I guess the good news is, since it's so huge, I can hopefully get it altered so that it will fit perfectly.  If it ends up working, I'll make sure to post pics.

Anyway, I guess this was a pointless post, talking about my fashion troubles!  I am by no means trying to sound whiny - I of course know that I am totally vain to be worrying about clothes the end result will be WELL worth it, it can just be a little frustrating at times.  Any ideas from my Mommy friends out there of what to do in this crazy in between stage?

We are going to see my "little brother" perform comedy stand-up tonight uptown, and I am so excited about it!  I'm equally excited about a four-day work week both this week and next...bring on the weekend!

Sarah