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

17 Week Update

The time has officially come - the long weekend is over.  Sad face!  I just arrived in Charlotte for my last week here for work, and while I'm happy I've gotten to spend so much time with my family over the past month, I am ready to be at home!  We got a LOT accomplished on this rainy day, which is why I'm so late getting to my parents' house - more to come in another post.  For now, mainly because I'm exhausted and plan on going to bed ASAP, the 17 week update (although be warned that there's not too much to report this week):

Size of Geronimo: An onion!  Baby Geronimo's skeleton is hardening to bone (prior to now it was just like rubbery cartilage), and fat is accumulating around it (note to self: lay off the oreos!).  Also, his/her fingers and toes now each have thumbprints!

Weight Gain So Far: This is a tricky one.  I got on the scale while I was still at home this morning, and according to my home scale I am down 2 pounds.  I feel like that can't possibly be true, so I'm sticking with 1 pound gained and will give an official update after the doctor next week.

Cravings: Really nothing.  It is so strange that for the longest time I had quite a few and now there's nothing I'm really craving.  At this point, I feel like I'm just eating anything and everything I can get my hands on.

Aversions: Nada here, either.  Unless "anything other than sleeping" counts.  :-)

Symptoms: The usual.  Exhaustion, high school style acne, mood swings.  Mood swings isn't really a new one, actually, but today's really the first time I've thought to report it since I had what I consider to be my first meltdown today (Dan may disagree that it's the first, but as he isn't the writer of this blog, his opinion doesn't count, ha!). 

Movement:  Still about the same amount as last week.  Since I keep getting the same feeling, I've convinced myself that it is indeed Baby B swimming around in there.

What I Miss: Sleeping through the night uninterrupted.  I swear I am already up 3 times each night, so I am dreading the point when the baby's big enough for me to feel him/her sitting on my bladder.

Things I am Thankful For: An understanding husband who loves me in spite of my mood swings!

Signs of a Bump: Yup.  It has made quite the appearance in the past week-ish.  We saw several sets of friends whom we haven't seen in a while at the game over the weekend, and the first words out of everyone's mouth were, "WOAH where did that come from?!" 

I am also not really sure why it looks like I have back fat here.  I am actually wearing my first pair of maternity pants and they're too big.  Guess I'm curvier than I thought!

Next Doctor Appointment: Exactly one week and two days from today.  I can't  WAIT! 

Because blogs are not nearly as fun without pictures, I will leave you with a few of my cousin's daughter Layla from when she came over to play on Friday.  She is almost one year old and oh so cute!  See for yourselves:

She LOVED the water and had an absolute blast - and so did we!

That's all for tonight, folks - Mama's worn slap out.  Up this week: shopping for maternity clothes and housework from the weekend (hint: think gallery wall and closet clean out).  Stay tuned!

Sarah

Labor Day Weekend

Poor, neglected (again!) blog!  Do you ever have those days (or in  my case, a series of days) where you have been SO busy, but you're not exactly sure what you've been busy doing?  That is kind of how the past few have been for me...they have flown, and I'm sad to report that Labor Day weekend is now almost over.  At least there's one more day to look forward to before the start of another work week, and we have a lot of exciting things planned in the near future, but I never can figure out where my weekends go!  AND...this should be my last week of travel for work (ever!!!), so I'm excited about that ((Disclaimer: as usual, this blog turned out to be MUCH longer than I anticipated, so brace yourselves.  You may have to come back later or read it in parts, ha!).

I think the last time I blogged was on Wednesday night when we were going to see my "little brother's" comedy show.  He was so good!  He was at the Comedy Zone in downtown Charlotte, which is actually underneath a bar and is a pretty cool set-up if I say so myself.  Anyway, there were four amateur comics that they let warm up the crowd before the professionals came on stage.  He went first and did a great job.  However, I do not think it is my bias speaking when I say he should have gone last...he was by far the funniest of the four amateurs, and some of them had been doing this for 7+ years!  Anyway, you can check him out here if you're interested.

Thursday night, we had a family celebration for my little sister, Katy (also known as "the bride" from other posts).  Thursday was an extra big day for her as she got her braces off (for the second time) and she was SO excited.  She just graduated from Appalachian State University (where else is there?) with a degree in Recreation Management (did I get it right, Kate?) and is currently job hunting, so if perhaps any of my readers have a job they'd like to give her (in Raleigh!), please feel free to do so.  She's pretty, funny, smart, and hard-working and a variety of other traits (bridezilla?  LOL just kidding!  kind of!) which I will not mention here so she won't get mad.  :-)

Friday, we didn't have too much going on - Dan came to Charlotte Thursday on the train so that he could be there for Katy's party and also because he was playing golf with clients on Friday (seriously, I need his job - except for the golf part, which I'm terrible at).  I didn't bring my camera cord home to upload the pictures I took of my cousin's daughter Layla, who came over to swim, but I promise to upload some as soon as I get them loaded - it will be worth the wait, she's SO cute!

Saturday, my girlfriend Allison came over for breakfast and to see our new house - it has been so long since I've seen her and I was so grateful to get to spend some time with her and catch up.  Alli, if you're reading I miss you dearly and hope we can get together again soon and that I can meet your imaginary boyfriend who is apparently real but I've yet to meet.  Saturday afternoon/evening was the NCSU vs. Liberty football game, sigh.

For some background, I am not an NCSU fan.  I am not really not a fan, either - what I mean to say is, we don't really have any ties to NC State.  My mother-in-law worked for the football program several years ago, and my husband has been a huge fan ever since, so we go to games sometime and watch them often on tv.  We were offered some tickets yesterday from a friend of Dan's, and I decided to play nice and be Dan's DD go with Dan to the game.  I guess I should preface this story with the fact that going to this game put me in a bad mood from the time I woke up - mainly because I had nothing to wear, and for once that is not an exaggeration.  I have next to no red in my closet, all of which is pre-pregnancy and did NOT look good.  I tend to lean more towards blacks, blues and greens for some reason, but I digress (I have always wanted to say that - did I even use it in the right context?  HA!).  Anyway, by the time I realized my originally planned outfit (consisting of some pre-pregnancy items) wasn't going to work, I was running short on time so I had to run to Target and do the best I could, which ended up being a red t-shirt that was a size bigger than what I normally wear.  Picture a bunch of cute skinny girls in cute red dresses and cowboy boots...and then me, the frumpy pregnatn woman in shorts and a t shirt (There were obviously plenty of people in shorts and t-shirts...I just felt like a frumpster in general yesterday, and you know how when you feel like that there's no changing your mind and it just ruins your day?  That was me.). 

My only condition for going to this game was that I didn't want to go at noon and deal with a bunch of drunks all day, so we mutually agreed that 3:00 was as good a time as any since the game started at 6:00.  What we didn't realize is that we didn't have a parking pass.  By the time we realized it, all of our friends with parking passes had already been tailgating for hours, so our only choice was to look for some of the pay lots - which to this day I am still not sure exist.  We literally drove around for about an hour and a half looking for a place to park, and because everything is so spread out and the rumored pay lots apparently fill up quickly (we never did even see one of these said pay lots), we ended up having to park like a mile and a half away.  And when I say a mile and a half away, I mean from the closest tailgate to where we parked - NOT from the stadium.  I do not know how many of you were outside yesterday, but it was H O T.  And I am pregnant.  And that walk was the definition of misery for me.  I didn't wear appropriate shoes because I didn't realize we'd have to walk so far, and there were several times when I thought for sure my husband was going to suffer death by pregnant woman I was going to die.  Luckily, as we drove the surrounding streets for 1.5 hours, we spotted our friends (and neighbors!) Meagan and Bo on one of our drive-bys and made our way to them for some shade and a rest before our trek towards the stadium continued.  I took my camera but in the end did not take a single picture.  Luckily for me, Meagan was better with hers and she got a couple.  I wish I'd have taken one from the side, because the bump has popped out of nowhere it seems like just in the past week (resulting in aforementioned nothing to wear saga):

*Please ignore all pit stains and nasty, sweaty, slicked-down hair in above photos due to aforementioned 29384239874 mile walk, heat, sweat and general misery. 

We stayed with Bo and Meagan for about 30 minutes until it was 4:30ish.  The stadium was still a LONG walk away, so we decided to get a move-on since I was slower than usual and pretty unhappy at this point.  After about a 1/2 mile and the stadium looking no closer than it had 20 minutes before, we decided to flag down a rickshaw (also known as a bike taxi).  It was probably one of the best decisions we have made in our whole lives.  Not exaggerating.  I felt so bad for the poor driver, because he had to take us probably 2 miles and some of it was up slight inclines, but in the end it was worth every bit of the $20 we gave him (They work solely on tips, and I guess it was worth it to Dan for me to leave him in peace and stop complaining for 20 minutes, ha!).  He dropped us off pretty close to the stadium, actually very close to where our friends Lindsey and Jason tailgate, so we walked over to say hi.  We had every intention of going to visit Steph & Jon's tailgate, but I felt like if I walked another step I was going to either (a) collapse or (b) die of a heat stroke, so I had to text them an apology and we stay put until the game started.  The game itself was pretty uneventful - I finally got to sit down and rest my swollen feet for a while.  While the first half was bordering on embarrassing for NCSU, they still won and looked much better in the second half.  We left at halftime because I was exhausted, and luckily for us, just as we were walking out Jason called to say he was taking his daughter home, and did we want a ride to our car? I am pretty sure my exact words to Dan were, "Please don't be offended if I plant one on Jason as soon as we get to their car." 

Today, we went to church (we visited the same one from last week again, and really enjoyed it) and then ran errands.  A LOT of errands, which included shopping for some m maternity clothes since there were labor day sales all weekend.  Results on that experience to come in another blog - possibly tomorrow's - because if I put them in this one it would surely be considered a short story...or novel.  After errands, we came home and were lazy - we both even got a nap in!  My husband is now cooking us a delicious dinner: an appetizer of his delicious roasted tomato/garlic spread on delicious toasted french bread and an entree of steak, sauteed spinach, and wild rice.  YUM.  I am still holding out hope that I will get to my closet cleanout tomorrow (I know I keep talking about it - I feel like if I write it on my blog, I'm more likely to actually do it...but so far it hasn't happened, sigh) and then it's back to Charlotte for the week I go. 

Hope all of your Holiday weekends have been spectacular!

Sarah