Dressing my Growing Belly

Just to start off, Mommy and baby are doing great. Tazby is still very active and I love (mostly!) getting to feel her everyday. I think the next big moving milestone will be when I can actually see her distinct movements from the outside. In my head it seems really strange, like a scene from Alien, but I know, just like all of the other milestones of this pregnancy, it will be wonderful.

So, I feel very fortunate that I'm pregnant now and not, say, 10 years ago. Aside from the fact that I would have only been 15, but because maternity clothes are so much more fashionable now than they have ever been in the past. This is a great thing because as pregnant women adjust to their rapidly changing figures, it's nice to be able to put on clothes that fit and look good too and don't make us feel like houses. This giant belly certainly isn't going anywhere so I might as well embrace it for what it is (and in something better than a muumuu, thank you!). As I read somewhere "I'm not gaining weight, I'm growing life"...(also a very appropriate response to all those strangers who insist on commenting on my figure)...so I'll love it while I have it. I've actually started referring to non-maternity clothes as "real people clothes". I don't know what that makes me, but oh well. There are only a few clothing gripes that I do have...here they are.

1. Why does every maternity shirt insist on being equipped with strings that tie in the back. Although I do own my fair share of these and some of them are very complimentary to my new shape, it's also nice to have some days where I'm not forced to wear a giant bow on my back...but maybe that's just me since my pregnant friend Martha insists on only buying shirts with the giant bow.
2. With all of the different social events of the summer, I've had a hell of a time finding dresses. Most mornings when I wake up, it's too hot to even thinking about putting an outfit together (which may even consist of several layers). Dresses are a great solution for this. Although there are some nice dresses out there, they tend to all look alike (and have a giant bow in the back) and are ridiculously expensive for something with such a limited shelf-life. If you have any of your own clothing observations, I'd love to hear them so leave a comment!

Now, with that being said, there are some great things that I love about maternity clothes.

1. Elastics...yep, when at most times of my life, I dread the thought of only being able to comfortably wear clothing without zippers, buttons or snaps, there is nothing I like better these days. It gives total freedom to let it all hang out with absolutely no discomfort...amazing.
2. I think I may never wear real jeans again (well, at least I'll know I'll never be as comfortable in them as I am in my maternity jeans). What most people don't realize is that they are like stretch pants, only they look like denim! Get that? While we all know (or should) that stretch pants are a horrible fashion statement, there is absolutely no denying that if it was social acceptable, we would wear them everyday for sheer comfort alone. Not only do maternity jeans look like stretch pants, but some of them have big cotton panels that cover your whole tummy so you never have to worry about your shirt riding up and your belly hanging out. Yes, these are the things that get me excited these days.

For future reference, here are my absolute favorite maternity stores. Check them out:
GapMaternity (great weekend clothes, great prices and my favorite jeans!)
H&M Maternity (also some great deals)
Mimi Maternity (huge selection)

And here's a funny website on how to find good maternity clothes. I think the advice is great if you're going to live on your couch for the entire pregnancy (seriously, leggings and your husband's button-down shirts?), but nonetheless, I was entertained.

I'm excited for the day I can fit into my old clothes again, but for the time being, I'll be chillin' in my elastic pants and loving it :-)

UPDATES!

I know it's been a while since my last post. I certainly didn't mean to let it go this long, but thankfully I'm in the "honeymoon" period of my pregnancy and therefore don't have too many things to report on.

I recently switched doctors for convenience reasons and am thrilled with my new midwife (no, I'm not having an at-home, unmedicated birth...bring on the drugs as far as I'm concerned at this point!). Anyway, the point is, I'm really glad that I've switched and will be delivering at Brigham and Women's Hospital (yes, the same one where I was born!) I'm also pleased with the fact that I've only packed on 11.5 lbs. as of my 23 week appointment...not so bad from what I hear!

Tazby's doing great and she's moving like crazy these days. It's very reassuring to have a constant reminder that she's doing well and thriving in there. This Sunday was my very first Mother's Day (even though I'm only a mother-to-be I still think that I get to celebrate.) I have to say that the best part of the day was Tim finally being able to feel her kick. Lately, every time she's been kicking like crazy, I've tried to get him to feel it, but usually as soon as he gets close, she stops. This time though, she was running a marathon in there and he definitely didn't miss it. I can't wait until he starts feeling it more and more. Sometimes I feel bad that he doesn't get this time with her like I do. At least I know he'll be a wonderful father and probably never want to put her down! We also picked up some very cute baby things at Target. It's crazy to think that with medicine these days, if little Tazby was born today (knock on wood), there's a good chance that she would be just fine. I think I get more excited for her arrival every day. Also, my mom finally remembered that my due date was September 6th JUST LIKE MY LITTLE GIRL! WEIRD! I'm not sure why this blows me away, but it totally does.

I'd say the worst part about this time of the pregnancy is the allergies. I'm so used to popping a benadryl every night before bed when this time of year rolls around, but that's a no go for now so I'm living off of our new awesome ionic air filter...so far I have to give it a thumbs up. I'm sure you'll all be checking in every day for my allergy updates (yeah, right...I warned you that I didn't have much to report).

Unless, something miraculous happens in the next couple of days, my next post may just be about the ridiculously difficult time I've had finding a dress to fit my growing belly...that's ok though. It's worth it for our little girl! Happy Mother's Day to all you mommies and mommies-to be! You deserve it!

I'm still here!

Sorry everyone, it's been a bit since I posted. Things have been so busy around here that I just haven't been able to get my act together (maybe I was just too wrapped up in the Red Sox sweeping the Yankees), but I'm happy to be finding some time now. Since you last heard from me, I have officially hit my half way mark in this pregnancy. I'm currently 20 weeks and 6 days. I've started feeling our little girl moving all the time. I keep being told I'm in the "honeymoon phase" of my pregnancy. I'm over the morning sickness and have yet to get too big as to be constantly uncomfortable or swollen. I think maybe they have a point. I do feel great. I have my share of back pains and I have definitely "popped" and am really showing now. Some girls at work have even started tracing my growing belly every 2 weeks. It's absolutely horrifying, but they've promised that "I will love it" after I have the baby (I sure hope so or else it's really not worth it).

So, back to my very active daughter. Feeling your baby move is one of the craziest feelings anyone can ever experience as far as I'm concerned. Part of it is absolutely wonderful knowing that your baby is in there (I mean, obviously I know she's in there, but this is a very tangible reminder). And despite how wonderful it is, sometimes it makes me feel like there's an alien in my stomach trying to break out. Either way, I can't say that I don't smile everytime I feel her so I certainly have nothing to complain about. Now I can't wait until she starts kicking hard enough for Timmy to feel her too. I'm already predicting she's got a great running future ahead of her with her daddy as a coach!

I actually predicted we had a little gymnast in there since I saw her do flips at our first ultrasound around 13 weeks (despite Timmy's insistance that we really didn't have the genes for that with his amazon like height and my complete lack of coordination), but I guess we'll just have to see! It was also nice to have the doctors all reconfirm this week that it is indeed a girl...it even made me feel better being able to see "the money shot" for myself on the ultrasound screen. It just nice to be able to see her thriving in there

So that's all the exciting news for now. I'm already working on my next post now about my feelings on The Nest and other mommy bloggers. Keep checking back in for baby Parcell updates!