Hey there!
I haven’t completely fallen off the world and I’ve been meaning to catch up on this blog for ages now…but there’s this weird thing that happens when you’re pregnant (actually, there’s quite a few weird things that happen…) where your brain just doesn’t always seem to want to work with you like it used to. I’ve heard it termed ‘pregnancy fog,’ and whether it’s a real condition or not, it definitely has some merit. I find myself forgetting all kind of things and just a little uninspired in general most days.
But we are doing super well so far, and while I still fight some of the sickies (mostly in the evenings) and feel pretty exhausted most days, I feel really grateful for the way my body is handling being pregnant. I know a lot of women suffer from really, really bad nausea and other symptoms, and I must say, my heart completely goes out to them. It’s difficult stuff…completely worth it for the end prize, but difficult. Every day I feel like I’m hit all over with the wonder and miracle of what is happening inside of me…it just feels like the most precious miracle and gift.
I’m about to finish up the first trimester (which feels unbelievable!), and I’m so curious to see what all the next three months of the second trimester bring us. Sometimes I just can’t wait until I have my preggy belly popping out in front of me and it’s obvious that I’m pregnant…when I have to heave myself off the couch and I walk a little oddly and I can feel that little child move inside me…
I still have a hard time cooking in my kitchen, and always feel so excited when we go out for dinner or I just don’t have to cook. My sis-in-law brought us a dinner last week, and it was such a treat to have a home-cooked meal that I didn’t have to make! My mom came up for a few days a few weeks ago, and helped me with some food to stock our freezer with, so that was super helpful as well. It feels so odd to me to be so disgusted with my kitchen, because it’s usually my favorite place to be. I’ve promised Ben a big gourmet meal once I’m back to normal, since the poor man has put up with a lot of egg sandwiches and thrown together meals lately. I feel like my appetite is starting to get back to normal since I’ve been able to eat a lot more vegetables in the past few days (small victories), because trust me, those have been pretty non-existent the last two months. It’s funny because you have these visions of how this whole thing will go and you’re just going to be the best little mommy and give that little one in your belly all the good things it needs and eat so many fruits and vegetables and healthy stuff…and then you find yourself only able to handle things like hamburgers (oh my goodness, so many hamburgers…i literally went through a phase where i had a burger almost every day for about 8 days) and macaroni and cheese and hot dogs and egg sandwiches and bagels and only the heartiest and meatiest kind of meals. Basically, anything I used to eat a lot of prior to being pregnant is out…salads, hummus, yogurt, brussel sprouts, etc. And just mention the word ‘kale’ to me, and I feel like my stomach threatens to erupt. So strange….just so very strange.
Another interesting aspect of being pregnant is shopping for clothes. I had saved up some money for clothing over the past few months, and now when I go to spend it, I have to think ahead…can I still wear this in a few months??? We’re getting a lot of loose, flowy tops and high waisted or shift dresses and extra big t-shirts and sweaters. I was super excited to find that H & M has a semi-reasonably priced maternity line (especially if you catch the sales!), and also ordered a few things from Old Navy today during their big Columbus Day sale (i got this top…which i’m not sure i’m totally going to love since jacquard can be a little hit or miss…but free returns!). I don’t plan on purchasing an entire wardrobe just for maternity, but want to get some staple pieces that can carry me through.
And of course I can’t help but browse the baby sections of stores or online shops. I’ve decided that it’s a good thing that we won’t be finding out the gender prior to birth, otherwise I would probably be tempted to buy all the cute things I see. This way, I’m pretty limited to what I can buy. Although it doesn’t stop my sister from buying the darlingest little legging and sweater set for the little one she’s convinced is a girl…and I don’t mind at all, hehe.
Thanks again for all your kind words + congratulations on our little one. We truly feel overwhelmed with excitement and are already so ready for spring to arrive!
What about you: any great shopping recommendations for maternity clothes?
I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Maternity clothes. What are they? Heh. The coolest piece of maternity equipment is a band/extender you can get to put on your favorite regular jeans/skirts/bottoms so that when they would normally be much too small, they still fit. I can't for the life of me remember what they're called. But if I'm ever in the situation again, it will be the first thing I'll purchase. Just buy larger 'normal clothes' and then wear Amish pajamas the last couple weeks since you won't want to be seen in public anyway. Hehe. I think you should do a maternity fashion segment on your blog, cause you're gonna rock that.
Yay! A blog post. 🙂
I struggled so much with finding maternity clothes that I actually liked. My best bet was just sizing up or wearing comfy knits with lots of stretch. I, too, will recommend that band Joleen referred to. I wore my normal jeans through the whole nine months, although I did purchase a pair of H+M maternity jeans before we went on a 16+ hour road trip, because comfort is a must. J. Crew and Target both have maternity options as well.
I can't wait to see what you come up with!
First of all…..CONGRATS! Somehow I missed your last post. So exciting! Can't wait to see your cute preggo style. 🙂 As far as maternity wear goes, with both pregnancies I have been amazed at how few maternity items you actually need. Honestly, you can squeeze by with normal clothes until the last little stretch. And so a few basics (and a few fun ones:) is all you need. You mentioned H & M and they have an amazing set of 2 tank tops that are incredibly comfy and long and I wear them all the time, pregnant or not. You should def check them out. Blessings on the months to come!!