Let's have a little chat about maternity clothes/maternity fashion, shall we? This is something that I have been mulling over about the last month or so. And I know it's really just beginning for me. Even though we're over halfway there at 22 weeks (!), I know my biggest days are yet to come. I am still able to wear my normal pants with the belly band when I want to. Not every pair...and it isn't always the most comfortable...but I can do it. And thus, I still have more than 3 options for pants at this point.
But maternity clothes are such a tricky thing. You don't want to go out and buy an entire wardrobe for 4-5 months of wear, however, you
have to have clothes to wear for those 4-5 months, and there is going to come a point when very few of your "normal" clothes fit. So what do you do?
I was lucky enough to inherit a nice bin of maternity clothes from my sister. However, even though we are basically the same size, she carried twins for 36 weeks, so it's going to take a bit longer for those clothes to really fit me. In the meantime, I have purchased a pair of black pants, a pair of identical grey pants, and a pair of jeans in maternity-wear. I joked with my coworkers that they need to get used to seeing those black and grey pants because I'd be wearing them for the next 5 months - except I wasn't really joking. The same goes for the pair of jeans. I do have some dresses that fit, but we're at that weird in-between weather where it's a bit too chilly to wear a dress without tights/leggings/hose, but not quite cold enough for tights/leggings/hose. So I'm sticking to pants. Anyways, here's hoping I can find lots of cute tops to dress up those three pairs of pants and make them exciting between now and February.
And then there's the question of what sorts of things do you wear? I am not (at this point anyways, but I know I might change my mind) a bit fan of the blousy maternity tops that have a tie/drawstring at the top of your bump so that you look like a character off of the Partridge family with your flowing shirt - only you also have a big belly...and that's just not that cute. It is true that lots of stores, like Ann Taylor Loft, now have maternity sections, and their clothes are great. However, I don't shop at those stores on a regular basis for my normal clothes (unless you count the outlet stores), so it is really hard to bring myself to spend that type of money on clothes that I will only be wearing for a few months! Basically, I think my dilemma is that I have gotten pretty good at finding cute clothes for decent prices in my style - but maternity clothes like that don't exist.
As for my "bump," call me a broken record, but I still feel like I've felt the past few weeks...it is definitely there, but depending on what I wear, it is sometimes more noticeable than not. Some outfits just make me look thick. I am not a fan of that, and definitely find myself sticking with the outfits that accentuate the bump and clearly make me look pregnant. Pregnant is better than thick by a long shot. I know that in a few weeks (months?), I will probably be doing all I can to minimize the size, but for now, I say, "show yourself, sweet babe!"
Anyways, the maternity clothes saga will continue. It is just such a strange time because your body is changing so much and is essentially turning into a foreign shape - but you want to still look cute and adapt, and do so reasonably without breaking the bank (or I do, at least)...so what to do? Just tell me I look cute when you see me, no matter what I'm wearing, ok? :) (I kid, I kid...)
In more fun news, sweet Henry is now about 11 inches long and weighs almost 1 pound! I can feel him kicking around in there a lot, and I love it. It is just so comforting to feel him and know that he is alright. For so much of the beginning of this, it was nerve wracking because you know all of these things are going on inside of you, but you can't really feel any of it. I love each little kick and punch because it lets me know that he's growing and doing what he's supposed to be doing. Matt's gotten to feel him several times now too. It is the weirdest and coolest thing. He's still not causing me any discomfort or pains with his kicks and movements - they still just feel like fun little "knocks." I'll take it. One thing that did freak me out a little bit today - my weekly development email said "Congratulations! You're 22 weeks along with only 18 to go!" The whole "only 18 to go" part is a little crazy. It doesn't sound like much time when you put it that way. I need to get cracking! I've got lots of things to accomplish between now and February 7!
