Waiting and Waiting

This outfit is from a couple weeks ago, but I guess I never posted it.  I don't have anything interesting to say today.  It's been a long week, as I not-so-patiently wait for baby to arrive.  Every day, I think "this would be a great day to have a birthday!" but he doesn't agree.  

Anyway, happy Friday and happy weekend!  Be extra nice to your moms on Sunday, especially if you were born after your due date!  

Jacket: JCF

Scarf: H&M

Tee: Old Navy Maternity

Skirt: Old Navy

Shoes: Target

Black Polka Dot Maternity Dress Remix

Here's what I wore for dinner on my half birthday.  The subtle dots on this dress were just begging to be paired with the more obvious polka dots on the cardigan.  And then of course, I had to add some color.  

This dress has been another one of my favorite maternity items.  It's not exactly rocket science, but here are 7 ways I've worn it throughout pregnancy.  

1/2/3/4/5/6/7

I'm sure I could wear it many different ways - at the very least with more different colors of cardigans!  Or maybe even some non-black shoes!  So here's some free advice for anyone (pregnant or not):  a basic black dress is going to be very versatile!  I know, I'm pretty brilliant.

Cardigan: Old Navy
Dress: Old Navy Maternity (top 10 remix item)
Shoes: Target

Elephants

Well, apparently I'm really into animal prints right now (I may have ordered this tee shirt from Loft, too).  Here's my elephant scarf.  I unfortunately don't have a picture of myself feeding elephants to share (mostly because I don't think I have ever fed elephants).  So it will just be a boring post of outfit pictures.

It's May!  That's crazy!  I'm supposed to have a baby in May!

It also means the April Top 10 Remix is over, but since I'm always about a week behind on posts, I'll continue to share the outfits that I wore in April with the remix items.  But Sarah is recapping and doing a link up today, so I wanted to mention it.  This challenge was super easy, but I think helped me get dressed in April when I was feeling sort of blah about my options.  And since I didn't really do the real challenge, I'm tempted to try it for real in a few months.  We shall see.

Anyway, happy Friday and happy weekend!

Scarf: gift
Jacket: JCF (top 10 remix item)
Tee: Target Maternity
Pants: Old Navy Maternity
Shoes: Target

Giraffes - Now and Then

It's no secret that I love giraffes and elephants, so when I saw this tank at H&M, I pretty much had to buy it.  In college, I had a long sleeve tee that was white with black giraffe silhouettes all over it.  It was pretty cool, but it was also fairly cropped, so eventually I had to admit it wasn't working for me anymore.  The 4 inches of tank top at the waist wasn't a great look.  Anyway, I'm glad to have a new giraffe shirt.

And in honor of Throwback Thursday, here's a picture of me feeding giraffes in Kenya in 2006, in a shirt that was also more cropped than it should have been!  (But man, how skinny was I??  I really shouldn't look at old pictures right now!)



Cardigan: JCF
Tank: H&M
Jeans: Old Navy Maternity
Flats: Target (top 10 remix item)

More Shorts

Well, here's another very casual outfit from a day that was warm enough for shorts.  I'm loving the warmer April we are having this year!  And I'm loving these Loft maternity shorts.

I don't really have much to say today.  Here, I'll just throw out some random thoughts:

• My hair has been pretty amazing during pregnancy, but for some reason was extra fluffy on this particular day.  I've heard rumors that your hair can change drastically after having a baby, so I'm kind of nervous about what might happen.
• This tank top is one of my Top 10 Remix items, but this is the first appearance in April.  I guess I didn't really need 10 items?
• People are still telling me I don't look very pregnant.  Really???  I think I should just wear this tank top all the time, and then they will know the truth.  Not to mention these pictures are 11 days old, so I'm even bigger now.  

Cardigan: Gap factory
Tank: Old Navy Maternity (top 10 remix item)
Shorts: Loft maternity
Shoes: Sperry (top 10 remix item)

39 Weeks

Well, I'm officially 39 weeks pregnant, and while I know most first time moms go past their due date, I really can't believe I'm at this point.  I was so paranoid about having this baby super early.  According to my super helpful produce comparison app, that means he is roughly the size of a Crenshaw Melon.  If you don't know what that is, it's a type of Musk Melon, which I am also not familiar with.  Either way, we're talking close to 7lbs.  Totally ready to be born, right?

Oh, so weekend stuff!  Friday was my half-birthday, and since it's my last half-birthday before becoming a mom, John took me out for a nicer dinner.  I mean, you only turn 30.5 once, right! Might as well get some steak!  On Saturday, we finished up some little projects in the baby's room, like hanging the art I had made, and I'm still organizing things.  Then Saturday evening, our friends had a party, which was lots of fun, and then kind of awkward as we were leaving, like "so... next time we see you, we will have a baby..."  Sunday, I felt like I had been hit by a bus (RA + Pregnancy = not awesome), so I skipped morning church and slept as long as possible.  12 hours of sleep helped, but I was still feeling pretty rough, so mostly took it easy in the afternoon and then went to evening church.  And maybe got Dairy Queen.  It's difficult to say for sure.

How was your weekend?

Jacket: JCF (top 10 remix item)
Dress; Gap
Shoes: Target

New Necklace and Half Birthday

Can you tell I'm wearing these white jeans a lot lately?  I kind of love them, so I have to wear them as much as possible.  I think I wore this to a doctor's appointment last week, but honestly, the days are starting to blur together.  I do know that I was excited to wear my new necklace that my sister sent me.  Of course, I didn't get a good picture of it, because I am a negligent blogger.  But it's a silver pendant that says "Due in May" and has a little green birthstone on it.  It's pretty sweet.  (Thanks, sister!!)

Oh, and today is my half-birthday!  I still think it would be cool if baby decides to show up today, but he probably won't.  So I might just have to go somewhere fun for dinner.  Unless I'm too tired, of course.

Jacket: Target
Sweater: Kohl'sMaternity
Jeans: Old Navy Maternity
Shoes: Target
Necklace: gift

Black and Tan Dress Remix

I think it's time for a little remix collage action featuring one of my oft-worn maternity dresses.  I added this dress as an afterthought to my order of this navy lace dress (worn here) and this blue printed dress (worn here).  They were both too short, and awkwardly proportioned on the top, so I only wore them a couple times.  But this other dress, that I was unsure about even ordering has turned into my favorite of the three.
*I'm getting slightly out of order on posts again.  These are from April 2nd.  So, a few weeks ago!

I'm sure I wore this more than 5 times, but here are the different ways I wore it and actually thought to take pictures.

1/2/3/4/5

I'm not sure, but I think this dress might work pretty well as a non-maternity item, as long as I don't feel weird wearing maternity clothes when I'm no longer pregnant.  I mean, no one would know unless I had a blog where I told everyone these things.

Jacket: JCF (remix item)
Dress: Younker's maternity
Necklace: Old Navy
Belt: Madden
Shoes; Payless

Shorts Weather

Well, it's kind of chilly again today, but last week we had a few days where the temps were high enough for me to wear shorts!  And I was happy to do that, because I bought this maternity pair from Loft for about $5, and they are awesome.

So another Monday.  We are exactly 2 weeks out from my due date, so I am feeling like this kid could show up today, or in 3 weeks.   I'm hoping he's a little early, but not sure I'm ready just yet.  Maybe later this week would be good.  I think it would be fun if he's born on Friday, which is my half-birthday.  You hear that, baby?  Friday would be great!

Cardigan: JCF (Top 10 Remix item)
Top: Loft Maternity
Shorts: Loft Maternity
Shoes: Target

Substitution - Leopard Flats

Well, since I haven't been working for the last couple weeks, and I've had family in town, I pretty much have lost all track of what day it is anyway, so why not have a Saturday post?  Plus, I have all these Top 10 Remix outfits to deal with.

Since the striped flats from Target didn't work out, I needed to make a substitution.  I decided these leopard flats would be a good option.  I wore this outfit for an afternoon of shopping with my sister and nieces.  They accused me of not dressing like myself, because I normally wear colors.  I had to explain that maternity clothes aren't as easy to find in bright colors.

Jacket: Target
Top: Loft Maternity
Jeans: Old Navy Maternity
Shoes: Target (top 10 remix item)

Staying Home

So, I need to tell you guys something:  I quit my job.  Well, that sounds harsher than it ought to.  I retired?  At least for now.  I'm going to try the stay-at-home-mom thing (although, I prefer "leave-the-house-any-time-I-want-or-need-to-mom") and see how that works out for us.  And since I knew I wasn't going to be taking an actual maternity leave, I decided to be done a few weeks before my due date, to have some time to rest up and hopefully accomplish all the crazy little things that I want to get done.  And I'm glad I did, because I have had visitors for the last 2 weeks, and it has been awesome to not have to worry about work!

Warning- I might get a little ranty here...

It's really weird to explain the "stay-at-home-mom" plan to people.  I've learned that there are very strong opinions about this decision (as with every parent-related decision: it's insane!).  A handful of women go into rants about how it's the best decision ever, and they stayed home with their kids, and they just can't believe that everyone doesn't do it.  Another subset seems to think I have betrayed all women by abandoning my career for the menial task of taking care of a baby, and won't I be so bored?  And how will I pick back up if I want to start working again???  The good news is that most people seem okay with either option, and just say they are happy for me, and we go along on our ways.

To be 100% clear - I know plenty of amazing parents, some of them stay home, some of them work part-time, some of them work full-time.  They all love their kids and are doing what works best for their own families and their own situations.  (Apply this logic to pretty much every parenting decision anyone can make).

So for me, for my family, for right now, quitting my job is the right decision.  I'm super excited that I won't have an end date to staying home with my baby.  If 3 months go by (or 3 years), and I want or need to go back to work, maybe I will.  Or maybe I will never have a job again?  I really don't know.

And I might get in trouble for saying this, but I keep seeing posts on Facebook or wherever about how stay at home moms should get paid x-million dollars a year, because they are the daycare, and the laundromat, and the cook, maid, therapist, blah blah blah.  While I do think it's important to value parents who stay home, that kind of thing annoys me.  Moms and dads who work also do the laundry, right?  Also cook dinner?  Also care for their children the majority of the hours in the week?  I mean, I've been working for the last 8 years, and no one says I should get paid extra for vacuuming the living room on the weekends.  It's called being a person.  Sure, I could hire a personal chef to cook for me, and it would cost $13000 a year.  That doesn't mean I should get paid $13000 a year to feed myself.  Right?  Okay, don't hate me for saying that!

Oh, and I still get to like weekends because it means John isn't at work.  So Happy Friday!


*this is the outfit I wore on my last day of work, a couple weeks ago.  The blog is all out of order at the moment!

Cardigan: Gap factory
Scarf: JCF (top 10 remix item)
Tee: Target maternity
Skirt: Macy's

Third Thursday - White Pants

I have been absolutely the worst at reading blogs lately, which means I almost missed the Third Thursday Threads prompt.  Good thing I was perusing Twitter yesterday afternoon and saw Bri's tweet about it.  And double good thing that white pants are one of my current maternity staples!

I wore this outfit on Monday for a doctor's appointment and to run some errands with my mom.  She is headed home today, but we had a pretty great almost-week.  We go SO MUCH accomplished, and I can't imagine how much longer it would have taken me by myself.

This top was an Easter present from my MIL.  She has pretty good taste, right!  It was a no-brainer to pair it with my white jeans and a fun-colored cardigan.

I'm a fan of moms and moms-in-law.  Or at least, I am grateful that I have pretty amazing ones.

Cardigan: JCF
Top: Target Maternity
Jeans: Old Navy Maternity (top 10 remix item)
Shoes: Target

So Cliché

I'm pretty much a walking cliché right now.  You'll find me waddling around with swollen ankles, probably eating ice cream.  So why not be even more basic and stand by this sign?   Seriously though, I'm pretty grateful for the close parking right now!  More stores need to get on that (I'm looking at you, Target).  

Anyway, halfway through April and I'm still hanging on with the Top 10 Remix Challenge.  We will see how long I can last.  Go check out Sarah's blog to see how everyone else is doing! 

Cardigan: Gap outlet

Necklace:F21

Dress:Old Navy Maternity (top 10 remix item)

Belt: Madden

Shoes: Target

Do All The Projects

Well, I'm officially in "do all the projects" mode.  Yesterday, my mom and I went to buy some more fabric for a few more sewing projects, and I'm hoping we can get those done in the next couple days, as well as preparing some meals for the freezer.  It's fun to have a sidekick to runaround with and it makes the work a lot easier with 2 people!  Hooray for moms!

And here's an outfit from I don't remember when.  A couple weeks ago?  Anyway, I do love this camo jacket, even if it doesn't currently zip.  

Jacket: Old Navy
Shirt: Loft Maternity
Jeans: Old Navy Maternity (top 10 remix item)
Shoes; Target

Another Week, Another Visitor

So I mentioned that my sister and nieces were visiting last week.  The day after they left, my mom came out, so she and I are hanging out this week.  I've recruited her help with my long list of tasks to accomplish before baby arrives, so we will be doing some sewing projects and prepping some freezer meals.  I'm pretty excited that she was able to come out for a few days.

I'm also pretty excited that baby is 37 weeks now, which means he wouldn't be considered "premature" at this point, and might not even have to visit the NICU.  That makes me really happy.  And I think we have most of the necessary items for him now, too.  Carseat is installed, bassinet is put together, and I've got a drawer full of diapers and wipes.  So pretty much this kid can come whenever he's ready now.  Of course, I am aware he'll likely take the full 40 weeks or longer, but it's nice to get to a point where I wouldn't panic completely if I went into labor.

Cardigan: JCF
Necklace: F21
Belt: Chinese Laundry
Dress: Loft Maternity
Shoes: Old Navy

Crazy Week

.  

It has been a wild week around here!  I mentioned that my sister and nieces came to visit, so we spent the last few days cramming in as much fun as possible.  They love to shop - and I think we went to every Justice and Claire's within a 10 mile radius of my house.  Needless to say, we had a blast, and I am exhausted!

Somehow, the otherwise gorgeous spring we have been having disappeared while they were in town and it was all cold and rainy.  And then yesterday, as we were getting ready for my baby shower, the rain turned into snow!  Completely crazy.  And of course, they left this morning, and today is supposed to be in the 60s and sunny again.

Anyway, this is an outfit I wore last week to work.  It's probably not wise that I was still squeezing into this non-maternity skirt, but it's stretchy, and I wanted to wear this outfit.  I originally planned to wear my black flats, but then the shoes I ordered from Target arrived that morning, and I thought the pink shoes were a fun addition.  Unfortunately, the other 2 pairs of shoes that I ordered didn't work out, so I returned them.  

Scarf: H&M (top 10 remix item)
Tee: Gap
Skirt: Gibson&Latimer
Shoes: Target

Remix Kickoff - Two Favorites

Okay, kicking off the Top 10 Remix with 2 items:  navy dress and mint scarf!  

I have to make fun of myself a little bit.  I recently mentioned on Brynn's blog that I don't really like infinity scarves, and then I turn around and tie this long scarf into one.  The hypocrisy is great.  But something about this outfit on this day just looked better with a scarf/necklace than with a hangy-down scarf.  

Pay no attention to the sun/dust spots all over these pictures.  I tried to clean them up in editing, but I obviously don't know how to photoshop very well, so I gave up and left them as is.  It's artistic, okay?  SO FANCY!  

Scarf: JCF

Dress: Loft Maternity

Cardigan: Old Navy

Belt: NY&Co

Shoes: Old Navy

Top 10 Remix

Double post today, because I wanted to kick off my plan for April.  This may or may not be a good idea, but I can't resist any kind of fun style challenge, so I'm going to at least give it a go.  You can read all the details over at Sarah's Real Life.

The point is to pick 10 items that are "so me" and then include at least one of those items in each of your outfits for April.  Since I'm working with about 20% of my current wardrobe (Pregnancy Style Challenge!!), my picks are based on what currently fits (and what I assume will still fit for the rest of the month).  By necessity, these tend to be items that are both loved and frequently worn.  If I was doing this any other time, there would be a lot less neutral and a lot more crazy patterns in my top 10.  Also, April is a tricky month, because there is about equal chance we will have snow or 85 degrees on any given day.  Maybe both within the same week?  So I think these pieces should work either way.

Small asterisk - I added the striped shoes assuming they fit when they arrive in the mail.  I might swap them out if I decide to return them.  The floral scarf isn't exact, but I wanted to include it in my collage.  This is the one I'm using.  The other items are all exact, I think.

Big asterisk - I'm 100% aware that I might drop out at some point, just because I have no idea what the next 4 weeks will bring.  It's entirely possible (though not super likely) that my kid could be born at the end of April, or that I will just be so enormous and miserable that I have no ability to get dressed.  We shall see!