Fashion Bump Watch – Tuesday & Wednesday

This week hasn’t been a good fashion week for me.  I’ve been feeling kind of schlubby these last 2 days and especially today… which of course happened to be the day that I met the head of the department I am now supporting as well as some other senior managers.  Awesome.  Lesson?  Always try to dress nicely at work to avoid feeling like a turd.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Top:  The Limited (from many years ago).

Skirt:  The Gap (also from many years ago).  I love this skirt because it has some stretch to it.

Shoes:  Black flats from Target!

Jewelry:  Long necklace from Forever 21.  They really have the best selection of inexpensive accessories.

And holy hell – I look HUGE, right?  That’s the problem with snapping these photos at the end of the workday.  I tend to be a bit bloated from all the food I ate during the day. 

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Top:  Simply Vera from Kohl’s.  This is one of my favorite tops.  It is so loose and flowy and comfy…

Pants:  Express.

Shoes:  Black flats from Target.

You can see it in my face that I am TIRED.  I dressed tired today and I AM tired so this whole look just screams, “go to bed!”  And despite how baggy everything is, none of it is maternity wear.

Fun / Strange Pregnancy Stuff:  So while I thought I could feel the baby a few days ago, I haven’t felt any activity since and it is SCARING ME.  What I am feeling is my heartbeat… in my belly.  And it is f’n crazy.   When I sit still to try to concentrate on feeling those sweet little flutters (or gas bubbles) – I start to feel my heartbeat.  I almost feel like I could just take my pulse. 

I read somewhere that Charm City Bambino is at the stage where you could hear her heartbeat with a stethoscope.  Because I haven’t really felt any more movement – I think I really want to go get a stethoscope just to make sure everything is okay.  I mean – what the hell is going on?  I’m also starting to feel this strange warm sensation after I eat… located near my stomach… and I swear it feels like something is leaking inside. 

Does pregnancy trigger paranoia?   I am FREAKING OUT.  And where does one buy a stethoscope?

How Much Could I Get for These?

So I’ve been consumed by the thought of our future nursery.  Because we live in a small 2 bedroom rowhome in the city, we have to convert the “guest room” / Jeremy’s closet into the nursery.  Jeremy has been finishing up the crown moulding while I’ve started to come unraveled about our timeline.  We have to paint!  We have to buy furniture!  We have to figure out how to be parents!  Oh me!

We did a purge over the summer of some old furniture and appliances and donated it all to Goodwill.  However, I’ve started to scout Craigslist for gently used baby items (like a Bob Revolution stroller!).  It got me thinking that we should potentially try to sell off some of our furniture… even it if means only getting like $50 for it.  I mean – that is $50 that will go towards the nursery!

But I’ve never sold anything online before so I need your help, blogosphere.  Here are the items that I felt could maybe garner some cash.  They are both Ikea items, very gently used with no damage but unfortunately are no longer available at Ikea (so I have no price point to go from).

First up, a full sized bed frame.  The frame is probably about 6 years old but has only really been used for 3 of those years.  There is no damage and it is a nice simple frame:

I’d offer the mattress as well (it is very firm) but Jeremy said he’s had it since high school.  I’m not sure that would make a good selling point but it is in good shape.  And there are no bed bugs in this house!

Next up is a dresser.  This dresser was purchased maybe 2 years ago.  It matches the wood finish in the bedframe which is why I want to sell these items together:

There is no damage to this piece of furniture.  Its downfall is that it is an Ikea dresser which means it isn’t intended to last a long time.  

Also – do you like how the crown moulding is on the floor? 

So – do you think I could get some cash for these?  I was thinking about listing these items together on Craiglist for $75?  Is that too much?  $50?  Help me!  (and if you live in Baltimore – want to buy these?  You’d be helping out mah baby!)

Fashion Bump Watch – Friday & Monday

Wow – I’m really not doing a great job of keeping this up daily.  But at least I’m snapping some pics!  I totally meant to snap a photo of me on Saturday because I actually looked pretty darn cute (especially since I went to the Renaissance Festival… and yes, you read that correctly) but it was so flippin’ hot that day that I just couldn’t think straight.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Dress:  Target and surprisingly it is NOT a maternity dress.  It is a sleeveless Merona jersey knit dress and it is so comfy.  I will say that my boss commented that she assumed I bought a size too large to accommodate my pregnancy.  It is a bit loose, I suppose…

Sweater:  H&M (from like 7 years ago!).  While I love the look of black & white (and gray) – I really needed some color to this outfit.

Shoes:  Like I need to even say that I wore the black ruffle flats from Target.  I love these shoes… mostly because they’re the only things that comfortably fit anymore but they’re also super cute.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Top:  Banana Republic.  And again, this is not a maternity shirt.  I apparently have a love affair with loose, flowy things.  Honestly – I do wear some form fitting stuff (pre-pregnancy) but none of that is fitting these days. 

Pants:  Gap.  While I’ve been avoiding pants lately because they’re just a bit… restrictive… these are super stretch and I love them.

Shoes:  Merona flats from Target.  I love these shoes as well (they’re very sensible brown flats) but am afraid that they are just a wee bit snug. 

Fun / Weird Pregnancy Stuff:  I’m pretty sure the cat is out of the bag that I’m pregnant.  Strangers have been asking me when I’m due.  It is fun, I’ll admit, but at the same time I can’t help but wonder if I’m getting too big too fast.  I keep looking at other women’s belly photos and comparing myself. 

I also registered us for a childbirth education course (and Jeremy may not be able to attend the first class which means my friend Kristin will be attending with me… and this may garner some unusual stares.  Oh well!  That’s what we do – we stand in for each other’s husbands and I’m totally okay with that) and an Infant Care workshop where we’ll finally learn to change a diaper!  I’ve recently become terrified / obsessed with episiotomies and ways to prevent having one.  How do you do that?  Well according to my friend, you massage your taint.  And she really wasn’t kidding…  but I’m willing to try it if it means I can avoid being sliced down south.  Ouch!

Kids are Funny

While the idea of parenthood still kind of scares me shitless, there are things I see and read that fill me with such excitement that it feels like Charm City Baby can’t get here soon enough.  (note to baby – please don’t come super early… we have SO MUCH left to do…)

Today, one of my good friends (and the first of my friends to have a kid) sent me this hilarious e-mail.  I hope she doesn’t mind that I’m sharing it but it really made my day.  Her son is 10 years old and is hilarious.

Ethan had an assignment at school to write a letter to someone he respects in his family.  This is what I got…

 Dear Mom,

I respect your patience and your ramen making ability.  I will show my respect by not being annoying.

P.S.  Your ramen is better than dads.

Love,

Ethan

Ok, how good is that?  I just wanted you to see what you can look forward to.  Hopefully your little one will be able to think of more than noodle soup to compliment you.

I still can’t stop laughing about this…

Fashion Bump Watch – Another Catchup

I realized the other day that these daily fashion pics will eventually have to become weekly fashion pics because I’m running low on new (to the blog) outfits and let’s be honest, I’m not very good at re-imagining outfits.  Although I am still wearing NON-maternity clothes (surprisingly… I realize some of my stuff looks like it should be maternity) so maybe when I venture into maternity wear, I’ll have new stuff for you guys.  But until then – I’ll try to keep this up as much as possible…

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Dress:  Banana Republic Factory Store.  This dress is very stretchy and I was THRILLED that I could zip this dress up.  I thought I looked pretty darn sassy in it.

Sweater:  Gap. 

Belt:  Target.  (I should buy stock in this store).

Shoes:  Target.

Note – all of these items were purchased within the last year!  See – I buy new stuff.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Dress:  BCBG.  I purchased this on a ridiculous sale at a Saks 5th Avenue.  I had to move the belt above my belly to accommodate my belly.

Sweater:  Gap.

Shoes:  (not pictured)  Target – the same flat black ruffle flats that I always wear because they’re awesome.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Top:  Vera Wang for Kohl’s.  I love this top.  Like I’ve had to do with all my non-maternity wear, I had to shift the little belt above my belly.

Pants:  Old Navy (with the help of my BeBand). 

Shoes:  Really?  My awesome black Target flats.

Fun / Weird Pregnancy Stuff:  Well – I’m halfway through my pregnancy.  Can you believe it?  Neither can I.  Holy hell – where has the time gone?  And I feel like there is SO MUCH to do.  I’m kind of freaking out.

But!!  I finally starting feeling the baby move.  I think.  Everyone describes the feeling differently.  I’ve heard that it feels like:

• a flutter
• bubbles
• a goldfish ?  I think this is about the bubbles.
• like someone is gently poking you from the inside.  BUT HOW THE HELL DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT THIS FEELS LIKE?!
• knitting
• a spiderweb

Do you want to know what my darling baby girl feels like?  FART BUBBLES.  My baby feels like farts.  I feel these little farty like bubbles but they’re coming right from my uterus (and not shoved up near my ribs with all of my bowels like my doc told me).   And while it is amazing and awesome and all that good stuff.  It is also really fucking weird.  But awesome.

Having Crazy Dreams

You would think that being pregnant would bring on a slew of pregnancy-related dreams (much like the year of wedding planning was filled with wedding dreams… mostly nightmares of everything going wrong but still).

However, I’m finding myself having more and more dreams about someone trying to hurt or kill me.  I don’t remember all of my dreams but the ones I do remember include:

- A red-headed boy I once went out with when I was a freshman in high school somehow made his way back into my life.  He was incredibly jealous of Jeremy and therefore tried to kill him and wreak havoc in my home.

- A serial killer was trying to break into my house and kill me.  I’ve had variations of this dream several times.  Usually my home is different in each dream but the them of someone trying to kill me remains the same.

- 2 guys approach me as I’m trying to walk to my car and try to rape me.  I screamed for help and even played the whole, “are you crazy?  I’m pregnant!” as though that type of reasoning would work with a rapist.  I somehow got away from them but them managed to inflict some crazy acid burn on my face. 

What.the.fuck.  These dreams are not fun.  I also dreamed last week that I blinded my dog, Petie.  I hit him in the face really hard with the door (accidentally) and it managed to blind him in one eye.  And somehow, I still feel guilty about that.

I’ve only had 2 dreams related to a baby.  A month or so ago I dreamt that I had a baby boy who was born with an adult sized head.  He was heinous to boot.  Because of his head and fugliness, I couldn’t bear to give him the boy name that I love so dearly.  So instead I named him Davey (not that there’s anything wrong with Davey).

Last night, I had a dream that I was breastfeeding.  But again – the baby was a boy.  And breastfeeding was unbelievably easy.

People have repeatedly told me to “pay attention to my dreams” during pregnancy because they could reveal something.  What the hell am I predicting?

First – I’m wondering if I’m going to have a boy.  The sonogram technician never gave us photographic evidence of our baby’s “parts”. 

And second – is something plotting my death?  Will I become the victim of another senseless Baltimore crime?  Or am I really just that scared of labor & delivery?

Fashion Bump Watch – September 20, 2010

So apparently this dress is the “whoa – she is obviously pregnant dress.”  Multiple people have asked when I’m due.

Dress:  H&M (from 2 years ago). 

Shoes:  (not pictured but they were obviously the black flats from Target and NOT these flip flops).

Jewelry:  Lucky Brand decorative hoops.  I should have snapped a photo of them.  I love them.

Fun /Weird Pregnancy Stuff:   So I kept reading that heartburn and indigestion are common pregnancy symptoms.   Kt even gave me some Tums as part of a nice “welcome to pregnancy” gift (she also included Ginger Ale, some preggo pops and Jenny McCarthy’s hilarious “Belly Laughs”).  I didn’t think I’d need the Tums but lately?  Holy INDIGESTION!  I’ve never had heartburn or indigestion before so I had to ask Jeremy about the uncomfortable acid I was feeling in the back of my throat.  Ha!  But oh god – every night.  Tums are my best friend right now.

Fashion Bump Watch – Catchup

I didn’t snap any photos of me this weekend because I fell off the fashion wagon.  Yesterday was an all-day movie fest with my pal Geoff so I stayed in my PJs all day.  Nobody needs to see that. 

Today – I’m also in PJs so again… I thought I’d spare you guys.  But here’s what I wore on Thursday and Friday…

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Skirt:  Urban Outfitters from about 7 years ago.  I’m not kidding.  7 years.  This is an elastic waist band skirt and I love the pattern.  I was skeptical to wear this since I wasn’t sure what top would work with my growing belly…

Top:  NY & Company from about 4 years ago.  This is some cheap-o yellow cable knit type sweater thing.  I’m not going to lie – while I like when something can emphasize my belly, I just felt a little uncomfortable in this top.

Shoes:  Like I needed to take a photo of the black flats I’ve been wearing nearly everyday.

Jewelry:  You can’t really see it well in the photo but I wore a long silver strand necklace from Banana Republic Factory Store (purchased within the year!  See – I buy new things).

Friday, September 17, 2010

Top:  Banana Republic Factory Store purchased within the year!  I love this top.  It is a nice shade of purple, the ruffles are great (especially for a flat-chest gal like myself) and it is a wrap top.  Again – I had to hike up the top a bit so that the wrap portion went around the top of my belly instead of around my waist.

Pants:  The Limited (it is a part of a suit I own) purchased with the last year.  I love this gray suit.  I love gray. 

Shoes:  Nine West mary jane heels purchased about 5 years ago.  Can you believe I wore heels?  The gray pants are super long so they warrant wearing heels and I couldn’t stand the idea of squeezing my swollen feet into a pointy toed pair of shoes so these were the only heels I owned with a rounded toe:

Fun / Weird Pregnancy Stuff:  Holy hell – I cannot remember anything.  I know that “pregnancy brain” is a myth (there is no scientific evidence of its existence) but seriously?  I cannot remember anything.  I’ll often get up from my chair to go do something only to completely forget what I stood up to do.  I’ve forgotten people’s names, people’s numbers, tasks, names of everyday objects, EVERYTHING.  When does this stop?

And omg – the GAS.  I have been so gassy this past week.  The reason my belly looks so big on Thursday was because I thought I was going to DIE from gas pains.

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

Thanks for not telling me I’m a super turd about yesterday’s confession.  I really am starting to get excited about having a daughter.  One helpful strategy I’ve employed is thinking of all the negative things that come with raising a boy like…

• The circumcision debate.  I didn’t realize this was a hot button topic but in looking at the pregnancy forums, some women are up in arms about this.  I just grew up in a culture where circumcision was the norm.  The first time I ever encountered a non-cut wang, I actually had to ask one of my FRIENDS what was wrong with it.  I drew her a picture and everything.  And in my defense – I was 19.  Cut me some slack.  I’m more mature now.  Sort of.

But apparently there is a movement to stop cutting foreskin.  Women link medical research and blah blah blah.  I chatted about this with Jeremy and he said he’d prefer it if our son was cut.  I asked why.  He said it was what he knew.  And I laughed really hard when he said, “I wouldn’t know how to tell him to ‘wash it’”. 

• Little boys are at risk of having toilet seats slam down on their wieners as they are potty training!!  I saw this in an issue of Parenting magazine (my MIL bought me a subscription) and my brain couldn’t even wrap around how to handle this situation.  The poor mom said blood was squirting out.  I imagine her son would be terrified of using a toilet again!  I even GOOGLED “toilet seat slamming on penis” and there are tons of parent posts about this.  Who knew it was an epidemic?
• Still talking about potty training, I wasn’t sure how to potty train a boy.  At what point do they learn to stand?  That is beyond my realm of expertise.  I had to ask Jeremy about this.  So now I’ve dodged that bullet.
• Boys can pee in your face as you change their diaper.  They have an aiming device. 

Apparently all of my cons are related to penises. 

Now looking at the bright side of having a daughter…

• She will be more likely to ensure I am well taken care of as an elderly person.  She’ll house me in a nice nursing home and probably keep in touch with me.
• Apparently little girls tend to listen better to rules and are generally more well-behaved.  We shall see.  I threw some epic temper tantrums in the store.
• Dads with little girls are ridiculously precious.
• This is the first grand-daughter of my in-laws.  Hopefully this means she’ll be spoiled rotten. 
• Little girl dresses seem fairly easy to sew.  Maybe I WILL actually start sewing!

I can’t think of the pros without thinking of some cons. So here are my thoughts on the bad that comes with little girls and how I plan to combat them…

• She could end up 16 and pregnant.  I have nothing against young mothers but if my little girl ends up going off her chosen path of being a doctor well… we’re going to have some issues.  Some suggestions I’ve received are:
  * smash up birth control pills and slip them in her food.
  * don’t pay for her braces.  There is a good chance my daughter will have some jacked up teeth (this runs in Jeremy’s family) so I could just make her undesirable.  Or I could go the extreme other way and make sure she wears headgear.
  * pray that she is a lesbian.
• We have to pay for a wedding.  I guess I should just start saving now?  Or somehow spend my life encouraging her to go for a small wedding or maybe even tell her how her father and I paid for our own wedding because we were adults.  I’m going to reinforce the importance of financial independence!

Fashion Bump Watch – September 15, 2010

Look – I changed up my pose!  Although I cannot explain the weirdo face I’m making in this picture… I think I’m just happy that I’m not throwing out jazz hands.

Dress:  Banana Republic Factory Store.  This is a pretty structured wrap dress (and it has pockets!) so I had to hike up the waist portion so that I wrapped it around the top of my belly.  And since I haven’t actually grown breasts yet, let’s just say that this wasn’t my most flattering look today.  I had to wear a white tank top underneath to keep it from being scandalous.

Shoes:  Target.  Seriously – I’m wearing these bitches all the time.

Jewelry:  Blue beaded necklace from Forever 21.  They seriously have the best selection of inexpensive fun jewelry.  I highly recommend them!

Fun / Weird Pregnancy Stuff – A lot of people have been asking me how I’m feeling and right now I’m feeling overwhelmed.  I feel like there is so! much! to do.  I’m on operation organize and purge right now.  To keep it from overwhelming me, I’m tackling one drawer or one bin/basket at a time.  I really am starting to think I’m a hoarder.  I just want to clear this house out as much as I can before baby girl (I need a new nickname now!) gets here so it is less stuff to worry about.  So this “stuff” is neither fun nor weird.  So let me think… one of my friends is due TODAY!  I check in with her daily to see how she’s doing and she told me that she’s still going to the gym.  She is my pregnancy inspiration!  I hope I have her energy and motivation when I’m 9 months pregnant.