awkward and awesome tuesday

wearing: dress - isabella oliver, sandals - target

Awkward:

My left foot is more swollen than my right foot, and in a “width” way not a “length” way.  This means that none of my shoes that have a strap across the front part of my foot fit….but only on one side.  Thankfully, this feels more like swelling than actual stretching of my foot, so hopefully it will go away post-delivery!

I had a meltdown on Saturday morning, because I was convinced as of Friday night that I would go into labor.  It would’ve been so convenient!  The beginning of the weekend!  We had just finished the grocery shopping!  Darrell wouldn’t have had to use those two days of paid time off!  Because, you know, those are the sort of things babies waiting to be born prioritize - paid time off.  Oh, hormones.

Oh, getting dressed.  I’m hot in everything, so if I’m being totally honest my ideal state of dress at this point is underwear & a maternity t shirt with the A/C blasting.  But since they won’t let you into restaurants like that, I’ve started running through my supply of stretch jersey dresses.  I basically do the same load of laundry every five days.

Early labor contractions are wayyyyyyy boring.  I'll have two in a row that are just a few minutes apart, get really excited, and then nothing.  Even more annoying is when they do that "real contraction" thing where they move from my back to the front.  At this point I'm basically refusing to get out my contraction timer until I'm in tears.  Also, how weird is sitting around hoping/wishing to be in pain?


Awesome:

Have I mentioned how boring it can be to wait to go into labor?  Especially when you have no idea what it feels like to go into labor?  Well, it’s boring.  Thankfully, my mom has a flexible work schedule and has been coming over to St. Louis to entertain me on Fridays, when I feel like I’m at the end of my “I work at home alone” rope.

With nothing to do this weekend, we just decided to eat ALL the good food.  Our favorite Italian on Friday?  Check.  The best BBQ on Saturday night?  Check.  Movie theater popcorn?  Of course.  Sunday morning pancakes?  You bet, I even made the kind that has to be mixed up Saturday night and sit overnight.  With chocolate chips AND blueberries.

Our dogs got groomed yesterday!  I know that sounds like a stupid thing to be excited about, but the dirtier they get the less I want to play with them, and then I feel oh-so-guilty about the sad looks on their faces.  I’m not exactly in a position to give them a bath right now either, so they neeeeeeeded it.

A husband who has made it his sole mission in life to take good care of me.  I get nightly foot rubs AND back rubs, he volunteers to cook dinner & clean it up, and he walks at my pace on our nightly trips to the park.  When I have a meltdown (those are coming more frequently lately,) he just reminds me he’s on my side.  And I’m lucky to have him there.  

snapshots & selfies

left: dress & wedges - target  right: dress - isabella oliver, clogs - old navy

left: jacket - forever21, old, dress - target, sandals - sam edelman

right: jacket - j crew factory, dress - old navy, sandals - forever 21, old

dress - sonnet james, scarf & hat - forever 21, old, espadrilles - soludos, old

So at this point, the question is: could I wear more stripes?  My iPhone says I may want to take it down a notch.  

my pregnancy essentials

I've been waiting to write this post for a while because a) I feel like there are a lot of these out there already, and I wanted to gather a list I felt was really comprehensive and b) I wanted to wait until a little later in the pregnancy so I could cover all the bases!  I know now that the things you find essential in the first trimester are often replaced by something else in the third.  So at 29 weeks, here are the things I would genuinely say I wouldn't have wanted to live without during this pregnancy, in order of importance.  

1.  The Snoogle Pillow.  I'm a stomach sleeper, so transitioning to sleeping on my side was tough.  In the beginning, I was just using Darrell as a body pillow - not his favorite thing - so he literally asked me to go to the store and get a pregnancy pillow.  I wish I'd gone the day the test read positive, this thing is amazing.  There's no way I could sleep without it now, and I'm fairly sure that once Claire is born Darrell will be taking it for himself.  

2.  J Brand Mama J Maternity Jean.  I know what you're thinking - "I would NEVER spend that much on jeans I'll only wear for 6 or 7 months."  But these are really important.  Maternity jeans, on the whole, are no good.  The ones with the belly band will never fit your belly the entire time, so chances are you'll end up buying 2-3 pairs....or you could just buy this pair one time.  They don't fall down (unlike every other pair), they don't pinch or constrict the belly, and they won't give you love handles.  Order true to size - DON'T size up, I made that mistake.  You can usually find these on eBay for less than $100, which I highly recommend.  

3.  "Bumped" by Blanqi tanks at Target.  Blanqi makes two levels of these tank tops - one is a thicker, higher end version that retails at $70 at Nordstrom, and the other is $35 at Target.  I bought both, and actually WAY prefer the one from Target.  It makes me feel supported but not restricted unlike the heavier version.  Blanqi tanks basically support the bump and hold your pants up at the same time, both necessities in your late 2nd - 3rd trimester.  Before I actually was pregnant, I used to think the bump was like a hard, self supported entity - probably because the fake bumps maternity sites use look that way.  But guess what...it's not.  It sometimes feels really heavy, which is what causes a lot of women back pain.  This alleviates that, and also just makes everything under your clothes feel really smooth!  

4.  T Shirt Dresses by Isabella Oliver.  These are by far the most versatile piece of maternity clothing I have owned.  You can dress these up with heels, dress them down with a jean jacket and flats, shorten or lengthen them via the ruching, and they work for every season.  These will also fit your ENTIRE pregnancy - I promise!  I sized up one size, just because I knew I would appreciate the give in the third trimester, but these dresses still fit me great the entire pregnancy.  They really highlight the bump, and also manage to still make everything that is "normally" sized look small (like your waist and arms!) They're expensive, but the fabric is so high quality and they have lots of sales.  These retail for $150 normally, but I bought all three of mine for less than $100, and I think I'll be able to wear all three of them for any subsequent pregnancies we're blessed with!  I should also just mention that I've been a big fan of Isabella Oliver's maternity clothing in general.  These dresses, the Urban Ruched dress, the treggings (best maternity leggings ever), and their layering tees have been staples of mine since about week 14.  

5.  Lavender Oil.  This one is kind of random, but at about 16 weeks I started having a lot of nightmares and it gave me serious anxiety about sleep.  I'm a big fan of homeopathic remedies in general (I can probably count on one hand the pills of Advil or Tylenol I've taken during this pregnancy) so I was thrilled that this worked.  Just rub a little on your temples before sleep and voila, no more nightmares.  

6.  Honest Belly Balm.  This is by far my favorite stretch mark balm - it's the only one I've tried that actually made a stretch mark DISAPPEAR.  As in, I had one, and then I put this on at bedtime and when I woke up it was gone.  It smells a little bit like a dirty hippie, and you have to order it online, but it's worth it!  

7.  Tory Burch Reva Flats.  I know this might seem specific, but ever since I ordered a pair of these I've worn them non-stop.  A tip?  Buy them on eBay!  Don't buy new, there are so many great pairs for much less online! They keep an otherwise comfy outfit looking polished, and aren't as much of a surrender as tennis shoes.  I also just think they're really pretty......so there's that.  

8.  Mommy IQ & Hypnobirthing.  I haven't been a fan of any pregnancy books really....at all.  Most of them make pregnancy out to be horrible - which I haven't really found it to be!  I wanted to read a few books that celebrated what a blessing it is to be pregnant, and these two were pretty much the only ones I found.  Mommy IQ is wonderfully comprehensive, and so upbeat.  I highly recommend the interactive Kindle version, which has videos and interviews with Rosie Pope and her husband.  Hypnobirthing is the pain management method I'm planning to use, but I actually think that the book would be a wonderful read for anyone who's giving birth soon, whether they're planning to use an epidural or not.  It just highlights a lot of good points about giving birth - like how women's bodies are created for that purpose, and how to cultivate confidence in your own ability to carry and bring your child into the world safely.  

9.  Prenatal Vitamins - Honest Company & Trader Joe's.  I was a big fan of Honest Company prenatals in my first trimester because they didn't make me queasy at all, even if you took them on an empty stomach!  That's pretty rare for any kind of vitamin, honestly.  I do, however, think that the Honest Company ones are pretty expensive so after I was feeling better in my second trimester I switched to Trader Joe's.  They're also great, and although it's better to take them with food it's worth the drop in price.  

10.  ANYTHING striped.  I would say that 50% of my maternity wardrobe involved stripes.  That might seem excessive, but stripes flatter the bump, match everything, and work for a ton of occasions.  To me, there's just nothing cuter than a baby bump in stripes.  I bought tops from Target, Old Navy, Gap, and ASOS.  

11.  GapFit Maternity yoga pants.  When the baby is lower, like in the first and second trimester, your normal yoga pants will feel really constricting.  I love my Lululemon wunder unders, and I'm wearing them more now that they can comfortably be worn under the bump, but a few weeks ago that just didn't seem possible.  The GapFit pants are super comfy and not restricting, and now that I'm in my third trimester I've been wearing them with the waistband pulled up over the bump.  

Got anything else you would add to the list?  I've still got 10 weeks to go, so let me know if there's anything you think I'll be wishing I had near the end!  

*ps - i didn't receive anything free, or any compensation from any of these companies for featuring these products.  I bought them all and loved them, so I'm reviewing them just because I felt compelled to share!  

the name game + maternity style 09

wearing: jacket & tunic (runs small) - old navy, leggings - isabella oliver, sneakers - new balance, scarf - crazy old, wal-mart maybe?  

These are not iPhone photos, these were actually taken with my fancy camera's self timer....which I'm obviously not good at, but I was determined to get in an outfit post this week despite my time constraints and it happened!  So I'm going to call that a win.  Photos taken in my parents lovely apartment - I intend to purloin that baby grand piano someday for our future little piano players, once we upgrade to something larger than 700 square feet.  

Speaking of babies (when am I NOT on here lately, really?), since we already know the baby's gender, you may be wondering what we'll name her.  

Well, we had names chosen from before we knew I was even pregnant.  Darrell and I are both really decisive and we both completely agreed on our favorites.  How lucky am I, right?  

But just for fun I thought I would ask: any suggestions?  Any favorite names right now?  

To give you an idea, here were some of the others we considered that didn't make the cut (but maybe for a future baby!)  We both tended to favor really classic names that haven't been super popular recently.  

For a Girl

Eloise

Ophelia

Noelle

Elizabeth

Sloan

Clara

For a Boy

Aiden

James

Gideon

Leopold

John

Henry

maternity style 05

wearing: leggings - isabella oliver, tunic - pink blush maternity, boots - frye (similar), scarf & jacket - nordstrom, old

Happy New Year!  I hope you all had a night that was everything you wanted, complete with the most perfect "When Harry Met Sally" type of kiss.  I was just lucky to make it until midnight awake, but I had so much fun celebrating - especially since we perhaps have more to celebrate than ever.  

I promise to bring the bump back next week (although as is obvious from Tuesday's post, it hasn't gone anywhere) but lately I've kind of been digging these hide-it outfits.  This is a constant equation: lettings + boots + tunic + scarf = and easy outfit for the frigid temps we've had lately in STL.  I wore it to lunch at Blueberry Hill, a St. Louis institution where Chuck Berry still plays regularly and the decor is as hodgepodge as it gets, hence the monkey!  I'm terrible at darts, but it's always hard to resist playing a game or two.  

awkward & awesome tuesday

Awkward:

My skin while I'm pregnant.  Don't they say that you're having a girl if you feel like the baby is stealing all your good looks?  Yeah, this thing is after my previously clear skin, so I'm thinking it may be a girl...

Again, pregnancy brain.  My dogs may not make it through the birth of this child - I forgot Gatsby (YES, AGAIN) this time at the groomer's.  Good thing she didn't mind watching him for a few extra hours...

Crying (uh, maybe a little loudly) for the entire duration of Saving Mr. Banks - WHY are there no Disney movies where at least one person doesn't die?  

Trying to pick somewhere to go out on New Year's Eve - I refuse to pay $60 for a ticket to an all-inclusive party when I won't be drinking!  My requirements are valet parking, ample seating, and nothing too loud.  In other words, my idea of a perfect New Year's Even is pretty much in line with my grandmother's.  

One of my yoga teachers preaching to me about how I should have a natural (read - unmedicated) birth.  I'm fairly sure I pay my doctor for this kind of advice, and I really hate it when women push their way of doing things on other women.  It's a feat to give birth no matter how you plan to do it, and let's just leave it at that!  

Awesome: 

Darrell found a phone right outside our car when we parked to go to dinner one night.  He called a few people in the recent calls, finally reached the owner, and when the man came to meet us at the restaurant to pick it up he paid for our dinner.  It was the sweetest thing ever.  

Waking up around 6 every morning lately.  I know, you wouldn't think this would fall under awesome, but lately I just haven't needed as much sleep.  It's been SO nice to have the extra time in the morning.  

Christmas in general - we have such generous friends & family, and this week we used all the gifts cards (which are the BEST gift) to buy D some new clothes, which were so needed.  He really gets the shaft lately with someone needing maternity everything.  

Buying our baby's crib and rocking chair at Pottery Barn.  My amazing mother bought us a gorgeous crib and helped us out with the purchase of our rocking chair.  They are so gorgeous that I might just assemble the crib next week - although I doubt my husband will let me set it up until closer to April.  If you're curious, we got this crib in espresso, and this rocking chair in parchment twill (both majorly on sale right now).  

maternity style/02 - a trip to artemis shop

wearing: cardigan from old navy, scarf, darrell's from h&m, "treggings" from isabella oliver, t shirt from everlane, boots from steve madden

Yesterday was a cold and sunny day in St. Louis - the kind of day that makes you actually like winter, if that sort of thing is even possible.  What snow was left was really glistening.  I sometimes get a little stir-crazy working from home, so I decided to take my friend Jillian up on her invitation to go visit a local-to-her shop in Lebanon IL, called Artemis.  Artemis is a Northwestern transplant, and that definitely shows.  The store is filled with vintage-y treasures, and the kind of dresses that make you wish you had the social life of a princess.  Soooooo many pretty things.  

Just the sign alone, right?  

They carry my favorite paper company, Rifle...

and display all their jewelry in the most charming of ways.  

They also appear to be as into ampersands as I am.  

Their dressing area was so adorable, I could've stayed and tried on clothes that won't fit me in a month alllll day long.  

I ended up choosing this blouse, which I'm hoping (fingers crossed) will accommodate the bump until I'm 7 or 8 months.  It's pretty roomy, and just plain pretty.  Also, it worked with leggings, and leggings are basically my everything these days.  

Since I can never resist spreading a little holiday cheer, I picked up the pink ornament (in the center!) to share with all of you.  You can enter to win it below, and if you do, I'll send this hand painted beauty straight to you.  I could have made off with this entire bowl of ornaments, they were so lovely and unique.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I hope you'll all visit Artemis, and if you don't live nearby, check out their online store (which, I was thrilled to find, carries nearly everything their store does AND free shipping!)

*ps - i was invited to visit the artemis store as a blogger and receive 25% off anything i purchased.  however, i wasn't given anything for free or required to buy anything - i just really loved that blouse and wanted to purchase the ornament as a gift for one of you!