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: target dress, jcrew jacket & hat, ebay tote, old navy sandals

right: forever 21 hat, tunic, & sandals, gap maternity leggings, ebay tote

left: old navy dress, jacket, & shoes, old scarf, ebay tote

right: isabella oliver dress, new balance tennis shoes 

left: target dress, gap sneakers

right: target dress & sandals

If you can't tell, there's a serious theme of comfortable shoes happening in these photos.  In the past two weeks, it's basically become painful to...well, stand.  I'm counting my blessings though - I've had a back pain free pregnancy, and I think that would be much worse!  

In sum, my pregnancy dressing guidelines at this point: if it's not striped, it's stretch jersey.  If it's not sandals, it's sneakers.  If you don't feel like fixing your hair, wear a hat.  

Keeping it simple!  

awkward & awesome tuesday

wearing: dress - c/o sonnet james, sandals - tory burch

Awkward:

Can I just get a pass and say EVERYTHING here?  Seriously, I have to pee every 20 minutes, I’m going stir crazy working at home even though leaving the house for a few hours exhausts me, and Claire has decided her foot needs to press against the same spot on my bump 24/7 which leaves me with the constant feeling that someone is pressing their thumb into a bruise on the top of my belly.  So yeah……..everything is awkward.

Awesome:

Darrell had completely forgotten that this past weekend was a holiday weekend, and when he remembered it was like PURE JOY on his face.  Also, it was completely wonderful to have him home for a whole three days.

Our diaper party - not only are we stocked up on a ridiculous number of diapers (where will be put them all!?) it was so wonderful to get to spend the day with our nearest and dearest all in one place, likely for the last time before our world is turned upside down.  I can’t wait for the next party, when we can bring the baby with us and introduce her to her “family.”  She already has more aunts & uncles than you can count on your fingers & toes together.

Chocolate covered strawberries.  I’ve craved them ever since Darrell bought me a huge (but $25) box of them from a confectionary for Valentine’s Day.  I have no idea why it took me so long to make some for myself!

Getting away with unlimited pedicures because how is Darrell going to tell me no?!  I may not be able to see my feet, but I know they look good in flat sandals, which are currently the only thing I can really stand to wear.  

Last but not least, just inching closer to her arrival.  I know it could still be 2 or 3 weeks away, but the time is shrinking away!  

awkward & awesome tuesday

Awkward:

My dogs were barking at the door, so I figured maybe the postman had come and left a package or something.  I opened our door to peek out once I heard the entryway door close in JUST a long tunic (longer than my underwear, thank god) and saw my landlady standing in the lobby!  Cue my awkward "oh hi!" And promptly shutting the door in her face.  

Breastfeeding classes.  I don't feel the need to elaborate on this.  

8:30 bedtime on a Saturday night.  And I don't even feel a little bit guilty-in fact, I take sleep when and where I can get it at this point.  

Missing hot yoga so much that I sometimes just look at the class schedule at my old studio and fantasize about when I’ll be able to go again.  

Waiting for labor when you have no idea what it’s like to go into labor.  It’s like a state of constant vigilance and extreme boredom all at once.  

Awesome:

While making a return at the mall, a sweet lady told me I looked pretty.  Always nice to hear when going into month 9 on a day you didn't wear any makeup.  I'll remember her unprovoked kind remark the next time I see another preg girl out and about.

Getting the "any day now!" from my doctor at my last appointment.  They don't change your due date, but I've been informed that I'm actually dating around 38 weeks as of today.  I think there's good and bad to this, because now I'm doing a lot of sitting around and waiting, but it was reassuring to hear that she probably won't be late.

Chinese food that shows up ten minutes after you order it.  Even though I STILL managed to eat a bowl of Lucky Charms between the time we made the order and its arrival. 

People are just really excited for you at this point - there's no hiding the bump anymore, and strangers kind of feel like it's public property.  In a good way, mostly!  I get a lot of "congratulations!" and "so cute!" from everyone from grocery checkers to waitresses, and that's a lot of cheerful every time I leave the house.  Baby bumps are apparently an equal opportunity happy-maker.

Spending the majority of my weekend sitting outside doing absolutely nothing.  Vitamin D is kind of my everything right now, as are Pinterest & Tumblr.  Strangely, I’m totally over pinning baby clothes, probably because I have too many for Claire already.  I’m really really really excited to start getting back to my pre-baby size, so I’ve mostly been pinning outfit ideas for post-baby.

And since it wouldn't be awkward & awesome without whatever food I'm currently obsessed with: popsicles.  It's getting difficult to keep them in the house, I want a popsicle pretty much every hour on the hour.  

maternity style 21

striped tee - asos, shorts - a pea in the pod, clogs - swedish hasbeens, tote - ebay, straw hat - target (similar), sunglasses - ray ban

In a weird way, these last few weeks have me feeling more confident and happy than I have almost the entire time I've been pregnant.  I feel a little sense of accomplishment knowing I have 

a) fully *cooked* this little babe, and she is healthy and ready to be born anytime.  

b) somehow managed not to spiral into a full-time wardrobe of sweatpants.  In fact, I think I'd be willing to say that it's been essential to my self-esteem to get dressed, put makeup on, and fix my hair every day.  

I am admittedly sticking to much simpler silhouettes at this point, but it's been refreshing to find out that I can still enjoy clothes and getting dressed even at the 9 month mark.  

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.  

the weekender

So, Friday was a rough day last week.  The previous night I was woken up by dripping at 3 am.  Our ceiling was leaking (again) because of our upstairs neighbor’s broken A/C.  So there was the 3 am moving of the bookshelf that had a home against that wall, and laying a towel down, and then we got to try to sleep through the drips for the rest of the night which is….impossible.  So Friday, even though it’s FRIDAY, and we're all supposed to be cheerful and happy, I was just not.  I was tired.  And whiny.  I was mad about the bookshelf hanging out in the middle of my living room and that I hadn’t slept.  But I figured, I could either let the whole day be ruined - no fun - or I could try to turn it around.  So, I wrote down everything that made me smile for the next few hours that morning, and here's what I came up with: 

A robin with a worm landed on our porch around 10 am, looking like the king of the castle.  I think he just wanted to show off to the dogs.

A few new dresses came in the mail.  Superficial I know, but those things make me happy.  And thank you Pink Blush, for cheering me up!

There was just one bagel left from our last run to Panera, it was the best kind of bagel (cinnamon crunch), and it was all mine.

This video of a fox with his head stuck in a can.  

And then of course our evening improved from there with a trip to Food Truck Friday, where there were cupcakes, sooooooo many babies and puppies, and the most perfect spring evening weather there ever was.  

Despite my best efforts, the day was determined to end as it began, and we BARELY made it home because on the way back because the bump suddenly just got REALLLLLLLLY heavy and tried to keep me from walking.  In fact, we had to stop and take a break on a stoop about 3 blocks from our house, and I felt fairly pathetic.  So even though there were cupcakes and new dresses, I conceded defeat and resolved to do better Saturday & Sunday, and I think we did!  

Sometimes, when you're 9 months pregnant, it's better to just give in to doing a whole lot of sitting around.  It's always better if you can do it outside in your garden full of blooming roses though, and then throw in a pedicure and have your husband clean the house as well (Darrell's first mother's day gift to me, and it was exactly what I wanted.)   

After a wholly relaxing Saturday, a gorgeous Mother's Day was had - the backyard roses made their way inside, and we had brunch & then lunch with our beautiful mamas, grandmas, and aunts. Also, there was Dairy Queen ice cream cake at some point, and there's really nothing better than that.  

I hope you all had a beautiful weekend as well!  I wouldn't mind doing it all over again....perhaps even Friday.  

maternity style 20

t shirt - jojo maman bebe (similar), shorts - pea in the pod, wedges - target, sunglasses - ray ban

This is definitely one of the more comfortable outfits I've worn this week - I have a feeling these shorts and the pair I have in blue denim are going to be real heroes through the end of this pregnancy.  Also awesome?  These J.Crew lookalike wedges.  I am a big believer in stocking up on things you love (probably why I have three pairs of Saltwaters, three of this dress, two pairs of these shorts.....basically my entire wardrobe is a collection of duplicate items.)  I bought these in the black & chambray, and I have a feeling I'll wear them to pieces this summer, which is well and good since they were a whopping $17/pair!  

awkward and awesome

Awkward: 

Fitz’ incredible ability to puke wherever we don’t place the protective towel in the backseat of the car.  We can cover every surface possible, and he will make an effort to screw it up and puke right on my car seats. I pretty much just laugh every time someone warns me about baby spit-up like it’s the most awful thing ever.  

Baby girl keeps measuring large…..like 80th percentile.  I have this lovely birthing plan that involves hypnotherapy & all-natural birthing etc, but no judging me if I scrap all that to get induced early if my OB offers, I have no interest in birthing a 10 lb baby.    "Birth plan" is kind of an oxymoron anyways, right?  

Any potential answers to the questions “are you hating being so pregnant?  Aren’t you uncomfortable yet?”  I mean…..awkward.  I actually feel pretty great - pregnant, but great - and also, I prayed for this baby.  I am grateful to be pregnant.  I try to reserve any complaining solely for my husband.  

I am hot ALL the time.  This is easily remedied by blasting the air conditioning, but poor Darrell may eventually take to sleeping in a parka.  He let me win that fight though, good man that he is.  

Hitting the belly on every single thing possible!  Getting something out of the fridge?  I am probably hitting the baby with the fridge door.  Walking into a door?  If I don’t open it fast enough, the bump hits it before it opens.  Getting into a restaurant booth?  The condiments are lucky if they make it out intact.  My spatial awareness is at a solid zero.  I’m sure next week I’ll be telling you how my belly finally hit a small child in the head.  Yes, I say "my belly" and not "I" because I'm pretty sure this thing has a mind of its own.  

Awesome: 

Our weekend at the lake.  I cannot say how nice it was to have three days on the water.  Even though I worked on Friday, it was incredibly nice to have a change of scenery. The weather cooperated perfectly & we got to get out on the boat - no bikinis, but there were mocktails!  

In the waiting room for my doc appt last week there were two children: a well behaved little girl and a, well, rowdy little boy.  Both were adorable, but the little girl had this absolutely hilarious and judgmental expression of "you filthy hooligan" towards the boy for my entire wait.  

Gap Outlet sales - we got Darrell 6 pieces of clothing I believe for about $60, and a hat for the baby.  One pair of pants was $3!  Shopping for boys is just about the most fun thing ever, am I right?  

Iced tea & lemonade.  This is my favorite right now, in addition to alllll the fruit - all I need is watermelon & peaches to be in season and I may quit eating anything else. Actually who am I kidding, there will obviously still be chocolate & tacos.  

My belly button is still in!  I mean, it’s hanging on for dear life I’m sure, but it looks like we might just make it to the end without an outie.  

I took Fitz for a walk yesterday, and I DID bring a dog bag, but of course he managed to poop twice, the second time directly as the owner of the house in front of his chosen sidewalk space came walking out of the door.  I was about to be fully mortified at having to leave it there, but just then my hero came to save the day in the form of another dog walker with extra bags.  

All my Sonnet James dresses - holy comfortable, stretchy, and flattering.  I pretty much ordered all the ones I wanted when they first went up for pre-order, and now I wish I had just ordered them all.  They are probably some of the best pieces of clothing I have ever had - I’ll be looking forward to every collection from now on.  

the weekender

Sometimes I feel as though each Friday kicks off an inevitable contest to have the "best weekend ever" after the workweek, and this weekend I think we won!  Of course that's easier at the lake, but I feel like the makings of a perfect day are pretty much universal.  

 Consider this post the official Light Sleeper, Heavy Dreamer guide to the perfect (lazy!) spring weekend.  

Step one: wake up in the morning of your own accord - no alarm clocks! Eat asiago cheese bagels &  fruit for breakfast with a big mug of Dunkin' Donuts coffee while watching the weekend news and reading blogs.  Shower & get ready for a day out on the boat at a snail's pace.  This may or may not include a quick trip to Target to buy a new hat (but it probably should.)  Pack your hat and your favorite sunglasses and a tote bag, and head down to the dock once you feel like eating lunch.  

sunglasses: ray ban (on sale!), hat: target, bag: old navy, and I had the embroidery done

Step two: make your handsome husband pose for some cutesy photos on the dock while the boat lift lowers into the water.  Make good use of your new hat in said photos.  

Step three: order a mocktail with your lunch, because Pina Coladas are yummy, rum or no rum.  

Step four: sit in the sun watching the boats and chatting about nothing much at all until you realize that it's time for more food! Head home to watch a movie, and eat dinner & some ice cream, of course.  Go to bed at 10, exhausted & happy from being in the sun for so many hours.  

Step five: rinse and repeat the next day (this time for brunch, because of course it's Sunday) potentially in a cuter outfit.  

hat - target, dress - loft

Other exciting (okay, to me) things that happened this weekend: 

I finally ordered a few samples of Le Labo perfumes I've been dying to try, because I'm almost out of Coco Mademoiselle.  Darrell just has a naturally stuck-up nose - he won't even notice it, let alone compliment it, unless it's....well, let's just say not cheap.  On the upside, more reason to buy fancy perfume!  I'll keep you updated on whether or not I decide their scents are worth the splurge.  The packaging alone....I mean the bottles are basically decoration.  

My Sonnet James dresses finally came!  I'm not going to lie, I was skeptical of whether or not they'd fit.  I ordered them all back in February when I was um, much smaller, but the dresses were supposed to work for pregnancy and after.  Well, they were all perfect!  When does that ever happen?  They're stretchy of course, and the fabric is pretty fantastic.  They're super fitted now, which is actually more flattering during pregnancy, and I think they'll be perfectly relaxed and casual later.  The packaging was adorable, each dress came in a bag with suckers and a little kids toy.  Also, I got a promo code I thought I'd share with my order: they have a few extra dresses in stock that you can check out here, and get $10 off with sjfriend10!  

I managed to snag my first pair of Karen Walker sunglasses on eBay last week after stalking them for quite a while, and they showed up too.  These are the "Helter Skelter" style.  I suppose time will tell whether or not I'm cool enough for Karen Walker sunglasses (debatable.)  Sometimes I think I'd rather buy something online just because of how fun it is to get packages, which is probably incredibly silly, but tell me you don't sort of feel the same!  

maternity style 19/the last 6 weeks

The last few weeks of pregnancy call for a reevaluation of your wardrobe.  Those pants you bought at 14 weeks?  Yeah, they don't work anymore.  Actually, no pants really work anymore, except the shorts with the HUGE belly panel, that nooooo I did not buy in my pre-pregnancy size, per the website's suggestion, because that would just be silly.  

I have a good feeling about saying hello to those 14 week jeans again postpartum though, so they're staying in the closet for now.  

I've decided that dressing for pregnancy falls into two categories: Weeks 12-32, and then everything after that.  Also, there is the unfortunate period between weeks 28-30 where instead of feeling cute and still somewhat small, and not yet like the bump is the focal point, you just feel really really fat.  About that period of time I can only say: wear yoga pants and just give in.  Things will even out soon enough.  It was like my body was saving fat to move it all to the bump in a few weeks.  

Once you're past the "I feel fat" phrase and into the "I feel REALLY PREGNANT" phase, you can either hole up at home to wait it out (not recommended, and also a waste of your last few weeks just you and your partner!) or take my advice for keeping it together and dare I say, feeling pretty and even sexy for the last 8 weeks!  Without further adieu, my top 5 tips.  

1.  Get thee some false eyelashes!  

Okay, so there is a pretty obvious difference between the two photos.  The false eyelashes highlight your eyes, subtracting from  anyone's ability to immediately focus on the slightly puffy "pregnant face" (it's a thing and you know it).  Although my case is relatively mild that may change over the next 6 weeks.  Falsies are not just for weekends now - they make me feel better about myself pretty much every day!  

2.  Quit wearing anything oversized - it's not helping.  

I largely blame Hatch collection for this trend.  This is a Hatch "maternity" dress.  

Does that model look pregnant to you?  Um, no, she just looks like a 6 foot tall model.  Put that on a pregnant me (allllllll 5'4 of me!) and I will just like like I'm fat & wearing a striped sack.  

That's better.  Shows off the bump, looks adorable with her slouchy army jacket & flat sandals, and accentuates all the good stuff!  

3.  Which leads me to my next point, stripes.  

There is literally nothing cuter on a pregnant belly than stripes.  Of course, this is just my opinion, but hear me out: once you're 32 weeks, it doesn't matter how thin you are.  There is no hiding that you are way pregnant.  Stripes highlight and accentuate the bump.  They're classic & match everything, making them easy to wear for tons of occasions and with whichever jackets/pants you have left that still fit and are comfortable.  Let me reiterate though - fitted stripes.  

4.  As for shoes.....

Flats are great - I am in no way saying abandon your flats.  But if we're being honest, they can kind of enhance the waddle effect.  A reasonable wedge or heeled bootie (we're talking 2-4 inches here) can be the perfect antidote to feeling a little frumpy.  Your legs probably look pretty teeny in comparison to that bump, and a little heel puts them to their best advantage.  

5.  And the most important advice....

Remember that you look gorgeous, no matter what kind of makeup you have on, what dress you're wearing, or how big you feel.  There are few things in the world that make a woman look more beautiful than being pregnant, and even though it may not come across in photos or in the mirror, it's 100% true.  Even when you aren't feeling that way, try to remember the last time you saw a very pregnant woman out and about and considered her with anything but admiration.  In a unique way, you look the most beautiful in others' eyes than you ever have, and if you can remember that, try to see and feel it yourself.  

maternity style 18

wearing: laundry by shelli segal dress, old & not maternity, michael kors wedges, kate spade earrings & stripe bracelet, monogram area necklace, and banana republic bracelet

also, can we just take a moment to recognize how pretty my friends are?  

Claire will certainly be the most well-outfitted (and best dress) baby that every was, and I am so grateful to all the friends and family who have celebrated her before she's even here!  My last baby shower was on this past weekend, hosted by my friend Jess at her gorgeous loft apartment.  We had brunch and lots of baby talk, and it was just about the best way I could imagine to spend a rainy Sunday.  I was so in love with the tissue garland that Jess made for the gift table that I snatched it, and it now hangs above Claire's crib.