I did it.

I paid full price for a maternity item... I broke my one and only declared "rule" in this expansion process AND actually feel pretty good about it!

For some reason the button hole trick doesn't work so well with black dress pants.  Partly because of the way they're designed (some just have those little clip things) and mostly due to the way they fit.  For whatever reason they were the first items I grew out of in my closet with all the bloating my first trimester brought. 

I had purchased a pair of Old Navy trouser pants on the Thanksgiving shopping spree with my mom-- on sale for $20 I believe.  They fit great, but the fabric is so crappy it picks up any white fuzz within a 20 foot radius.  Nothing like looking like a slob.  Rather than obsessively lint rolling myself I opted to invest into my work attire.  You're only as successful as you feel, right?

This leads us to my important work meeting... where a sweater dress and boots didn't quite cut it for the level of formality needed. GAP Maternity is lacking in so many ways (alas, I'm not much of a GAP girl anyway) but they make a great dress pant. Yes I paid the entire $60 for the stupid things, but the confidence boost they continue to provide was worth every. single. penny.

--on a side note they are a "demi-panel", which I previously bashed in my maternity jeans posting. However, since the black pants are lighter weight they don't seem to slide south as easily, and with paired with one of the can't-live-without camisoles you can find almost anywhere they are more than comfortable.

SO another "do as I say not as I do" moment... save yourself the hassle and cash and go for the gold if your career requires it.  :)

like a lollipop ;-/

That's just how i told my yoga teacher I was feeling when attempting to do a specific pose on Thursday.  I've really been avoiding yoga these past few months mainly because of nasty tension headaches.  Okay that's not the whole truth... I really had a hard time seeing my figure in the mirror; and it's difficult --and slightly uncomfortable-- to practice in a baggy shirt.  Although I want(ed) this baby more than anything else I've ever wanted my whole life, it's still hard to watch my body morph into something so... round~!!


Thursday night was my first day of practice in a few weeks, and since I'm up a whopping 15 lbs already the moves I once found great pleasure doing were SO HARD!  So that's why yogi's always stay thin... gaining weight is hard work!  I went back again this morning-- procrastinating so much I walked into class about 10 minutes late.  With the crowds of "New Year's" members, the only spot to fit my mat was right up front.  Right in front of the stinking mirror.


Throughout that hour I had plenty of time to critique my figure (there must be something I'm doing wrong since I've gained SO much already...??!!)  but slowly that critiquing turned into an admiration.  My practice came much easier than it did just two days ago, and I began to focus on the strength my body was gaining with the added challenge. 

please note: this is not me.  This is a beautiful pregnant girl compliments of google images :)

I have a great sense of accomplishment after this practice, even though I had to do some cobras in place of my usual upward facing dog, and even skipped a vinyasa or two.  I made a commitment to myself to continue my yoga practice-- twice a week if at all possible-- right up until delivery.  My teacher reminded me I need to be sending lots of love to my little one while s/he is growing and developing.  I guess being hard on myself and avoiding activities that are SO healthy for both of us isn't very loving behavior.  I promise to love you to the very best of my ability... my little lollipop : )

what i learned this weekend...

In my very limited experience... maternity jeans suck.  Let me explain why. You do have several options to chose from.  Here's a photo with a great explanation of the different styles available from Old Navy Maternity's website.  

I purchased the pair on the far left with my mom over Thanksgiving; my first maternity shopping experience.  I was only about 11 weeks at the time, and thrilled that these jeans fit SO well and only set me back $20. That was before the expansion began.  

Since I've always had such a little booty I honestly didn't think anything would change in that department (This is when women who have had children before laugh at my ignorance).  So now at 16 weeks and 3 days I've rounded out quite nicely-- and evenly. At least I won't tip over ;) These jeans still fit now... but they slide right off my rounded out figure!   SO uncomfortable.

Next stop: Craigslist, for some secret fit belly designer jeans originally purchased from A Pea In the Pod.  I'm pretty proud of this purchase.  I love me some designer jeans, but at $190 a pop for a pair of jeans I'll wear for a year out of my life... no thank you. The large panel looks gross I know, but actually that part of it is really comfortable.  It feels like you're wearing one of the camisoles that hold everything together, and you don't have to worry about the pants sliding down your rounded body. The part that doesn't feel good is where the jeans ended and the stretchy panel began.  It hit me right above my butt crack, and right on my hip bones so it felt like I was rolling gangster style, even though it didn't look that way.  Bummer!

So the verdict?  I'm sticking to my Old Navy leggings (I found them on sale for $10) with tunic tops or sweater dresses and boots whenever possible. At this point my maternity jeans are LESS comfortable than my pre-pregnancy jeans with the hair-tie-through-the-button-hole trick. My advice to you would be to save your cash for other maternity items you can't live without. Thankfully I'm out just $60, which I plan to get back via craigslist after I've gotten good use of everything :)