Maternity Garb

Just...LOOK AT THIS.

AWWWWwwwwwwWWWWWWWWWW!!!!

He's a fluffy lion.

He's a gift from our friend Karey, who recently had a beautiful baby girl named Ruby! Karey is awesome, not only generally, but also because she gave me a LARGE bag of maternity clothes way back when I felt like a misfit toy in any maternity or baby section of a retail establishment.

These clothes ranged from yoga pants and leggings, to jeans with belly bands, to some super useful tops! I started wearing the tops right away, which was my secret rebellion against perception when I didn't have a baby bump. They're just a bit longer than regular tops, with rouched sides that secretly harbor lots of stretchy cotton. They were well-fitting, so no one knew except for me, and the maternity tags burning the back of my neck when people told me they liked them.

Now, however, I can wear almost all of the stuff--the 2 identical pairs of jeans are now more than appropriate, as I'm getting a bit tired of negotiating the belly band. Plus, they're boot-cut, and are super easy to roll up into capris!

Maternity clothes are expensive for a short-term investment. I guarantee you know SOMEONE who has some. People will offer them, because it turns out that most people feel that exponentially expandable fashions with bare-threaded abdominal areas lose all of their value IMMEDIATELY after giving birth.

Do NOT tell anyone that you don't want them, even if you're closet is at max capacity (or you think they look ungodly, they won't in a few months). You will need them before you know it, and you may not have time (or money) to go shopping that inevitable day. I was excited to fit them, but also sad to see some old standards of mine go.

Here's one in particular that's near and dear to my heart, but doesn't pair well with a baby bump. I tried it on while my sister was here a week or so ago, and was so optimistic about it still being viable for wearing.

"Does this look weird?"
"Yes." [end of discussion, goes back to original activity]
"{whimpering and other pitiful noises}"

The layers, THE LAYERS!! Oh the humanity. It was once adorable, now it looks like I got my feathers ruffled. They will not lay. They just won't. {whimper} Back to my sundress cache.