Goodbye "Skinny" Clothes - The Tweener Stage

The past few weeks I have been doing a complete closet overhaul. More for my sanity than anything else. Trying on four pairs of pants before finding something that is work appropriate and still remotely attractive can really start a day off on the wrong foot.

The bottom of my closet now has two storage boxes labeled "skinny clothes summer" and "skinny clothes winter." Anything that makes me uncomfortable, is too short, or too tight (even with a belly band) goes straight into the bins to be brought out next spring (fingers crossed:))

After a very frumpy-feeling day of wearing maternity chinos, a maternity tee and a cardigan, I decided to spend some time figuring out how to dress while pregnant. The pregnancy books aren't much help in this area. Even the What to Expect When You're Expecting app says to "raid your husband's closet." ...but what about when I want to go to work... or out in public? Maternity clothes are expensive, so I've started trying to incorporate my regular clothes with my maternity clothes and figure out multiple ways to wear things. At least for now, here are a few things I've learned.

1. Belts above the bump are amazing. They make you look like you're growing a baby and not a gut. My sister-in-law gave me a patent leather tortoise print skinny belt for Christmas. I have a pair of patent leather tortoise flats and pairing the two together has helped me make a lot of outfits. I also stopped by the J. Crew outlet on a recent road trip and picked up patent navy and patent blush pink skinny belts at an extra 40% off.

2. All maxi dresses are not created equal. I've tried to create a lot of outfits with a few maternity maxi dresses I've bought. I've ordered a lot from Gap and Old Navy and subsequently sent a lot back. There seem to be two types of maxi dresses. The first are fitted at the bust, then flow out at the waist. The second are more fitted all the way down and have room for your bump. Right now I really like the latter. I've tried them with belts over the bump, as well as with a thin sweater over the dress. This one from Old Navy is one of my favorites - any not too $$.

3. Experiment with regular clothes. When my pants quit fitting, I moved on to maternity pants. The problem is that maternity pants (and especially maternity tops) are still too big. It's really hard to find options that fit right. I have a wonderful pair of go-to black pants (the Pixie from J. Crew) that I still have a some room in (they stretch a lot!) I've been pairing them with looser, longer button downs and belting them. Adding a blazer to the skinny pants also helps.

Blush, lipstick and a fresh haircut also help!

A quick list of my favorite places for maternity clothes (because who wants to spend a fortune on clothes that are so short-lived?) Gap (wait for a 40% off sale), Old Navy, Loft (wait for a 40% off sale), ASOS. I have also ordered a few things on sale from A Pea in the Pod and hear H&M has great maternity (even though everything I've seen in our store seems to be sweats...)

Now for a few iPhone stomach shots... none of the photos are great, but you get the idea. :)

Purple dress - Gap maternity, belt - Ann Taylor

Gray dress - H&M (old), cardigan - Loft

Plaid shirt - J.Crew, cardigan - Loft, belt - Anthro, pants - J.Crew

White shirt - Loft, belt - Anthro

Cardigan - Loft, shirt - Gap

We're Going to be Parents:)

This year marked our seventh trip down to Louisville for the Kentucky Derby. Here's our official Derby day shot for those who don't already know the news!:) Cheers with mocktails all around!

Yesterday marked the start of our 17th week and the baby is the size of a turnip. (I didn't know exactly what a turnip looks like either, so here's a photo.*)

We're really excited for this new chapter in our lives! I actually found out while I was away on a work trip (not the best timing!) But I kept it a secret until I got back home and surprised John with an 'early Valentine's Day' present.

We told our parents around week seven. My parents are in Kentucky, so we called them with the news. John's parents live about an hour away and we were able to schedule a Sunday evening dinner with them. They received 'belated Valentine's Day' presents - wrapped up onesies. There was A LOT of screaming. Good thing baby's hearing hadn't developed at that point. Everyone is very excited -- especially since this will be the first grandchild on each side:)

Baby Gap has the cutest onesies! I bought these in Las Vegas and the cashier asked how old my son was. I turned bright red and mumbled something confusing about gifts.

No wonder I thought about this nonstop all day was craving this on my trip! I should have known.

We've started cleaning out our second bedroom for a nursery (and even bought a crib already -- thank you Pottery Barn sale!) I'll try not to make all my posts about this, but I'm also not making any promises:)

*P.S. I made a trip to Whole Foods in between writing and posting. Let me say that there is quite a large spectrum of turnip sizes! This baby could be huge.