Maternity Clothes Shopping

I finally went shopping yesterday for some new clothes!  I have to say, I was excited to go, but soon realized the process was overwhelming, and not nearly as much fun as I thought it would be.  I wore the baby bump for some of the clothes to get an idea of what they'll look like - and this is when Ian and I both said WHOA! 

To see myself with that big of bump was startling.  Obviously we know I'll be getting a big belly - but it's hard to imagine what you'll look like.  It was then that I realized my hopes for being a cute pregnant lady (for some reason I've always thought just about every pregnant woman looks adorable - even when they get to the point where they waddle) probably won't be realized - I just look frumpy and huge.  Oh well - maybe all pregnant women feel this way about their own bodies?

I think I had a pretty successful trip.  One of our friends who had a baby about a year ago filled me in on Motherhood Maternity outlet store in Arundel Mills.  It's a bit of a drive (25 minutes or so - not too bad), but considering lots of people say they like their clothes, and that it's an outlet store (read - I'll spend less money) I wanted to check it out.  It was overwhelming - there is so much selection that is kind of all mixed in together without much organization.  So you really have to be willing to sort through things to find the deals and find the clothes that you like and that are in your size.  When I was trying on pants, I realized how comfortable they are and that my current pants are really cutting into my belly.  I think it was perfect timing to buy some new ones!  I focused on getting things that can be layered.  I walked out with the following (and I found pictures for all but one of the pieces of clothing):

• pair of bootcut jeans (with super stretchy elastic waist that goes above the belly - SO comfortable). 

• black dress pants (same waist) 

• black blouse with white polkadots that will be super cute for a dressier outfit once I'm much bigger - it's so lightweight I thought it'd be perfect for when I'm hot in May or June. 

• teal tank top (but dressier than a plain tank) that can be layered underneath a long sleeve shirt for colder days, or worn alone in the summer
• black 3/4 length 3 button light sleeve sweater - perfect for chilly days in the spring or even now- and also it's something I can wear when I'm not pregnant

• organic cocoa butter tummy cream to prevent stretch marks (not sure it's even possible to do so, but I figured, I might as well try!)

I got all of that for about $150 - which I guess isn't fantastic, but isn't horrible either.  I didn't mind spending a little more on the pants because I'll probably buy very few pairs and just change shirts more often to change up my outfits.  I foresee myself getting some very cheap tanks/short sleeved shirts on sale from various places and just layering those.

I also got measured for a new bra - but don't need a new one right now because my size hasn't changed.  I was absolutely shocked to discover this - but it turns out that pre-pregnancy I was probably a small 36D, and now I'm just a full D. Pretty excited that I can wait a little longer to buy bras. 

I also discovered that the H&M at the mall has a very small maternity section that had some cute stuff - but I'm waiting for more spring stuff to come out before I buy more.  I also went to Old Navy and found their small in-store maternity section.

I was too pooped after all of that to look more around the mall.  Note to self, don't wear ballet flats with NO support in them to walk around Arundel Mills Mall. 

Overall, very successful day that will allow my tummy some breathing room.