Maternity Fashion 101

I am in my 22nd week of this pregnancy, and my thoughts lately have been on maternity fashion.

My hubby has finally unearthed my box of maternity clothes from storage, and I was excited to find some old favorites…classic pieces of clothing I am happy to soon wear again. I was also horrified at some of the items I found in the box, with thoughts of “what was I thinking” floating in my head. Needless to say, I’ve tossed a few old maternity clothes into my ever-growing donate pile of other clothing items, wondering why I’ve decided to keep them in the first place.

A lot of my maternity clothes from storage were summer clothes, since I was pregnant with Miggz in the spring and summer, and only for a little bit in the winter. I was happy to find two of my maternity jeans in there though…those would definitely come in handy.

Now that I am pregnant in the winter and will be through spring, I’ve set aside my summer pregnancy clothes for later on (and even post-pregnancy), and I am now loving all the inspiration I’m finding on Pinterest for winter-appropriate maternity clothing.

This would make for a cute, casual pregnancy outfit. Source: here.

I need to get me some similar riding boots NOW! Source: here.

This could totally work…minus the belt and heels. Source: here.

The great thing about being pregnant in the winter in Arizona is I don’t really need to bundle up. I just need to be warm and comfortable, and to me, that translates into a whole lot of cute!

I love this mom’s ideas for dressing the bump in the 2nd trimester…

Check out this mom’s post on her site for some inspiration on dressing your bump! Source: here.

And I didn’t know Forever21 did maternity clothing, but I hope they still do. Here are some 5 under $50 ideas from the Love21 line…

Maternity clothing from Forever21! Source: here.

AND for some more tips and inspiration…

Check out these outfits from this Maternity Fashion Guide. Source: here.

I found skinny maternity pants similar to the above from H&M…they are SO comfortable! And reasonably-priced too!! One was on sale for $10 (I know…a steal!!), and the other was $35…still cheaper than most maternity pants I’ve seen, plus you can’t go wrong with H&M!

I have also found some cute new clothes from the Gap, some maternity and non-maternity, and…all on sale! Their stuff is really comfortable too, and I recommend scouring their sale racks–or online sale links–for some appropriate maternity clothing (buy a size or two up if non-maternity, or get your regular size in maternity wear).

If you read the tips from the links I’ve posted, you’ll find that you’ll get the most bang for your buck by:

1. only investing in a few key pieces (comfy maternity pants are a must for me in the winter);
2. buying some non-maternity clothing in a larger size–because you’ll soon find that just because something is labeled maternity, some stores charge a fortune for them like crazy, like Motherhood Maternity!! (I’ve found some comfy leggings at Papaya for $5!! Another MUST for winter pregnancy and beyond!!); and
3. working with clothes you already own and wear. You’ll be surprised at the new levels of cute you’ll achieve by wearing your regular clothes on your bump. I’ve found this to be true for my tanks and cardigans.

Lastly…wear your bump proud! Pregnancy curves are beautiful and should not be hidden under balloon-looking clothes (unless absolutely necessary, like in the heat of summer)! Post-pregnancy clothing and fashion is another story…those I’ve got to find a LOT of inspiration for, but I’ll worry about that later 😉

My Poor Neglegted Blog!

I know I have not been blogging, and it has been AGES!! This is certainly not what I intended for New Mamma Diaries. So many changes these past few months, including us expecting a new addition to the family come May 2013!! We’re definitely excited!

With that in mind, I do hope to be blogging again–and even back-blog on my experiences with this pregnancy…after all, that is what I created this blog for to begin with. Even now, I love looking back on my earlier posts and see some stories of Miguel in his baby years. We are in a totally new realm of adventure with him now being in preschool (expect some back-blog stories on those as well).

For now, here is a quick-shot of me in my 19th week. Nothing fancy, just a spontaneous mirror shot from my iPhone taken last week…

Excuse the background mess…this is me in my 19th week!

Miguel in Black & White

Here are some photos of Miguel in black & white that my husband Terrence took right before our friends’ wedding in D.C.

He’s not a trained photographer, but he definitely has a photographer’s eye.

The “Terrence G Photography” logo is something he came up with while I was pregnant with Miguel, when he was busy photographing my pregnancy portraits. It looks pretty legit, and I am so happy to be bringing it back to life with these photos.

Enjoy…

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The Effects of Lost Brain Cells

I’ve once again confirmed that pregnancy fries your brain cells, and New Mamma-hood makes it worse. In short, there will be moments (lots) in your New Mamma journey when you’d feel totally forgetful, absent-minded, and at times, just downright “not there.” Case in point, today I lost two things: one little trinket of Miguel’s (a squishy penguin that came with a new toy set he got for his 1st birthday). Boo. And one not-so-little trinket of mine (a white gold eternity pendant necklace I’ve worn since my husband gave it to me for Christmas almost three years ago. BIGGER boo. I was so bummed for losing it. I couldn’t cry because the circumstance of how I lost it was just so trivial. Completely my fault. A result of my total lack of available brain power reserves. I’ve heard there are things you can do to improve your memory again, to enhance your brain, so to speak.

Suggestions, anyone?

New Mommyhood

I’ve been a Mamma exactly 21 weeks to date. That’s only a little over five months ago, but somehow the days of being gloriously pregnant, attending baby showers left and right in my honor, and even finally reaching the big D-day, now all seem like a distant memory. All that blur has now been replaced (quite literally!) by blood, sweat, (lots of) tears, and even (lots, lots more) laughter . Looking back at the past couple of months, I wonder now how come I’ve never heard a Mamma say to me that motherhood is so much work (because most days I really feel like it is!!!) I guess the days ahead will answer that question for me.

I didn't expect pregnancy to be SUCH a beautiful time...once the morning sickness was all over.

The CALM before the storm...

Our FIRST family photo.

The boy who would forever change our lives...

My boys...father and son.

He adored him from Day One.

There's nothing that I wouldn't do...to make you feel my love.