My pregnancy: 31 weeks

I’m sorry for the late update this week.  When you’re a mom, you never know what the day is going to bring and sometimes the best laid plans don’t work out.  I’ll get right to it since I know you are all just hanging on the edge of your seat to see how I’m doing, right? (I hope my light-hearted, sarcastic tone comes through here.  I’d hate to be taken for an egotistical you-know-what.)

How I’m Feeling

With only 9 weeks to go, I’m anxious.  While I’m excited for the arrival of Baby Bean, I’m also nervous about everything that needs to be done.  Having a  baby so close to Christmas is crazy!  There’s a mile-long list of things to be done before then that I am slowly working on.  One thing at a time.

I’d say the nesting stage has begun!  I love that late pregnancy brings with it the urge to clean and organize.  Every bit of clutter is driving me crazy, so each day I tackle a new project.  One such project was the coat closet.

Look at that craziness.  I’m embarrassed to even post this picture.  The closet became a dumping ground for things that we didn’t want seen, but were too lazy to put in their rightful place.  Let’s see…we have leftover supplies from Meghan’s birthday party, including the scraps on the floor from the craft we did that I quickly cleared when we needed the table for cake.  There is a bin of art supplies that were not put away nicely, random blankets, Meghan’s booster chair she no longer uses.  Ugh.

Ahhhhh….that’s better.

What’s Going on with my Body

According to Your Pregnancy Week By Week, Baby Bean is around 3 1/2 pounds this week.  Which means he looks something like this inside me:

Source

Does that diagram blow anyone else’s mind?  I guess that would explain why this is what I see when I look down:

Hello, big belly.  The continued growth of the stomach seems to be the main change going on these days.

Maternity Clothes

Multiple people asked about my maternity clothes a few weeks ago.  I’ll admit I feel a little silly posting about maternity fashion, but ask and you shall receive.  I’m a far cry from an expert, but these are the clothes that have worked for me in this pregnancy (focusing more on the late stages rather than what I wore earlier in the summer).

Here’s a look at all the clothes that I’ve purchased this pregnancy (except one pair of shorts that aren’t pictured).  The bottom row are all from Motherhood Maternity.  There are two pairs of leggings (brown and black), one tank top, one t-shirt, two short-sleeved sweaters, and three long or mid-sleeved knit tops.

The top row includes one top from Pea in the Pod that I found on clearance, two t-shirts, one long-sleeved t-shirt, and a pair of jeans from Target.

In my purchases I tried to focus on items that could take me through the transition of seasons.  The t-shirts and tank tops, for example, I wore alone in the summer and now I wear them with a layer on top.  The short-sleeved sweaters I wear on the warm fall days we’ve been having, and can layer them with long-sleeved T’s underneath as the weather gets colder.

I wear the jeans almost everyday.  I only got one pair because I couldn’t bear to buy multiple pairs when I’d only be wearing them for a few months.  Looking back, I’d probably only buy one pair of leggings (the black), but I wanted to be able to wear them with either my black or brown boots.

I’ve been able to supplement these items I purchased with some clothes I had from Meghan’s pregnancy and some hand-me-downs.

The top row includes things I’ve gotten as hand-me-downs from a couple of friends and my sister-in-law.  There are 6 t-shirts, a pair of khakis, a pair of capri jeans, a jean skirt, and a black skirt (that I wore so much in the summer!).

The bottom row shows things I’ve been able to use from Meghan’s pregnancy.  There are a few more things that I wore in the summer, but didn’t include them in this picture.  A lot of the clothes from Meghan’s pregnancy didn’t work out that well for me as they were all very summery clothes and didn’t fit me yet in the summer.  I was working when I was pregnant with Meghan, so it’s been nice to have a few dressier capris that I am able to wear to church.

These clothes come from various places such as Motherhood Maternity, GAP, Old Navy, Target, and Mimi Maternity.

Last, I have been as creative as possible with using some of my non-maternity clothes.

There are a number of flowy tops, layering pieces, and dresses and skirts that I’ve been able to wear.  The layering pieces have been really key.  Not only do they help me bring summer pieces into fall, they also can change up the look of an outfit, which helps me get more wear out of maternity pieces.  The dresses I was able to wear during the end of summer, and now I wear them over leggings and with something on top (either a cardigan or long-sleeved T underneath).

I am hoping that I am done shopping for maternity clothes and I can work with what I have for the rest of the pregnancy.  I love clothes, but hate buying maternity clothes!  It’s painful knowing I’ll only be able to wear it a few months.

I bought the majority of my clothes from Motherhood Maternity because they had the best selection in my area.  I was also able to earn some “Bump Bucks” with my first trip there, so I was able to return and get $20 off of each $50 purchase.  This meant I got $50 of clothes for only $30, which was helpful.

I am off to cheer on the Wolverines in the Michigan vs. Michigan State football game.  I hope you all enjoy your weekend!