May Purchases

Old Navy Maxi Dress -  $19.60
Old Navy Maxi Dress - $19.60
Pennington's Wedges - $15
Pennington's Boots - $30
Old Navy Maternity Dress - $17.49
Old Navy Maternity Dress - $17.49
Old Navy Maternity Tank- $10.49
J Crew Factory Sunglasses - $17.80
Motherhood Maternity Pants (seen here) - $29.99

Total: $177.46

I also took back a dress I bought in April as I outgrew it before I wore it. That return of $65 brought this month's total down to $113.41.

Take in the Moment

Sweater: J Crew
Dress: Old Navy Maternity
Shoes: Naturalizer

I'm lucky that my school is fairly close to a few solid lunch restaurant options. My prep period also is right before lunch so sometimes when I finish my to-do list early, I duck out for a quick bite to eat before my students descend on the restaurants.

Today was a beautiful day so I decided that instead of taking my lunch back to my desk, that I'd eat it in the little sandwich shop I go to most often. After lunch, I hit the convenience store across the street to grab a popsicle and then went for a stroll. There are a lot of beautiful older homes in the area so I walked slowly and checked them out (and the gardens and the neighborhood cats too!). Finally I arrived at a park and sat to eat my popsicle. The lilacs are out in these parts so I could smell their perfume and hear the laughter of the children at a nearby middle school. It was such a relaxing moment and it rejuvenated me for the rest of the day.

 I need to do that more often. Too many days I work straight through lunch, take a breather at the end of the teaching day at 4 pm and wonder why I am so darned tired.

Coincidentally, while on my travels, I spied RDog driving to get his lunch and started waving like a madwoman from way down the street. He returned my wave and later said he couldn't miss me, my outfit was so bright.

Dandelion Dust

Dress: Old Navy
Earrings: J Crew Factory
Bracelet: Banana Republic
Shoes: Naturalizer

That white stuff in the air is not snow, it's dandelion dust.

Message for RDog

Sweater: Sears
Necklace: Forever 21
Dress: Old Navy
Shoes: Naturalizer

Tomorrow we'll be back to pretty pictures again because my photographer is back home.

One of the positives about RDog's work trips is that he always comes home with a present.

He knows I love Kate Spade.

It looks black but in fact is a deep purple. I love it RDog! And oh yah, and I really missed you. :p

26 Weeks

How far along: 26 weeks

Development:  Our little monkey is the size of an eggplant

Movement: He was quiet this week. I thought it was because he missed the sound of his Daddy's voice (RDog was away all week for work).  He started dancing again today now that RDog is home.

Weight Gain: I'm going to stop answering this question. The weight gain has been stressing me out so I'm trying not to focus on it. I did do a better job of eating well this week. I didn't rely so much on salads to get me through the day like I was a few weeks ago (resulting in some dizzy spells) but I didn't go crazy with the crab cravings (my latest cravings have been for bagels with peanut butter - I indulged with 2 this week, not one everyday! I've also been doing a pregnancy workout dvd everyday.

Maternity Clothes:  Most things. I'm kind of fed up with my cheap maternity clothes from Old Navy so I splurged and ordered six new dresses  from Motherhood Maternity. I really should be done with maternity shopping. The only thing I might need is a pair of shorts.

Stretch Marks:  None yet. 

Best moment of my week:  When RDog came home last night! He brought presents for me and the baby!

Worst moment:  No single moment stands out as being bad. There just has been an overall theme of me being really cranky at work and kids really annoying me. I'm ready for summer vacation.

Sleep:  Good. Even with RDog gone all week, I still managed to get lots of zzz's

Miss Anything:  I'd love a cosmo

Food Cravings: Tim Hortons chocolate chip muffins and sesame seed bagels with crunchy peanut butter

Aversions:  None

Gender:  Baby Boy

Symptoms: Not too many this week. It was a good week. The only weird thing going on are my fibroids. They are really popping out. I can look down sometimes and see the bumps. It's really gross.

Belly Button: Slowly moving out

Rings:  On

Moody or Happy:  Pretty happy most of the time. Except when students annoy me.

Looking Forward: The end of work. I have exactly one month left!

Showers

Sweater: J Crew
Scarf: Old Navy
Dress: Old Navy
Shoes: Naturalizer

The problem with taking pictures on your own is that sometimes it's hard to get your feet in the shot. I had that problem today. Only a couple of pictures with feet turned out.

I wore this to my work baby shower. A very sweet group of ladies I work with got together and gifted us with our baby monitor. We had a relaxing evening chatting and snacking!

Impulse Buy

Blazer" Reitman's

Pants: Motherhood Maternity

Tank: Old Navy Maternity

Necklace: J Crew Factory

Shoes: Winners

I told myself I didn't need any more maternity pants as hopefully warm weather is on the way soon and I can switch solely to wearing dresses. 

These pants were an impulse purchase last week that was the result of a) it being a cold day b) I had free time before a movie date so I was shopping to kill time c) all my pants were dirty.

They may not be needed but these purple pants sure are awesome (and comfortable too).

Hurry Back

Sweater: Old Navy
Dress: Old Navy Maternity
Shoes: Zellers

The photographer had the day off so I had to resort to my old school ways of photo taking (tripod and a remote). I've forgotten how hard it is to take photos by myself. Hurry back photographer!

Room to Grow

Blazer: Old Navy
T-shirt: H&M Maternity
Pants: H&M Maternity
Necklace: Banana Republic
Shoes: Chaps

I think my weight gain has finally caught up to my thighs. It's apparent now looking at these pictures, that these pants have grown too tight.

Isn't it funny how some things seem to look ok in the mirror but not so good in a photo.

Oh well, hopefully it will warm up here so I can switch solely to wearing maxi dresses in which my thighs have lots of room to breathe and probably expand some more.

Happy

Sweater: J Crew Factory
Dress: Old Navy
Shoes: Naturalizer
Necklace: RDog

Hanging On

Sweater: J Crew
Dress: Old Navy Maternity
Necklace: Lia Sophia
Shoes: Zellers

This dress is probably my favorite maternity purchase so far. I love it so much, I have it in three colors. It's so comfortable! My tummy is ultra sensitive these days (pants are so not working) so this flowy dress is doing the trick nicely. I also love that I can wear it with my cardigans and still retain a bit of my pre-pregnancy KDot style. The only drawback; the fabric is typical Old Navy, very thin, so a slip is a must for work days.

Pink Lady

Sweater: J Crew
Dress: Old Navy
Bracelets: J Crew
Sandals: Naturalizer
Level of comfort: High

24 Weeks

How far along: 24 weeks

Development:  MiniDog is the size of a grapefruit

Movement: All the time. His movements are becoming more and more pronounced. RDog predicts a tennis player based on the aggressive bumps that are going on in my uterus. 

Weight Gain: 26 pounds -Still having a hard time with this number. All the comments about my weight don't help. Twice this week, I heard the comment "you must be due any day now." Why people think they should comment on a pregnant woman's size is beyond me. But I did have a very nice doctor at my check up this week (the doctors rotate so it's a different one most times) who told me I was tiny! It probably helped that the rest of the women in the waiting room were morbidly obese, making me look tiny in comparison. Seriously, they all were; it was so odd. I think it must have been a high risk day of appointments.

Maternity Clothes:  Most things except sweaters.

Stretch Marks:  None yet. I am usually heavily greased up so I think this is helping. With all my eczema problems, I have a lot of moisturisers on the go.

Best moment of my week:  Baby stuff shopping with my mom.

Worst moment:  Hearing the phrase "Down's Syndrome" at my doctor appointment. Our little guy has a small spot on his heart which could be a soft marker of Down's Syndrome but the doctor assured us it is a very rare chance. All my Googling agrees with her point but it was still scary to hear those words spoken aloud. It was also a little nerve wracking to find out that my all my fibroids may cause him to arrive early.

Sleep:  Good - still loving my Snoogle

Miss Anything:  Ice cream. I've figured out that my eczema problems are being caused by dairy. My naturpath doctor did some food sensitivity tests a few months ago and found that I have a lot of food sensitivity issues, the biggest being dairy but also some weird ones like coconut and watermelon. He recommended cutting back on those foods which I did. I thought it would be ok for an occasional dairy treat now and then but I guess not. Last weekend, I had some ice cream and a bowl of seafood chowder and boy did I pay for it; stomach pains and a return of my rash that lasted for a week. So now dairy is completely on the banned list (I'm taking calcium supplements so my little guy gets what he needs). I'm hopeful that things will return to normal, reaction wise, once this pregnancy is over.

Food Cravings: Oreos and ice tea

Aversions:  No longer grossed out by salads! Yah. The sight of RDog's steak tonight almost made me throw up but I've never been a fan of red meat.

Gender:  Baby Boy

Symptoms: I've had my first experience with Braxton Hicks and have been feeling a bit dizzy lately. My doctor suggested Gatorade to help with the dizziness. I think I went a little overboard with the return of salads to my diet (I was eating them everyday for lunch and supper). So I'm trying to add more snacks to my life without worrying too much about the numbers on the scale.

Belly Button: Slowly moving out

Rings:  On

Moody or Happy:  Pretty happy most of the time. Except for random tears about the silliest things, like being thirsty waiting in the doctor's office when the water cooler was broken.

Looking Forward: Relaxing in the summer before the baby arrives.

Seriously!

Dress: H&M
Sweater: J Crew
Shoes: Naturalizer

I first saw this dress on Shasta Anne and loved it. When I found out it was from H&M and only $20, I knew I had to have it.

 There was a maternity version of this dress but it was rather shapeless. I much prefer the maxi version and it's ruffles.

It took a little bit of a quest for me to track it down. My local H&M did not have my size so I kept on haunting the store in case new arrivals restocked the sizes. Finally I found the dress on a visit to a nearby town (I went to see my brother, not just to find a dress).

I was saving this dress to wear to my baby shower but decided to get over that and just wear it. It's a good thing I wore it this week as soon I predict it will no longer fit. It's not my belly that's the problem, it's my chest. Seriously, when are this suckers going to stop growing!

Happy Days

Dress: Old Navy Maternity
Sweater: J Crew
Shoes: Pennington's
Bracelet: Joe Fresh
Earrings: Lia Sophia

This Old Navy dress is the most comfortable maternity piece I own. I love it so much, I'm heading into Old Navy this week to buy the rest of the colors. It's a bit thin so slip is needed but that's the only drawback.

New shoes have been added to my collection. This past weekend, I went clothes shopping with my mom at Pennington's, a Canadian plus size store. I was excited to realize that they have shoes in wide widths. I have super monster wide feet and have a hard time finding shoes. I never thought of looking at a plus size store but from now on I will be sure to check out Pennington's shoes department regularly. Another plus was that all the shoes were on sale. I got these for $15 and a pair of boots for $30. Happy days!

My $30 Outfit

Sweater: Land's End Canvas
Dress: Thrifted
Shoes: Zellers

Going from my memory (which admittedly has been spotty lately), I'd say that this was a pretty thrifty outfit.

The cardigan came from Land's End and was probably around $15 as I don't spend more than that on that site  (it's my way to avoid paying duty). The dress was $5 from a second hand store and the shoes were purchased for $8 recently when the department store, Zellers, closed.

That makes this my $30 outfit. Not too bad! Another plus; it fits at 23 weeks pregnant.

Rising Hemline Problem

Dress: Walmart
Sweater: J Crew
Necklace: J Crew wannabe via EBay
Shoes: Chaps

I know, a day after I talked about how much more comfortable I am in maternity clothing and here I am wearing a non-maternity dress.

 I made the mistake of not trying on this dress before buying. It's the same style as one that I love but unfortunately this dress has some weird stripes going on that draw attention to the pregnant rising hemline problem (where your hemline is higher in the front than in the back).

 Blurg.

Feeling Fine

Dress: Old Navy Maternity
Sweater: J Crew
Necklace: Lia Sophia
Shoes: Naturalizer

Try as I may to stretch my wardrobe by wearing non-maternity clothes, maternity clothes are really feeling better at this point. I felt so elegant in this simple Old Navy Maternity dress today. It was long enough that I felt covered and there was no telltale rising up in the front. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I don't understand how some women can get through their pregnancy without buying maternity clothes!