My First Maternity Adventure

This morning was a really great morning.  I woke up and laid in bed for a while until a little wet nose decided it was time for me to get out of bed.  (That would be our dog, Atlas, if you haven't heard about him yet.)  It's hard to believe in a couple of years it'll be little fingers and giggles getting us up on a Sunday morning!  Robin made muffins and I used up my caffeine first thing in the morning with a cup of coffee.  It tasted SO good!

I decided to take advantage of feeling better, made a small "things we need list", and headed to Target while Robin was at the driving range with friends.  Before I describe my first maternity adventure, let me note that I should never be left alone in a Target.  I worked at Target for 2 years when I was in college and I think I wasted at least 2/3rds of every paycheck there as soon as my shift was done.  I never leave the store without spending at least twice what I originally intended.



A couple ways to wear the Bella Band.

 Back to my trip.  I grabbed the usual household items we needed and headed to the maternity section, "just to check it out."  The first thing I saw was the Bella Band.  Though I haven't gained much if any weight (I'll find out for sure on Friday, September 24th), some of my pants are a little snug.  I'm at that stage where all I feel is fat, not pregnant.  My main problem is my jeans fit fine but as soon as I eat even the smallest meal, my belly gets big and my pants get way too tight.  That's where the Bella Band comes in.  I don't have to button my pants, this baby just keeps them up for me.  I'm wearing it as I type this and so far it's working great.  The only strange thing for me is that it sits above my belly button unless I fold it over and right now that's not a sensation I'm used to feeling.  All in all, great investment.  I paid $16.99.

Next I stopped by the clothes racks.  First I found the longer maternity tanks.  After talking to Marsha the other night, I decided I'd probably need a couple of these.  She was kind enough to give me a lot of her maternity clothes that she no longer needed and there was a black tank in one of the bags.  Of course, I had to have another color.  I grabbed a white one and I'm wearing it right now too.  I love how long it is and there's room for more belly growth.  I paid $10 and though I'm sure I could find a cheaper one somewhere else, I was AT Target.  Why wait!?

Similar dress, mine's black.

Then came the danger zone, the clearance rack.  I'm not lying when I say I saw at least 6 things I would have bought on the spot but then I realized it's still way too early to be buying too many clothes.  I did find a basic, black dress that I think I can wear year round and in a lot of different ways.  The one pictured here is pretty similar in a different color.  I'm thinking I can wear a cardigan over it in the warmer fall months and in winter I could wear a sweater and leggings with it.  The best part is it can go dressy or casual.  (Do you see how I can justify ANY purchase??)  My favorite part is the price.  I paid $9.98 for the dress!

Finally, I got myself out of the clothing section and headed to my last stop on the maternity adventure, the lotions.  I was "lucky" enough to inherit the familial wide hips so I have had some stretchies there for years.  They don't really bother me, it's rare I notice them at all, but I really don't want anymore if I can avoid it.  I picked a lotion with vitamin E and a few other skin savers and called it good.  The 8 oz. bottle was $4.50 and thankfully, it doesn't smell like I just bathed in cocoa.  Let's hope the old stretchies will not invite new friends over the next couple of months!

There you have it!  This trip probably sounds fairly inexpensive...except that I then had to buy some food and snacks.  We almost never buy groceries at Target and now I remember why.  They just aren't that economical.  Even though I overspent, I think my first maternity outting was a success!  I didn't spend as much on those items as I thought I would and I got some great basics.



12 Weeks, 9/19/10



Finally, I leave you with my 12 week belly pic and Robin's first purchase for the baby.  I feel this has been the longest 12 weeks of my life and I'm really hoping the 2nd trimester will be much easier and more fun.  I have this month's check up on Friday and I think the October check up is when we'll find out if we're having a boy or a girl.  Obviously we're taking these pictures on weekends because I look slightly tired (ha, ha).  I promise I'll take some better ones when I get my energy back!



B-E-A-R-C-A-T-S!



The booties will go nicely with the Bearcat onesie we plan to buy for the baby to come home from the hospital.  This kid has no chance; he or she will be a Bearcat even if he/she decides to go to another school!  Have a great week!