Mottos to Live By

For a long time after I found out I was pregnant, I was in denial about how things might progress...you know...body changing wise.

I'm not sure how I envisioned it, but I sort of assumed I would go from looking normal to looking pregnant.

So, yeah, no.

Right around 11 or 12 weeks, I noticed that pants were getting a little tight. But I didn't look pregnant. More like I ate a whole Chipotle burrito in one sitting.

So I paid my friendly Pea in the Pod a visit, just to check it out.

And the women there kind of looked at me like I was one of those women in an episode of ER who come in and swear that they are pregnant but it turns out they have one of those tumors with the hair and the teeth or they go crazy and steal a baby. Or both.

So I did what any sane savvy person would do. I googled.

(OMG. Let me tell you something about googling while pregnant. You can find a similar google search to ANYTHING by combining it with "pregnancy." Scary stuff)

On the Urban Baby website, among the mean girl snipes about white trash baby names or women who, gasp!, drink coffee while pregnant, were several references to a Bella Band by Ingrid & Isabel.

And let me tell you. This thing is gold.

It's just a stretchy tube of white or black fabric and you wear it over your normal pants while they are unbuttoned and even unzipped!

Which leads me to my newest motto:

Life is just so much better with your pants unbuttoned.

It did get me thinking...doesn't everyone need a Bella Band?!? For Thanksgiving? Or a birthday party at Fogo de Chao? Or that Chipotle burrito?

Well, probably not. I must say, I've been happy to be able to wear my suit pants and my favorite Topshop skinny jeans comfortably for a while longer and would highly recommend it to anyone preggers.

But walking around in public with your pants unbuttoned is a privilege of pregnancy, like getting a seat on the metro or getting to decide what the office eats for lunch.

Sorry.

So, if you are overly full one day, have a friend who has one, and want to try it out, I won't judge.

What to Buy When You Can't Really Buy Anything

So, I haven't been completely honest. I mean, did you really think I was able to refrain from buying anything for spring?

(insert maniacal laughter here)

But I really tried to be strategic about the whole thing. I knew there were going to be things getting, well, larger. But also things that would stay relatively the same. So, I opted for jackets and drapey things that would last me for a while through the early stages of the pregnancy, but also remain stylish for afterwards. And had buttons. That open.

Enter...the sweatshirt jacket.

Yup! It's a blazer! But it's made from the same material as those t-shirt sheets boys had in college! And they're everywhere! It's CUH-razy.

Take this one from BCBG:

Or this little gem from the Gap:

Or take a gander at this one from Anthropologie that eventually ended up in my closet:

There was also one at Zara that I had my eye on, but it sold out and there is no pic online.

What I liked about this jacket is that it's (a) warm, for early spring days and nights; (b) casual, for weekends, yet; (c) tailored and crisp enough for a Friday at the office, or even a low key day when I don't have any meetings. I've been especially enjoying pairing the light grey with dark pants or jeans and a colorful draped scarf over a white t-shirt.

Plus, the button is high enough that I can still get it closed...for now.

The News

Spring is absolutely one of my favorite times to dress during the year.

This is due to a myriad of reasons. A veritable plethora.

It gets warmer, so I can wear lightweight pants (hello Theory darlings!) and skirts without tights (hello deep breathing!).

The sun is shining and I can therefore SEE the colors I want to wear. Getting dressed in the dark of winter just makes me wear black and grey and navy all the time.

There is no longer snow or slush or other manner of muck to trash pretty shoes.

Purses no longer need to fit over bulky jackets and my options just increased tenfold.

You get to wear real outfits. A skirt paired with a shell and lightweight sweater, belted with a jacket. Yet, you are not freezing and/or you are not stripping off clothes throughout the day to prevent schvitzing.

Trenchcoats.

Typically, as spring approaches, I rush into stores picking out a new crisp navy skirt or white shirt and fantasize about shift dresses lining my closet as far as the eye can see.

But not this year.

This year, I have stared forlornly in the windows of Georgetown shops...wistfully thinking about body conscious pencil skirts and slim cut cigarette pants. For months, I waited and watched as others pared down their spring essentials while I did not buy a single thing...

About three months, to be precise.

Yup. I couldn't buy anything because I honestly had no idea how anything was going to fit.

Because I'm pregnant.

At least my trenchcoat still fits.