stretchin'

Stretchin.' As in: stretchin' my tummy, my comfort, and this dress. This dress is not a maternity dress, but it is QUITE stretchy, so it was added to the rotation. I purchased it for our maternity photos (coming soon!) - I tried to only purchase a few things I knew we would get a lot of wear out of after our photos were complete. This dress for me, and two shirts for the Mr. (one is chambray! eek!)

When thinking about transitioning to postpartum clothes, I'm a wee bit overwhelmed/nervous - I have A LOT of clothes. And not being able to fit into that many has been kinda nice - it really limits my options, forces me to be creative and OK with repeating outfits, and has helped to keep a lid on my shopping adventures. Aaah, just another hurdle to deal with, right?

I'm told parenthood is full of those ;)

dress: Old Navy

everything else from my Maternity Capsule Wardrobe

May showers

About three weeks ago, three of my sweet sweet girlfriends hosted a baby shower for me and our new Bebe. It was a truly lovely afternoon - lots of delicious food, lots of fun books for Bebe to read (or, us to read to Bebe, let's be real), and lots of lovely gifts (thank you cards are being worked on, pinky promise).

My parents came to visit for the occasion, and while Mom and I attended the shower, the Mr., my Dad and some boyfriends/husbands of the girls attending my shower played lawn games and enjoyed beer at our house. My bestie with a new baby came and even brought her little one to my house before the shower so I could love on the wee one. Friends came from all over Colorado to celebrate and I only wish I could had more time to see everyone.

Mama (soon-to-be- Gramma) & I

friends from high school - thanks for making the trip!

ZTA friends - thanks for making the trip!

Above is the dress I wore for the shower - not included in my Maternity Capsule Wardrobe, as this was a birthday gift from my parents that arrived after I'd taken pictures and posted my capsule on this here blog.

It's from a Pea in the Pod Maternity, and while I do like it a lot (built-in print mixing, huzzah!), I had planned to wear an apricot midi skirt with a lace top for my shower, but this Colorado spring weather had other ideas (gray. cold. rain. mud.). So, a warm dress with tights and booties was the next best option. Luckily these fleece-lined tights matched the red/maroon in the dress perfectly - phew!

Thank you to my hostesses for a lovely party, and thank you to everyone who made the trip or sent lovely gifts - you guys are the best. We can't wait for you to meet our new addition!

texturize

All of these neutral items are part of my "Maternity Capsule Wardrobe" (more on that soon!). My regular olive skinnies (RIP) were donated to Goodwill after heavy use over the past two and a half years. So I was thrilled to find these maternity olive skinnies at the thrift store - I think I even did a little jig in the dressing room when they fit. I won't sing the praises of olive-colored skinnies, but if you need some idea of how versatile they really are, check out these posts from the past. That's just the tip of the iceberg, trust me.

This oatmeal-colored sweater from my Mama has provided a nice backdrop for some different color combinations, while also extending the wearability of my wardrobe. It's a keeper, until it doesn't meet my pants anymore, then it will get boxed up with the rest of my pre & post-bebe wardrobe. But, for now, it's a nice & neutral color that plays well with others and provides any look with an interesting texture (and we know how I luuuuurve texture).

oatmeal sweater: Coldwater Creek from my Mama

scarf: gift from a friend

olive skinnies: thrifted

nude flats: Jessica Simpson via Nordstrom Rack

fickle spring

I could only salvage a few decent pictures of this outfit due to the wind. A "perk" (curse?) of living in Colorado, I guess. The latest perk is that after a few weeks of sunshine and warmer weather, it snowed this past week (I knew we weren't done with snow yet) and I even had a snow day!

Springtime in the Rockies is a tricky thing, and the earlier you embrace it, the better. Just because you were able to patio drink (not me) in March doesn't mean that spring is here - it means that it will still snow in March, April, and most likely May. Just take it as it is, roll with it, and don't get too bummed about having to continue to wear your sweaters and coats and boots. But also appreciate being able to wear a lightweight sweater and no socks when it's not freezing, like yours truly ;)

white sweater: Coldwater Creek from my Mama

jeans: PinkBlush Maternity

scarf: Target

cobalt flats: Calvin Klein via TJ Maxx

repeating the good stuff

I picked up this dress at Target a few weeks ago. One thing that I have found challenging when shopping for maternity clothes is that a lot of them are very cute, nice looking items, but when I go to try them on, they’re incredibly THIN. Meaning I’ll have to wear at least a tanktop underneath, if not something more substantial. And some items show every nook & cranny of my changing body, or every wrinkle & crinkle of my undergarments (not ok).

Since this little bebe is due to arrive in June, I know I won’t be interested in wearing more layers than absolutely necessary, so I’ve only been purchasing items that are of a thicker material. This dress fits the bill - no need for a slip, tank top, of shapewear underneath it. I like it so much, I’m tempted to order it in every color that’s available (who knows how many that could be?!), but I also keep reminding myself that pregnancy is not forever (although it can feel like it at times), and that to keep this dress interesting, I just need to switch up how I style it.

And, worst case scenario (not really,though), I could just wear it the same way more than once – the truth is, no one else notices if we repeat our clothes, it’s just us - it's all in our minds. Other people are too busy with their own closets, lives, work, families, etc. to concern themselves with the fact that I might have worn this dress twice (thrice?) in the same week...

black dress: Target - Liz Lange Maternity

pink scarf: gift

pink flats: Coldwater Creek