Laundry

At this point, I'm too big to wear any of my non-maternity stuff (obviously), it's too hot to wear any of the long sleeved things from this winter, and I am very limited in my clothing options. Like I said yesterday, I'm doing laundry all the time, and wishing I had more to choose from. Because I'm baking a baby, I'm usually too hot, but since I'm also teaching little kids, I can't be flashing the world my goods. Maternity clothes, though much improved in the last few years, are designed by people who must generally assume that you want to show the world your boobs now, before they sag down to your knees. (I may be grateful later, but at the moment, I tend to feel a little uncovered.)

I've always loved clothes. Since I was a little girl, my favorite play toys were a barrel of my Mom's old clothes and my imagination. My sister and I would put on plays, settle the prairie, throw lavish weddings (with the aid of my Mom's beautiful flower gardens), teach school (a favorite of mine), run restaurants, and pilot our own cruise ships. I have always planned carefully what to wear the night before each day, shopped for the perfect outfit at a bargain price, and I remember what I was wearing at nearly every important event in my life. (I still remember exactly what I was wearing and eating when I met my husband for the first time. I was worried about onion breath, but I loved my shirt. He didn't.)

Dr. B says this is part of my OCD coming out. (He's worried about Zizou--with his and my history of obsessive-compulsiveness, she's doomed.) I love to shop, and love even more to get a good deal.

In the last few days, I've been wishing for something new to wear that will be cool enough, conservative enough, and cheap. I didn't want to buy anything, because I could be meeting my little girl at any time now, and it seems stupid to buy new at this point. So yesterday, I went to Target and scanned the clearance racks in the "regular" section, thinking if I found a little light cardigan sweater to throw over my maternity tanks, I'd be satisfied, and could still wear it after the baby is born. I was also hoping to maybe find something "loose and comfortable", as they suggest in the birthing classes, that would still look decent to come home from the hospital in. After all, there may be photo ops involved. However, it's hard to know what my shape will be like when this gigantic lump is deflated.

But I got incredibly lucky.

I found this dress and this jacket. Neither are maternity, but both fit right now. The dress is a super soft jersey, with a loose, empire waist that hangs nicely on me now, and should also when the baby's born. The jacket matches perfectly, and will also look cute with jeans (when I can fit into them again) and a tank. They are in that shade of smoky blue that flatters my eyes very nicely, and paired with a wooden beaded necklace and some metallic wedges from Old Navy, I'll actually feel pretty stylish, despite the gargantuan hump on the front of my body.

Now here's the really lucky part. The dress was $4.99. The jacket was $8.49.

It doesn't get much better than that.

(PS: AND Dr. B comes home from his conference today!!! Yay!!!!!!)