A Decent Living

2014-03-10T10:22:00.001-04:00

Milestone Moment

2014-01-22T20:26:00.000-05:00

Meet Amelia!

This precious little bundle rolled over today (at the adorable age of 4 months, 3 weeks and 4 days old.)

Yippee, Little Mila. great Job!

She is so sweet and happy - I severely wish we were able to see her more often - although Betty would never allow her to have full reign of her own thumbs.

Milestone Moment!

2014-01-11T17:11:00.000-05:00

Meet Baby Aila!

Let me take this moment to brag about our precious little niece. Last Wednesday (at the adorable age of 3 months, 3 weeks and 5 days old) Baby Aila Rolled over for the very first time!

Hooray, Aila! Great Job! Won't be long now before your mommy is chasing you all over the house.

It's hard to believe that by the time we actually meet her for the first time she will likely be sitting up and at least scooting, if not crawling, herself all around to explore. They just grow up so darn fast, don't they?

Betty Drew a Pregnant Kitty on December 28th 2013

2014-01-03T15:20:00.001-05:00

27 Weeks

2014-01-03T15:18:00.001-05:00

I've Been Slacking! 26 Weeks!

2014-01-03T15:11:00.002-05:00

Week 24

2013-11-26T20:48:00.001-05:00

Week 23

Food Cravings: Still feeling more aversions. I really want cookies and cookie dough. My main worry is getting enough food. We completely did away with naps for Betty but now we all go to bed at like 8 or 8:30 and Betty and I sleep until 9:30 the next day. Today we slept until 11:00!!! I worry about not eating in that time period and then I'm just not all that hungry and I stress out. Today I ate an orange, 2 big bowls of cereal, 3 hard boiled eggs and a huge bowl of mac n' cheese with tuna and peas. not the most balanced diet.

Maternity Clothes: This week one of my maternity tank tops was uncomfortably snug. I had to roll it up over my belly.

Movement: She's been really active recently. I love it.

Best Moments: Betty sings to the baby to try and get her to kick her hand. She stops and stares at my belly, gets really quiet and says "Can I please let go now, mommy." Cracks me up - "of course you can, Betty."

Coordination: Non-existant. I feel really clumsy. I fell down the stairs the other day. I landed on my feet but I really hurt my foot. I keep kicking my bed frame on accident and hard. When my foot hit it the other day the rest of my body didn's stop walking and my whole body flew forward. I caught myself on the wall but jammed a bunch of fingers in the process. I also keep dropping things... everything.

Other Symptoms: My pelvis is really sore - like it was during the last month of my first pregnancy. and I feel like my tailbone has separated. I have awful heartburn and I keep getting dehydrated no matter how much I drink.

People's Reaction: It seemed like people's reaction to me has changed really quickly. I used to get sideways glances in the grocery store and I could tell people noticed but they weren't 100% sure so they didn't dare say anything. Now I get people going "oh goodness!" oh "Oh Wow!" when they first spot me. I'm pretty proud of that.

Differences From 1st Pregnancy: I'm measuring right on track. With Betty I was always measuring just a tiny bit small. My due date changed 3 different times. I keep expecting that but this baby is measuring right on track. I know I started showing a lot sooner this time but I really think this baby is just going to be bigger than Betty was.

Exercise: This week it's not happening at all. I wanted to start a prenatal yoga class but I can't find one. and usually Betty and I go to the pool two to three times a week but that's not happening this week. I'm pretty much a complete couch potato other than some dancing and some squats.

My Sunday Best // 24 Weeks and 2 Days

2013-11-25T12:37:00.000-05:00

Please excuse the little sliver of mess you can see in the background. My energy levels are at an all-time low recently. This outfit was most definitely way too cold to wear on Sunday. It was a bitter cold and I did not have on enough layers. I do really like the dress though - it's thrifted. I think I got the sweater online but I can't remember where and the leggings came from walgreens of all places. 9.99. I generally hate tights of all kinds but these were surprisingly comfy.

My Sunday Best! ( 5 Days Late.)

2013-11-22T15:50:00.001-05:00

I have Pants!!! These are hand-me-downs from my friend meg and a shirt I bought from target a year ago (not maternity.) Also my beloved bola ball. I love that thing.

Still not feeling super stylish but I at least feel comfortable again!

Week 23

2013-11-21T19:50:00.000-05:00

23 Weeks (and 6 days)

Weight gain/loss: I think ultimately I weigh 8 pounds more than I did before I got pregnant. I lost ten pounds and I gained them back... so I've now gained 18 pounds? That can't be right.

Maternity Clothes: Finally got some that fit! I can wear pants now which is super helpful as it's November in Maine. I'm on the lookout for a nice sweater though but my high school sports sweatshirts are working so far. Eep.

Stretch Marks: No new ones but my old ones are definitely more pronounced.

Sleep: A little better in that my dreams have calmed down a tad. Worse in that I'm super uncomfortable. I feel like whole parts of me turn to stone when I sleep and my upper back is incredibly painful.

Best Moment This Week: Anytime Betty cries the baby starts kicking. It's kind of sweet - They're bonding already.

Food Cravings: Everything bad for me. Worse are the aversions... to all meat. My doctor told me that I should avoid meat and cheese because a plant based diet is healthier for pregnancy. today I ate a bunch of cereal, an orange and three pieces of cheese pizza. I'm super going to swell up again.

Movement: She's been relatively calm the last few days but still kicking around in there.

What I'm Looking Forward to: Thanksgiving! and announcing the middle name we've picked.

Betty's Fourth Halloween

2013-11-12T00:08:00.000-05:00

Betty wanted to be Weezy from dragon tales for Halloween. We borrowed this costume from a friend of a friend for Halloween. Betty was so excited until everyone thought she was a dinosaur, and specifically, Barney. A lot of sweet home owners received the brunt of my toddler's scorn on that rainy night. the costume soaked up water like crazy but luckily we live in a super exciting Halloween neighborhood and we were all in bed by 8:15. Chad was a Viking. Nobody got it... he doesn't watch dragon tales - to his credit, probably.

Here are all of her other Halloween pictures! Her first Halloween she was a teddy bear, her second she was Betty crocker, her third she was a bacon cheeseburger and now she's Weezy the dragon. They grow up so fast!

Cute Things my Three-Year-Old says

2013-11-11T22:02:00.002-05:00

Betty playing with her cousin/uncle Joe. She calls him her big friend.

My daughter is so adorable. I know I'm biased but for real - she's the cutest. She mispronounces words in such an adorable way that I actually get sad when she learns how to say them correctly. Then I forget how she said them. I'm going to catalog some of them here so that they don't disappear into my ever faltering mommy memory.

Shortcup = short cut

foon = spoon

Strawberry cupcake = Strawberry Shortcake

Fwitchy = squishy

You're breaking my heart a pieces = you're breaking my heart into pieces.
she says this whenever she gets in trouble or whenever she has to say good bye to someone. It's pretty effective.

Yucky stuff = anything that would normally go on things like pizza or a hamburger. Her first generalization.

I don't beweeve it = I don't believe it.
she says this all the time. after funny jokes or whatever. Totally cute.

Oh my goomess = oh my goodness.
she recently learned how to pronounce this correctly. It broke my heart a pieces.

The Nesting Bug

2013-11-07T22:04:00.001-05:00

As I'm sure you've gathered by now I am pregnant again. We know she's a little girl and we already know her name. I'm officially 5 months pregnant today at just shy of 22 weeks and I've been gathering baby things for a while now. It's exciting and nerve wracking but I know I need to celebrate every day and so I am... by preparing. I thought I'd share the pieces I'm most excited about. Some are on my registry and some I have already. let me know what you think!

1. Petunia Pickle Bottom Boxy Backpack - Holiday in Hague. I saw a woman using the changing pad on this in the Juneau Airport and have wanted one ever since. It's truly genius! the front panel zips down into a full changing pad with pockets for diapers and wipes. the backpack straps and messenger strap unclip so you can choose which to use and the inside pocket comes off with Velcro. I worry a little bit about how the Velcro and the zippers will hold up as they're attached to more delicate fabric but that could just be because the exterior is so tough and sturdy. I've seen plenty of women still carrying these when their babies are no longer babies. either way it's crazy cute and amazingly functional... I'm already using it.

2. Lassig Lela Teether. This thing is really cute. I love the Sophie the Giraffe teether because I love all things French but I never loved it enough to register for it or buy it but I both registered for and gave in and bought this cutie already. Who doesn't love a baby deer? plus it's all natural rubber and it's German. Like I said, I love anything French but it was still super fun to get this toy in the mail and see the details all written in German... The baby will be 1/8th German after all.

3. Gdiapers. These seem so cool but I'm not 100% ready to commit to a full set so we'll play it by ear. I've heard good things. From what I've heard they're the best of both the disposable and cloth diapering worlds.

4. Badger Basket Moses Basket. I have high hopes for this company. everything they make looks amazing. I really wanted the corner changing table too but we were given a normal one. I'm still setting it up next to the crib so I don't have to change diapers sideways. Anyway, We already have this basket as well and I'm pretty impressed by it. it's nothing fancy but that's why I like it. you can rock baby to sleep in it and in the morning carry the basket into the bathroom with you while you shower or into the kitchen while you make breakfast. it's a super good idea, right?

5. Weleda Baby Shampoo. So I was given a sampler of Weleda baby products when Betty was born and they were all nice but this is the only stuff we ran out of and we ran out of it immediately. Why? The smell! I love the smell of this shampoo I would sit and sniff Betty's head for hours after each bath - it's heavenly. I have incredibly sensitive skin too but there's nothing irritating or fake in this... just goodness.

6. Graco Snugride 35. So if you've read my blog you know that Graco makes the safest and most well loved infant seat around so it was a given that I'd register for this particular seat. We had the Graco 32 for Betty but it has since expired. With Betty it was given to us when we were three months pregnant so it was a very gender neutral seat - super cute though. I'm really excited this time to get a super feminine seat for our little girl.

7. Wubbanub Lamb. This is really cute in theory and it has already been gifted to us but I have my doubts. I super hope it works but I know there was no way I was ever going to get Betty to take this kind of pacifier. Let's hope this little one does. We'll bring it to the hospital and let it be the first one she's given. think it'll work?

My Sunday Best

2013-11-03T15:20:00.001-05:00

So I didn't exactly go to any crazy effort today but oh well. To be honest I'm just pleased to have found something that fits like I'm supposed to be wearing it. No accessories, no fuss. Still looking for some maternity pants but at least I'm having a little luck with skirts and dresses - might make for a cold winter though.

I'm 21 weeks and 2 days pregnant today. The dress is from Target.

My Sunday Best (Really more like "It's Sunday... What Fits?")

2013-10-27T16:40:00.002-04:00

Betty really did want to be in the picture. The skirt was a hand-me-down from Aunt Judy. The shirt I bought years ago from The Buckle - and it's working a little too hard. The jacket is my old standby from Target. I'm getting a little too big to fit my old clothes and I'm still a little too small for most maternity clothes. This is definitely the awkward stage.

My Sunday Best

2013-10-20T17:42:00.000-04:00

So I've hit that really awkward stage in my pregnancy where it's not even worth it to try on pants without drawstrings and everything I try on either makes me look like an exploded can of biscuits or a potato shoved into clothes. I'm finally gaining weight. I'd lost ten pounds at 15 weeks and at 19 weeks I'd gained five of them back so that's encouraging. now I need to dial it back a bit maybe and start thinking of more healthy options. Still battling the queasies though so I'm not going to be too hard on myself.

It was a pretty windy day today but the dress held up (unlike my hair.) both of these items are thrifted. the sweater is 100% silk and cost me $1.00! the dress was under ten. It has a subtle ombre effect and is just really comfortable even though it's kind of a mumu - I'll be able to wear this one for a while.

Five on Friday.

2013-10-11T17:35:00.002-04:00

Today I am tired. I spent 90 minutes in the pool with Betty and it wore me out but if paid off! Right after we decided to stay in the pool for more than our usual hour Betty began to propel herself through the water without my help at all. (She did have pool noodles and a back bubble.) But for the last two weeks she has been absolutely terrified to let go of me. She chased me across the entire length of the pool five times today! I'm so proud. I know she was super pleased with herself too. It was a golden moment for sure. Anyway, My energy is spent and Betty's already twenty minutes into her nap - she never naps. So today is a Pinterest day! And here are the five pins I'm most excited about today.

1.

I'm really interesting in improving my picture-taking skills and this looks super easy to understand.

2.

I love this. My little peanut is so sensitive and it's the hardest thing in the world to watch kids be purposefully mean to her. Every time it happens though I remind myself that it's just an opportunity to teach her a lesson about the importance of kindness.

3.

A.A. Milne has been speaking to me a lot lately.

4.

How cute is this! Adorable. Click on the photo - It's a link.

5.

I'm so excited to read more fairytales to Betty. She is already SO imaginative. I love her mind and all the worlds she creates.

there you have it - my Friday five. if one of my links doesn't work message me and I'll fix it!

Bon Week-end!

Belly Progression So Far

2013-10-10T10:15:00.001-04:00

Weeks 13 - 17

Wow! I look like a witch in this picture. haha.

Betty Photobombed this picture. It wasn't planned but it sure is cute.

17 Weeks and 5 Days.

58 lessons I Want My Daughter to Grow Up Knowing

2013-10-09T06:36:00.001-04:00

I read this post recently and was inspired by it. I've stolen a few and highlighted them in red. I'm sure I'll keep adding to this list and update it in installments. Do you have anything to add? What's most important to you?

1. Jesus Loves you. He Died for you. Surrender your life to him and you will never thirst.
2. Always be kinder than you feel.
3. Don't worry about looking silly to other people. As Amy Poehler says "There's power in looking silly and not caring that you do."
4. Don't let your insecurities impact your decisions - no matter what the decision is you'll end up regretting it.
5. Don't let your pride keep you from hearing people.
6. If you find Something you love to do keep loving it.
7. Books are the best.
8. You have a sweet, gentle and compassionate spirit. If you ever need to feel grounded tap into that.
9. An afternoon spent creatively is an afternoon well spent.
10. We can not hide from what scares us. Stand tall, you are significant and you don't need to prove your worth to anyone.
11. Beauty fades, Character doesn't.
12. A single act of kindness can change the world. Love is the most powerful thing there is.
13. The world owes you nothing. You are living from it, perhaps you should do what you can to improve it.
14. The human soul is infinite in depth. Don't be too quick to judge another.
15. Your mind is powerful, while remaining peaceful is the goal, speaking your mind with love is ideal.
16. A genuine person collects genuine friends - don't act a part for anyone.
17. Prayer should be an instinct but that takes practice.
18. If you are always striving to improve yourself you're already successful.
19. If you don't want a boy to meet your Daddy you don't want that boy.
20. Your life is your legacy. Treat it with respect.
21. Protect your heart. Charisma is only on the surface - If you love yourself you don't need anyone's flattery.
22. Defend others in need.
23. Helping others ends up helping you in surprising ways. But the goal, of course, is to help others.
24. Be there for friends in need - another opportunity is not a guarantee.
25. Only boring people are bored. Only small people act out to cure boredom.
26. Your body belongs to you and your future husband. Save it. Despite what society tells you, you won't be missing anything.
27. Life won't give you a fairy tale but if you live a good life you might just inspire one.
28. Travel. Learn new customs and adapt.
29. Pain breeds compassion and compassion is endlessly valuable.
30. I will always be your best friend but your mother more.
31. The divine reveals himself in nature, take time to appreciate it.
32. Don't say things about another unless you could and would want to say them to their face.
33. People believe what you tell them and remember it. The best option is to speak honestly.
34. Don't wait to find happiness in other people. You have to create it for yourself.
35. If it makes you feel uncomfortable it's not worth it.
36. Don't seek opportunities to be right. They happen too much when you're not seeking them. Save your corrections for things that are really important.
37. Accept correction from others. It's not an insult, it's an aid. If you can handle criticism well you have no reason to feel defensive.
38. Every person you will ever meet can teach you something you didn't know before.
39. Don't rush your life away and don't try to control it. The plan God has for you is better than the plan you have for you.
40. "In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love." Mother Teresa.
41. There are as many ways to live as there are people in this world and every world view has value.
42. Exercise is good for every part of you.
43. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4: 6 -7
-If you let worry take over it will consume you. Keep Positive and be faithful.
44. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8
45. You are smart, Kind and powerful.
46. How someone treats you says more about who they are than who you are. Don't take it personally.
47. Before you get offended by something try to think of ten other possible motivating scenarios than the one you are currently upset about. More often than not it's not the one but one of the ten.
48. A hug is powerful medicine.
49. Don't worry if you haven't seen someone in a while - pick up right where you left off.
50. Writing letters will never go out of style. It's always good to make someone you love feel special.
51. Never underestimate the power of good food.
52. There is nothing you can ever do that will make me love you more.
53. There is nothing you can ever do that will make me love you less.
54. I'm thankful every day that I'm the lucky woman who gets to be your mother. I feel like the luckiest woman ever for that.
55. You will never be perfect in this life and you don't need to be... God's grace is enough.
56. Life is hard, don't let it harden you.
57. Give people a lot of grace. They give you more than you know.
58. If all else fails, laugh.

Sleeping Betty

2013-10-08T22:10:00.000-04:00

I just was writing the post I intended to publish tonight when it took a sharp turn for the worse and ended up being really sad and depressing. I started trying to focus on happy things and didn't have to look far as my precious daughter is fast asleep right next to me. What is it about sleeping children that makes them look so perfect? I just stare at Betty when she sleeps. I wonder what she dreams about. Probably Zac and Weezy from her favorite show, dragon tales. I'm pretty sure they're her imaginary friends. She was singing and dancing in her sleep the other morning. Old Macdonald. The days are so filled with her personality, her Ideas and wishes and sweet affectionate moments that it's hard to imagine what she's doing in dream land. I love her world. I love how happy and innocent life is for her. I love how happy I can make her by showing her new things. I wish I could be that happy about glitter or the ABCs. She's so pure and beautiful. I'm so thankful that she's in my life - I tell her that. Even though she's still my little peanut, she makes my world so much bigger. Each night she snuggles up in her "comfy comfy blanket with the yellow stripes and the wipe stripes" and drifts off to her own little world. What a beautiful world a mind like hers must create. I want to go there too. A land filled with squishy dinosaurs, friendly dragons, cookies, lollipops, ballerinas and Jesus whom she's learning about in Awana. Every morning I tell her I missed her while she was sleeping and ask her what she dreams about. She always says me because she knows it makes me smile - that's how sweet she is. I'm so lucky to know such a sweetie pie and so thankful that God picked me to be her Mommy. Good night, all. I hope your dreams are sweet too.

This Week's Favorite Things

2013-10-07T20:35:00.000-04:00

I know the week is early but there are still a select few things that are constantly making me smile.

1. My daughter started calling her pig tails "puppy dog ears."

2. Whenever there is a silence I hear her pipe up with "Mommy, I like you." *melt*

3. My Belly - I feel my little occupant kicking a bunch in there and people are starting to talk about my bump without fear. Plus it's a challenge to find cute clothes which is often fun and seldom frustrating.

4. The pool! I'm teaching Betty to swim and she's doing super well! I think she'll be able to get around the pool on her own very soon.

5. Liz Lemon. This fictional character and I are kindred spirits. I wake up several times throughout the night now and I lull myself back to sleep with her crazy antics. I hate rulebreakers too! I want to write a whole post on the similarities.

6. My Husband. I haven't seen him that much recently but he's spent a bunch of time with Betty the last couple of days which is quite a treat. She has accidentally called me Daddy a couple of times.

7. Duolingo. I really want to teach my kiddo's French and I'm loving this little program, I always feel like I'm winning! What a great way to motivate!

8. Fall! In Alaska this was my least favorite time of year, Anywhere else it's the best. It's still pretty warm but it's foggy and beautiful out. The mornings are shrouded in a silvery mist and i have to wear sweaters. I love it. Plus, soon I'll get to make sweet potato pie. Yum.

9. My family in general. I love them so much.

10. Jesus! He is so good. Betty has been saying prayers and singing "Jesus loves me." What a good feeling.

Pumpkin Time!

2013-10-07T06:47:00.000-04:00

This is turning into a yearly tradition! yay!

Does anybody know how to get the option back to edit pictures? It stops working after one or two and it's super annoying.

My Sunday Best: Maternity Edition

2013-10-06T20:45:00.000-04:00

So I'm Seventeen weeks and two days pregnant today and the whole family is getting really excited to discover the gender of our little occupant. I'm starting to have some real trouble finding things to wear but here's what I came up with this week.

For some reason it will only let me change the size of the top photo - That's not an editing call on my part.

The Scarf is from Stella Bella Designs on etsy, Jacket - Target. Cami (one that I will be turning into a nursing cami) - Amazon.com. Blouse - Thrifted. Maternity skirt - Thrifted.

Life Without Make-Up

2013-09-30T12:19:00.001-04:00

"Choosing to live Unveiled"

I guess I'll start this by saying there was a time in my life when I was completely dependent upon make-up. When I first met Chad, I remember talking about how I had to wear make-up to leave my house and he of course told me I didn't need it. how often do we hear that? That summer I remember gathering all of my courage and going to work without any make-up on. I made it until lunch and, rather than eating, ran to a local drug store and bought concealer and I think mascara, and spent the rest of my lunch hour applying "my face." That seems pretty sad to me now. I can't estimate exactly how long it's been since I've worn make-up but I know I haven't seen any of my make-up since we moved into our new house so I would guess it's been since March - at least six months. Several things lead to my decision to give it up.

1. I don't need another crutch in my life. Sure there are flaws that I don't like about myself but everyone has those and covering them up just sends the wrong kind of message. The older I've become the more I've actually learned that I appreciate my flaws. Features I used to want to change because they made me different I actually embrace now. I see that I've passed them on to my daughter and I think they are the most beautiful thing in the world on her. I don't want to teach her to be ashamed of them. I don't need to hide my imperfections from anyone - I'm proud of them. I'm secure with them. I have dark circles under my eyes. Growing up I had people ask me who punched me. They can be pretty intense, but I don't notice them and if I get enough rest other people don't either. Sometimes I think it looks pretty.

2. I've heard women refer to their make-up by many different names. Armor, shield, comfort blanket, mask. What are we protecting ourselves from? I think the need to cover our faces is a manifestation of our need to hide who we are. It's pressure from society to fit a certain mold but unless you're on TV you're not really hiding anything. Even "natural" make-up still cakes and smears and if you're covering something like acne or scars it often makes them way more obvious and worse later on. It's a vicious cycle. If I see a woman with a lot of make-up caked over acne bumps now I just feel really bad for her. I don't ever think to myself "That girl is comfortable with herself." More often I think "wow, she's really trying hard." or "wow, she must really be self-conscious." Because I know that's how I felt and you can see it in a woman's eyes when she doesn't feel good about herself - in her posture. That is never not the case with a woman buried in layers of make-up. Make-up is a false sense of security in that way. There is a definite difference between getting gussied up and trying out fun new styles with make-up for a special night out and needing to wear make-up every single day to feel safe like I used to. I know of women who will actually apply make-up in front of a date because they can't bear to go one more second with him seeing her fresh faced. What kind of message are we sending to others and to ourselves if our security is found in something so superficial? What kind of message are we sending to our children?

3. Make-up is time consuming. I'm at a point in my life when my time is precious. I really don't want Betty to see me fussing over my appearance every day when I have trouble getting so many other things done in a timely manner. I like to get gussied up on special occasions but every day is completely unnecessary and detrimental to a healthy lifestyle - which we're far from having but are always striving toward.

4. If you're happy on the inside you're attractive on the outside. That's really all there is to it. My opinion is obviously not the one that matters to most women but still, the most beautiful women I've ever met in my life probably had dark circles or visible pimples or whatever but I don't remember because I remember how they were shining with confidence and self-acceptance. I remember big smiles and sparkly eyes. Make-up covers a lot of imperfections but I think it also covers a lot of what makes us beautiful. Fresh faces are beautiful. Laughter is beautiful. Everything else is false and gets in the way.

After living this long without make-up I feel myself being happier and more content. It seems odd to me that I ever worried about it. I hear women close to me apologize if I catch them off guard "sorry, I don't have any make-up on."

What?

Now I want to be clear and make sure you all know I'm not some militant anti-make-up activist. I'm all for getting dolled up and feeling special for a night out with the girls but if you do it every day it's not special anymore. Also, and certainly not a secondary thought, My skin is SO much better now. My acne, if there, disappears shortly after I wake up and it just looks healthier altogether. I feel pretty when I go out and I feel like myself. I'm not at all self-conscious when people look at my face. I used to think "is my eyeliner smeared?" and then rush to a mirror. that doesn't happen anymore. The most important point in all of this is that it took me several months to get to that point. I would challenge any women who are like I was, addicted, to go six months to a year without make-up. you'll be a happier person for it I guarantee it.

Here's me as I am. Zero make-up, zero filters. just clean skin... flaws and all.

My Sunday Best

2013-09-29T14:11:00.000-04:00

So here I am 16 weeks and 2 days pregnant and already plotting out my nursing attire for when baby comes. Last time I used a cover and my regular clothes - yes, even underwire bras. My reasoning last time around was that there were virtually zero places to buy nursing wear in our Alaska town. This time, however, I'm forgoing the traditional nursing designs because, well... they're gross. I hate the nursing tanks with the clasps on the straps - so frustrating. I also hate that most nursing shirts are also maternity shirts so that when the baby is out and the idea would ideally be to downplay the size of your belly, you're still wearing huge clothes designed to accentuate your floppy stomach. Why not design affordable nursing shapewear? why not design nursing tanks that can open from the front rather than the top? It seems like common sense to me but clearly I'm alone in this because it's almost impossible to find these things. Solution? I'll make and compile them myself. My other issue with nursing is that of the nursing cover. Yes, I believe in modesty but I also believe in being able to use both of my hands to care for my baby. I also know that those large nursing covers do little to detract attention from a nursing mother, in fact, if you're struggling beneath the cover the movement and odd shaped tent will only attract unwanted attention. Solution? Wear user friendly nursing tank tops (preferably with shape wear.) and flowy or ruffly shirts that will act as their own covers. I'm due in march and I was all jazzed about an infinity nursing scarf, I'm still excited about it, but I'm also due in the spring which means the majority of my early nursing will take place in the summer - not the time to be wearing a scarf everywhere. My whole thing is to embrace simplicity and eliminate unnecessary complications. I don't need a nursing cover to nurse in public comfortably, In fact, I believe it would only be an impediment, so why drag it around? Anyway. I've been thrifting and shopping and pinteresting and here is my first maternity outfit that will eventually double as a cute nursing outfit, although I'm sure I'll stretch out the tank top long before then and need another. I'll be making them and I'll show you how I do it soon!.

I like this blouse a lot because it has long sleeves and the back is super cute, look at the buttons! plus it's flowy enough to act as it's own nursing cover. Even though nothing I'm wearing is designed for nursing mothers, I could easily and comfortably breastfeed while wearing this. plus it's cute maternity wear.

Blouse - Thrifted. Tank Top - Delias.com. Skirt - Target Maternity. Bra - Wal mart spaghetti strapped bandeau bra.

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