I think it's funny that while I was in my twenties and having our babies, I really didn't like much about the whole thing - I had difficult pregnancies with severe morning sickness and other pregnancy-related health issues, and that was a looong time ago (our oldest is 17.5 now, thankyouverymuch) so maternity clothes were just the pits. Thankfully, I made myself some clothes that I didn't hate as much, but still, pretty awful.
So when I found out I was expecting my fourth baby boy (our adopted daughter makes five) at forty years old, I didn't quite know what to expect. Well, I loved nearly everything about it! Time has such a great way of changing our perspective on things, and after experiencing several heartbreaking losses over the past few years, I was simply overcome with gratitude and excitement this time around.
And maternity clothes are so much better now! Even though my entire legs swelled up and I had morning sickness until like the eight month, I had lots of fun dressing my not-so-little miracle baby bump.
And the miracle baby?
He's turning one, two weeks from today!
I thought it would be fun to have a blog post dedicated to some of my very favorite outfits from my surprise pregnancy so I can always look back and remember that special time. And two weeks before his first birthday seems like a pretty good time, ha ha. #betterlatethannever
Maybe it will give someone else an idea or two as well, so yay!
Scarves became my very best friends.
During transitional days when it was cooler but I craved spring touches, pretty scarves made all the difference.
Plus, they added just a little something to keep things from being super boring.
A pretty cardigan is a great accessory, too.
And you can wear both at the same time :)
This empire-style black dress was a maternity staple for me. It was easy to dress it for winter and then spring, and the fit of the dress was perfect for me because I carry very low.
I was just holding back the skirt part here to capture the bump in all its glory. :)
I lived in this grey knit cinched tank dress for the last month. It was perfect for the beach (we took the entire family to Florida before baby came as one last family hurrah!) by itself, but it was so easy to "dress up" a bit. I would have felt way too self-conscious to parade around in a tank dress by itself for day-to-day outings, and the cardigan/sweater plus scarf did the trick for me.
(This is my gorgeous crew. And can you say, age gap much with the new baby? ha ha ha)
(This is my gorgeous crew. And can you say, age gap much with the new baby? ha ha ha)
The pic below is around 38 weeks... another cardi, another scarf...
(Those black shoes barely fit, and my flip flops were the only other
things I could wear...but it was still very much pre-sandals season here
in New England in late March!)
This dress was my splurge outfit, even though it totally wasn't- I think it cost maybe $27?!
I ordered it from Etsy and I looooved this dress. It was comfortable enough to travel to Florida by crowded minivan (over 25 hours, people) and didn't wrinkle at all! So lightweight with just the right amount of stretch. Every expecting Mama should have at least one or two dresses that make them feel happy happy happy every time you put them on.
Looking through all these pictures is making me a bit teary-eyed.
I am so glad I was intentional about capturing some of these things in photos because in nearly every picture I have, beyond the thicker-than-normal arms and swollen legs, puffy face and often irritated stomach, I see sheer joy on my face. And that means the world to me.
The pics above were 34-35 weeks
Here I was around 39 weeks
This was the dress I made for my Baby Shower. I loved it, but it hasn't proven to be as forgiving post-baby as I'd hoped it would be. This is 39 weeks, about two weeks after the shower.
Not even going to try shoes, ha ha
I lived in this striped tee from Target. It was on clearance and I got this one and a lavender stripe, but hardly wore the other shirt. The navy worked so much better for me, ha!
It made it all the way to the very end...
I'm including this last one because it's so special to me: about an hour before leaving for the hospital, the last real outfit I ever wore while being pregnant!
By that time the next day, I was holding our new baby boy...well, technically, maybe about 29 hours later, but who's counting? Ugh, it was rough!
I'm just a regular wife and Mom, a fashionista by no means, but I really enjoyed putting in a little bit of effort to look -and feel!- better during those last challenging weeks. It was so worth it! Do I wish I had one of those adorable teeny tiny baby bumps? Um, of course! But that just isn't the way my body makes babies, and that's okay, because we are ALL different.
Now, a year later, and after a brutal winter that's still kicking around and hardly any sleep, I'm in a bit of a slump. Nothing fits right/feels right, so I'm going to up my activity as much as I can and really pay attention to what I'm eating, and I'll get there. In the meantime, I'm relying on lots of grace. :)
Oh, I forgot! This dress!
I bought it specifically with a maternity photo shoot in mind while we were in Florida, and I'm glad I did- I love how the pictures turned out! I wrote a post about taking your own maternity photos with a selfie stick HERE if you want to read it.
linking up with Lindsey for wiww
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