After what feels like a lifetime of tragic fatigue and a recent head cold, I think that some of my energy might be slowly returning, fingers crossed! I am now just over 11 weeks along and I am eagerly awaiting my second trimester (energy! a functioning brain! a cute baby belly that doesn’t look like I’ve simply eaten too much!). However, at the moment, I’m still throwing my hair in a bun every day because I can’t be bothered to do anything with my hair, frantically hunting for my Touche Éclat to hide my undereye circles and sitting in meetings forgetting what I said just moments prior. The other night I slept for 14 hours.
Last week I stopped at the store on the way home from work and while hunting for sorbet, ended up with six types of ice cream and popsicles in my cart. I don’t even like ice cream. All I crave is fruit, especially in the form of smoothies.
I practically live at the office (see above), only using my home for sleep and the occasional catch-up with Todd. I’ve had virtually no time to blog, work on any side projects, take photos or cook. Actually, I don’t even want to cook. I just want to eat couscous and french fries!
Now that my energy seems to be trickling back, I am starting to think about all the things I need to do. Todd and I have a lot to work on at the house: we’re already planning on remodeling our kitchen (so excited), we need to sell our oversized desks and move our workspaces outside of the second bedroom to make way for the baby…and what seems like a million other things.
I haven’t really thought about buying anything for the halfpence. People are asking about “colors” and what I need…I have no idea! I am more concerned with how I am going to dress myself as I grow. I doubt I will need any maternity clothes (maybe some tees?) so I am focusing on dresses and tops I may be able to wear when I (hopefully) return to my pre-baby size. At the moment I am loving Rachel Roy’s diffusion line, which features beautiful pieces and fairly modest prices.
Want, want, want want want…want, want. Want.
These wedges look supremely comfortable and are under 50 bucks.
And I don’t know that I will be able to resist this sweet guinea pig sweater from Topshop. Perfect for a boy OR a girl :-)
I found out that a childhood friend (who I introduced a few weeks back) is also pregnant and, of course, beautifully covering her pregnancy on her blog. I wish I had both the time and camera skills to do the same, but alas…
I would like to chronicle my pregnancy for the halfpence, but I haven’t quite landed on how I’d like to do it. I’d prefer to do something off-line, but I dislike anything too crafty. Any ideas?
I had my first official prenatal visit and heard the heartbeat for the second time. The midwife (like the doctor) noted that the baby is shy, it seems to swim away from sonograms and ultrasounds! I wonder if he or she will have a shy personality like I did or be more outgoing like Todd. I also learned that I’ve gained 2 pounds so far (I thought I’d gained loads more) and that while my due date is September 14th, I should expect the halfpence to arrive sometime in late September.
Whew…so much to think about…
{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
Technically, the only thing you need to bring baby home is a car seat. So spend this time on you! Without guilt, of course. Enjoy the time as a couple, and being able to sleep in. Months from now, it’ll be nothing but a memory. ;)
ah, hush up, Penny. :) You look great in that photo.
Far better than me and all I had was a midterm. :)
I just can’t remember the last time I had bright eyes, and this was BEFORE getting pregnant.
At least I have somewhat of a glow, I guess.
hi Penny!
A friend of mine chronicled her pregnancy by buying a simple black Moleskine weekly diary, and taking notes in it daily – like a journal all about the baby, and if anything else momentous happened. “Today you kicked for the first time!” and so on. She stuck little mementos – a pocket-size sonogram, a leaf, photos, whatever – in the margins and in the pocket in back. Understated but so nice to look back on, for both you and the halfpence :-)
Oh please, you look awesome. This morning I rolled out of bed, didn’t bother to brush my hair or cover up my omnipresent under eye circles, and went to work with my shirt on inside out. I have no excuses, just general disheveledness.
I’d never heard of Rachel Roy but now I want everything she makes!
Here’s to you getting your energy back!
That’s weird, that doesn’t even look like you.
My boss is just about to give birth, and she totally had what we referred to as “pregnancy brain”–she’d lose her train of thought and get angry with herself that she wasn’t as on top of things as she used to be. The second trimester improved things, but when you’re almost done it also gets very uncomfortable in other ways…but at least it will get better in the interim!
I don’t think you could take a bad picture if you tried Penny.
Thank you for sharing this with us. I’m scared of being pregnant. Maybe you’ll help relieve my nerves :)
You look gorgeous even if you don’t feel it!!!! Use your new camera to have friends and family take pictures of you to help chronicle your pregnancy!
You look totally fine, and even if it’s not up to your usual standards for yourself, you definitely have an excuse. As for the ice cream, that happens to me and I am not even pregnant, just have a sweet tooth. And that guinea pig sweater is utterly adorable and I wish it came in my size…
oh my, now I want to buy everything from your friend’s store…
You are lucky you look great with your hair up!
Gosh, seeing you with your hair up makes me want to renew my push to get you to cut your hair into some sort of Parisienne longish pixie. But I hear pregnancy is great for your hair so maybe now is not the time! Have you noticed that?
As an ignorant childless person I have never understood what-all needs to be done in the house to prepare for a child. People talk about nurseries way early in pregnancy but my broke parents kept my brother (the eldest) in their bedroom in a DRAWER before they could afford a crib and half the time he slept with them anyway because they are hippie like that. Anyway sometimes I think it is just the baby industrial complex telling us we need to have like matched color nurseries for infants who won’t even use any of the toys, etc. for months and months. But maybe I am just fooling myself?
My sister in law is about 16 weeks pregnant and has asked for “things for the baby” but I really have no idea what she could need at this point. I got her a gift certificate for a massage instead.
Aw, I think you look beautiful.
Have you thought about incorporating the new sweatpants ‘trend’? You just need something fitted for the top (an open jacket?), some bling and you’re laughing (& comfy).
That picture of you is lovely, and I think that top-knots are very chic! As is the scarf that you are wearing in that pic…want ;)
About half of my friends who have had babies kept the baby in a bull-rush basket by their own bed in their bedroom until it could sleep through the night, and only used the baby’s room for changing and storing tiny clothes. The other half, especially those with hubbies/bf’s who had to get up early for work, moved some sort of bed for themselves into the baby’s room by the crib. Both scenarios were apparently the most convenient ways to deal with feedings every few hours. My extremely stylish friend Tina practically lived in empire-waisted tops from Anthropologie and used one of those belly band things on her regular pants, so she barely had to buy any true maternity gear at all.
Every mother I’ve met within the last decade or so has said that they couldn’t live without the “Boppy”. I have used one while bottle feeding babies, and it really does take some of the stress off your arms.
as i mentioned in another comment thread – it’s all about the Bella Band and empire waist dresses/smocks/tunics, etc. that can work post-pregnancy.
the hubs and i had all of these grand plans to document this pregnancy but none of them ever stuck. it’s a little too late now at 33 weeks. but i have been doing a lot of birth art (and i use the term “art” loosely – mixCD making, letter writing, word clouds, etc.) that will serve as nice mementos of the occasion.
so, i’m really curious, Penny, are you seeing a midwife but having a hospital birth? are you and Todd thinking of getting married sometime over the next few months? have you told your boss/others at your job?
The “am I eating too much” or “am I pregnant” tummy…I am sure much of this is perceived, but my best friend had her first a couple years back and didn’t really show for a while, and she was definitely feeling that people thought she was just getting soft…so she countered it with a fitted black tank that had a pink baby in the fetal position across her lower tummy. It was adorable and did the trick.
Congratulations on the halfpence!!!!
I very clearly remember the first trimester exhaustion. My energy level improved with the second trimester, but sadly the baby brain lasted all through the pregnancy and after I gave birth it just changed to mommy brain! Try and enjoy it all, it goes sooo fast. Feels like just last week I was in your shoes and now my little guy is 2-years-old I’m in the midst of potty training.
I think the easiest, most heartfelt way to document your pregnancy is through a journal and photographs. Even if you don’t feel like having your picture taken now, you’ll love being able to look back at the whole experience later. I’m in your area these days and would be more than willing to give you a hand, or a sympathetic listening ear if you wanted it. If you need anything please let me know.
Are those Rachel Roy black pants actually capris? God I just finally purged my closet of all short pants last year. Pegged, rolled, I can deal, but cropped? Who is that flattering on?
You look great! My hair is in the exact same style and I have circles under my eyes but I don’t have a pregnancy as an excuse :)
If you don’t want to invest too much into maternity clothes you could always pick up a few things at Target or Old Navy. I’ve seen some great maternity tops at both of those stores before. My cousin was about a size 4 when she got pregnant and never bought maternity clothes. She basically bought regular clothes in larger sizes like size 11 jeans. I’m sure you can go the same route
i think you look beautiful!
xo.
I was just about to say the same thing as Kate, about keeping a journal/book of letters type of thing. But then after the baby comes and if you still have blank pages, you can keep writing in it. My mom/dad/babysitters/whoever was around wrote in what we call a “Quip Book”, random stories from the day or just whenever someone said/did something funny or cute, we read through it every now and then together, it is really fun!
Saw this over at Cup of Jo and thought it might be useful for you:
http://joannagoddard.blogspot.com/2010/02/maternity-dress.html
Also, since you’re so into mood boards, why not make an All Things Baby mood board? Or even branch out a little, get a nice frame and decoupage the stuff instead of pinning so it’ll keep…