And the bump begins ...

Silly me for being so chuffed in my last post that I was not showing yet. This phase is definitely over. I have had to admit that even though I can still, sort of, get away with the old hair tie trick on my jeans, they are just not comfy anymore.

So this weekend, out of necessity, I went shopping. I was looking for big pants (hubby gets unset when I say fat pants). Pants that would sit comfortably around my expanding waistline and would be light enough to last all through the coming summer months.

At Cotton On I hit Jackpot! Love the fact that skinny jeans seem to be out and looser, track suit pant styles seem to be in. These types of pants love my bump. I put on a pair in the changing room and it was immediately so much more comfy than the jeans I was still wearing. So I folded and bought 2 pairs of pants. One is a longer palazzo type in a patterned black print. The pattern is fairly classic so should be almost as re-mixable as solid colour. The second pair is a more fun style. It’s a ¾ track pant with elastic around the bottom so it sits close to the calf and then is baggy up to the waist. It is also patterned, black and white chevron stripes. Oh and another trend that is a happy coincidence for me; a dropped crotch is also in and accepted! This is fortunate as when I tuck pants under my bump the crotch area is lowered and I can either leave it as is or I have to roll-up the elasticated top until crotch area sits in sort-of the right place.

I know I said I wasn’t going to wear black anymore but it seemed all the options were either solid black or patterned. That’s why I went with patterned pants, I thought they would look less sever then sold black.

All in all I spent R449 for both. I am hoping that these two pairs plus the third my hubby bought me (in a dove grey tone) will last me all through the pregnancy.

In fact, I also decided that I was going to stop hiding the bump at work as I was getting annoyed at the shapeless shirts I was wearing (normally I tuck these in and then they are pretty good). So I am now wearing my grey elastic linen pants with a fitted pretty black top (which shows my bump off). I decided to add my black wedge heels to reflect the black of the top and to add a bit more polish so I don’t feel fat but pretty and pregnant.  Since feeling a bit bigger I have also started taking more care with my make-up, hair and jewellery as it helps me feel confident and self-secure despite my growing waistline. It is the first time though that it will be clear to most of my co-workers that I am pregnant so I am a bit apprehensive about that. We’ll see how it goes, at least I feel more comfortable than I have the last couple of weeks.

No TV thanks

So I just filled-in a survey for UNISA (University of SA). They are a long distance learning centre so often used by people who are working full or part-time, such as me.

Anyway they are trying to profile their students better in order to know who they are and what needs they have. One of the survey sections was about socio-economic group. It gave a list of devices/perks and you had to check whether you had said item or not. It ranged from a swimming pool and Dstv (our local satellite TV provider) all the way down to a flush toilet and running water. It felt strange to me that you would judge a person’s socio economic position like this. What would they think of me? My husband and I are both earning a decent income and with no dependents yet we do well (compared to most people in SA). We, however, do not own a TV, a tumble dryer, smartphone, and a couple of other items listed at the higher end. Does the absence of these items automatically drop us into a lower socio-economic group? Or maybe the fact that we have consciously cut these items means that we are capable of living according to a higher standard otherwise, ie most items we don’t own are fairly pricey and the Dstv for instance is a monthly expense of about R800.

Then I wondered, if it is that abnormal for us not to own these items? Is moving up the economic ladder seen as an automatic accumulation of items? Perhaps ending with a 10 bedroom McMansion and a large pool?

My Mcmansion - Um, no thanks

Clearly based on this survey it is. I resent the fact that it is assumed that as soon as you are capable you will invest in a smart phone or a swimming pool. Being well-off shouldn’t be about these items, I feel it is more about being able to provide yourself and loved ones with decent health care, schooling and security. Investing in happiness through self-actualisation, holidays and time spent together (and actually conversing, not parked on the couch).

Sometimes I reflect how lucky we are not to be swept up in this mainstream material world. Lucky that we judge our success not on the things we own but on the things we are capable of doing. I love my hubby, he loves me, we are looking forward to making it three and that is more than enough.

August purchases

As mentioned, I want to keep a summary of each month’s purchases to make sure I don’t deviate from my set goals. In August I got the following;

1.       An ice-blue sparkly sweater from Witchery (on sale at R449)

I did have a warm jumper on my wish list for a while. I found most of my jerseys this winter too light meaning I was layering a couple of them and still chilly. I wanted a jersey that was above all warm! On my wish list this was expressed as either a grey hoodie or a warm, slightly embellished grey cardigan. Instead I bought this sweater. It fulfils the warmth criteria and is super soft. It is slightly embellished and I bought it in a slightly larger fit on purpose. The sparkles make it feel fancy but the looser fit means I can get around in more casual settings as well. Love this sweater. The fact that it’s a bit long and loose also covers the start of any bump fantastically. It’s also my first jersey to contain cashmere. The only downside is that I didn’t pay much attention to washing instructions and this is hand wash only. I will need to take better note next time.

 

2.       A pair of linen/cotton blend grey pants with elasticated waist from Earth Addict (a gift)

With it being my birthday this month, hubby wanted to buy me something useful. As I was at the time feeling very bloated and fat (yay pregnancy!) I suggested some looser pants with a more forgiving waistline. They are very light so I think they will come in handy towards spring/summer time. I can fold over the elastic waistline to sit very low across my hips and therefore underneath any expectant bumps.

3.       A pair of plain black flip flops (R24.99 at PicknPay clothing)

Since I am spending more time in the pool at the gym I finally got around to buying some flip flops. These are purely for the gym. I don’t intend to wear them anywhere else and they will live in my gym bag.

So grand total: R474, 3 items

And that’s it! I must admit to spending some time looking for some comfortable metallic flats but I couldn’t find any that were comfy from the get go. I then also reckoned it might not be the best time to buy shoes as everyone says my feet will swell and maybe even permanently change size (also due to baby).

I have also started looking around online as to where I can buy cheapish maternity wear once I need it. As yet I am pretty lucky that at just over 16 weeks I am still not really showing. Below are some items I’ve seen at Mr Price that don’t look too bad and are not expensive. The shirt is R110 (and comes in three shades), the linen pants R130.They also have extra-long Tanks in a wide variety of colours for R50 a pop. Lastly they have a maxi skirt in the non-maternity section with an elasticated waist that might work; it is R100 (and comes in 4 shades, including a lovely mint colour that could look fantastic in the summer).

 

Looking forward into purchases for September I reckon I will continue to put things on hold and see how I progress with my bump. I might have to buy one or two bottoms but am very aware that it’s best not to buy too much up front as everyone’s body changes differently. My mum says she didn’t even look pregnant until she was 4.5 months along so I could possibly get away without any maternity wear for a while still.

Partially tucked

The last couple of years it has seemed a bit of a trend to partially tuck in your tops. Until now I was mostly unconvinced. I dislike tucking in T shirts as I feel it looks too forced and I usually fully tuck or untuck my work shirts. I always felt the in-between look was sloppy. Until now.

Most of my work shirts, especially the summery types, are fairly loose and I’ve always worn them untucked. However, at almost 16 weeks along my tummy is still pretty flat and it’s probably silly but that makes me very happy. I love that I can button-up my jeans and slip on a belt. I want to celebrate this state of being as long as I still can. So... I have now gotten into the habit of partially tucking the front of my blousy tops in to show-off my belt, as per pic. Please don’t misunderstand that I am dieting or anything like that, I wouldn’t sacrifice the health of my unborn to look slim, but I do like that I don’t look like a whale yet and am embracing that feeling while I can.

Summer wardrobe

The last couple of days have been absolutely lovely and warm. Spurred on by our big bedroom clean this weekend I decided the time was right to unpack my summer clothing and put away my winter gear.

I kept most jerseys in my cupboard since they are almost all fairly light and can still function for cooler summer evenings. For now I packed away a thicker winter jacket, some woolly scarfs and hats, my long socks and thermals. I also packed up some of my long sleeve work shirts and one pair of knee-high boots.

I unpacked my summer items and went through them, most seem ok but some need to be ironed before I can wear them again. I also didn’t bother to unpack my bikinis. I thought that by the time it’s warm enough to wear them I’ll probably be showing quite a bit of belly and I am not that comfortable with preggie bellies on display that I would want to show off mine like that. There are also one or two pairs of pants that are getting a bit snug so might pack them up as well in a couple of weeks. I took the opportunity to give my wardrobe a general clean while busy and plan on picking some more lavender from the garden to replace what I have in the cupboard now. I always keep a small cup full of lavender in the cupboard; the smell is supposed to keep moths away and is quite fresh.

Only thing is with my side of the cupboard looking so clear and minimal I am itching to get into hubbies side! His side is overflowing, all items are mixed up (ie shirts, underwear and shorts in one heap) and I know he has quite a few items that are damaged and he doesn’t wear anymore. Gah, He made me promise last year when I started cutting down that I wouldn’t touch his things. I will stick to that, although I find it difficult and will have to just avert my eyes I guess. I am hoping, as with the bedroom clean, he will all of a sudden feel it’s time for a spring clean in his wardrobe as well.

Bedroom Spring Clean

So, our bedroom, hmmm. We have damp issues in our bedroom. We have a solid glass block window with only a tiny section at the top that can open. This little slice that can open sits underneath our blinds so it is very difficult to get any fresh air. When you add in the fact that the external wall has been badly sealed and moisture leaks in through this wall you have a prime situation for damp mouldy grossness.

We had a friend, who’s an electrician, come by this weekend to help us get more plugs, we only had one in the bedroom and wanted to extend the line through to the bathroom (where we had no plugs!) so we can at least plug in our washing machine without having to run an extension cord though the house the whole time.

In order to help him out we moved all our cupboards from the wall and ... gross! So much mould growing there it was shocking. Luckily I had bought a big bottle of white spirit vinegar a couple of weeks before so we attacked the mould with it and scrubbed our walls down. It was a fair bit of work but the mould and even the damp stains seemed to lift easily with the vinegar and the wall looks so much better it’s almost like we re-painted!

Since we were then in a cleaning blitz we also wiped down all the furniture (removing all knick knacks lying about) and moved the mattress outside to air and soak up some sun. While the mattress was outside we lifted the planks under the bed and vacuumed the whole floor (goodbye all the dust bunnies under the bed!). We had been keeping some old mats under the bed as well (Hubby wanted to keep them for camping) but they were so gross I took them straight out to the bin and hubby didn’t even complain.

We have gotten a quote for new windows along the whole back of the flat including the bedroom. The new windows will be larger and allow us to get more air circulating. The body corporate has also agreed to re-seal the outside wall so hopefully we will have less damp issues next year.

I am very happy with the new bedroom, it feels so much cleaner and healthier. I feel like it has inspired us to tackle the rest of the house. Such a big change for about R30 in cleaning materials and some elbow grease!