When new pants = happiness

Yesterday I bought my first pair of maternity jeans. I’m sure some of you are wondering how I managed to get to this size without getting a pair of maternity pants:

The short answer is: because I couldn’t find any.

I’ve complained before about the lack of shopping in my town – I’ve regularly scoured the stores in the area for decent maternity wear with no luck. There are only two big stores where I live: Target (the Australian stores are much smaller than the American ones) and BigW (Australia’s version of Kmart/Walmart, but again on a smaller scale). At both stores, the maternity wear section is limited to just a couple short racks of clothes, most of which are 3/4 length yoga pants and workout tops...not exactly the cute and fashionable maternity gear I was hoping for when I started shopping!

I’ve also written about the dearth of online shopping in Australia – although there are a number of maternity wear boutiques online, most of them are very overpriced and few have accommodating return policies, so I'm extremely hesitant to plonk down my hard earned cash on an expensive pair of pants that may or may not fit and that I may or may not be able to return.

But yesterday, I got lucky. I’d seen maternity jeans at Target before, but only in sizes far too small for me to squeeze into (8 and 10, which would be about sizes 4 and 6 in the USA). But the maternity wear gods must have smiled on me yesterday, because there they were – just one single pair of jeans in my size! I grabbed them and clutched them to my chest. I didn’t even check the price tag. Those puppies were MINE.

Today is the first day I’m wearing my precious jeans, and it is BLISS. Sweet, wonderful bliss! For the first time in months, my pants actually fit! Until now, I’d been using my old pants with a Belly Belt, but it wasn’t really doing the trick – yes, technically I could wear them, but the belt sat too low and I had to constantly pull them up. Today, the sun is shining, the birds are singing, my jeans are staying up all by themselves and I’m comfortable for the first time in months.

It's amazing what a new pair of pants can do for your outlook on life!

P.S. I want to send some very special birthday wishes to little Miss Libby, as Divasaur is being induced in just a few hours! Welcome to the world, little one and congratulations Mr & Mrs Divasaur!

And the winners of the Therafirm Preggers giveaway are...

Random.org gave us the winning numbers for our Therafirm Preggers giveaway...

Lucky number 1 was Robin!

And lucky number 5 was Patricia!

Congratulations, ladies! Send an email with your full name and address to pregosaur@gmail.com and we'll get your Preggers in the mail to you ASAP.

Thanks to everyone for entering the giveaway! 


BONUS! Therafirm is offering free trial products to anyone that fills out their quick survey (click here). Plus, participants will have another chance to receive a free product if they fill out their fit questionnaire!

Note to winners: please contact us within 7 days. If we don't hear from you, we will re-draw the prize. Thank you!

Last chance to enter the Therafirm Preggers giveaway!

The Therafirm Preggers giveaway is ending this Sunday - click here to enter!

Anxiously Awaiting the BIG Ultrasound!

Hi Everyone,

I called my midwife today for two reasons. The first was to find out what she thought about getting the H1n1 vaccine, but I got so preoccupied with my second question that i FORGOT to even ask! I accidentally mentioned wanting to find out an ultrasound appointment before the vaccine, and her response made me lose my train of thought completely. Apparently in my area the only hospital that I can go to (to find out the gender) refuses to do ultrasounds before twenty weeks, and even then they will only put the gender in the report if the baby happens to expose itself. So not only do I have to wait for what seems like forever, but I won't find out at the time for sure, and might not even find out at all! I guess whatever happens, happens, but now that I have finally decided that I DO want to know I REALLY want to know! I would love to find out tomorrow if I could! My girlfriend in the next province found out at eighteen weeks!

Anyway, I am still curious to know what my midwife thinks about this flu vaccine, and then I'm going to phone my family doctor and see what she thinks as well. I can't believe I forgot to ask when I had her on the phone!

I am getting very concerned about my lack of appetite. I am sixteen weeks now, and sometimes I just plain forget to eat! I had a third attack of almost fainting on Halloween, and had to force crackers down my throat just to get something in there. I am trying so hard to make sure the baby is getting some nutrients, but I think I'm doing a bad job. I can't stand the thought of cooking, and eating is almost as bad. I truly thought the "honeymoon period" was right around the corner, but good grief, this is almost as bad as I felt in the first couple of weeks! Not only am I not hungry, but the fatigue hasn't let up either, and I am trying to keep my spirits up but it feels like there is no end in sight. I need at least one day without a ridiculous headache.

I have had the first accusation of being moody as well. One of my husbands close friends informed me, after he had a couple of drinks, that I was being bitchy to his girlfriend. Oh goodness, and I didn't even know. I felt awful right away, and embarrassed too, as I am usually very careful not hurt people's feelings. I asked my husband how bad I have been, but sometimes I think he's almost a bit scared of me, so I can't take him saying I've "been pretty good" too seriously. I could tell he wanted me to ask him something else like how helpful I have been or something like that so he could tell me that I need to starting cooking and cleaning more. What a great man he is, but I just can't help myself being this tired and miserable, no matter how much I want to help him out. Working more than forty hours a week and trying to do school work is taking all the extra life I have at this point!

I want to be in love with this pregnancy and the whole experience SO badly. I have thought about the experience for so long and have always thought pregnancy is so beautiful, but wow what happens along with that miracle is taking alot to get used to. I would give anything just to feel normal for even a day again. I feel like the negative stuff is affecting how much I want to love this little life; which is totally unfair to it.

I despise being negative so I am going to end this positively! My adorable mother in law dropped off a whole bag of maternity clothes and some new (hopefully better) prenatal vitamins for me! What a cutie! I have been trying not to spend too much right away but apparently one pair of pants isn't enough. When she heard that she must have thought I was having financial problems or something. Haha she's so great!

I apologize if there are mistakes in this, but I don't have time to double check right now:)

Have a great day everyone!

Giveaway - two sets of Therafirm Preggers goodies!

I think it's time for another giveaway...don't you?!

The Prizes
Two (yes, two!) lucky winners will each receive a pair of pantyhose and pair of trouser socks from Therafirm's new Preggers line:

The Goodies
Here's what Therafirm has to say about their products:

Preggers is a new maternity compression product line. Compression during maternity helps to energize tired and achy legs and help reduce and prevent swelling. With our customer's help, we are trying to build a brand that meets all their needs. Individuals will be able to help chose our logo, packaging, colors, and styles. Our line will consist of pantyhose, tights, footless tights, a belly band, post partum compression garments and anything else our customers strongly want. We love the idea of our line being shaped by future moms for future moms.

And here's what our awesome Chocosaur had to add after reviewing them:

When I first started complaining of swelling during my pregnancy, I had a few friends suggest that I try some compression hose.  My swelling was still pretty mild, and it was the middle of the summer here so I wasn't too keen on trying them.  Fast forward to the third trimester when the swelling really started to hit me... I was asked to try out the products made by Therafirm, so I thought "Hey, why not? I've got nothing to lose."

Honestly, I was really skeptical as to whether or not some socks or pantyhose could really make any kind of difference with my swelling.  How could a piece of hosiery really reduce the swelling?  Well, the answer actually lies in something called gradient compression.  This type of technology applies greater pressure at the bottom near your ankles and gradually decreases as it moves up.  This increases blood flow in your legs, thereby decreasing the edema or swelling.

I put the trouser socks on as I was getting for work one morning.  By the time I was ready to walk out the door (about 30 minutes), I went to slip my shoes on and I was shocked to see that my shoes weren't so tight anymore! They actually fit more or less the same as they did before I was pregnant! I was astounded at what a difference there was in such a short period of time.

So, if you're on the fence about trying compression hosiery, I'd suggest you give it a try... your feet will thank you! 

The Ways to Enter
There are three different ways to enter - take your pick!

1. Become a follower of Pregosaur, and post a comment
2. Blog or twitter about this contest, and post a link along with a comment
   
3. Vote for Pregosaur on Top Baby Blogs by clicking this button: and then leave a comment
   

The Rules

• for this particular contest, the winner must have a mailing address in the USA
  
• only one entry per person, please
• the contest will end Sunday, November 8 at midnight (Pacific Time)
  
• the winners will be randomly selected and announced in a new post the next day - so make sure you check back in!

THE GIVEAWAY IS OVER! THANKS EVERYONE FOR ENTERING!

Shopping frustrations

I mentioned in my last post that I was going to go shopping for a few things this weekend, which I did. It was probably the worst shopping experience of my life.

First, the bras. It proved to be nearly impossible to find a wireless bra in my size! I don't know why, but the band/cup size I wanted was only available in a few styles, and most of those gave me severe torpedo boobs.

You could put someone's eye out with those things! I did finally find two bras that more or less fit. I say "more or less" because the bands are a bit on the snug side, but they weren't dreadfully uncomfortable and I figured that I could always buy a bra extender if the bands don't stretch enough. That said, they're stunningly unattractive and made me feel like an 85-year-old grandma. I actually cried a few tears of frustration in the changing room - blame the pregnancy hormones if you want, but I already feel so fat and unsexy that the ugly, frumpy bras just pushed me over the edge.

Next problem: a couple maternity shirts. Nothing fancy, just a few basic tops I can wear to work. Shouldn't be too hard, right? There aren't any dedicated maternity wear stores in my little town, but there are four department stores - two in my town, and two more in the next town over. One of them had no maternity section whatsoever. None. Nada. Nothing. Two of them had maternity sections that were one rack of clothes. I mean that literally: one double-sided rack at each store, about six feet long and four feet high, filled with 3/4 leggings and tank tops. Shockingly, at the last store (Target), there were two racks of clothes. Now, I have a question for whoever is the buyer for Target in Australia: what is up with the horizontal stripes on every maternity shirt you have in stock??? Look, I'm a chubby girl. And I'm pregnant. The LAST thing I want are stripes that make me look even wider than I already am, m'kay?

For the record, I think Jessica Simpson has a rockin' bod, so if she can't pull off these stripes, then *I* definitely can't.

Eventually I just bought two loose fitting regular shirts that are a size larger than what I currently wear - they're not stretchy enough to make it through the entire pregnancy, but they'll do for now. This strategy won't last forever though, because moving up a size means I'm at the top of the clothing range carried in regular Australian stores (size 18, which is about a size 14/16 in the USA). I could go to plus sizes, since we do have one plus-sized store in my town, but most of the stuff there is unflattering and tent-like (fashionable plus-size wear is still on the scarce side here, which is ironic considering that Australia actually has a higher rate of obesity per capita than the USA).

I'm just so frustrated right now! Is there anyone from Australia out there? If you don't live in a major city, can you tell me where you shop? I've looked online, but most of the maternity stores are ridiculously pricey (I don't want to pay $90 for a basic stretchy top - I'm cheap like that). I can buy from Australia's eBay, but I'm not very good at judging how something will look on me from a photo on a model, and their return policies are often less than friendly. Heeeeelllllp!

Coworkers and new shirts and big bras - oh my!

After the NT scan, my husband and I decided to come out of the closet at work. Frankly, I don't know how much longer we could have held out - Mr Bibliosaur was dying to tell the world, and my clothes are getting pretty snug; a few of my coworkers revealed that they'd suspected I was pregnant, although obviously they had no idea I was carrying twins and thought I was much farther along.


I wish I had a cute, clever story about how I told everyone, but I simply walked up to a coworker's desk (who is situated in a large open area surrounded by everyone else) and invited them to see the photoshoot I'd just been to - I whipped out the ultrasound photos and voila! The message was out instantly!

[shirt from here]

As a chubby girl, I always assumed I'd be able to hide a pregnancy until well into the second trimester, but twins have scrambled that plan - my fundal height is closer to 18 weeks than to 12 weeks (the highest twin is nice and cozy just below my belly button), my stomach is clearly rounded beyond where it used to be and my pants are uncomfortably tight. So while I originally wanted to hold out for another week until the official start of the second trimester, it was such a relief to let everyone know just this little bit sooner. And now I can stop trying to suck in my non-suckable tummy!

Speaking of my non-suckable tummy, I'm going shopping this weekend for a few new shirts and a pair of pants to cover it - most of my current shirts are getting too tight and short to cover everything, and my pants are swiftly becoming un-buttonable (I'm considering just getting one of these Belly Belt button extenders instead of buying pants - does anyone know if they work?).

I'm also going to scope out some bras, as my question about whether or not I should buy a few new ones for the rapidly expanding girls was decided for me yesterday, when the underwire in the bra I was wearing gave up the fight and snapped in two. Oops.

Someone told me that you shouldn't wear underwire bras when pregnant, as they can interfere with milk duct development...I thought they were only a problem when nursing - does anyone know if this is true, or just an old wives tale? Dr Google is useless, since I've found answers supporting both sides of the debate. I'm willing to go underwire-less if I need to, but since I find underwire bras significantly more supportive, I'd prefer to keep wearing them unless the wire is really a problem. If you know the answer, please let me know!

Is at Fourteen Weeks!

We got the results back from our first ultrasound finally! The verdict is healthy so far, but they explained that they don't actually look for very much other than measurements for the first ultrasound. It is mainly just to date the pregnancy. It was still encouraging to hear that everything looks normal so far though, and combined with my blood work they said we are the picture of health! Apparently after going through my family history and my own medical history my blood pressure is something to watch though. They had to take it three times to rule out the "white coat" syndrome.

The other extremely exciting news is that, thankfully, I am not a month ahead of where they thought I might be. This is good because I was worried that any small lifestyle mistakes could have affected the baby when I didn't know it was in there. However, I am a WEEK ahead of where I thought I was:) Soooooo... I am officially Fourteen Weeks! That seems so much more PREGNANT than before! I'm ecstatic because that means that my "honeymoon period" should be arriving any minute now and hopefully my headaches, fatigue, and loss of appetite will resolve themselves soon!

Also, during my appointment I also got to listen to the baby's heartbeat. I thought it would be a more profound experience than it was, but maybe I'm just not as emotional as I thought I would be. I thought I would tear up and it would be a BIG moment for me. I thought it was really neat, and it was just more proof that this little person is holding on real tight in there, and that's the part that means the most to me. Apparently, it's little heart is going about 160 beats a minute which is normal I'm told.

My husband and I were absolutely steadfast in our decision not to find out the gender of the baby..... until......my girlfriend said she was going to find out, and she finds out soon! Now I am on the fence! I don't really know what to do... I thought I would never change my mind, but now I am so curious and would rather be prepared than unprepared etc. It also gives family more information if they will be buying gifts or anything too.... Oh my, I am just really confused and I have to book the ultrasound soon in a different city if I want to find out the gender!

I feel much more positive about the whole experience of pregnancy now that I have more information about how the baby is doing. I really wish my headaches would go away though. My midwife said there is pretty much nothing I can do for migraines, but drink as much water as humanly possible. Which I have been doing, but I feel like I have been plagued with them since the day I found out I was pregnant! I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer, but the headaches are really affecting the experience for me, and I hope they go away soon. I don't know how much longer I can be a good employee and grit my teeth through these each day when I just want to be at home in the dark with ice on my head.

Good news though! I bought my first pair of maternity pants! They are a bit too big, but oh my goodness are they comfortable! After wearing my Lulu's to work three days in a row I kind of figured I was going to get a talking to about my office wear. Our office is business casual, but yoga pants are stretching it! So... even though it's still a bit early I thought it was more important to just suck it up and do it. I got a cute pair of jeans and I think they will last for a while. They even make them the right length for me, and I have trouble finding my length everywhere else!

Shopping Spree!

A couple of weeks ago, I received such a wonderful gift, I'm still amazed by it.

It started with a simple girl's lunch with my best friend Lindsey and her mom, who's long been a second mom to me. I met at their house, and we went out to a local tex-mex restaurant. In the middle of enjoying my taco salad, Lindsey told me there was a reason they brought me out today. They had a surprise for me. Knowing how much stress I'd been under, dealing with my father's cancer, they wanted to do something nice for me - to pamper me and make me feel special.

The surprise? They took me on a maternity clothes shopping spree! They'd even scouted out the best locations in the area for affordable, stylish maternity clothes. Of course, I started crying when they told me. I still can't believe how blessed I am to have people in my life that care enough to take care of me like this!

After lunch, we headed to the mall, and our destination:



I spent a few minutes just looking around the store. It wasn't a huge space, but they sure did pack a lot of great clothes in that store! After getting the lay of the land, I started picking out clothes to try on and filling up the dressing room. Once I felt like I had enough options laid out, I headed to the dressing room to start trying on clothes. First up? My best friend helped me put on the belly pillow. Here I am freaking out about seeing how big I was with that thing on!

Here's one of the outfits I tried on. (I got used to the belly pretty quickly).


(I got the sweater, but left the jeans for another trip. I focused on getting clothes I could wear to work, since I mostly hang out in comfy clothes on the weekend.)

When all was said and done, I walked out with five tops and three pairs of pants - and didn't spend a cent. It was such a blessing, and one that will carry through the rest of my pregnancy (and a bit beyond, as I work on fitting back into my old clothes afterward!).

I'm at fifteen weeks now...after the shopping trip, I threw caution to the wind and just started rocking my maternity clothes early. Let me tell you, I am so glad I did! Maternity pants are the greatest invention since sliced bread. Hooray!

Busting Out

I was pretty lucky in that my morning sickness never progressed to anything more than a general, mild feeling of nausea. Furthermore, it only lasted for 4 weeks. It was over before my first trimester ended, which was great because went on a little babymoon and I would have hated being sick the entire time.

By the end of my first trimester I could no longer zip up any of my pants, and decided to invest in a few key pieces of maternity wear, mainly bottoms. Some women really like the bella band, but I heard that it can ride up and down on your belly if you are sitting down and standing up a lot. I'm constantly up and about, mostly standing, but often sitting at work for brief moments so I didn't think the bella band would work for me. Instead, I just opted to go straight to maternity clothes. I have to say that I absolutely love the stretch in maternity bottoms - why don't they make all clothes like this?! The only regret I've heard from other pregnant women is that they wish they had gotten into maternity clothes sooner! They are so much more comfortable. Every woman is different... some need them sooner, others don't need them until later. If you need them sooner, don't hesitate to buy them... as soon as your bottoms start to feel snug, get some maternity clothes! I promise you will be so much happier in them! Plus, just think about how much more use you'll be getting out of them if your purchase them sooner rather than later.

One of my major clothing purchase regrets was not buying a new bra sooner! I was trying really hard to wait on buying new bras because I didn't want to find myself buying several different sizes throughout my pregnancy. I heard that you can expect a lot of growth in the third trimester, and then even more growth once your milk comes in. So I was literally busting out of my regular bras for quite some time before I finally broke down and bought some newer, larger bras.


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I have to say that I was soooooo much more comfortable once I was wearing the appropriately sized bras! (Duh, right?!) By the end of my first trimester, I had already gone from a B cup to a D cup! I always thought that the majority of mammary development occured towards the end of the pregnancy but I guess I was wrong! So, take my advice - when your bra starts feeling too small, please go out and buy the next size up, don't wait and be uncomfortable for weeks like I did. Let's just hope I don't go up too many more sizes during the rest of my pregnancy, though, because I don't want to be spending more on bras than maternity wear!

Seventeen Weeks

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I am seventeen weeks pregnant and in full nest mode! This week I am working with my mom on getting the baby's room ready. Right now it's used as our office. But soon it will be ready for baby (although one side of the room will still be used as an office until next summer). I have made some more decisions about the gear we need and have updated my registry with Amazon.com .

We're going with BabyMod Cadence 4-in-1 crib in Honey Oak and Colgate Classica I Foam Crib Mattress in White. Both are rated well for safety and fit our budget. Now the question is...do we order them soon? I chose Honey Oak for the crib since it matches some other furniture we already own that we're re-purposing for the nursery. I also like that it is non-drop side...safer for baby and fine for us...we're tall (I am 5'9" and Mr. Divasaur is 6'3").

What's super cool about the Amazon Registry is this Universal Wish Registry application that allows you to add any item, from any retail web site to your registry at Amazon! So I've used it to add Indian Cotton Prefolds from CottonBabies.com to my registry. Too cool!

And here's my first bump pic (since "popping" last week):

I am rocking the glasses 24/7 now because my eyeballs are rejecting my contact lenses.

Good thing I got some great deals on gently used maternity wear from eBay and last weekend at the Just Between Friends event. While there, I picked up two pairs of jeans, a pair of black slacks for work and 3 work tops for $65! Once the weather cools off a bit I will definitely be sporting it all. Let's just say that Politisaur's last post has scared the hell out of me! Thankfully, I am feeling more energized and have no more nausea, so I can get on my treadmill. My goal is to do 20-30 minutes at a moderate pace (about 2 miles/hour) at least 3-4 times a week. Oddly enough, even though my belly has expanded, I am still three pounds lighter than my pre-pregnancy weight.

By the way, I highly recommend Just Between Friends. It was very cool...I got in early as a first-time mom and took my mom with me. We were there for three hours! The first hour I swore off all things "girlie" but by the end I had broken down and did get some newborn and 0-3 outfits that are definitely for a girl. The prices were so good (many items were lots of 2-3 things for $4-$5) I figured if, by chance, it turns out that we're not having a girl (we should know for sure at our Big U/S on 09.11.09) that I could always resell them at the next JBF event. Oh and I got the cutest little boots that look like pale pink Ugg Boots! What else?

A red snowsuit from the Gap (can be used for a girl or a boy and a must-have for our chilly February and March weather here); a Boppy Pillow; a My Brest Friend Nursing Pillow; a bunch of crib sheets, swaddling blankets and blanket sleepers; a Lionheart Wipes Warmer (still in the box); baby bath towels; lap pads (waterproof); five footed sleepers; and about eight one-piece daytime outfits and a couple of two-piece outfits. All for about $150! So I am set when it comes to the baby's newborn layette. No clothing needed until 3-6 months and beyond! This Saturday is the last day and everything will be 50% off so we may go back and try to snag a bottle warmer for cheap and a car seat stroller frame. They had them there for as little as $25!

While researching baby gear, it also dawned on me that I would like a collection of books for our children that include our favorites but that also include some stories with characters/families that look like us (interracial). Sadly, there's not a ton out there! But I did find this:

Black, White, Just Right! by Marguerite W. Davol

I added it to our registry, along with some other books that I like. I want our kids to love books and reading and we plan to ready to them every night as part of their bedtime routine. We'll utilize the local public library too, but I would like a small collection of books that we own at home.

So our Little Being is all set! Here's what's happening with her this week:

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Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

Fourteen Weeks

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Today marks my 14th week of pregnancy...officially in the second trimester. I am feeling a little better than I have in past weeks. Nausea only hits a few times of the week and usually just before bed. I still get tired, but am not napping for 2+ hours after work in the evenings. I think I have gained some of my weight back (I lost 11 lbs. in the first trimester) but I am not overly worried since I am still under my starting weight. With my travels for work last week, I was eating larger portions and catered food, so who knows what the sodium and fat counts were in all of that banquet food? Now that I am home again, I am definitely upping the fresh veggies and fruits, lean proteins, whole grains and watching added fats and sodium. Now that I am feeling better, I plan to walk on my treadmill 30 minutes/day. I was doing that consistently before my BFP, but not really since. So I will take it slow and get back into the habit.

Other than that, I am just plugging along. I find that I am less anxious these days and am enjoying just feeling good about the pregnancy and our Little Being on the way. I am sure the anxiety will rear it's head again before he/she arrives, but it's nice not be feeling so worried these days. My body is changing and I cannot quite decide if my regular pre-pregnancy chub has actually transformed itself into a baby bump. My belly is definitely firmer than before and any semblance of an actual waistline is nearly gone. Still, I have a "B" belly rather than a "D" Belly.

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Many plus size women experience this "B" or "double belly" where the part of the abdomen above the belly button protrudes as does the part below the belly button, the middle (where the belly button is) goes in a bit, so that the side profile is a "B" rather than a "D" that is typically how we're used to seeing baby bumps pictured. My "B" is inching ever closer to that "D" shape and with a fitted tank top (with some spandex in it) it most certainly smooths out into a more rounded shape.

I am still wearing my pre-preg clothes, although they fit differently than before and I know it's only a matter of time before I am ditching them for my maternity wear. I have managed to score some great items from eBay. For about $50 I have a various assortment of slacks, capris and pants for work as well as some cute tops and a couple of sweaters. I am going to wait a little while longer and then spring for maternity jeans. I hope I can find plus size and tall...we shall see. Unfortunately, most designers haven't figured out that not only do plus size women get knocked up, but when they do, they aren't all under 5'6"! Don't even get me started on this rant...I was so bummed last week when I was Baby's R Us and found their maternity section, which had a lot to offer. Unfortunately, nothing was larger than a size Large and most were Mediums and Smalls. So disheartening. Thank goodness for eBay and my plus sized sisters who generously offer their gently used items a great prices. It's been my saving grace, really!

So, here's what's happening with our Little Being this week, according to BabyCenter:

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This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.

In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

Next week, Mr. Divasaur and I get to see our Little Being on the u/s. I will also get the Triple Screen test. We shall see about that lack of anxiety then! Until now, I am going to stick with being content and enjoying the beginnings of my real baby bump.

Ten Weeks

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Today I am ten weeks pregnant. I cannot believe I am nearly done with the frist trimester. I am in the home stretch! After our next appointment, on July 16, I plan to tell my coworkers and finally make that Facebook announcement! Hopefully our u/s pic will look like a real baby this time!

I am such an open person that keeping this secret has been a killer. Not that it's been a real secret. We told our family and closest friends about our BFP five days after getting it. That said, I have been neglecting my other, personal blog, because I haven't had much to chat about besides being knocked up! I cannot wait to get back to blogging on my personal blog and updating our friends and family about our Little Being. We bring in treats to the office all the time, so I am thinking of getting pink and blue frosted cupcakes and bringing them to work and then sending a little email notice like, "I had a craving today and decided to share...help yourself to the goodies in the kitchen." Maybe I'll make little flags for the cupcakes that "Special Delivery Expected 02.02.10." What do you think?

That said, at ten weeks pregnant I am still wearing my regular clothes, although they're fitting a little differently these days. I have dropped 11 lbs. since getting my BFP, but even still, my waistline is thicker and my boobs are fuller which makes my clothing fit snugger. I actually wore my first pair of maternity bottoms last week. A lovely pair of cotton knit gauchos. So comfy! I hoping to stay in my regular clothes through the end of summer and then move into mat wear. We shall see about that.

The thought of buying plus sized maternity wear is not appealing to me in the least. To be honest, it's only in the past 5-7 years that clothing manufacturers have stepped up their plus sized offerings! As I look at options for pregnant women who wear a size 14+ it's depressing. Lots of black or loud pattered items. Everything is polyester. YUCK. When will clothing makers realize that curvy girls date, fall in love, get married and yes, have babies? In my next life I am totally going to design cute, stylish, well made/fabricated clothes from bridal gowns to vacation wear and everything in between for my plus sized sisters. It's a shame there aren't more options available, because there is a real market for it. Rant over.

Here's what's happening with my Little Being this week, from BabyCenter:

Though he's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

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Blondiesaur Babbling

I have so many things going through my mind I think it might be easiest just to do a bullet point blog entry rather than trying to pick just one of the random pregnancy related things going through my head:

• My 3rd and final beta came in at 2,655 @17DPO. Some people are trying to convince me those are twin numbers; I'm trying to ignore those suggestions.


• I've got a blotchy rash on the back of my right hand, could be something pregnancy related or just another in a long line of randomly unidentifiable allergies for me.


• My hair is greasy, ew. Normally I can wash my hair every other day, not so much now. Even when I loved grunge, I didn't love greasy hair, it's not a good look.


• My IBS has flared up and I've got a bloat induced muffin top which leads me to my last point.


• In the UK the Gap supposedly only carries maternity jeans up to a size US12. While these fit they are tight in my thighs. The woman tried to tell me I need a size UK18. I tried on a UK18 at a different chain store and they fell off. Thank you shop lady for giving me more qualms about my body I didn't need.

Monday is a holiday here and I don't have to work, so we've decided to take a mini-break to Loch Fyne, famous for oysters and mussels. Besides needing to make sure I have a swimsuit that fits (I have an obsession with swimming pools & my honeymoon bikinis wouldn't have fit before pregnancy anyway), I am very excited for an overnight away and some relaxing.

One GREAT thing about being KTFU

Went maternity clothing shopping for the first time today. And all I can say is... Goodbye 34B. HELLO 36C!

Seriously.

And my new bra from Spanx is soooo comfortable I am hoping I'll get to keep this size for a while longer. Bra-llelujah!

First stop: A Pea in a Pod. Fabulous clothing! Yummy! But, oh my goodness, watch your wallet! I tried on some designer jeans that you, um, pull up. Love it.

Also tried on some adorable kelly green dresses and tried to talk my shopping gal pal into letting me splurge $125 on a particular knock-out of a dress... She said no, I'd get bigger and it might not fit and did I really want to spend $125 on a dress for a few months? Good friend.

Purchases: One adorable v-neck red tee with rucheting on the sides, $42. One fabulous new bra for my new bust, $62.

Next stop: Motherhood Maternity. Cute clothing! Not quite as cute as Pea in a Pod but OMG soooo much more affordable. Plus, they size the clothing large so that I fit the size Small without a problem, therefore making me happy and in a mood to buy stuff.

The only downside is that their pants all have bubble butt. Seriously, is my butt supposed to get as big as my belly? I do not understand these kinds of pants! Too bad, because the pants at this store were MUCH cheaper, like $30 vs. $200.

Purchases: One super cute lavender pleated top with a tie around the bust to show off my soon-to-be belly, $35. One bright fushia pink cotton tee with rucheting on the sides, $25. One super classy, very comfortable black dress for work or cocktail parties, $30. Three comfy spandex tank tops to wear to bed (these growing ladies HURT) or under tops and over my undone pants, $15 each. Package of maternity thong undies that turned out to be way too big, $11.

Also tried on but did not buy this lavender top, this cute grey tee, this nice navy top and this breezy pink summer dress and this beaded red dress.

Whew. What a day! I am wiped out! But I can't wait to wear that new bra tomorrow!