Dear baby: Weeks 25 & 26

I finally caught up on my baby diaries last weekend. It's hard to believe that we're so close to the third trimester!

What I Wore Sunday

Stephen was off work today and it was a balmy 12 degrees (instead of the norm lately, -10) so we snapped a couple pics after mass. I'm finding that I have less options as my belly grows, but leggings and a tunic plus a big scarf are always a good idea. And speaking of leggings, these are the best I've ever found (they trump Lululemons and come recommended by Britt).

This past week was one of my roughest thus far (the week I was in the hospital trumps of course). All the nights of troubled sleeping started to get to me (my new pregnancy pillow is helping some but is no miracle worker). Coupled with a couple stressful life things that aren't really worth writing about, I was an emotional wreck. Poor Stephen bore the brunt of it. I also discovered what pregnancy brain is; I started off the week pre-rounding on the wrong patient in the ICU (so I basically gathered 45 minutes of data on the wrong patient and then realized that I had 10 minutes to see my actual patient before rounds). I then somehow lost my phone in a parking lot; fortunately we live in a small town and it eventually made its way to some kind lady who called "Mom cell" and 15 minutes later I was picking my phone up at the local bowling alley (still trying to figure out how it ended up there). The worst part of the week, though, was feeling the baby move much, much less on Friday night and Saturday. It's probably just because I got used to feeling him move almost constantly last week (and because I'm overly anxious lately), but I woke up in the middle of the night Friday and panicked that he didn't seem to be moving. I got up, listened to his heart with my Doppler (like any normal pregnant almost-doctor I guess) which sounded just fine. I still wasn't reassured so I drank a glass of orange juice (resulting in four more bathroom trips that night) and laid on my side until I felt him kicking again. Today he was thankfully back to his normal crazy self.

It's all worth it for our little boy, of course, and I'm determined that this week will be much better. I started exercising more regularly again, 20 minutes on the elliptical and 20-30 minutes of pregnancy Pilates which I'm hoping to continue this week. Crossing my fingers that it helps with the sleeping (and to curb the four pounds I gained in the last two weeks).

26 + 2 weeks

Scarf: Etsy

Tunic: Old Navy ($7! not online anymore but they have some similar maternity tunics)

Leggings: Zella (the best)

Boots: Sorel Joan of Arctic

Linking it up with FL&P.

Five Favorites: Wearing lately

I'm in this awkward phase at 23 weeks/5 days where my noticeable bump isn't quite right for some maternity clothes but very little of my pre-pregnancy wardrobe looks or fits right (including my ultra-warm winter coat which is getting ridiculously tight over the belly but I refuse to give up in this arctic weather). Also a disclaimer that I didn't want to turn this blog into all things baby/maternity...but blogs follow the relevant things in our lives I guess. Before I was pregnant I *mostly* ignored blogs that went the baby/maternity way but now I've been eating them up and many of the blogs I followed religiously pre-pregnancy have gone unread for months...

Anyways, on to what I've been wearing lately:

1. J. Crew Maternity Minnie (non-maternity version): I purchased a pair of these at 30% off early in the pregnancy. They are definitely a splurge, but I think will end up being worth it because of how much I've worn them. The best part about these pants is that they worked for me in the first trimester before I gained any weight but my normal pants were uncomfortable against my sensitive stomach, and they still work now as I approach the end of the second trimester. I wore these to lots of pre-interview residency dinners and they're great for everyday too. I also think I'll be wearing them post-partum (thanks to the versatile side panels). The burgundy color is gorgeous.

2. J. Brand Mama J jeans: My other maternity splurge (and I don't plan to splurge on anything else...not worth it for clothes that can be worn only temporarily). These were worth it since I literally tried tons of other maternity jeans which either slipped right down (those darn over-belly panels), didn't fit right, or looked like mom jeans (no pun intended). These jeans are practically better than my pre-pregnancy jeans and the side panels are so much better for jeans than the over-belly ones (at least for me). These are also something that I should be able to wear the rest of the pregnancy and afterward.

3. J. C. Penney wide leg trousers: These were a Christmas gift from my mom and I love them. They fit perfectly, the panel is comfy and doesn't slip, and they look like my pre-pregnancy work pants. I wore them with my suit blazer to my last few residency interviews and I wear them to the clinic constantly. Actually, I wore them 6 days in a row last week (I did wash them in between) because they are just so darn comfortable.

4. Stretchy long sleeve tees: The striped one is from Gap (non-maternity version) and the solid is from Motherhood (I own four of them - buy one get one free). These tees are nice and long and have been a wardrobe staple for me. The Gap one is arguably my favorite maternity shirt and the solid ones prompted my sisters to ask if they were J. Crew (they are a maternity replica of the J. Crew gold button painter tee).

5. Non-maternity staples: I owned lots of open cardis before pregnancy which has definitely come in handy (I own and recommend these J. Crew Factory ones). The grey tunic sweater is from Vicky's and a great length for leggings with plenty of room for a preggo belly (these run huge - I originally ordered one size up and had to exchange since Stephen said they looked like a tent). 

I'm sure that as I grow some of my staples will change (one of my friends told me that to enjoy the 'cute belly' stage before it gets huge) but I'm happy for now that most of these are similar to what I wore pre-pregnancy and super versatile to mix and match.

Linking it up with Hallie on this frigid Wednesday morning.

15 weeks + Quick Takes

 Dress: J. Crew clearance/Cardi: Gap (4 yrs old)/Shoes: J. Crew Factory

1. Here's 15 weeks! There's definitely something there, although I still think it's hard for the random passerby to tell that I'm pregnant. A shift dress is not a good choice if you're trying to not look pregnant, but I didn't have another option (that still fit) for my honor society dinner on Thursday so this J. Crew origami sheath dress was it, pregnant or not.

2. You never know how people will react to a pregnancy, especially those in the medical profession. At the awards dinner Thursday, I overheard my mother-in-law mention that I was expecting to the older female physician sitting at our table, who responded with (a sarcastic-sounding) "Well, that's one way to start off her career." This physician had a very successful career but never had any children, which seems to be a fairly common trend with women in medicine. Reflecting on this later made me hope that family will always come first to me over my career.

3. Some pictures from my brother-in-law's wedding last weekend. Neither Stephen's tux nor my dress fit particularly well.  Empire waists never worked well for me pre-pregnancy, but with the added pregnancy chest expansion it was almost unbearable ha. On the drive to the wedding I read Stephen part of the men's chapter in What to Expect When You're Expecting, which ascertains that men can experience pregnancy symptoms with their wives including weight gain. This prompted Stephen to blame his tight tux on the pregnancy (I'm still skeptical).

4. My sister subscribed me to this for my birthday and I just got the first issue:

5. This past week, I craved sushi with a passion, and poor Stephen had to deal with sushi twice during our travels. This sushi is from my absolute favorite place in Lansing, although I have to admit that the non-raw variety is just not the same (also I did not eat all of this myself).

 

6. I haven't worn jeans for weeks and after several non-successful maternity jean orders, I'm starting to wonder if I'm resigned to leggings the rest of this pregnancy. I did order these and these when H&M had a 30% off sale last week so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that one of them will work. Any suggestions?

7. I'm now 6 residency interviews down with at least 7 more to go (I have more than that scheduled but am planning on canceling my January ones). They've gone well so far I think, and my suit pants still fit so I'm counting myself lucky (crossing my fingers that they last one more month). My favorite places so far were Chicago, Mayo, and St. Louis Mercy (of course). I'll be heading to the east coast soon for a couple and am excited to check out Hopkins. More updates to come...

Happy weekend! Linking up with Jen.

What I Wore Sunday

Sweater: Gap

Chambray and pearls: J. Crew Factory

Skirt: J. Crew

Boots: Steve Madden via Amazon Warehouse

So I was planning to wear this lovely mustard skirt today for one last hurrah before it's retirement until next year post-baby. It zipped happily, but I unfortunately could barely sit down in it. The striped pencil still fits fine, although I'm guessing not for long...

This was supposed to be a study weekend for me. I'm taking my boards in less than a month and I've been less than focused. Now that I'm in the second trimester, I'm actually feeling well (other than a little fatigue) so my only excuse is that I've been distracted lately. Very distracted. Thinking about the baby and what he or she will look like, what his or her name will be...worrying about potential things that could go wrong with the pregnancy...and pondering my decisions for next year as I get ready for another slew of residency interviews this week and face starting residency with a newborn.

So I did what any sensible medical student would do: put down the books and headed to Ulta to take advantage of their $20 gel manicure special. I can count on one hand the number of manicures that I've gotten in my lifetime, but I figured that I had a good excuse with my interviews this week and Stephen's brother's wedding (which I'm in) on Saturday. It was my first experience getting a gel manicure and I'm sold.

I also picked up some fun travel-size toiletries for my carry-on. 

Pregnancy randomness: The belly is growing. Unfortunately I'm at that awkward stage where I look like I've put on some weight in le belly instead of looking preggo. It still amazes me that my weight hasn't changed one bit but none of my clothes fit right. Baby's heart is going strong per my morning Doppler time. Cravings include grapefruit, any type of herbal tea, and baked Ruffles. I started this prenatal workout and really like it; I also went to Zumba today for the first time in ages (it felt great...and I kept picturing the little babe inside me dancing with my crazy Zumba moves).

Stephen and I just got back from mass and now I need to pack so I can leave on a jet plane tomorrow. The next three days = three flights and three interviews so I'll be praying that I make all my connections, and that my bridesmaid dress still fits on Saturday despite my growing bump and various pre-interview residency dinners (ha). 

Linking up with Fine Linen and Purple.