4th quarter stretch

30 weeks down, 10 to go. Here I am, posing for the obligatory belly shot:

Seems like a good time to take one, before the 4th quarter "stretching" begins. Ha ha.

I also thought I'd share a few tips on maternity clothes, since I was looking for info when I was at the stage of outgrowing my regular clothes. I did have a few clothes left over from my previous pregnancies, but many I had given away or loaned out, and the rest, well, let's face it. Most things are pretty out of style after 5-8 years!

I wanted to be fairly modest about what I purchased, so I bought mostly pants and just a few tops. I've been able to use a lot of tops, elastic-waist skirts, and jersey dresses from my regular wardrobe which has been great. My options are thinning as I get bigger, but hey- only 10 weeks left! People can forgive me for wearing the same things all the time for that long.

So, in the photo above I am wearing a pair of dress slacks I bought from A Pea in a Pod. Their pants fit me the best by far (they have a what they call a "secret-fit belly panel" that is very comfortable to wear.) I needed dressier clothes because of my job, and even though I wasn't able to find these on sale, they were worth the money since I wear them once a week at least.

I'm also wearing an open cardi from Anthropologie. I have several cardis like this and they make a great transitional wardrobe item.

And here is another photo of me modeling my favorite (and only) pair of maternity jeans:

I bought and then returned 2 other pairs of more expensive jeans before I found these. I found them at the Expected maternity boutique in Fort Union. They carry a few pricey high end brands also, but the brand I really liked was the more affordable Lilac line. These jeans were long enough for a change, stretchy, and super comfy. I got them on sale for about half of one of the other pairs I had purchased and returned. Lilac specializes in maternity clothes that can be transitional (worn after your pregnancy too). These jeans do have a fabric belly panel, but they also have an elastic band on the inside that can be tightened, much like those they put in kids pants these days. How cool is that?

I also bought 2 shirts at Expected; the red patterned shirt in the jeans photo and the white shirt in the top photo. Both were on sale (even better!) and both have ruching on the sides, so I do think I will try them after pregnancy as well.

Hope that info is helpful to all you newly-preggos out there!