My Day Shopping

So Jeff and I are still in the process of getting our house ready to sell. I thought that's what we would be doing all weekend, but we're both a little burned out, and Jeff has been struggling with what we think might be a sinus infection for a few days now. Since Jeff was down and out this weekend, I decided it would be a great time to go out and do some maternity clothes shopping. My wardrobe is getting sad. I literally have just a few items I can (kinda) wear.

My plan was to set out to some discount stores to find some jeans and work pants that fit from the waist down, and then add a panel to those jeans myself. The stuff in the maternity stores is so out of date, and they are styled for women who are in their late 30's and on their third or fourth kid. Needless to say I have been feeling a little desparate. I thought my new plan would take me somewhere.....

My mom happened to call when I was formulating my plan of what to hit first, and she said she would come along for the ride. I only intended to be out for a few hours, but 9 hours later I finally found myself working my way home. You might think that meant I found great success, but unfortunately no. The stores I hit searching for cheap pants to change into panel pants were fruitless. My mom and I spent hours in a store called Burlington which is about 3 notches down on the totem pole from a store like Ross (don't get me wrong, I love Ross, but the quality of cleanliness and people in the store aren't always bearable for long periods of time). My mom was the super shopper and searched through rack after rack for pants for me to try on. I think I tried on about 30 items. We found a couple of items that worked (but I'll still have to add a panel), and after a long stay in the checkout line, we finally got out of there.

Our last stop was the Mimi Maternity section at our local Macey's. Here I found a little more promise. There were a bunch of jeans I actually liked, but unfortunately, only one pair fit me good. I'm thinking I will be living in these jeans for the next few months. I love them! I plan to hit that store a few more times in the next couple of months and see if they get anything new in. It definately showed the most promise. I'll post a pic of some a my finds after I convert them to panel pants. I'm sure it's not as exciting to the reader as it is to me, but I'm just thrilled to have something that doesn't hurt my belly to wear (I'm sure little man is too, he's always kicking me where my waistband hits, and as soon as I adjust it, he stops)!

A special thanks goes out to my mom for coming with me yesterday. She was a shopping All-star! I probably wouldn't have found anything without her help and "vision." Thanks Mom!

One stop that we did make during the day was to take a peek at the bedding set Jeff and I are leaning towards for the crib. My mom liked it, but thought that for the price we could maybe do better. We happened to stop by a fabric store after that, and there magic happened!

We found fabric exactly like the fabric in the bedding set Jeff and I like, plus complimentary fabrics that look even better than the ones in the set. I was getting so excited. I think I want to make my own bedding stuff (they have simple patterns for it), and I think I could make a super expensive looking set for much less than any of those store bought ones. Plus it will be tailored to my style. I don't like all the babyish stuff with baby animals, or little cartoon trains. I like the look to be fabric based--styled around a fabric that makes a statement.

The other thing I like about the idea is that since I will have access to the fabric, I can incorporate the fabric into various accessories for the room such as a diaper hanger, picture frames, wall accents, pillows, etc. I think that this might solve my issue of not being able to "nest" since we don't know if we'll be in this house long or not. I would like to paint the walls of the nursery in a decorative way, but I don't want to commit any potential buyers to a nursery either. By adding all the custom accents, I think I can come up with a complete nursery without having to touch the walls. I am so energized with the idea.

Jeff on the other hand needs a little more convincing. I'm hoping to take him up to show him the fabric in person today or tomorrow. He seems skeptical, but the pieces that need to be made are actually very basic. I'll cross my fingers that I can convince him. That or I'll just throw a pregnancy tantrum and cry. JK .

Here is a pic of the fabrics together. Keep in mind that the picture does not capture any of the textures (each one is different), or any of the actual colors. I'm adding it just because it can give you an "idea" of what I'm looking at. In real life they are gorgeous together!