Jeans Day!!

Last Friday of the month = Jeans days at work.  (oh, the small things in life)

Since the only maternity jeans I have are capris and I can't wear those to work, I figured I'd give my pre-prego jeans a shot.  Yay!!  They still fit!!  (again....the small things)

Let's be serious though....they are about a few months past the point of being able to be buttoned and about the same on the zipper (can only make it about an inch or so up) - so I'm depending on my belly band and my long maternity shirt to prevent from exposing my dainties underneath. 

But...with all the changes going on with my body and my ever-expanding belly (and let's face it - ass and hips and legs and arms and chin(s)...), it's hard to tell how much things have changed since I'm pretty much wearing an entirely different wardrobe.   So good to know my thighs haven't exploded so much that I can't fit in my normal clothes.....[happy dance!]

Late Night Cuddles

Tressel sure loves to cuddle......

Yes....since we don't have an actual human baby to take care of and show off by taking a million pictures, we are 'those' people that like to show of their puppy.....Tressel won't know what hit him once William gets here.

Is Breastfeeding 'Creepy'???

While googling baby related stuff on the internet today, I stumbled upon this article from The New York Times.  I've definitely heard and read opinions about women that don't feel comfortable breastfeeding or have made the conscious choice to bottle feed....but depicting breastfeeding as unnatural and "creepy"?  Seriously??

Read for yourself:  Is Breastfeeding Creepy?

I understand that in the culture we live in today has sexualized the breasts so much, that a woman who makes the decision to breastfeed, and does so in public, is sometimes not appreciated by all.  However, by saying that breastfeeding is "creepy" because the "fun bags" are part of your sexuality and your lover should be the one with his (or her) mouth upon it instead of your nursing child.....just makes you sound a little ignorant, I think.  A women's breasts are there to serve that purpose - of providing nourishment to your child. [if you so wish to have a child]  If there is anything more natural than that, please, fill me in. 

Understandably there are plenty of women who make the decision not to breastfeed - medication or medical reasons, adoption, unable to produce milk or to successfully feed, bottle feeding is convenient or just the overall decision to not.  These are all valid reasons and that's the wonderful thing about a woman to be able to decide what is best for herself and her baby.  But painting a picture that it is "creepy"....I still can't get my head around that one.

Daydreaming About a Boy.....

Adam and I have made it kind of a ritual - each night we might sit on the couch and daydream and talk about what we imagine our lives and our son will be like....

What color eyes will he have?

What color hair will he have?  Will he be born with any hair at all?

Will he have big lips like mommy and daddy?

We can probably guess he'll have long fingers and toes like his mama.

Imagining holding him for the first time...

It's becoming the best part of my day....

My First Cloth Diaper Order!

OK, so I'm well aware that William is not coming for another few months, but with all the research and information I've been gathering about cloth diapers, I get more and more excited everyday!  So today, I placed my first order for cloth diapers!

Since Adam and I have been talking about doing cloth diapers, there have been dozens of people that tell us we are crazy and how hard they are and that we shouldn't do it.  If you know me at all, this only fuels my excitement because now I have multiple motivations - 1) cloth diapers = green option, 2) cloth diapers = cheaper option, 3) I want to just to show everyone else I can!  What can I say, reverse psychology works for me.

There are several reasons I placed my first order today - I want to be able to hold and look at and see what I'm getting into (Yes, with all my research, I've never actually found ANYONE around me that uses them to be able to see it for myself) and another reason is so I can actually show those naysayers what a 'modern day' cloth diaper actually is.  They have absolutely come a long way since folded cloth diapers, safety pins and rubber pants.

My first order consisted of three different cloth diapers. I'll start slow...

• Bum Genius 4.0 one-size (I got the new kind with snaps instead of hook and loop closure)
• Bum Genius Elemental one-size  (this is an organic all-in-one diaper)
• FuzziBunz one-size (pocket diaper)

So when each of these says "one-size", it means just that - the diapers are adjustable (different levels of snaps) to fit newborn to potty training.  I think we might have to wait and see what happens and how big William is to decide if this will really work with a newborn without being TOO bulky.  Since we don't exactly have "petite" babies in our family - I'm already having nightmares of popping out a 12 pound William - or as my mom is already lovingly calling him...."Bubba."  (and expecting to leave the hospital in clothes meant for a 3-6 month old.....yikes.....)

So no, this isn't exactly shopping for shoes or purses, but holy moly, I can't wait for that package in the mail with the first cloth diapers!!!  I'm THAT excited!!!

[ADDITION 7/27/10 - OK...I'm just as bad at online shopping as in store shopping....I can't make my purchases and get from the register to the door until I find something else I want!  I added a Thirsties Diaper Cover and a cloth diaper snappi!!!]

I will definitely post pictures when they arrive!!

This leads me to my survey of the week - What do YOU think of cloth diapers??

Yummy! - Bruschetta

I am definitely not much of an adventurous chef - I've always been quite a picky eater, but I'm getting a lot better, I swear!  Most of the things that I cook are things I've gotten from my mom or recipes from other people or cookbooks.  I've never been very good at creating unique recipes for myself - I'm still not. 

I do have one of my fave things to make (and eat!).  I love bruschetta!  I love ordering it at restaurants and I especially love making it!  Here's my version that's delicious and super easy!

You'll Need:

• Tomatoes (I prefer roma tomatoes)
• Green Onions
• Garlic (optional)
• Olive Oil
• Goat Cheese - trust me, if you don't think you'll like goat cheese, give it a chance!  (you can find it in the specialty cheese case at the grocery)
• Bread - I prefer ciabatta (you can use anything you like!)
• Salt/Pepper

Chop tomatoes and green onion (and garlic) and mix together.  Add a tablespoon of olive oil (more or less, depending on how many tomatoes you used).  Season with salt and pepper.

Slice bread and spread (or crumble) goat cheese onto it.  Top with tomato mix.  Bake at 425 degrees for 12-14 minutes - until bread becomes toasted and cheese is softened.

The bread will be toasty and the goat cheese will be melted and it's delicious!  The combo of sweet tomatoes and the richness and creaminess of the goat cheese - amazing!!!  Prefer a little protein with your bruschetta to make it a meal?  Add some cooked shrimp to the top or some grilled, thinly-sliced chicken breast.  Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Leesh!!

Happy Birthday to Leesh!!

Alisha has been a best friend for about 15 years now!  (wow, how can that possibly be!?)  She's been an amazing friend and wonderful roomie!  We've been thru so much!!

Miss you, girlie!!  Love ya!!

Package for William

So Grandma V and Auntie Melanie sent a package for William (with some maternity goodies for mama too!).  This kid is going to be spoiled and adorably dressed!  I can't wait until I can hold him and smell him and feel him in my arms!!

I really want to hold a baby in these clothes...How perfect are the monkies and footballs?! (Daddy loves football and for some strange reason is obsessed with monkies!)

Present from Aunt Melanie....I absolutely love overalls on little boys!!

It's Getting Hot in Here.....

OK....the most common phrase coming out of my mouth lately:  "Is it hot in here or is it just me?"

Seriously, I regularly have surges of heat throughout the day and in general, I feel like I'm always hot!  I'm usually the type of person that would have a blanket on me 365 days a year and get chilly in the office or house (even in summer) so I would have to put a sweater or jacket on. 

Pregnancy has changed that for sure.

I barely want to sleep with a sheet on anymore - that's with AC on and our ceiling fan blasting at the highest setting.  (poor Adam - sometimes I think he's getting a little chilly making me comfortable....)  I understand that it's been in the high 80s and 90s lately, but you'd think being in a comfortable, air conditioned environment for most of the day would take care of that. 

I'm only in my 24th week right now in July.  What's 28 weeks in August gonna feel like?!  Holy hot flashes!!

Size 10 Considered Plus Size??

Recently, my friend Jaclyn, had an article run at The Journal Gazette in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  She had hinted toward the topic while she was working on it and I told her I'd be very interested to read it when it was complete. 

You must check it out:  Is it perfect size 10 or a plus size?

I asked in this weeks survey what you thought a plus-size was considered.  It looks like everyone picked a size 14.  Seems very reasonable.  How about a size 10 in the fashion industry?

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about a world in which a size 10 woman is considered a plus-size model.  I'm thinking that's hot and I hope that post-baby I can even begin to dream of fitting in a size 10 again.....

I think a size 10 look is positively better than the models that have ribs sticking out of their chest and arms that look like could be snapped if there was a slight breeze. 

I absolutely LOVE the companies that have been producing advertising based on a more "realistic" female body image, such as Dove's Real Beauty Campaign.  Campaign for Real Beauty

At any size, if someone is comfortable with their body, healthy and happy - why do we need anyone else to judge?

Just random thoughts of the day.... :)

Pregnancy Dreams

So by the time I wake up in the morning, I usually am not too aware of any of my dreams from that night.  It seems that whenever I have something big coming up or I'm stressed, I tend to have more vivid dreams that I remember.  For example, before our wedding, I kept a journal of the dreams I had and some were just horrible - such as me cutting of Adam's arm with a chainsaw because he was teasing me while I was making mashed potatoes.  Oh dear heavens.....

Last night was another example of just a horrible dream - this one was baby related.  The baby had already been born but we kept doing horrible things wrong!  I remember going to sleep for an entire night and hadn't checked on the baby, changed his diaper or fed him until afternoon the next day!  I was horrified and stressed that I couldn't get it right and kept forgetting.  Then, when I'd go to check on the baby, his diaper was if we hadn't changed it in weeks and Adam was always leaving a blanket in his crib.  It was one of those overwhelming dreams where nothing was right and you couldn't keep up with what needed to be done.

So...normal pregnancy dream or I'm just crazy and scared?

My Disappearing Belly Button and Other Changes

So there is slowly a growing list of changes that are affecting my body.  Some are completely stereotypical and expected....some others, not so much.

Here are just a few of the things that have been changing or I have been learning:

• My belly button is strangely disappearing - I figured this would happen much later in pregnancy. So far, it's become super shallow and small. I'm waiting for it to 'pop' and become an outie.
• I've learned you can see movement on the sonogram. I had no idea. When you look at an ultrasound photo, it seems like such a basic image/technology. Last week, we could see William moving around like crazy in there. And there is so much movement I can't even feel. It was just amazing to be able to see our baby moving around - it made it feel more "real".
• I have a very noticeable linea nigra (dark line) on my belly now. I didn't really notice since I can't exactly look down and see it directly. I noticed it in the mirror about two weeks ago and called Adam to look - his response: "Oh, yeah, I've noticed that for awhile now." Hmm....I was a little behind.
• Crossing my fingers I can hold off on any stretch marks until as late as possible....none so far....just waiting....
• I know pregnant woman shouldn't lay or sleep on their stomachs, for very obvious reasons.  I'm not sure I realized the same about sleeping on your back.  I assumed once I got so large, I wouldn't want to.  I am normally a back sleeper and I'm realizing my changing body no longer likes this and I know I have to focus on sleeping on my side.  How do I know this?  It's the waking up in the middle of night when I have turned on my back and a feeling that I'm drowning.  I guess this is the normal feeling of reduce circulation due to the pressure of the baby and large uterus.  It's bizarre and scary and I'm working to convert to a side sleeper.  [I'm working to find a body pillow to help - propping a pillow under my head, another between my legs and another under my belly can be quite difficult in the middle of the night, especially when trying to switch sides]
• 'Hot flashes' - I'm not sure if this is necessarily pregnancy related or the fact that it has been in the 90s lately.  All I know is that at dinner with friends Friday, I was fanning myself with a menu while one had goosebumps and another put on a sweatshirt because they were cold.  This isn't the first time either.  over the past few days, I've been getting bursts of being super hot.  Hormones much?

With all these changes and a few more, I still can't complain - I'm not huge and I'm still basically comfortable and can still sleep well.  I'll let you know when this starts to change.  HA!

Must Have!

If there is any material thing that I've ever needed in my entire life....it would be these two items.  Can you say 'add to cart'??

http://www.cafepress.com/+buckeyes_poop_on_michigan_football_infant_bodysuit,295428429

http://www.cafepress.com/+buckeyes_maternity_ts,352035644

Only about 6 more weeks until Ohio State football starts!!  So I definitely need some maternity garb to represent my Buckeyes this season.  Also, little man will definitely be here for the Ohio State vs. Michigan game (and possibly more) and I feel it only necessary to teach him as early as possible about this wonderful, rival tradition - so "Poop on Michigan" is only appropriate.

Survey - What is 'Plus' Size

When thinking of a plus-size model - what size comes to mind? 

Modeling industry has its own set of standards, but I'm interested in what you think should be considered a plus size.  Let me know!

For those that might not be able to decide or torn between two options, I've given the option to choose more than one.  Again, all survey responses are completely annonymous.

Natural Cleaning Products

So, in our mission to be more environmentally conscious and aware of some of the chemicals we bring into our house for use, I have some concerns at the same time in starting to make the switch to more natural products.

I'll use the toilet bowl cleaning example.  We were running out and Adam picked up a natural cleaner.  Compare the ingredients of the 'old' bottle we were using versus the 'new' one.  Both are made from the same company.

OLD - Sodium Hypochlorite (2.4%), Other Ingredients (97.6%)
          *I don't even know what "other" ingredients means!  I know it says it "contains 2.28% available chlorine....still not even sure what that means.

NEW - Filtered water, coconut-based cleaning agent, citric acid, lactic acid, fragrance with essential oil, natural thickener, blue and yellow colorant.  Contains no phosphorus.  Contains no bleach.

Since sodium hypochlorite sounds pretty "chemical", you'd think the 'new' bottle would be better, wouldn't you?  But does it work?  We have slowly been switching to several natural cleaners instead of the usual.  But I feel that perhaps I am more comforted by the 'old' harsh smell of chemicals - knowing whatever I was cleaning was for sure clean.

The 'old' bottle states that it kills staphylecoccus aureus, salmonella choleraesuis, influenza A2 virus, rotavirus WA and candida albicans.  Sounds pretty comforting.  It also includes an entire label of warnings and dangers of the product and what to do if in eyes, on skin or swallowed.  A little less comforting.

The 'new' bottle only states that it "removes rust, mineral and hard-water deposits, and is safe for plumbing and septic systems."  Will it kill any germs though??  Only warning - eye irritant.  More comforting.

So what to do?  Is using these new natural products much better?  It will leave our home with fewer chemicals throughout, but are they also leaving the germs that we are trying to kill?  I'm not sure I'm sold yet....

Anyone else make the switch to more natural products?

IT'S A BOY!!!!!

Emotions racing....tears running....hearts bursting....

We are having a boy!!!!
Everything looks healthy (insert sigh of relief) - he's a growing (bigger than average right now), kicking, healthy baby boy!!

Meet William......

Legs propped up on the left, head on the right, fist near his mouth

Side view of his face

It's clearly a boy.....

(this is a bottom shot with his legs bent in a V-shape and his boyhood in between)

Growing Baby....Growing Belly

22 Weeks!  Sonogram today!  I can hardly stand the anticipation.  Didn't sleep much last night, just praying we find a healthy baby!

Daddy's usual Wednesday FB update: 

Mommy's growing belly:  (I know, I know...it's huge for how far along I am.....fatty-bo-batty style. HA!)

Pretty Jewelry!

So chatting with my dear Jaclyn yesterday, I put in a request for a customized necklace (yeah, she's that good to do just about whatever you want her to - in the jewelry sense, that is)

She is going to order the beads I'm looking for and whip one up for me!  Yippee!  Can't wait!

By just using the style I had requested, she went home and threw together this lovely necklace!!  Isn't it purdy??

You can find more of her stuff on sale, even customized bridal jewelry on her Etsy site:  Jaclyn1423: Jewelry for You!

Trying to be Healthy

When I first found out I was pregnant, I was training for a triathlon at the time and I was trying my best to eat healthy and was working out about 5+ times a week.  I got the positive at home prego test and was shocked and was scared to move or breath for fear of causing something to go wrong, so working out quickly decreased.  I remember bragging to my mom that I hadn't eaten any processed food for about five days in a row - only fresh fruits, veggies, meats and bread. 

Then morning sickness and 1st trimester fatigue happened and any hopes of working out or eating healthy flew right out the window.....

Now, I certainly can't use morning sickness as an excuse anymore and I'm really needing a good kick in the rear to get me started back up again!  So, I'm moving forward in an attempt to be more healthy for the remainder of the pregnancy (I reserve the right to make 'more healthy' as broad as I like!  HA!). 

I've been focusing on eating regular snacks throughout the day with smaller meals.  And since I made sure to buy healthier snack foods, I'm making almost no trips to the vending machines.  Yay!  I had been walking every now and then, but I have started back up this week.  I swam Monday - good thing there's a short walk from the locker room to get in the pool, as pretty as it is for me to walk around in my bathing suit with all my growing parts on display.  Tonight, I went to BodyJam class - basically a hip hop, dance class at the gym.  Let me tell you, they should have charged admission to be able to see my ass dancing around.  There was absolutely nothing pretty about it - just hilarious.

I will do my best to keep up the better eating habits and working out.  Let's see how long I can make it last....

2 MORE SLEEPS!

Only 2 more sleeps until we have the much anticipated doctor's appointment with our ultrasound!  That's only 2 more sleeps until we can hopefully find relief that all is well with our developing baby.  And hopefully only 2 more sleeps until baby's legs are spread wide so we can find out if we are having our first son or daughter!

The anticipation is driving me crazy!!  Nervous and anxious, but absolutely excited!

**The reference to the number of 'sleeps' comes from my parents putting Christmas morning into perspective when my sister, brother and I were little.  Christmas would be here when we went to sleep X more times.  Never stopped using it for exciting times and anticipating 'big' days!

Weekend with the bestie!

Weekend doing girlie things with Jaclyn!  - crafts (yeah, we are nerds), manicures, sweets, food, movies, euchre.  It was loverly!  :)

Blog Addition - Survey

So you might notice on the right side of the blog, I have added a short survey as an option.  I think I might do this every few weeks to ask opinions of my friends and family readers out there.  Please participate - responses are anonymous and you can see the total tally of the votes for yourself!

The first survey is a topic I'm regularly fascinated by - breastfeeding in public.

There are so many people out there with very different opinions on this subject.  I'll wait to see what some of the responses are and then I'll definitely enter a separate discussion on the subject.

Thanks for participating in survey #1!

Adam's Got a Green Thumb

So along with our composting and recycling, Adam has taken up gardening too.  This being our first year in the house, we've (OK, totally just Adam) started with a little variety.  We've already used the greens he's grown for salads and tonight we added in some green pepper to our favorite, weekly dinner - chicken fajitas!

Along with green peppers, he's also growing cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, strawberries, jalapenos and lettuce! 

Can you tell he's proud??

My gardening stud hubby....and our 1st green pepper

Snacktime

So my appetite has been increasing over the past few weeks.  Actually, more like fluctuating.  Sometimes I'm barely hungry at all (although, let's be serious, not ALL that often....).  Since I haven't been bringing too many snacks to work during the day, I've been making trips to the cafeteria and vending machine - not so good on my wallet or my growing ass.  HA!

So last night I decided I was going to head to the grocery for some good snack foods.  This might be a little trickier than you think.  So I need tons calcium, protein, iron, fiber and so on.  So I'm thinking my strawberry Poptarts and potato chips don't count as necessarily a nutriutious snack - WTF?!

So what does that leave me with?  Here's a glance at how my snack shopping spree ended....

Any other snacking suggestions that don't include straight sugar and is easy on the go and to bring to work??

Who's hungry??

Growing Baby - 21 weeks

Baby continues to grow!!  At 21 weeks, baby is about 10.5 inches in length and weighs about 0.75 lbs!

Daddy keeps everyone up to date.....

New Year's Resolution 2010

So my 2010 New Year's Resolution was simply this - read more. 

I'm embarrassed to say that I don't read very much at all.  So my goal this year was to read at least one book a month (even my goal is a pathetic number, I know!).  I enjoy non-fiction books.  If it involves nerdy science or psychology or human biology.....I'm in!

So with the event of getting pregnant occurring so early in the year, most of book selections have turned into pregnancy-related reads.  Still counts, right?

Here is the 2010 books read so far this year and the ones to come.  I'm still shooting for a goal of 12 books by the end of the year!!  So I need to step it up for the rest of 2010.

1. Tipping Point by Maclom Gladwell - great book describing the differences in  ideas or trends that catch on a spread like crazy and the ones that, well...don't
2. What to Expect When You're Expecting by Murkoff, Mazel and Lockwood - kind of a cliche read for pregos out there, but a great guide to explain changes in my body that I should expect and the growth of the baby
3. I'm Pregnant: A week-by-week guide by Lesley Regan - just as the title implies, a book about the development of the baby and changes in my own body
4. Belly Laughs by Jenny McCarthy - hilarious book about the side effects of pregnancy
5. Why Men Never Listen and Why Women Can't Read Maps byAllan and Barbara Pease (in process) - differences between men and women in the way we think, act and communicate
6. Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream by Jennifer Ackerman (in process) - your body thru a typical day and why we do the things we do (fascinating!!  love this book!)
7. The Girl's Guide to Being a Boss (without being a bitch) by Caitlin Friedman & Kimberly Yorio (coming up next perhaps??)
8. That's Not in My Science Book by Kate Kelly (another one coming up this year?) - in depth look at some of the scientific facts that we take for granted on a daily basis

So, as you can see, aside from the pregnancy related books, I do tend to read non-fiction and I just love reading random, useless facts that I will probably never need to know again.  What can I say, I'm a nerd at heart.  I do know that I need to get my little tush cracking if I expect to still meet my goal this year!!  Yikes!!

Any suggestions from all you "real" readers out there on books you'd recommend???  (I'm totally up for some fiction too....I'm not a complete dork)

Holy Heartburn!

So one of the normal pregnancy symptoms you hear about is infamous heartburn.  So it's only to be expected that just about any prego out there will be reaching for the Tums or Rolaids at least during some point of their pregnancy.  From my reading, this usually starts around 5 months or so (understand that it might vary with everyone). 

For someone, like myself, that has already suffered from some substantial heartburn, even pre-knocked up, I assumed I'd be used to it and prepared for what to expect......WRONG!

This makes me scared!  Because I'm saying WRONG and I'm barely 5 months and I'm suffering from heartburn that can only be described as a feeling of my chest about to explode or as already being on fire and my heart about to stop beating.  It might seem obvious that my chest exploding or my heart stopping would be bad for my own health and definitely the health of baby.  But seriously, that's what it feels like.

A movie quote - a very specific movie quote, comes to mind:  "I have heartburn radiating to my knee caps," from Juno. Yes....yes, indeed.....

Happy 4th of July!

Great weekend spent with family in Cincinnati!
Saturday I got my fix of Skyline Chili - whew....I needed that.  Then a trip to Babies-R-Us with Adam, Mom and Mel.  Adam and I were slightly overwhelmed.....but we got great parking - hehe.  I see those spots in lots of places and it's my turn!

Saturday night was grillin' out with family, corn hole and hangin' out.

relaxin'.....

a little corn hole....

the 'kids' with sparklers

We had to convince Mason that this kind of firework didn't explode and make a loud noise...

one of my fave pics from the weekend....lighting sparklers!

Sunday, I got to see my favorite Cincy girl, Alisha, and her hubby, Pat, for lunch and Coldstone Ice Cream!!

Sunday night, the 4th, was spent being lazy.  Puppies had a little pool party, grilled out again and watched a movie.  No fireworks - but that was fine since it felt like 1000 degrees outside and we were all enjoying the couch and AC instead.

Lucy and Tressel fighting over frisbee - which is hours of entertainment for the adults...

Puppy pool party!

I wanna play!

Long, holiday weekend!  I'll be heading to Cincy with hubby and puppy in tow!!  Can't wait to see the family!!

I hope everyone enjoys a safe, wonderful fourth of July weekend!!!

Underwear Debate

So, as usual, my pregnancy countdown book never ceases to entertain me!!

Yesterday's and today's topic?......underwear for prego women out there.

Are you shocked that such a topic would even come up?  I've at least spared you all the other pregnancy related side effects that might not be as pleasant to read about.  Hehe.  You're welcome.

But seriously, I would never even have given this topic a second thought.  But the book puts it so hilariously, that I must share!  The Pregnancy Countdown Book - by Susan Magee with Kara Nakisbendi

day 139:
"Over or under?  Now that you're getting big in the belly, wide in the behind, and "hippier," it's becoming quite clear that your days of normal, or the next size up, underwear are numbered.  One of the toughest decisions in pregnancy - whether to wear maternity underwear above or below what used to be your waistline - must be made.

"Over-the-Belly Advantages: Comfort. Comfort.  Comfort.  As you get bigger, over-the-belly maternity underwear - which hilariously are still called 'briefs' - are frightening looking.  Then again, who's going to see you?  Your S.O. is already afraid of you, and your doctor or midwife has seen it all, so you might want to dive into the comfort of full-coverage undies with a nice wide crotch and be done with it.

"Under-the-Belly Advantages:  Comfort, sexiness, and the ability to expose your bump without exposing your underwear too.  If you found low-waisted underwear comfortable before pregnancy, and many do, you will probably stick with "under" underwear.....

day 138:
"There are two kinds of women in the world:  those who spend their lives trying to keep their underwear out of their behinds and those who swear it's more comfortable in their behinds."

This entry continues to talk about how they have maternity thong options.  I have in my head a full brief underwear that comes up over the belly, but is a thong.  It's not a pretty image either. 

Also, since I'm only 20 weeks, I'm not so ginormous yet, however, feeling 'sexy' is a bit more difficult now that I'm missing my waist and other regions have started to expand, as well.  However, I feel I need to draw a line when it comes to over the belly underwear briefs. 

My favorite part of these entries is that "my significant other is already afraid of me."  I haven't asked the hubby lately if this is true.  I think he likes my growing belly and my hormones have been somewhat in check and pregnant 'rages' have been kept to a minimum.....for now.  However, I'm pretty sure underwear, that doubles as practically a bodysuit might push it over the edge....