12:12 PM Mon, Jan 05, 2009 | Permalink
Stephanie Stricklen
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GIRL.
We are definitely having a girl. One of my two baby doctors guessed as much weeks ago, and I mentioned that here. But there was always room for that to change. As he said at the time.. don't buy anything pink or paint the room until we confirm that, or else you'll kill me when I tell you you're having a boy.
I found out Friday that she is, indeed, a she.
And she's healthy. Double bonus. She was yawning in there, apparently bored by the whole ordeal and squirmed a little after I laughed at her. On the ultrasound, when I giggle it looks like an earthquake hit. But the doc asssures me she is all cushioned and good to go.
Here is my latest ultrasound-- I'm 4 months along and she is still about a week bigger than a normal baby her age (and she has really long arms-- a monkey just like my tall husband-- maybe she'll get some of his height because Lord knows it won't come from me).
Which brings me to my next question. Any suggestions on great places to get professional maternity wear that doesn't cost a fortune? Please, just leave me a comment below. I'm all ears!! I'm down to two pairs of work pants that fit right now. Well, everything fits as long as I don't button anything. Which is a problem in my line of work. Could you imagine me standing on the set at 7pm and someone noticing that my pants aren't buttoned? You can't tell I'm pregnant to look at me head on (that is to say I'm just as big as I've always been head-on), but when I turn to the side-- BOOM: there she is. This baby is riding low.. or at least that's where the "bump" is. My mother in law carried her babies high and had no problem wearing her regular pants for a while. Yeah, not me.
I was staring at my belly in the mirror with the husband and I informed him I'm right in that in-between point, where it's conceivable I'm just sporting a huge beer gut. Awesome. All the pain, none of the glory.
I'm looking forward to being obviously pregnant. :)
Congratulations! As far as clothing goes, I've gotten good stuff on eBay before. Also look for consignment shops.
One thing that helped me is a tip I heard during my second pregnancy. It may help you. For the time being, until you absolutely have to get maternity pants, try looping a plain old rubber band around the button of your pants and the other end through the button hole AND the button. In effect, you're making a kind of extension for your pants. It really helps and you can use different lengths of rubber bands until you have to move up a size in pants or get maternity pants.
Enjoy the months to follow!
Hey Steph,
Look in the phone book for "Upscale Resale" type stores.....gotta be a bunch in Portland. You look fabulous, don't worry about the pants not buttoned....that is what long shirts are for! Also, ask your nurse practitioner at your OB-GYN office. They are always a great source of good info. Good luck! Linda Plaster Newport OR
Congrats on the babe! Glad to hear she is healthy and doing well. You look great on the air!
Try the Goodwill for clothes...amazing values and quality. Also Target and Fred Meyer.
Good Luck!
seriously-- GREAT tips from all of you. this is very helpful for a non-shopper like myself. THANKS!
Congratulations on your little girl. I am 2.5 weeks from my due date for my first baby. Very exciting time. My suggestion is a body band (I think that's what they are called) that you can get at Motherhood Maternity. It's just a wide elastic band that goes around your waste so you can leave your pants open. I wore this until I was 6 months. After that my belly was too big and I definitely needed maternity pants to be comfortable. I wore it with shorts, pants, jeans, and skirts and it worked great with all. Good luck and congratulations again!
Congrats! Steph. I'm happy for you and your husband. I'm also happy for your baby. She has great parents!
gaj
Hey Steph...again my congrats to you and John!! now seriously, have you ever considered the name Dar...no pressure, no really!! LOL The baby is going to be absolutely beautiful...how do I know this, because I have seen you at your absolute worse...and you were STILL beautiful. As for maternity wear...well, its been a long time, but you should be able to find some cool stuff on e-bay!!! My love to you both...see you in Feb
Hi Steph,
I hadn't had a chance to get on your blog since you took the 7pm slot in Nov, so imagine my surprise when I got on on Thursday and read about you being pregnant. Congratulations to you John, &
Harley!! I am SO happy for you. Know you will make a great Mommy. I dont think many people noticed whether you are showing or not as they are probably thinking the same thing I am and that is we are all used to seeing you behind a desk and just your sweet smiling face showing. So to see you standing for the first time, there is no way to compare it with anything. You always look great on the air. Dont know if you have clothing and makeup artists that do you up before going on the air but you always look very professional. I dont live in the Portland/Vancouver area so I wouldnt be much help to find a place to get Maternity clothes. Try garage sales. Materntiy clothes are WAY too expensive to buy new for the short amount of time you will use them. I traded with friends who werent using theirs at the time and then we passed them on to others we knew in need. Same w/baby clothes. I always passed mine on to someone who could use them. Post all your ultrasound pics and please continue to share any and all the info. on your baby. I for one am very interested and excited to hear all about all details and to share this exciting journey with you.
There is a small boutique in Orchards called "Tiny Hinys".Gently used really nice maternity wear and stuff for mom and baby. The owner is a very sweet gal.360-885-2786
Now that you know you are having a girl, you can now go GA GA over putting her nursery together. Have fun during your pregnancy and enjoy every minute of it. It goes by way too fast.
You looked great on the air tonight. You do look like you are glowing...just a wee bit lol. Didn't look like you are showing, but you kept your script papers in front of you whenever you werent behind the table so it was kinda hard to tell. Cant wait to hear what names you are thinking about!! That is so much fun thinking of names and if you decide on one before she is born then it is neat to start talking to her by name while she is in the womb.
Congratulations! With both my pregnancies I frequented Gap Maternity both online and at The Streets of Tanasbourne. They have inexpensive work clothes and sales every Wednesday. If you wait long enough, you can get stuff pretty cheap.
Congratulations! With both my pregnancies I frequented Gap Maternity both online and at The Streets of Tanasbourne. They have inexpensive work clothes and sales every Wednesday. If you wait long enough, you can get stuff pretty cheap
Hey Steph! Get a Bella Band...worth the $30 and I used mine up until I was close to 7 months. I'm not a teeny, tiny gal either...it was perfect and I was able to use some of my pants that fit fine but had to be unbuttoned. I agree with some of the people above, check out GAP Maternity in Tanasbourne and online. I also got some stuff at Motherhood and Old Navy. It's hard to avoid but towards the end, I was wearing the same pair of capris and two or three shirts every day.
Good luck and congrats on the baby girl! I love having a daughter...a boy might have been more economical though!!!
Steph
JCPenney--through the catalog and in the store!! They have great professional maternity clothes! They had me looking great at work all the way through my pregnancy!
Golly, there are so many great, inexpensive maternity clothes out there now! My kids are 9 and 5, which isn't THAT long ago, and the maternity clothes back then were all peter pan collars and Disney prints and ugly stretch knit pants. No offense to anyone! If I were pregnant now I'd just buy everything at Target and Old Navy. You're only going to wear them for a few months, you might at well get cute, trendy clothes that you feel good in. And so what if they don't last past this pregnancy? Congratulations!
I got all my maternity stuff from Wal-Mart. Way cute and way cheap.
You may want to try clothing swaps they are making a comeback and Goodwill has great stuff.
I have bought and sold clothing on our local Craig's List. I know a lot of people hesitate; however, use your head and be careful and it should work out okay.
Best Wishes! Babies are such fun ... and they grow up and bring you more babies!
Congrats on a girl. I have 3 girls and life is good! I have gotten a lot of my clothing at J.C. Pennys, and also Target has a lot of nice tops and pants. Liz Lange Maternity brand there is really nice and a professional look. Give it a try!
Congratulations on your baby girl! We didn't realize you were pregnant (we're a little out of the loop- we have an 8 month old baby girl)! I take my hat off to you; I know how difficult it is to concentrate on anything when you're pregnant. You're doing a great job!
Andrea Davis & family
Sometimes I could get away with skipping maternity and instead wear some plus-size items from Lane Bryant, because sometimes maternity clothes are just too cutesy-wutesy and I'd want to look more "polished".
Congrats on the baby girl, we remember when you and john first were married,and the doves.bet your dad and mom are really excited about the baby.