Thursday, July 28, 2011

It's a simple message and I'm leaving out the whistles and bells

Yesterday I wore this outfit for an errand in downtown Athens and then for hanging out in the evening in Agia Paraskevi:


Striped tank: Old Navy Maternity
Black skirt: Dress Barn, remixed
Turquoise sandals: Nine West (Athens), remixed

Wait, what?

It's true, people. I have a bun in the oven. I don't know if you've noticed that the quality and quantity of my posting became kinda bad, oh, about two months ago? Yeah. That's why. Between dissertation and the dawning of this new stage in my life...I've been busy.

[And there were a few days when I didn't feature outfit posts because no one needed to see my streaked eye-liner post-barfing. Oh. Was that TMI?]

I'm not particularly interested in turning this blog into Chalkdust and Booties, mostly because I'm loath to feature my family on here, but I am excited to explore what will be going on with my figure/fashion as my pregnancy progresses and beyond. I hope you'll stick around.

I'm only just starting to show a bit of a belly and starting to prefer some maternity clothes, especially as some of my non-maternity clothes (I only packed stretchy, comfy dresses and tops, anyways) are starting to look decidedly odd. Plus, I only own four maternity items, three of which I ordered from Old Navy just for the summer, just in case. 

I'm delighted. It's true. I cannot wait to have this baby and play with it and teach it the ways of the world. And my husband is over the moon. Our families are so happy that it's almost obscene; we are lucky that our first child is going to be born in an environment of so much love.

But I'm also scared. I've never done this before, you see. And I'm dealing with stuff that I honestly didn't think would be a problem. You see, people, I lost about 30 pounds - by making more informed nutritional choices and becoming a smarter runner/gym-goer. But the perks of the weight-loss, especially in anticipation of skin-baring summer clothes, were also welcome. Then I found out I was pregnant. Now I'm gaining again, which I know I should do (and I'm certainly not limiting myself... ooh, cheese!). But because I don't always look obviously pregnant, I can get really self-conscious at times. Plus, my energy was zapped for the entirety of the first trimester and I'm only now starting to be up for taking just a walk again. Oh, have I mentioned it's constantly hot, hot, hot in Greece and pregnant ladies get hotter quicker? Yup, it's glorious. So I don't always feel at my healthiest. Anyway, I know this makes me sound like a self-centered, shallow biyatch, but, hell, this is a blog that focuses on my interest in style and clothes. I have a bit of a body image problem and I've had it for many years. I honestly thought pregnancy would put me more at peace with all my issues - and I truly believe it will when I'm bigger - but for now I have to settle for "looking a bit schlubby in profile." And it would be dishonest of me not to write that it sometimes frustrates me. 

And don't think I don't know that my fear probably comes from a deeper place, which is hopefully perfectly natural to a first-time mom: I've seen 'Rosemary's Baby.' 

[Oh, you should've seen the look on the nurse's face when I told her that everything I knew about pregnancy and prenatal care came from that novel/movie. My husband almost lost it.]

Now on to lighter topics, yes? My mother-in-law recently gave me a sort of amulet that's been in the family for generations, "forever," as my husband simply states. We think it's an antique of some sort and it's given to the pregnant women of the family for luck. I've been carrying it in its box in my purse, but we bought a leather cord for it the other day and now I've been wearing it:


I don't think it's the most aesthetically-pleasing ornament I've ever seen, but I'm all for tradition and luck. When, if not now, is the time to be superstitious?!

Anyway, um, that's what I've been keeping from y'all! Again, I don't foresee this turning into a baby-centered blog, but you'll obviously be seeing a lot of my changing body and sartorial choices stemming from that. Let's have fun, shall we? 


10 comments:

  1. I've been wondering when you would share this here! Congratulations (because even though I've said it in person it doesn't count if it's not in writing in a blog comment)!!!!!

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  2. Congratulations!! The amulet for pregnant women that's been in the family forever is really neat, even if it's not your aesthetic style.

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  3. Well, aren't you sneaky! I would never have guessed from the pictures you've been posting. Congrats. Just tell yourself that you're going to look like E. at Academichic throughout your pregnancy and believe it.

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  4. I never would have guessed! Congrats and you look awesome :)

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  5. So...I'll admit that I wondered a few weeks ago if you might have a little Chalkdust, Jr. going on in there, but almost everyone I know is pregnant right now and the other day I decided a car looked pregnant, so I figured I was just seeing gestation everywhere I looked.

    Anywho, Congratulations! And the amulet is really cool, especially in light of family tradition.

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  6. Holy crap! I haven't been able to look at blogs in the back country and yours is the first one I check out. You passed your defense! Congrats! You're in Greece, awesome! And to top it all off you're expecting a little Chalkdust. All of this great news, I'm so happy for you!

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  7. Many congrats! So many great beginnings! (like Katie, it seems like half the folks in my social networks are expecting, trying to conceive, or a child in the past year.)I'm very excited for you and your family! And sympathies on the hot on hot. It will cool down eventually on the East Coast when you get back, right? There was even a breeze today.

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  8. I wouldn't have guessed either. Congrats!!! I'm excited to see how your style evolves to accommodate your new addition :)

    And try not to worry about the weight gain too much - this is worth it, and you look so wonderful!

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  9. This is fantastic news! Congratulations. I would love to know more about the history of the amulet--what it protects or foreordains. I pray that you find the beauty in pregnancy and I suspect that you will glow, an aspect of pregnancy that is not entirely myth.

    Take a cue or two from your pregnant sisters at Academic Chic.

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  10. People, thank you so much for your kind comments. I found out more about the amulet: it's supposed to "hold in" the baby in its mother's womb. So today my father-in-law informed us that I'm not supposed to have it on me around my due date because - of course - the baby will be supposed to come out.

    As for the people who have suggested that I remember the ladies from Academichic, I've been absolutely doing that and trying to get good pointers. I'm looking forward to getting back to my regular wardrobe and making more fun choices. Also, my belly seems to have grown dramatically from one day to the next, and - just as I suspected - I'm thrilled and feeling good. Thanks again for your kind words and encouragement!

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