It's Hot



I know it's hot when gladiator sandals start to seem like way too much shoe to wear in the humidity!

My Look:  Dress via Target.  Shoes by Boutique 9 via anthropologie.  Belt by GAP.  Earrings from mom.  Sunglasses by Betsey Johnson via TJMaxx.

This first week of solidly 90-degree weather is always the worst.  There's no denying that summer is coming with a vengeance, and I know it's only going to get more miserable.  All I want to do is escape into my lovely air conditioning and drink something with lots of ice.  But I know if I don't get used to the sweat and frizz and bugs now, I'm not going to have any fun for the rest of the summer.

So I put on a lightweight dress and head outside.  The Pup helps - he doesn't care how hot it is, he just wants to play.  So I moan and drip and acclimate.  By July, I'll be begging for 90 degrees!  And for a lot more ice.  And probably cursing the pregnancy gods for putting me in my third trimester in August in DC.

PS...I think this dress makes it look like something is pointing to my bump.  Like, "Nugget lives here!"  Makes me smile.

Tangerine Dreams



Num num num...

My Look:  Dress by JCrew.  Shoes by Jack Rogers via Nordstrom.  Belt via TJMaxx.  Necklace and earrings via Macys.  Sunglasses via Forever21.

My dress kept me dreaming of oranges all day.  Which is a bummer, as we didn't have any in the house.  I ate grapefruit instead, but it wasn't nearly as satisfying as I wanted it to be.

I love dresses like this for summer.  I bought it to wear over swimsuits in Mexico, but I was surprised to discover it made a lovely summer dress, too.  Light and breezy, totally unconstricting, double layered, and BRIGHT TANGERINE - what's not to love?  It might even make an appearance over the weekend, if we ever come up with some Memorial Day plans.

Enjoy the long weekend!  The Doc is unexpectedly home and unbelievably has Monday off, too - it's going to be a fun three days!

Puppy Clothes: Stripes



Who doesn't love a boy in stripes?

The Pup's Look:  Hoodie via Target.  Shorts by Gymboree via consignment store.  Shoes via Target.

I've documented my woes regarding boys' clothing pretty often in the past.  While certain things get better as you reach the 2T landmark (fewer obnoxious cutesy animals), certain things never change (more annoying shirts with "Daddy's Superstar!").  Stripes are pretty much my saving grace.

Stripes can be classic and kind of retro, like they are here.  In primary colors and paired with corduroy shorts, they bring back the very best of "Leave It To Beaver" nostalgia.  Or, in black and white and grey, they can be just a little bit punk.  I'd rather put my kid in a striped tee and cuffed jeans than some hipster onesie any day.

Yes, stripes can get boring.  When they're pretty much your only option at the traditional baby clothing stores, it's easy to be overloaded with them.  However, considering the alternatives, I'm happy to put The Pup in stripes almost every day of the week.

Because seriously.  Can you get cuter than that?  I didn't think so either.

The pics were taken at The Franciscan Monastery in Northeast DC, which I talked about in a post last year.  It's still our favorite park in the city!

Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah



My, oh my, what a wonderful day!

My Look:  Dress via Target.  Cardigan via Target.  Shoes via Target.  Belt via anthropologie.  Earrings by JCrew.  Headband via Target.

Sorry.  The optimism around here is a little over-the-top lately.  Combined with my new bluebird earrings, it's a bit hard for me not to whistle (the only slight problem being my absolute lack of talent for whistling).  I promise the cynicism will return when my pregnancy hormones stop taking over my brain...

Outfits like this are proof that pregnancy doesn't have to be expensive or unflattering or uncomfortable.  The dress and the cardigan are from Target - inexpensive, stretchy, and totally wearable.  The dress isn't maternity, although I believe a maternity version is available online; I'm sure I have another few months in it, without a lot of extra fabric making me look like I'm wearing a tent until then.  And I can't overstate how comfy the jersey cardigan is!

Today, it was perfect for some lazy rainy day shopping.  However, I'm sure I'll be wearing this dress all summer - with black pumps and a blazer to a campus event, or with gold sandals to a barbecue, or with white pumps and pearls to a summer wedding.

I hope the bluebird on your shoulder is whistling a happy tune for you today - and that you find a great summer dress, too!

All About The Nugget



Thank you all SO MUCH for your outpouring of congrats and well-wishes!  We've been excited for weeks now, but sharing the news with everyone has made this whole "we're having another baby" thing much more real.  Hence the stupid grin (see above).  So, seriously, thank you.

My Look:  Shirt by JCrew.  Skirt by velvet via anthropologie.  Scarf via Target.  Shoes by Crocs.  Bracelets by JCrew and vintage.  Sunglasses by Kate Spade via TJMaxx.

Here's some stuff you wondered...

Wow!  How long have you known?
A loooong time - those tests are wildly accurate these days!  We found out the day before The Pup's 2nd birthday party.  So, I didn't know here, but I did know here!

How are you feeling?
Honestly?  Terrible.  My body doesn't react well to pregnancy, it seems - I was viciously sick with The Pup for my entire pregnancy, although I still have hopes that Nugget will give me a break in the next few weeks.  I have some intense food aversions (like, looking at Pinterest makes me gag these days), a lot of nausea (think of a hangover that never goes away), and some crazy fatigue (the poor Pup has been watching more than his fair share of Yo Gabba Gabba).  But it's okay.  Nugget is growing and healthy, and we've seen that little heartbeat on ultrasound three times already.  I will put up with a lot of discomfort for a healthy kiddo.

I'm so sorry you're so sick!  Is that why you haven't been posting?
Yes indeed.  These days, making it out of the house is a major triumph.  I've been wearing yoga pants more often than I'd like to admit!  Plus, the second-time baby bump is WAY bigger, and hiding it was getting to be a pain - I didn't look this pregnant until over 6 months last time!

So, you're 15 weeks - what is that in months?
Almost 4 months.

So wait.  Didn't you just go to Mexico?
Yup!  And we had a fabulous, unbelievable "babymoon."  Especially when we found out that we were having another child, taking a truly special adult vacation seemed important.  The resort where we stayed had an amazing gourmet menu that I actually could eat, and I drank as many silly non-alcoholic smoothies and virgin daiquiris as I wanted!  I even found some cute almost-maternity bathing suits - expect a post on those later this summer.

Are you wearing maternity clothes yet?
No, and I don't intend to wear many of them.  I still fit in essentially everything in my closet, I've just been too tired to take pics!  I bought nothing "maternity" last time except for some leggings and some tank tops for layering.  So many trends are perfect for a pregnant body right now - maxi dresses, draped tops, open cardigans, flat sandals.  I'm sure I'll have to invest in some jeans this time around, but I'm going to put it off as long as mine still button.  So, expect a lot of posts in the upcoming months about making a "regular" wardrobe work for a baby bump.

Do you know if it's a boy or a girl yet?
Nope - we should find out next month.

Are you going to keep writing your dissertation?
Absolutely.  More on that soon!  If anything, I'm hoping for even more writing time in the next few months.  Knowing about our own next chapter makes me even more eager to get some serious work done.

So, The Doc.  Is he excited too?
Over the moon.  He's such a scientist - I think he waited to let the excitement erupt until after the first ultrasound.  When he saw "one baby, one heartbeat, in the right place, with nothing else going on in there" (his words), he grinned like an idiot and hasn't stopped since.

Does The Pup know he's going to be a big brother?
Not yet.  He just won't get it yet.  Right now his version of the future stretches to tomorrow - even next week is too abstract.  As I start to get a bigger bump, and as we get closer, we'll start talking about babies. And he's going to get his own "big boy" room, so he'll definitely know by then!

Don't worry - this isn't going to become a mommy blog.  Not really.  But there's going to be a lot of bump in the next few months, and a lot of tips about dressing a pregnant body, and a lot of other fun new stuff.  Please come along for the ride!

The Next Chapter: Coming Fall!



Chapter 2 will be arriving this fall*!

It's about time to take this pregnancy out of "draft" form and publish it to all of you.  I'm officially into the second trimester - 15 weeks tomorrow!  We're beyond excited to expand this crazy clan with another kiddo.  And terrified.  Did I mention terrified?  Because we're that, too.

Having another child - during residency for The Doc, and during my dissertation phase - is an enormous leap of faith.  This next chapter of our lives is sure to be entertaining, but we've decided to embrace the chaos.  As a writer and a scholar, I know how frequently ideas can get sidetracked.  You think you have an idea to write about a certain subject, but before you know it, the book has become about something completely different.  And, quite often, that book you didn't intend to write is a whole lot better than your original idea.

I never intended to be writing my dissertation with a toddler - much less a toddler and an infant!  But we wanted The Pup to have a sibling close in age, so we just kept typing along, hoping that this book we're writing is going to go somewhere eventually.  Being a parent is making me a better writer, a better thinker, a better reader.  So, believe me - the fun is just beginning...

*Official due date is November 8.  But if Nugget is anything like its** big brother (who arrived almost 3 weeks early), we'll be having an October baby.
**Yes, Nugget is still an "it."  We should find out the gender some time next month!


STAY TUNED...



...because some big changes are coming in BiblioMOMia-land!

I know I've been a bad blogger this month.  I'm sorry, y'all.  I was sick, The Pup was sick, The Doc lived at the hospital...but then, just when I thought I might start eating my socks from the insanity of it all...

VACATION.  To Mexico.  Just with The Doc.  (The Pup got to be spoiled rotten by my mom and dad for a week.)  It was bliss.  And we're all home, and ready for summer, and for some big changes around here.

So stay tuned this week - I have a lot of news to throw at you!  Big life changes.  Big school changes.  Big blog changes.  There's a lot of good stuff coming...