My Maternity Must Haves.

Navigating maternity fashion is tricky. You kind of have to decide which way you want to go with it. Do you want to 1) go all in and do everything maternity 2) try to go as long as possible (maybe the whole time if you are a skinny minnie) without buying a stitch of maternity 3) mix and match.
I went with #3. For me personally, a lot of maternity clothing looks... too.... maternity-ey. It just isn't my cup of tea. I knew that eventually I would have to let go of the idea of not wearing maternity wear though because of some major factors. I have a large chest. Yes. Very quickly, I got to the point when my chest took up too much of my regular shirts so that my growing belly had no extra room and shirts got really short in the front :) I also had a little bit of flub in the tummy area already (don't get me started) so by the time I was about 10 weeks pregnant I needed me some maternity pants.
Here is a list of my must haves from the past 10 months...

1. Treat yourself to a good bra. As said above, and as those of you who know me personally know.... I have a top half. The most drastic change that I noticed right away in my pregnancy (beside the morning sickness) was in my chest. I very quickly grew 2 bra sizes and was left in the lurch when it came to bras. Over the holidays I treated myself to a bra fitting at Intimacy. My new bra size surprised me, but it felt better than any bra that I had ever owned. I used Christmas $$$ to make my purchase, and while the cost was steep... it is WORTH it.
I chose this bra by PrimaDonna. I love it... it is the best bra that I have every owned.

2. Try layering non-maternity with maternity. I loved the ribbed, ruched maternity tanks from Old Navy. I have them in a multitude of colors because they are so affordable... and yes I am STILL wearing them 8 weeks postpartum because they are great.

 

I would often layer non-maternity cardigans, sweaters, and shirts over these. They are especially great because they are longer.

3. Maxi everything. I was able to wear maxi dresses and skirts, and they are still a huge staple for me. They are basically like the comfort of wearing sweatpants but not looking like a slob. Anything in a cotton jersey with some stretch that you currently have in your closet will probably work!

 

4. At least one good pair of maternity jeans or pants for when you can't fight it any longer. I had two favorites pairs of jeans, one boyfriend style and one regular plain old bootcut in a dark wash. I tried the pants from Old Navy since I really liked their tops, but they were... strange. A lot of times the full panel was too small and the fit was off. My favorites ended up being from Motherhood.

 Not only were these really comfortable, but the panel was made out of really nice, breathable material that totally covered my bump. I may or may not still be wearing them.

5.  I of course, needed to rock some maternity concert black. I worked until I was 36 weeks pregnant, at which point I started having some contractions and decided to stop making my 90 minute commute to Vegas to play oboe... probably wise :) In the time that I was pregnant and working though, I needed some black. In the beginning, empire waists and flowy tops were enough. However, around 6 months I needed some legitimate maternity concert black. I got all of my pieces from Motherhood. I really liked these black pants. I wore the you-know-what out of these, since I prefer to wear pants when I play. Pants just work better for me, I am almost always playing both oboe and English horn, and when I play EH I feel like floor length black skirts get in my way... they literally have before on my low B key in Nutcracker! I did have a few glitzy tops from Motherhood that they no longer carry, but generally just used another black Old Navy tank and cardigans that I already had. A Pea in the Pod has a ton of cute, but pricey tops like such:

For me, the big purchase was my black pants :)

These were really just my basic must haves. The things that I am so glad that I had, that I wouldn't be able to live without. There are SO many places that you can shop maternity out there. Another fun place that I stopped by for a few maxi skirts and tops was PinkBlush Maternity. 

They have some extra special, cute clothes if you are wanting to look cute over the holidays, for a big date night with your husband, or have a special dress for your shower! Their things are really reasonably priced, they have fast shipping, and they accept PayPal. I love PayPal for it's convenience. It isn't always the best thing for my wallet, but it is so much less of a hassle than entering all of your info online!

I hope that I will have time to do a maternity post about all of the more fun and flashy things you can shop for... but in the meantime this will have to do :)

Newborn Essentials.

Six weeks is a relatively short period of time. Six weeks ago I was still pregnant, watching James Franco take a HORRIBLE turn in "Oz: The Great and Powerful"- not knowing that come 2:00am I would be in labor. People are right when they say "nothing can really prepare you to be a first time parent". I read everything that I could get my hands on, "What to Expect..." was on my nightstand from 6 weeks onward, but I don't think I knew what to expect.
Every parents has tips, tricks, and products that I have worked for them. We were lucky to receive SO many gifts from friends and family that we did not have to buy an insane amount of baby swag ourselves.
Here is my list of our essentials. These are the things that have made starting out so much more cozy, fun, easy, and comfortable.

• A bouncer. This one is from Fisher Price, we got it as a gift from my wonderful friend, sorority sister, and bridesmaid Jenna. Noah slept in it for the first 3 weeks, now he loves to sit in it and watch his birds. It vibrates, has nature noises, and plays music. LOVE this thing! My Mom got one to have at her house!

 

• Aden and Anais swaddle blankets. Noah was 22 inches long when he was born! These blankies keep him wrapped snugly and sleeping soundly. They are so soft and just keep getting softer with each use and wash.
  
• Sleepers. Lots of them. We got a lot of cute outfits for Noah. Everyone wants to buy tiny shoes, polo shirts, fedoras, and sweater vests. These are without a doubt adorable, however, at home where we spend most of our time these days, he is just more comfortable in something cozy, easy on and off, and washable. Get the type that are footed AND have foldover handmitts... the true definition of a ONE piece!
  

 

 

• The right bottle. Noah is hungry. I mean REALLY hungry. Sometimes he gets a little gulpy and this supports the elimination of excess gas.
  

• The right soother. Babies are funny about letting you know what they like and what they don't like. These are what my baby likes, I have heard similar stories from other moms. Good thing they are cheap and available at our local grocery!
  
• A baby bath. This one really depends on the type sink that you have in your home. I originally purchased one of these and was really excited about it, however, it would NOT work in any of our household sinks. SO we ended up with this bath and it has worked great!

 

• A baby wrap. For the times that I haven't wanted to lug around the carseat, this wrap is awesome. It is so cozy and Noah has typically stayed asleep while I have "worn" him around places like Target and to get frozen yogurt.
  
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  A bassinet or cradle until it is time for the crib. My mom got us the amazing Moses basket from restoration hardware. It is what Noah sleeps in right now, and is great on it's stand as a cradle or portable as a basket.
  
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  A drying rack for bottles, binkies, aspirators and the like. This one from boon is great, and we have added "stem" and "twig" attachments. Cute and fun!
  
• Burp cloths. There are so many fancy ones out there that cost an arm and a leg. The truth about these is that you will need a TON of them and you will be washing them all the time! We went with what my Mom used: white cloth diapers.
• Of course, there are diapers. This seems to be one product of which every parent has their favorite. We are using Luvs, they are cheap and they hold a lot. They have these special inner elastic boundaries that really seem to keep things where they belong; in the diaper. Amazon has great prices and delivers to your door, score.

• Tunes. Babies need lullabies. So whether you sing, hum, or play some yourself (oboe probably isn't the best!) You can lull your babe with some sweet music. Noah really likes his Disney lullabies as well as Kenny Loggins' "Return to Pooh Corner".

• A playmat. During his active periods of the day, Noah really likes this mat. He moves to the music, and loves to look at himself in the mirror! It has great, bright colors, and the mat is easy to detach and throw in the washer!

• Gripe water. Sometimes despite special bottles and diligent burping, baby Noah gets gassy and nothing makes him more upset. This takes care of him quickly and is homeopathic... what more could a mom ask for?
  
• Disposable changing pads. You never know where you may need to change your little one. I found this out very quickly. These are also great to lay down on the changing table at home if you know that your baby has done a particularly dirty diaper.
  
  These are just a few of the things that we have been using on a daily basis, what are the things that you and your baby can't live without?

Baby Love.

I have been a mom for a little shy of six weeks. If there is one thing that I have learned during this short time frame, it is that mommies have A LOT of advice to give. I am not quite there yet, and will never profess to be an expert on parenthood. Ever. Music is my profession, I'll stick with that. However, I do have a brand new job: mommy to my little boy Noah.
Maybe I can use my blog to help out other musical mamas, but for now it is just going to be an outlet for this one :)
Here are some of my thoughts on the first few weeks of motherhood in a list format:

• I haven't been this tired since college. This is such a WAY better reason.
• There really is NOTHING like seeing your baby smile.
• I love seeing his expressions develop a little more every day.
• I am more proud of him than I have ever been of anything.
• I want to take better care of myself so that I can take better care of him.
• I have my own family now, and it is amazing. I can't wait to have our own traditions.
• I want to live in a way that will make him proud that I am his mother.

When people say that "having a baby changes everything", they really are right. It changes in all of the best ways possible. I am so happy to have a reason to think of someone other than myself. Parenthood is a great degree of becoming selfless, and that being OK... more than OK... wonderful.