Inspiration Monday - Thanks, Universe

I'm going to put this disclaimer out here right now - I didn't have a great weekend.  So I am going to whine a little bit about that.  But before I do and in case you don't want to hear my sob story, I'll first talk about this week's Inspiration Monday with two birds and my take on the look they chose.  This week's look is from Olivia Palermo. 

I did my best to make it work appropriate and my take is far less fun than hers as I do not have any fun colorful shoes like that, but I did my best.  Here we go.

Sweater - H&M, thrifted

White blouse - via swap

Pants - Simply Vera, Kohls

Shoes - Mossimo, consignment

Necklace - gift

And now on to my sob story.  Basically it boils down to this - having a sick husband and a teething child at the same time is simply not fair.  And that is what I was dealing with this weekend.  The Pants Monkey has a bad cold and Mr. Oliver is still teething - I swear these teeth must be coming in from Rome, they sure are taking their sweet time.  So between those two things, I felt like the Universe was kind of having it's way with me. I need a vacation.

On top of that, I got a rejection letter for something I applied for - not work related, but it doesn't really matter what - and it just kind of made me go "what am I doing here?" (and then my head goes "with Fatty and Spotty and Fatty and Spotty" because apparently I live in an episode of Black Books - if you've never watched that show, it's on Hulu right now, go watch now.  You won't regret it).  I'm over it now, but it is no fun getting that kind of news when the world is already pushing you down.

The bright spots of my weekend were going to a baby/kid consignment sale (the same sale I went to when I was still pregnant) and finding lots of new clothes that will fit for Oliver and then getting a ton of stuff washed in my awesome new washer and dryer.  The new washer and dryer are so awesome!  And they play music when they finish which is just too adorable.

Anyway, the TL;DR version of this post is, I had kind of a crummy weekend, but it's Monday, it's a new day and we're moving on!  For more Inspiration Monday looks, hit up two birds over here.  Back to your regularly scheduled happy Bethie tomorrow.  I hope!

Truth

Today I want to get a little personal for a minute.  I keep things pretty upbeat here and often if I'm having a bad day I just put on my mask and I don't really put it out here.  But I came to a realization yesterday and I want to talk about it just a little bit.  Grab a cup of coffee.  Let's chat.

My outfit yesterday started out as a bit of a fail for me and it was very simple to fix, but in the process I learned something.  I've got some mild body image issues right now.  Yes I am thrilled to be pregnant and yes I realize a changing body is part of that process - but I think I've been kind of trying to hide from it a little bit.  I looked back over the last month or so since I've been showing more and I've been very hit or miss with my style.  Some days I think I've hit the nail on the head but others I can tell that I'm almost trying to disguise or hide the bump.  There really isn't any reason to do that.  Everyone knows at this point.  What am I ashamed of?

I'm not ashamed at all.  I think part of it is, I said from the beginning I wouldn't turn this blog into a pregnancy blog.  I didn't want to inundate you guys with all that stuff because I know some bloggers find that to be a turn off.  So I think I was letting that spill over into how I was dressing - "I'm not talking about the pregnancy too much so I should disguise it in what I'm wearing".  I don't have to do that.  I can still dress appropriately without sharing every last detail about what's currently going on.

The other thing is it has been an adjustment.  I prided myself on being someone who was in shape and who worked hard at maintaining their body type/weight.  And this has been a very easy pregnancy, to the point where I even forget at times that I am pregnant - then I look in the mirror and it's a little shocking to say the least.  I have to remind myself - there is a reason for this change and it's only temporary.  I know my body may never be exactly the same, but I can work at getting it back after the fact.  And the reward - a sweet cuddly baby of my own to love forever - is worth every last bit.  Gotta keep my eyes on the prize.

Sweater - Arizona Jean Co, JCPenney

Tank top - Old Navy

Skirt - Liz Lange Maternity, consignment

Necklace - Swap w/CC

Sandals - Italian Shoe Maker, from cousin 

So, I think I've reached a peaceful place where I am going to embrace my bump and try to dress more without fear.  And you know what, I may still crash and burn some days, this is a total learning experience, but I'll keep learning as I go.  And the further along I'm getting, the more and more this pregnancy is a part of my daily life and it may get harder to not talk about - and if that loses me some readers, so be it.  It's my party and I'll cry if I want to.  Or something like that.  I so appreciate the love and support so many of you have shown me so far.  And I especially want to thank Cara for her comment yesterday and the blog she pointed me to that truly helped me realize it's time to start embracing this phase of my life.  You helped me more than you can know Cara!

And that ends our serious coffee chat for today. Thank you for letting me put it out there.  In more upbeat Bethie news, today is my Friday already, you can't beat that - a short week right after a week's vacation?  Heck yeah!!