For years and years I imagined what I’d look like with the coveted and adorable baby bump. I remember even from a young age I’d playfully stick out my stomach (especially after eating) and see what a baby might look like. I thought it was pretty cute. No lies – I’ve done this as an adult too.
Whenever I went shopping at places that still have a dedicated maternity section, like Target, I’d make a mental note of the types of clothes I’d want to buy when I needed to bedazzle the bump.
I even had a Pinterest board called “Baby W” or something equally banal, with all things baby pinned, including maternity wear. (Said board was deleted probably a year and a half ago.)
I dreamed of when leggings and long tunics would actually be socially acceptable to wear to work, when comfort would finally be justified over every other quality in my closet.
How naive I was.
When we were trying to have a baby (#wilcoxonstakeonbabymaking2014… #notarealhashtag) I made sure that the items of clothing I bought would cover a I-might-just-be-fat belly as well as a pretty-much-a-whale belly. Just to be safe. Just to make sure I didn’t waste any of my clothing budget on stuff that wouldn’t fit in a few months.
Again, how naive I was.
The point is that the quest for motherhood was absolutely all encompassing, even affecting decisions like what to buy to make sure it’ll fit my beautiful, fertile, pregnant belly.
So in the end, I ended up with a lot of cute comfy tunics (that started off as dresses but basically became shirts because ya girl is tall) and leggings. I also had, ya know, real clothes, like skinny jeans and work pants. Now I can go to the store and nothing holds me back from buying something except for the price (I never buy anything that’s full price. I’m the queen of Target’s Cartwheel app, and also thrifting).
I won’t lie: I do have two dresses that are actually maternity dresses. When I found them, at first I didn’t realize they were meant for baby bumps (not food babies…) but they fit really well so I decided to buy them anyway.
I feel a slight bit salty when I wear them – they’re really cute, no one would know they’re maternity, and I feel a slight bit vindicated that ha! I do get to have something remotely related to motherhood. Take that!
And then the 31-year-old voice in my head speaks to me:
#growupelizabeth #actyourage #buildabridgeandgetoverit
mercies per mile 