Graphic Print Critter

I wasn't joking when I said I was wearing a ton of stuff from the Men's department- WHY would I pass up this sweatshirt?! I'd be a crazy person if my new utilitarian-slouchy dressing didn't include a little bit of pizzaz. Can a varmint on a sweatshirt really be considered pizzaz? Whatever, I'mma roll with it. 

What a nice week it's been so far! The calm before the storm of tomorrow's Thanksgiving celebration with our buddies has been a series of puttering to the store for small forgotten food items, hunting for more forks (because nobody wants to eat turkey with chopsticks), and extra tummy time to encourage scooting. Anytime I try to put Violet's little knees tucked under her hips, she stiffens into a plank and I end up wheel-barrow lifting her legs. It cracks me up everytime! I know she'll figure out the physics in her own time, but the fun of doing my best to help her out only to have it hilariously backfire is filling my days with a lot of laughs. 

Basic and Loving It

The summer weather is starting to wind down over here, and it's really been nice to toss on a pair of jeans and a short sleeved top and pop out for the day. Violet is a little heater in the sling, so we keep it simple and lightweight- one layer for me and only a onesie or romper for her, even if there's a little morning nip in the air. We snuggle in and keep one another perfectly comfortable. True, we've gotten a few rotten stares from Chinese grandmothers who think she's going to die a thousand deaths because she has no socks on, but she kicks them off every time we give them a whirl. Not worth it. 

PS, I know there's some ladies out there who can't stand their maternity wardrobe post-partum, but I'm still wearing mine and loving it. These maternity jeans fit crazy good, even if they have a full panel folded down

Flashback: Maternity Buttondown

And one last maternity look. My drafts folder is cleared out after this! It's kind of fun looking back on my bump and fondly remembering what it felt like to have Violet in there, squirming and hiccuping in my belly. 

So long 'til next time, baby bump. It sure was fun getting to dress you up and get creative with regular clothes to avoid hideous Chinese maternity fashions. But, being totally truthful, I'm so much happier having my baby girl in my arms rather than lodged up under my ribcage.

Flashback: Scarf and Chucks

If you're thinking my foot and neck gear looks familiar, you're right on. Lazy dressing and accessories at its worst. Recycled scarf and Converse pairing, because the casual grey is oh so good. And slouchy maternity jeans and white long sleeved tee. So simple, so easy. I love no fuss looks like this, especially when I was pregnant. Because, really, who was I trying to impress?

Baseball

A quick hello and welcome back to baseball... Yeah, I know the season started a few short weeks ago, but we spent some good time over the weekend streaming Tigers Baseball Radio broadcasts. Watching games on TV- yeah, it's good fun, but the radio announcers for Detroit are so animated and fun to listen to.

So, hey, baseball. Thanks for making it feel a little like summer over here!

(PS- my hat is for the Toledo Mudhens- the feeder team for Detroit and my hometown. I'll have to wait a little while to wear any of my Tigers' shirts- they're all hilariously short right now.)

Like Mother Like Daughter

I am my mom's clone.

I really can't get enough of wearing shirts from the dudes' section while my midsection is expanding. It's so comfortable and, let's face it, long enough and less hoochy than most stuff in the women's section. I feel like I can get the same popular "casual, slouchy chic" look by buying boys' clothes rather than a boutique oversized sweater for triple the price.

So, how's my momma fit into all this? She's my neutral-loving inspiration and boy clothes pioneer. She spent much our our childhood wearing khaki, white, grey, and navy. She's the queen of the Hard Rock Cafe tee. And I can't count the number of times she bought men's pants and sweaters. While I'll probably stick with ladies' jeans, I am happily walking in her footsteps with the whole neutrals thing. Ivory, white, grey, and black. It's my go-to lately. Plus a pair of lady-like animal print shoes. But, she'd never go for that, so at least I'm a little bit of my own person.

Cultured

I'm about a week behind in sharing this look, but here it is, anyway.

Rob and one of his colleagues organized and hosted a pretty extensive World Music Festival last week, which included several lectures about different cultures' music, ethnomusicology, current trends in composition, etc. Plus, one high profile performance (Indian Tabla!) at the Suzhou Culture Centre, which was performed for a full house! Do yourself a favor and go listen to some of Abhiman Kaushal's tabla performances- insane. Better still? He's a heck of a nice guy and a really engaging teacher. And if you're in a New Music mood- listen to some of Shi-Hui Chen's pieces (she's Rob's teacher from Rice and the reason we found out about the job here in Suzhou). All such good stuff last week!

So, in order to impress absolutely nobody except the gaggle of Indian and Chinese 19 year old students who flooded the concert hall for the performance, I kicked my maternity style up a notch and wore this snazzy little stretch dress, a loud overcoat, silk scarf (so beautiful and SO hard to wear since it's a massive square shape) and actually curled my hair. And then stunk it all up when, after the concert, we joined the performers for a late-night Hot Pot meal. Seriously, wear old clothes when you plan to order Sichuan spicy soup. You'll reek for days.

Meeting Mommies

I got out last week to visit with other local Expat mommas in town. It's going to be a lot of fun getting to know many of these families and going through the adventure of having tiny ones in China together, getting all the tips and tricks of where to find what we need, commiserating over the strangeness of motherhood abroad with occasional nights out together. It's a great group of ladies and I'm really excited to finally have the time to get to know some of them better in the upcoming weeks. More than anything, after my nervousness about my little booger hanging out breech (I won't speak too soon since I haven't been to an official appointment yet, but I felt a decidedly rotating movement on Sunday), I got two offers to email friends to gather intel on moxibustion and acupuncture specialists in town. Beyond kind, exceedingly reassuring, and incredibly thoughtful.

Plus, it's really fun to hang out with so many lovely people who have THE. BEST. ACCENTS. I am far and away the minority as an American- I've met tons of German families (Bosch is in town), women from the UK, India, several from Spain, Pakistan, and one from Ireland. And the best part? I said adios to the remnants of my nasally a-sound Ohio accent and never picked up any y'all's in Texas, so nobody can place where I'm from.

I mentioned last week that I've been buying and wearing boys' stuff as maternity wear. Here's more proof (and a bump-hiding oversized woolen sweater- my very favorite fiber!). Also, my wispy shorty-bangs of new-growth-pregnancy-hair (the only hair "benefit" I've seen from these hormones) are popping out in every frizzy direction to say hello.

Wasted Brain Cells

Not much to say. I've been getting dressed and I don't do a good job of taking photos. Whoops.

We've been re-watching That 70's Show on DVD in the evenings. I really forgot how much we quote back and forth from this series. You, know- silly everyday expressions that you've plucked from a line in Pop Culture. Like, if I overzealously pour granola all over the counter, Rob will quote "Whoa, that really shot outta there," from the episode where Red accidentally eats special brownies and shoots off a fire extinguisher. Or, when offering one another something to eat, we quote, in our best Wisconsin accent, "Hey there Bob, you wanna piece of pie?"

All obscure references and quotables for which my darling husband has a mind like a steel trap. He's like a bad Pop Culture encyclopedia. Anyone else have a loved one with genius skill in something useless?

Mixing in a Bit of Spring

Not my favorite outfit, but I'm so happy I could finally get away with wearing this blouse with a long sleeved shirt underneath and jacket over top. I don't love that I still needed to wear booties with it, but I'll deal with it.

We finally made our way to Shanghai to hunt for the only H&M maternity section nearby last weekend. Up until then, this pair of maternity work trousers was the only thing I had that wasn't regular pants with a belly band. It's tough to sink a whole day into traveling the 85 km between Suzhou and Shanghai for errands. But, oh my gosh, was it worth it. With about 10 weeks to go, I needed pants with stretch!

Happy weekend to you all, friends! Hope you get to bust out a springtime favorite article of clothing and mix it with your winter gear. Maybe if we all collectively get into a spring-y headspace together, it will show up sooner. That's how that works, right?

 

Raising a Neckline

We have a joke about my upper half- "small but mighty." I have a little more going on now than I ever have before, but let's be really real. I will never have what could be termed a rack. Which means I don't fill stuff out. Which means I have the potential to show off a lot more camisole than I want to.

Enter my 3rd grade-level sewing skills.

I discovered a while back that 10 minutes with a needle and thread and stitching a few tiny pleats into the shoulders of lowcut pieces makes me like my shirts just a little better. While I appreciate the good work my camisoles are doing in keeping either wind off my back or functioning as a sweat barrier (depending on the season), they should always remain an undergarment, not a visual contrast to a v-neck.

< Nope. No black camisole, please.                 That's better. And visually simpler. >

 

Super easy fix! Flip inside out, gather 2-3 tiny pleats to the front side of the shoulder seam, throw a few stitches in across the trim to make sure it's secure, and that's it!

My other low-cut top quick fix? Throw a scarf on and hide it.

Gaaaah, I'm lazy.

Popping In

This is the very last time I'll wear these ugly boots, I promise.

I won't go as far as to say "It's SPRING!" yet, but there are a few buds on trees, the sun is cracking a smile now and then between drizzly days, and the willow trees lining the canals all have a vague light green hue. Nothing you might be able to call recognizable leaves, but Suzhou is trying to let Mother Nature make her move. And I'm so happy!

I'd also like to give a shout out to Mother Nature doin' her thing across my midsection... I had to laugh out loud when I saw these photos- we don't have a full length mirror, so I really don't have a great conception of how this kiddo is changing my body yet since I can't really see what's going on. I'll just let you enjoy the hilariously too-short sweater action that pops out to say hello in the second and last pictures. Not even my attempt at cheerful pink lipstick can detract from the near-miss belly flash. Sorry, friends.

 

 

Beginning of the End

Well, I've done it. My 30 days' notice has been submitted, I'm working like mad to help out with as much infrastructure as I can, but I'm going to stop working. And it's mixed emotions.

First of all, I don't want to make anyone feel bad- The only real reason we are able to pull off the stay at home thing financially is because Rob's very normal first year professor's salary stretches a whole lot further in China. Second, my income is quite generous by cultural standards, but still just a fraction of what could be considered a "second income" so we're not losing out on a lot. Third, the cost of having a kid over here is out of pocket doable; not cheap, but not unmanageable- my access to benefits was only linked to my working up until birth and coming back quickly afterward. The healthcare package and coverage was clear within the structures of very standard Chinese public hospital care, which isn't going to be a legitimate option for us since only the "VIP" services, which aren't covered, offer English language assistance reliably. And homegirl isn't brave enough to chance midnight labor at a hospital with no English speakers to call. 

So, what do I gain by saying Goodbye to my tenure as an administrator? Big big big deal gain is that I'll have an available and open schedule. Time to actually attend Expat mom groups to start making friends and gaining intel on how having a kid over here works, getting someone's used German diaper bag for a major discount, and spending time with ladies and kids who will become our community for the next few years. I've already met a few people just from skipping one day of work to go to a mom group before my doctors appointment and got clued into a few seminars that I'll be going to to learn more about this whole mommyhood thing. I'll also have weekday free time to go to Shanghai to shop, rather than spend precious weekends fighting the crowds. There's one Shanghai H&M with a maternity section and I don't fit into any of my pants anymore, so it's an urgent and necessary trip. Same goes for some Ikea shopping, and Rob can't stand the Sunday crowds. Also, for the first time ever in their lives, my critters can get used to a schedule where they don't get crated for a whole workday. And the poor recovering beagle can get some beautiful springtime day muscle building walks before the heat of summer and inconvenience of a human sibling ruins his chances for some TLC. 

But, I do work with some lovely people and have really enjoyed flexing my meticulous organization and protocol creating muscles to help the new School of Music get off the ground. It's a wise step to help me get into the headspace of this next phase for our family since I'm lousy at work/life balance and establishing boundaries, but I step away with a bit of sadness and a little "oh my gosh, how am I really going to fill my time?!" fear. Stay at home mommas- how did you feel when you made the choice to stop working and how on earth did you cope with the post-honeymoon "Freeeeedom!" jolt of reality that comes with stay at home routines?

In the meantime, I'll pump up my work wardrobe a notch to make up for the truly lazy wintertime dressing I'd been passing off as office-appropriate attire. C'mon springtime.

Cultural Shifts

Third Trimester. Boom. And it's a bump that's finally a bump, not just a burrito, which makes me really happy. Every few weeks, I get really hungry and kiddo grows like a weed, and next thing you know there's more happening out front. And I'm really grateful so far that family genetics have been good to me and I still feel fine.

I've noticed a cultural difference in attitudes about pregnancy over here. We passed a woman last night who must have been right around the same due date as me. And, while I'm still pretty nimble and limber, thankfully, goooooosh, she was waddling. I've not seen a woman who was visibly pregnant walking like she didn't have a softball balanced between her thighs. It's crazy. I don't know if the Chinese physique really does get very uncomfortable much sooner, but I'm inclined to believe that women are expected to appear faint and helpless and not lift a finger during pregnancy. The wider the waddle, the more effective the baking of a kid? And most of them don't seem to be loving it even a little. Babies must be for grandparents. Because mamas look pretty blah about the whole thing. Weird.

Snuggling

While it's still a little too chilly to be prancing around in one of my newly acquired stretchy dresses with shorty sleeves, it's not half bad if one layers supa slim undershirts and double layers of tights (folded way low below my bump- it's getting squishy) under them. Oh, and spend the workday under a blanket.

Desk blankets. They're a thing and they're good stuff.

Also, this photobomber has been all up in my business since the beginning of the break. It got more intense as the fireworks were going off for the Lunar New Year, but she's been a permanent fixture on my lap whenever it's available and my little shadow as I mill around the house. The dog and I are usually little peas in a pod, so it's kind of fun to have this lady hanging around. It really was nice to have a routine of spending the day taking care of the house and critters (while snacking to my heart's content... there's something about cut carrot in a baggie that's way less satisfying that carrots fresh cut and in a bowl). So, Eddie, get ready, because we're going to snuggle like mad this weekend. And I'll snack on potato chips so you can lazily swipe one from out of the bag as you're perched on my lap.

Too Small

So, two stories for you all.

One: I wore this outfit to my 24 week doctor's appointment last Saturday morning where I was scheduled to have an ultrasound and glucose blood test. Well, I had the glucose test (all is good- no indication of problems!) and went down to my ultrasound for the heart only first. The first words out of the tech's mouth were "Tai xiao le" or "too small." Well, poop on a stick. They claim that the size of this kiddo is closer to 21 or 22 weeks (which could really only be possible if I had a 7 or 8 week cycle and got a positive pregnancy test approximately 6 hours after ovulation. TMI? Whoops), so I'm figuring that maybe we're off by a week and I'm growing a kid just the same as everyone does on my mom's side of the family- little kid, little bump, little momma. So, I'm rescheduled for my OB and ultrasounds for next week instead (which turns out to be totally fine- Rob will be back in town and gets to come with me for the first time!)

Two: About 8 short weeks into my pregnancy, I 10000% broke the zipper on these grey jeans. I squatted to stretch them out a little (they always fit a little snug) and the zipper slipped down past the bottom teeth and that's all she wrote. Well, now that I'm not buttoning or zipping anyway... welcome back to the rotation, I guess.

 

Neutral Overload

Ladies and Gents, I'm in the midst of Winter Holiday. Thaaaaank goodness.

Moving on. It's time to adios these pants. They were once really great thrifted, lined wool, perfect light grey trousers. But they're getting a few more moth holes and the lower rise means they don't do the job of covering all of what ought to be covered anymore. And I only have a finite number of long-hem blouses to cover that mess up with. So, thanks, grey trousers, for coming overseas and helping me out through a solid handful of early 2nd trimester cold winter workdays. But you won't fit from here on out this winter, and any amount of weight that sticks around for next season will help you to remain unwearable. So long.

That said, this outfit was a stinker. Not a total bust in real life, but it photographed way more mono-tone than it was. The sweater is a little darker oatmeal in person, but, it was still pretty one note. Well, now I know. The look was saved only by this half up-do that actually made my hair look good. A tiny bit beehive, but mostly just out of my face chic. I'll take what I can get.

Have you worn a dud outfit lately? Am I the only one with no shame who actually posted it for the good ladies of style-blog-land to see? (Actually, I know for a fact that a handful of the women I follow have posted and mentioned "meh" looks lately or did a "worst of 2013" post, and that's why we're internet friends. Honesty is the best policy.)