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. 

Oversized: Then and Now

The last time I wore this camel sweater, I was getting near the end of baking this kid. I must say, there was a certain charm about the way it fit over that little bump, but there's something equally sweet about pairing it with chewy beads for this teething slobber machine and a messy side pony to keep twirling fingers out of my hair while we're nursing.

Duuude.

I've been really out of my own blogging loop for a while. I've been sort of keeping up with some reading, mostly keeping in touch through Instagram, but what I've gathered is that Capsule Wardrobes are "in" and they're filled with neutrals and stripes.

Well, I guess I've been accidentally capsule wardrobing for a really long time, then.

I'm taking the capsule-chic one step closer to lazy and have been doing two things with what I've been wearing lately. 1. Replace a lot of dead and dying clothes (China water is really mineral-y and makes clothes crunchy and gross much more quickly. Goodbye, old worn out favorites) with pieces that are a little oversized, since my intention is to be pregnant on repeat and knock out the whole "let's have lots of kids" thing bing bang boom style. And slouchy/ comfortable works in pregnancy, post-partum, and toddler chasing. 2. I'm buying the bulk of my new favorites in the men's section. Been doin' that since my belly got big, like here, here, here.

A Weekend Non-Adventure

Over last weekend, we had the opportunity to join several Expat teachers affiliated with the university (all from other departments- what fun to meet new people!) to go visit a "new style" modern village made up of agricultural zones, manufacturing, and new style homes.

Shoulda been interesting to see the new model of modern China.

Nope.

Our time in this village (and more power to them, I really hope they continue to receive encouragement and support from the government and society- some sort of sustainability measures should be encouraged) was not spent actually experiencing or understanding what's really "new" and "now," but rather we spent 3 hours walking through building after building of displays of what agriculture and day to day life was like 40 years ago (It looked the same as one might imagine farming in China in 1874 to look like). With creepy wax mannequins. And taxidermied animals everywhere. Not tremendously informative or interesting, but it was nice to spend a little time with new friends. Silver linings and all that junk.

Seasonally Inappropriate

I have a pair of great new black skinnies (P.S.- why is shopping for jeans such a nightmare lately? Must everything be loose on my tush and sausage-casing tight on my calves?!) that have, admittedly, been on heavy rotation already. But, I just can't seem to let go of my white jeans yet. It's appropriate to wear them until the week of Thanksgiving, right? Can I then call them "winter whites" and carry on?

P.P.S. Teething is a big, nasty B-word. Slobber on everything and baby harumphs.

Obnoxious

I made a big mistake wearing these amazingly absurd gold shoes. I've spent 97% of the summer season in either my Chacos or barefoot. Because I don't leave the house often enough and I have no shame walking the dog in my finest loungewear.

Anyway, I wore this a few weeks ago to lunch out with a very pregnant girlfriend (who has since had a tiny little boy!) and it was a lovely 1.5 km walk to the nearby restaurant street through the lakeside park near our place. However, I forgot that while the squishy foot bed is heaven, the shoe is enclosed. Like, a for-real shoe. Which made dime-sized blisters on both heels. Ouchy and Oops.

Also, how adorable is Violet in this obnoxious citron romper? I got so lucky that a shopaholic friend is having a boy for baby 2 and I got all of her daughter's hand-me-down goodness.

Stubborn

Ha, take that olive pants, grey tees, and tan trench coat. I'll counteract my love of neutrals by wearing... drumroll, please... more neutrals in the form of taupe flats, simple jeans, my trench coat and POW! a tomato red sweater. Whoopie, I'm bustin' outta the rut!

All joking aside, it's been a mentally challenging week. Kid was still breech at my last appointment a week and a half ago, and, despite lounging upside down, peppermint oiling my upper belly, good posture, wishful thinking and a few ugly cries, the littlest McClure's head is still easily felt anywhere between just to the right of my belly button and banging into my right ribcage. What's worse is that I've seen several of our kidless lady-friends in the last week and they're interested in how the little one is doing- and instead of saying "Hey, they're kicking and wiggling right now- feel!" because that would mean I'm putting their hand into my pants where the kicking is actually happening, I just say "Good. Growing." And nobody gets to enjoy the journey with me. And that's starting to feel really lonely.

So, little stubborn one, please take a spin southward. I will not schedule you a birthdate surgery. I will not invest any more mental energy into worrying. I will not be gutted like a fish for the sake of modern medicine's views on what's easier and convenient for scheduling and padding pockets (I mean, what's "safest" for baby). I want you here safe and I know that's ultimately what matters, however this goes down- but my family is built for baby-making and baby-birthing and I'm sure as shit not going to fold like a scaredy and schedule a c-section just because you got the stubborn gene, too. Just ask your dad- I can play a mean game of chicken. And I'm the mom- so you do what I say, because I said so.

That said- pleasepleasepleaseplease say a quick prayer and send out some really good energy for me and this booger. I'm not quittin' yet, but the 36 week mark is getting dangerously close and my chances kind of plummet after that.

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.)

White Jeans and Little Things

Whew, glad I got such a heavy post off my chest earlier this week. On to lighter-hearted things.

One. I have, to date, killed three pairs of non-maternity pants so dead they had to be thrown away. Zippers may be fixable, but popped seams and ripped fabric? Nope. Not coming back from that.

Two. The cutest foggy morning slug inched along and crossed our path as Miles and I had our early morning walk. A tiny 1 inch trail of slime behind him; unbearably cute.

Three. My love of Peanut Butter (crunchy and overpriced, of course) with apples and carrots for lunch is still going strong.

Four. We went to Beijing last weekend. I'll tell you more later.

Five. I nearly fell off the sofa trying to paint my toenails. It may be time to start going to get pedicures instead of doing them myself. Bummer.

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?

Good, Small Stuff

It's been a really funny week. Good and bad yo-yo-ing. But that's life, right?

So- let's focus on the little stuff, the tiny anecdotes and small moments that bring a smile.

Spring is always and forever going to be my favorite season. Starting three weeks ago, I saw a flush of lime green lining the canals as Willow trees started to sprout tiny new growth leaves and forsythia blooming literally overnight. Tiny blooms exploding on the trees and watching buds turn into miniature leaves over just a few days. I'm in love with the abundance of fresh and growing things in Suzhou right now.

Finding an H&M kiddo tee of Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA album- which, for a kid to be born in China, is hysterically false advertising.

While travelling by bus to the train station, Rob totally got shoulder napped-on by the coolest looking dude on the bus. Like, tall, a little punk, tattoo'ed and wearing combat boots. And his girlfriend kept giving Rob a little "Well, sorry, man" side look every once in a while. And I died of laughter.

Playing a game of Taboo in the Ikea cafe, Rob was trying to get me to guess a word... I guessed patio, veranda, porch, and terrace. Not right. When he told me the word, I told him he should have used "Upper blanking a toilet." And he had no idea what that phrase meant. I officially out-gross-dude-ed my husband.

There's an exorbitant number of beyond-cute toddlers running around the city. Several of whom think my dog is the coolest and whose mothers and grandmothers are freaking the heck out about it.

Eddie is still a snuggling machine.

Jif Crunchy peanut butter is my favorite and apples and carrots are both especially sweet this season. Lunchtime win.

My bump is finally big and obvious enough that I've been offered many seats on busses and subways by adorably considerate college boys. So sweet.

I've made quite a few clothes purchases lately (almost all from H&M), and my style has shifted decidedly into dude-inspired (like, swiped from the boys' department) maternity. I can't get enough of wearing oversized sweaters with parkas and maternity jeans. I am doing my mother proud.

Sweatshirts and Positive Attitudes

Thanks for the flipping a kid tips and resources, you guys! I've found a local expat who has a reputable seller in Shanghai for essential oils (German import) and will try Grace's rad peppermint trick in tandem with some inversions (as carefully as my bruised up tailbone will allow). We'll see how it goes- keep your fingers crossed for me please! My OB was awfully cavalier about the whole thing, saying not to worry about the position, don't force a spin, we can do a C-section, changing the baby's position could be dangerous... Um, a major surgery to remove said child from my person is also dangerous, just more convenient for a busy hospital's schedule rather than allowing my lady parts to do what they do while I'm screaming for hours. So, my very sweet bilingual friend, Yen-Ling, affectionately known for her firm and effective direct approach to communication as "Yelling" will likely be helping me translate a birth plan and joining me for a doctor's visit in the next few weeks to more firmly communicate that I WILL be supported by the hospital, to the best of their abilities, to have a normal labor and delivery, no scalpels allowed. In the meantime, send out lots of good vibes because this is the first time I felt like I was going to run into a culture clash that is going to be tricky to overcome. And I need to keep a good attitude!

Other stuff happening- I'm off work and it feels sooo good. I spent Monday running errands, including picking up a bag full of loaner maternity pants in a bigger size for when my backside and belly inevitably get larger and larger. And errands that happen all the bleep way across town (50 or more minutes by public transit) become a whole lot more doable, as in they actually get accomplished, when one is freed from obligation to a daily desk job. Bonus? My beagle doesn't spend his whole days crated and naps his afternoons away from the comfort of a sofa. Oh, and we're both walking and exercising lots, yadda yadda yadda. Plus, I'm wearing a lot of boy clothes, sweatshirts, and adorably casual jeans. And that always helps.

Standing Out on St. Patty's

I was so hopeful these jeans would fit still. I bought them on clearance in a size above my normal and dryer shrunk the crap out of them the last few years pre-pregnancy. Now that my hips got all wide and funky, they're a little too tight, but I couldn't not wear them- this springy color combination was begging for white jeans. And the most fun part is this weird little scarf in my hair has been my St. Patrick's Day go-to little bit of green(it has green cherries and little fuchsia vines on it) for years and years now and I just decided to go for the loud and bright complimentary look. And all my adorably reserved office mates thought it was the most awesome thing ever.

So, moral of the story is this: in the last week of work, wear whatever you want to and all your colleagues and every other Chinese person on campus will stare unabashedly at you and your pregnant belly. No disguising being one of the only white girls working at the University and dressing up anyway, let alone sporting a huge baby bump, so give 'em all something spring-like to stare at.

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.

 

 

Strategy

Winter gave me a major case of the "blahs" this year. I know it doesn't hold a candle to the miserable winter so many of my Midwest buddies had to tough out (sorry you're so snowed in and pissed about it, mom) but everyone here has said last summer was the hottest on record in decades, and this winter was one of the coldest with the highest humidity in the last few years. We got no more than a pathetic sprinkling of snow, but commuting in the soak-into-your-bones cold has been darn unpleasant. Add into that the fact that my favorite coats all now fit like sausage casings and it had been too cold and clammy to leave them unbuttoned. Boo hoo and shut up, Kate. I'll keep reminding myself that my masterful 3-undershirt layering skills kept me mostly warm enough every day without turning me into a puffy coat and Cosby sweater Chinese fashionista. Outer layers, like this cardigan, never did piddly for keeping the chill at bay- it's just for show. What you can't see is that I consistently wore a skintight camisole tucked into my pants so there was never any cold gusts, a GapBody stretchy long sleeved tee, and an outdoor-grade undershirt or two under the sweater of my choice. Every dang day. 

Plus those unattractive LLBean boots. 

I better keep an eye on those poor boots- I'm afraid Rob will send them away before next winter. I just hope he has enough sense to realize that they're my pull-on-dog-walking-shoes, too, and if they disappear, so does my obligation to get up to take the beagle out at 6:30. 

Sausage casing coat. Good look, Kate, good look.

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.