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.

In Anticipation

Oh, good, a Canadian Tuxedo.

Friends, I can't wait for Saturday. Over here in Suzhou, Thanksgiving is just a Thursday, BUT, many of our friends here have spent time in the USA and were really looking forward to celebrating. Rob and I are going to try to cook a turkey in our puny oven and everyone is gathering at our place to spend time playing card games and eating a gluttonous amount of food. I just hope my dog isn't a butthole, squelches his beagle-y urges to devour anything not intended for him, and just lets us enjoy the day, rather than holding onto his collar in hopes of controlling his rotten behavior.

Who am I kidding- everyone will be on guard, he'll still manage to steal something, and then the cat will tag-team with him to swipe more goodies, pluck something delicious out of a bowl and knock it to the ground to share. My pets are jerks. Adorably naughty jerks.

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.

Casual Fall and Life Lately

It's the peeeerfect weather in Suzhou right now. We're in the midst of sunshine days with a nip in the air- perfect for jeans and something with long sleeves during the lunch hour. And, for the most part, we can still get away with no socks and lighter layers on little Violet if I wear her since we're sweaty torso to sweaty torso, but I fear those days are going away soon. Now, if only I could find socks that fit her.

Sorry for the long absence, friends! We've been traveling some, but mostly I have been enjoying the bejesus out of wasting my days staring into Violet's eyes, spending hours making fart noises at one another, taking long shuffling walks with the dog. Life is wonderfully slow lately and I'm so grateful for this little moment in time where I can finally enjoy my kid after all of the undeveloped digestive tract yelling, the thrush and nursing nightmares now behind us and in a good groove. It's days filled with lots of really great little moments of fingers tangled in my hair, raspberry spit-bubbles being smeared all over my cheek, that one crazy dimple that shows up on her upper right cheek when she smiles her crooked whole-faced grin, especially when she's super proud of herself for sitting on her own for a few seconds. I'm really loving it.

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?

Flashback: Too-Small Tops

Oh, Kate, you shoulda stopped trying to wear your shorty shirts. You wore this when you still had 5 weeks until your due date. There was a decided lack of shirt stretch happening. Good try, lady. Next time, stick with rotating your small handful of maternity shirts and stop trying to sausage-encase yourself in your XS collection. It's not a good look.

Hope I learned my lesson- don't wear stuff optimistically, I just look like the Stay-puffed marshmallow man if it's too tight. Hehehe, it was a cute concept, but the fit didn't work in my favor. At all. 

Flashback: Maternity Dress

Before we get too far along, I have a few maternity styles to share with you guys that I never got the chance to post. Not many, but a few fun looks that we're nice nods to springtime. 

This dress was a maternity MVP. So comfortable, so stretchy, and so cheap. Thanks, H&M, for being abundant in China and for having good stretchy dress options. One size up, this one was perfect. 

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.

Spring Neutrals

Spring is just my favorite. I love the sidewalks start getting hot during the days, the rains that feel a little bit warmer, bright green new growth, watching perennials pop out of the ground almost overnight. My favorite thing about moving to a new place is discovering new plants and the way they grow and change in springtime. Seeing what blooms.

So why, for the love of Pete, do I always wind up wearing nothin' but neutrals?

Oh, yeah, that's right- I keep trying to pass off all the non-colors I wear as "classic." And I like it.

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.

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.

Grateful

Oh, look what I found in drafts... from weeks ago. One of my final work outfits from a surprise sunny day amidst the springtime rains (so I, naturally, went against the Chinese norm of covering every bit of leg and skin and overdressing despite whatever the weather is and wore no tights). I loved how absurdly tiny this cardigan looks against my kiddo curves; it was fun to wear a kicky bit of print.

I really thought I would miss work a little once I stepped away. I've been motivated and diligent for years, investing more of myself and my time in working and earning our wages than I should have. I always felt so responsible to the success of my little family; making sure my income, as paltry as it always was in the midst of the economic downturn and as hard as I had to work to earn it, was enough to get us through not only bills, but provide enough extra to make sure Rob could take part in as many "extras" as possible while going through school. Conferences, festivals, paying musicians out of our own pockets to play his pieces. It costs a lot to succeed in music composition. But, we powered through, hopeful that one day, not too many years from graduation, he would find a really great job that made him happy and was substantial enough for us to start a family. I hoped, with fingers and toes crossed, that it would be someplace with an interesting arts scene. I hoped that it would be a position that would allow me to spend at least a little time away from work while we raised kids, that we wouldn't be perpetually broke anymore and I could enjoy fulfilling my dream of becoming a mommy a couple times over. Never did I assume I would get to detach from working completely, knowing that Rob is enjoying the challenge (and parts of it are definitely that) of working at a School of Music as a professor, knowing that our finances are modest, but comfortable for the first time in our marriage, and we'd get to do it all while experiencing the madness of living outside of the USA. It's not all sunshine and bubbles, since I know I'll spend a lot of my "free time" hunting for reliable information about where to get safe vaccines and buy non-toxic Legos abroad, things that are taken oh-so-for-granted when you live someplace with regulated markets, but I know how damn lucky we are. Well, it's not entirely luck- we both worked our asses off to catch this really amazing break.

Thanks for sticking with me as I've been blogging about this wild life adventure of living in China. I know it may have turned off some readers who view it as gloating or novelty. But it's life as I know it right now. No better, no worse, no more exotic or fabulous than living in Houston or Boston or Los Angeles. It's just my new normal, whatever that means. Like I said, thanks for sticking around. It helps to have some of you online girlfriends to feel a little less like an outsider all the time.

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.