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.

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.

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.

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.

Winding Down

Skirt: thrifted...Sweater: Target...Scarf: Target...Belt: Swiped from a skirt...Shoes: Naturalizer...Earrings: Etsy

It's been a long couple of days. Work has been (and will continue to be) totally nuts, Rob has been getting his dissertation entered into a digital musical score until past midnight most nights, Eddie has an itchy ear that I'm watching like a hawk, Miles is eating garbage and being a real butthole. We all need our schedule and routines back!

The bright spots coming up will more than make up for the madness- we get to sort of help puppy-sit for Homer, our bassett neighbor dog while his mommy is out of town and daddy has evening shifts scheduled (he and Miles had better doggy-playdate-exhaust themselves, they both NEED it!). Hopefully, we'll get a little time in with Matt and Natalie to catch up. Rob and his bromance are making plans to make the best out of a school-stuff-clogged St. Patrick's Day, so perhaps there's a little Beer Golfing to be done after they get finished with a special composition Master Class in the afternoon. We're kind of planning to sneak into Valhalla early to stake a claim at the bar and NEVER leave our seats. That's OUR bar, our SUNDAY TRADITION, dangit, and those MBA poser pub-dwellers better scoot themselves out of our spots. Go find a crappy Irish pub elsewhere and celebrate!

I actually don't have that strong of an opinion on the matter, but Rob's Bromance is a very big St. Patty's fan and I have to send as many good thoughts for a rockstar evening out into the universe for good measure.

Ah, Happy Friday, sweet friends!

New Week Kickoff

Pants: Zara...Sweater: Target...Scarf: thrifted...Shoes: Calvin Klein via Buffalo Exchange...Coat: BB Dakota via Piperlime...Mittens: who knows

I'm heading out bright and early this morning, we have a coffee date for Auction stuff for the Young Audiences gala. BTW, we've decided on Pop Art Soiree as the theme... Does anyone in Houston who might want to support arts in education have a connection to Kate Spade? We want a donation to our auction baaaad.

Anyway, the weekend shaped into a pretty good one. Friday night was dull, Rob got sucked into going to a classical concert and I would have just napped, so joining him was a no-go. Saturday, he sat in on a sight reading session, for which he didn't write a piece. Super lame and long for him. Window shopping wasn't a terrible alternative for me. And Sunday. Oh, Sunday- lazy morning, a few hours of silly data entry, and an excellent curry-filled evening. Natalie, Matt- rockstar beginning to the week! I'm so happy you were game to join our Sunday tradition of a too-big dinner and cheapo beers.

Happy Monday, you all!

Holiday Look Link Up

Skirt: Target...Turtleneck: J Crew Factory...Blazer: J Crew via Buffalo Exchange...Belt: Target...Shoes: Steve Madden...Bag: Longchamp knockoff

Festive, bright, but not blatant? Huzzah! This blazer may be more versatile than I was expecting it to be.

We had an awesome night with neighbors last evening! We were supposed to do a potluck outside in the courtyard, but the temps are dropping (overnight low of 33!! last night) and we didn't want to freeze our buns, so we aaaalmost cancelled. And that would have been a bummer, so 10 of us and 3 dogs packed into our place, gathered a bunch of tasty food, sipped wine, chatted, and enjoyed each others' company for the evening. What an awesome jumpstart on the holiday weekend! (P.S.- I'm glad the Mayans were wrong.)

So, what have you been wearing or plotting for Holiday Festive Wear? Link it up and meet some new friends! The link's going aaaaaall the way through next week- hook up your day of Christmas look, Saturday party looks, whatever you want.

Here's the rules for the Holiday Look Link Up:
Follow The Perpetual Student's Wife (via Google Friend Connect or BlogLovin')
Link the URL to a specific recent-ish post showing off your favorite holiday themed or holiday party look.
Link back to The Perpetual Student's Wife so your new friends can navigate easily.
Ummm.... that's it! Can't wait to see what you all are rockin' for Holiday Festivities.

Baking Skillz

Skirt: Target...Tee: Target...Blazer: J Crew via Buffalo Exchange...Shoes: Naturalizer...Belt: Target...Tights: Gap...Necklaces: thrifted...Bag: knockoff Longchamp

Day two, what I actually wore to the evening Young Professionals mixer last week. Festive, one of the only red articles of clothing I own, a slim olive weave running through the plaid... Meant for Christmas!  PS- do you notice the plaid lined up perfectly on the pocket? Mmm, I love details.

I baked Russian Tea Cakes/Snowballs/Sand Tarts last night. They turned out better than I thought they would, fortunately (the reason for baking at all is to send them to someone... They had to turn out okay). Here's the scoop: I am NOT a baker. I can cook, I can make up dinners from crap we have on hand, I can saute any number of things like a pro. But, I can't bake my way out of a brownie box. Two part problem: As a cook, I have leeway to play with proportion of veggie and quinoa to garlic. With baking, if I use my normal dash-of-baking-powder-in-my-palm measuring method, cookies fall flat. Shocker. I don't "do" recipes. Part two is that my oven is pretty much an easy bake oven. Tiny apartment sized ovens don't really heat things to a consistant temperature.

Is anyone else buying that blame game? Okay, okay, I suck at baking.

Can't wait to see what you all are planning for Friday's Holiday Look link up. Start plotting- I expect a sequin or two!

Buffalo Plaid

Pants: Gap Really Skinny...Sweater: Target...Shoes: LeSportsac via DSW...Hat: Target Men's...Bag: Longchamp knockoff

Welcome to my week of lead up to the Christmas Holiday! I jump started my moderate excitement with a little over a week to go by way of this silly Buffalo Plaid men's hat on Saturday. 3rd day hair makes a hat Saturday a simple choice, and this funny little number I picked up last year before our holiday trip home to Ohio was the perfect holiday tie in (not to mention the addition of gold shoes helped push it along). I even got motivated enough to put up our two tiny 3-footer trees. One using classy white tones with mini bulbs, icicles and my grandma's starched crochet snowflakes. The other with bright glitter mini bulbs and a blue glitter string art on top. We also put up the Peanuts nativity. Peanuts are a holiday "must" around this house.

BTW, did you catch wind that I'm going to do a Friday Holiday Look link up? I've never hosted a link up before, I didn't really pre-plan, it's just kind of my way to hold myself accountable to getting in the Holiday Spirit by way of fashion... and I know some of you all will join me, so why not get festive together?! (Speaking of fun link ups- Bri Marie at Work Clothes, I Suppose is hosting a Third Thursday  Thread Winter White themed link up this Thursday. And I can't wait!)

Overdressed. Again.

Dress: ASOS...Cardigan: Target...Trench: Target...Shoes: Nine West via Buffalo Exchange...Scarf: Target...Bag: D&B via Buffalo Exchange...Belt: Target...Shades: via TJ Maxx

I actually wore this to a concert a few days ago. And, per my whining and moaning about what's appropriate, I was far-and-away the most overdressed person there, excluding performers. And I'm over the whole conundrum. If I have to look nice for work, what's the fun of dressing like a schlub in a concert hall? None. That's right. It's more fun to look nice for 18 hours than like a varsity-basketball-cheering undergrad goon.

And if you wear manageable heels, you can rock 'em all day. So, that's a bonus.

Hanging In

Skirt: thrifted & refashioned...Tank: Old Navy...Cardigan: Target...Belt: Target...Shoes: Nine West via Buffalo Exchange...Bag: D&B via Buffalo Exchange

That's twice in one week for that little olive belt.

Not much to say, I'm working long, long days, I'm tired, I'm managing to keep my spirits up, and my husband made a really tasty pot of chili. Life is good. Days are long. It's okay. This is what your late 20's are for, right? Overcommitment, a flurry of trying to fit everything in, and eating something delicious.

Repairs

Dress: ASOS...Sweater: Target...Belt: Target...Shoes: Nine West via Buffalo Exchange...Bag: D&B via Buffalo Exchange

Thank goodness it's Wednesday- my Guy is completing the 2-hour oral exam part of his comprehensives (they made him wait two weeks between the 3 days of written exams and the orals... which means he had to maintain all of that extensive musical knowledge for an extra long period of time because once he walks into that room tomorrow they could conceivably ask him anything.) Once he's done with this hurdle, he's down to writing his dissertation piece (for symphony and with a springtime target date), passing a language translation written exam, orally defending the dissertation upon completion and that's about it. After 23 straight years of school, he's nearly to the end of the line. Thank. Goodness. I'm so sick of being a sugar momma.

In totally unrelated news, I get to pick up a few pairs of shoes that I took in for stretching and repair at the end of the day today. Including my amazing thrifted boots that I was only able to wear once last year and then the dry, old, cruddy leather soles crapped out. Seriously, they were so brittle, they shattered. Pricy fix? A little. Worth it? I am going to go with a big, fat "yes." There's nothing better than finding a pair of boots with character, a proper calf circumference and at a thrift store price. I have yet to purchase a pair of boots from a "real" store... they are never a sold fit. And the options with a nice, narrow, structured shaft are north of the $500 price range. Um, no.

What fall favorites have you found on the cheap? What thrifted item have you paid big bucks to make perfect?

Linking up... because it's Wednesday! Pleated Poppy's What I Wore Wednesday and Rolled Up Pretty's Whatever Wherever Wednesday.

Shopping for Stripes

Dress: ASOS...Belt: Target...Shoes: J Jill via Buffalo Exchange...Necklace: J Crew...Umbrella: Target...Food Baby: c/o too much coffee and oatmeal

Rain, rain, rain. We've needed it, so I'm glad it came, but geez, with the amount of moisture that's been in the air, just waiting, I'm shocked it didn't downpour way sooner. I'm also shocked I haven't needed to evolve and develop gills to survive the soupy air.

Did anyone else fall in love with Sydney's striped t-shirt dress and stalk it like mad, waiting for a good sale and a good coupon? I do maybe two online shopping excursions in any given year (this and my Target skirt new color ordering fill the quota) so it's got to be a really special item for me to click "Add to Cart." Worn with minimal extras, it's awesome for summertime, but I saw a lot of potential for wearing a simple cream or tan sweater with boots, my grey pleated skirt and a cardigan, preppy navy blazer, maroon tights and cardigan, a deep juniper green pairing for the holidays... it's going to be a good one.

Well, that was a wonderfully mindless and shallow post. BTW, hope you know about Marion (who is so cheerful and upbeat, it will make you barf)- each month she hosts a Trend of the Month Link Up, tomorrow's is a Statement Necklace. Hope you don your fave and join the group, it's always a fun group that takes part!

Stars and Stripes

Skirt: Gap dress, refashioned...tank: GapBody...Cardigan: Gap...Shoes: J Jill via Buffalo Exchange...Polish: Essie Tart Deco

Well, I worked a long half day. On a holiday. I hate it.

I also haven't been feeling especially well. I also hate it.

But, later this afternoon I get to attend a BBQ with picnic style side dishes- my favorite by a long shot. There is really nothing better than a potluck. Except a potluck put together by the 65+ crowd. They really know how to throw a potluck with the best dishes.

Happiest 4th to you all. I hope your celebration will be filled with as much food, music, friends and fireworks as we have planned.

And a little something for the road: