What's Up Magazines

Rent Maternity Wear makes it easy, cheap, and FUN to wear a designer dress for a special occasion while pregnant without paying designer prices.  I contacted them early last week when they sent our editor a press release to find out what they were all about.  I decided that I just had to have one of their designer dresses for our upcoming Best of Party, which took place last Thursday, June 24, 2010.

 

I went to their website, found a dress I loved and asked them to send it to me on rental.  Yes, you can rent a designer dress for one week for $39-$70 depending on the dress, and designer. They quickly wrote back telling me that the dress runs small in the bodice and that they would send me a small and medium to make sure I had the right size for my event.  I decided that I should order another dress in case I didn't like the way that one fit once I got it.  I ordered another style dress by the same designer, and they also sent me that dress in small and medium. Yes, working for a city magazine and having your own blog has its PERKS! (rentmaternitywear.com provided these dresses to me free of charge.)

The dresses arrived two days later, all four of them in 1 box nicely wrapped and folded. Immediately I opened the box, and put the dresses on hangers.  Just by looking at the dresses I could tell the mediums weren't going to fit -- both were way too big. I can't say that they will send the dress you order in two different sizes, but if your ordering a Christian Siriano dress and you think your a small, have a small chest, most likely the small is going to be the one that fits you perfectly.

 

Jesse was working late, so I took the dresses down to my grandparents to try on and model for them.  They both liked the teal dress, and I liked the pink one.  I actually hated the teal dress on me, which was my first choice on their website and I had actually almost ordered it off another website a month or two ago.

It was just as easy to send the dresses back today.  I packed all four of them in the postage paid envelope that came in the box and dropped it off at the post office box.   PLUS, I didn't even have to wash or dry clean them.  They take care of all of that when you send back the dresses. If you get a stain on the dress they ask that you just notify them about the stain and not try to get the stain off yourself.  I was very careful while wearing both of the dresses.

I decided to wear the pink one to our Best of Party last week.

 

I wore the teal dress to my Baby Shower that What's Up? had for me on Saturday afternoon.

 

I found renting a maternity dress very easy, and hope that anybody else that wants to wear a pretty dress while pregnant tries out this new service.  Their customer service is exceptional, and they respond to emails very quickly.  I haven't had time to research to see if there are any other websites or services out there like this one but if you come across any let me know!  I do still have 11.5 more weeks until my little girl arrives, and at least one more baby shower to attend.

Check out Rent Maternity Wear for plenty of styles....for your special occasion.

 

 

Being pregnant during crabbing season SUCKS, and next time around I will plan pregnancy out.  I will not be pregnant during the months of June, July or August, or at least won't be in my third trimester.

This morning I sent my husband out crabbing with my grandfather. I kid you not, Jesse has never been trot-lining with me on the river since we have been together, that's 10 years. For those of you that don't know me very well, crabbing is my life during the summer.  I take an entire week off each summer just to crab early in the morning, and I go to bed early on Friday and Saturday nights just so I can get up real early and head out on the boat to crab.  This was Jesse's first adventure and he liked it. My grandfather is a waterman on the Severn River and has been for 30+ years!  It's always an experience to go crabbing with him, listen to his directions, learn something new, and just have fun.  There are good days, and bad days on the river and today Jesse was able to enjoy one of the good ones, I found myself super jealous. 

Jealous over the fact that he got to set his alarm for 2:30 in the morning, that he got to have the butterflies in his stomach of waking up early...to me its like being a kid getting ready to go to Disney, can't sleep the night before, he got to pick out his crabbing attire which I always do the night before, he got to take the cooler of goodies I packed for him, he got to help my grandfather put everything on the truck from the garage, I always do this before even letting my grandfather know I am there, then he got to load the boat, he got to go down the river on the boat in while it was still pitch black out with the wind blowing and making his eyes water, he got to throw out the weights for the line, and watch that first crab get caught when the line was placed on the roller.


(that's me calling a crab last summer)

After hearing from Jesse at 5:40 a.m. and seeing photos of the 1/2 of bushel of crabs they already had caught, I knew they would enjoy their day.  When I got up at 7, and texted him back, he said that he had just got to start dipping and just made his first trip down the line.  My grandfather, must have been doing all the dipping the first couple of hours.  I said to Jesse "fun, huh?", he wrote back "yeah, I could do this all day" and I realized that after 10 years I could finally say to him "TOLD YOU SO! Now you see why I love it so much"

They ended the day with 3 1/2 bushel!   Jesse unbaited the line for my grandfather, and walked home excited that he got offered another trip on the boat.   A few minutes ago my grandfather called me, he said that my husband was an outstanding helper today, and that made me feel good.  I had given Jesse pointers all the way up to the time I closed my eyes last night, and then again this morning as he was walking out the door.  The last thing I said to him was "Honey, make sure you dip away from the line so you don't get the line caught in the net"  When my grandfather called he said "Jesse, didn't get the line caught in the net one time and that's because he listened."  Yay!  My hubby met my grandfather's expectations and that's tough.

 

(my trash the dress photo shoot last October wouldn't have been complete without this photo)

This blog wasn't easy for me to write.  I actually experienced my 2nd pregnancy meltdown and cried at my desk for 20 minutes. Then when I got pissed off about another situation and I was able to focus on writing and not crying.  Hormones. 

(I got this blue crab tattoo on my ankle last March.)

On 6/8/10 I went for my 6 month appt.  Everything went great!  I really enjoyed the doctor I met, and hope that she is the one that delivers my baby girl in September.  My blood pressure has been fine the entire time, and my belly was measuring right on time.  I told the doctor that I was having back pain after I would sit for 20-30 minutes.  She suggested that I go see Dr. Traci Carlson, a physical therapist at Doyle & Taylor. 

I visited Dr. Carlson on 6/14/10, and she was very nice and comforting.  She taught me a few exercises I could do twice a day, and she adjusted me.  My right pelvic bone was slightly off from my left, which would explain the pain I have been having in the middle of my right back.  Finally, I knew what the problem was and there was a way for it to be fixed!  The adjustment really hurt me...all I could think about was my grandfather in my head saying "hey, wimp" that's what he calls me on the telephone -- he's right I am a wimp!

See the diagram below...my 2 has shifted from 1, just a tad.  Which in turned has caused my 4 to shift from my 5.  :-(

Dr. Carlson said that she had me lined back up but that only 3 ladies that she has adjusted with the same problem in the past 8 years, have told her that the one adjustment fixed the problem.  During pregnancy your pelvis expands, remember I got a baby that is going to roll outta there....well I after I push her a bit.  I am lucky enough to be one of those pregnant ladies who's pelvis expands but also shifts while expanding to cause me EXTRA back pain.

I can tell you now...after 20-30 minutes of sitting my BACK STILL HURTS.  I don't feel lined back up.  I look forward to my 3-4 mile walk at night just so I don't find myself laying in bed in pain.  I didn't really get to enjoy my dinner out last night with the hubby because all I could think about was getting up and walking around. 

I am full of emotions over this pain, and just want to be able to blame somebody or something.  I blame...the extra weight on my front side, my body for apparently not liking the fact that its now growing a baby, but mostly I have been blaming myself since talking with Dr. Carlson. She showed me the the ways I should get up out of bed, and into my car, I realized that was my problem...I pull myself into my Jeep entirely the wrong way. I don't use my running boards like I should.  I put my right foot in and then put all my weight on that side of my body to pull the rest of me inside. No wonder my pelvis is shifted, I can't believe my entire body isn't! I have been practicing new techniques every time.  It's hard to always think about something you do 4+ times a day and change it in two days but I'm trying! 


Was trading in my 2 door Jeep for a 4 door Jeep a bad decision when I found out I was pregnant?  Depends on how you look at I guess.  Honestly, I could never see myself not owning a Jeep but after this first pregnancy I can't see myself lifting it either!  Maybe the next time I find out I am pregnant, I will be able to add on to our collection of vehicles and get something alittle more "back friendly" but for now I have to get up out of this chair to walk around.  I will also continue to go see Dr. Carlson for adjustments, my next appt is on 6/25.

Today we finished our baby registry.  It feels great to have one more thing checked off the long list of things that have to be done before she arrives.  While doing the registry I ended up buying "my baby book" for Tenley.  I started to put it on my registry but then realized I needed to take the time now to write it all down for her.  When she gets here I will probably be so tired that I won't remember anything. We register at Target and BuyBuyBaby.  There were a ton of places to register making a final decision was difficult.  I asked around and everybody said Target then I found BuyBuyBaby online and decided I liked it over Babies R Us.

Welcome! Last week I asked for suggestions on what to name my baby blog. 

Everybody had great ones "Tenley Talk", "Me & My Bump", "The Bean Stalk" and much more.  I thank you all for posting them.  Today I told a co-worker that her puppy was at my desk visiting.  She wrote back saying that she was there to give the Baby Love, and my blog name hit me! 

The first couple weeks that my grandfather knew I was pregnant, and before we knew that we were having a little girl every conversation I had with him would start out "Well, since you have that Love in your Belly now..." Then he would go on to tell me the things that I would be missing out on this summer, and how my life would be changing. I would assure him that just because I was pregnant that didn't mean I wasn't able to do things and enjoy my life. "Aww, ain't that cute" is probably what most of you are thinking right now...and to me its very cute because my grandfather is a grumpy old man so hearing him say "Love in your Belly" was his way of showing affection for his soon to be great-granddaughter.