Pregnant in Boden Glenda Dress Again!

This was my birthday outfit of the day for this year (in April... lol). I am behind on the blog as usual BUT today I have a great reason. Because this week I am very proud and relieved to say that I submitted my complete tenure dossier!!!! It felt momentous even though it will be months before a decision is made. I think I put forward as strong a case as I could, all things considered. I wound up really enjoying writing and revising my narrative because it gave me the space to reflect on and affirm the meaning and significance of my career. I do really love my job. I feel very fortunate to have it. It is a good fit for me and I hope I get to keep it. All of that is to say, I've been busy!

Last week we bought a house. This week my tenure file is in. Next week I'd like to finish revisions on an accepted article or at least make big progress on my book. All of this is provided that I don't go into labor. What an exciting and stressful time!

This year I had to work on my bday which is fine because I got to debut a dress in my favorite color and I got to take some belly progress photos. Now that my teaching obligations have wrapped, I don't get the chance to take many belly progress photos so I know I'll be grateful that I have the ones that I do. I was so diligent last time around, taking them every week. But last time around I didn't have a kid to take care of, I didn't have a tenure dossier deadline, I wasn't buying a house, I wasn't trying to prep my current house for selling, I wasn't working on my book, etc. Last time, I literally made being pregnant the most important thing in my universe through the duration, which was both good and bad. I researched and read about it voraciously. But I gave myself a lot more time to fret and worry, often to the point of irrationality. This time I don't have that luxury which makes me feel a little guilty  in some ways. I don't want my lack of fretting or focus to be interpreted as lack of enthusiasm or gratitude. I am so incredibly excited to have another child and to see Emilia become a sister. But a big part of my identity as a person (and also as a mom) is my work. I just want to be in a good place work-wise so I can fully relish and celebrate the new arrival.

Anyway, this birthday felt extra special because of all the good things on the horizon. And I do love this dress. I already had it in black (blogged here) but decided to use some Boden vouchers to treat myself to the purple on clearance.

Details:
Boden Glenda Dress
Spanx tights
Sam Edelman booties

Another Pregnant in Boden OOTD

I wore this to campus near the beginning of my third trimester. I kept such good visual records during my pregnancy with Emilia and feel guilty that I haven't made it a priority this time around. But at least I do have outfit photos and rough gestational estimates.

It's a lot harder to prioritize weekly belly photos with everything that is happening around here. Grant work, my annual review, the assembling of my tenure dossier, and the revisions of my book manuscript have kept me very busy. On top of that we might be buying a bigger house, moving, and selling our current house. The bigger house is in the neighborhood where we already live happily and it has a ton of potential to be great. But bringing out its greatness will take a lot of work. Work I can't really do in my third trimester, with the professional responsibilities I have looming over me, with Emilia needing plenty from me, with a husband who travels for work in a demanding, stressful job, with a newborn in a few weeks, and so on and so forth. Suffice to say, I am nervous.

Somehow, so much has to happen before baby comes in July... I am very overwhelmed but it isn't lost on me that these are all very good, if time consuming developments. These are happy, exciting "problems." I feel pregnant with anticipation while being pregnant the regular way.

Details:
Boden dress (procured at the sample sale in Pittsburgh a while back... unsure of the style name)
Spanx tights
Tory Burch flats

Pregnant in Boden's Must Have Tunic

By far the most clutch dress of this pregnancy has been my small arsenal of Boden's Must Have Tunics in every color way available. I bought them in 1-2 sizes up from my usual and in long length. And deep into my third trimester, I am still rotating these dresses. Here, I am wearing one of them in the middle of the second trimester and the other on the cusp of the third trimester.

I love the comfort and softness of the fabric. I also love that these dresses are offered in prints and colors that are pretty fun/cute. But I think the simple, classic cut of the dress keeps things from feeling overly precious, hence my belief that the Must Have Tunic can actually be a work-friendly non-maternity maternity option. I've even begun wearing them with cropped leggings on warmer days. Per usual for this time of year, I'm not ready to be bare-legged just yet.

Details:
Boden Must-Have Tunic (now on clearance!)
Banana Republic Factory cardigan above and random Piperlime (rip) cardigan below
Spanx high waisted tights (on sale!)
Tory Burch Revas (on sale!) above and Salvatore Ferragamo My Joys below

Pregnant in Boden: Early Second Trimester

Like many second timers, my body has shown pregnancy earlier than it did with Emilia. Even so, when I look back on these photos from the end of my first trimester and the beginning of my second, I don't really look pregnant. I look fuller but it was also right after the holiday break when I am usually fuller in general. If you follow me on instagram, you already know that I am showing a lot more than these photos indicate. That is because they were taken a while back.

I've been delighted with how the regular, non-maternity Boden in my wardrobe has transitioned throughout this pregnancy. I think this dress is called the "easy pocket dress" or something similar. I found it on Ebay. It isn't stretchy but it is shaped in a forgiving silhouette. Even among pieces made from non-stretchy fabrics, I have found that Boden's dresses are designed to accommodate a midsection fluid in size. Even my unforgiving pieces have pleats, darts, and shaping that enable the room for a bump. This makes it less of a bummer that Boden isn't doing any maternity specific pieces at the moment.

Details:
Boden easy pocket dress
Spanx high waisted tights (also non maternity but they come up high enough that they function as a makeshift belly band)
Tory Burch Reva flats 

Pregnant in Boden Glenda Dress

My pregnancy with my daughter occurred during a time when I was in the thick of an ongoing retail fascination with all things Anthropologie. As a result, I documented my attempts to try to make Anthropologie pieces work throughout my pregnancy. You can read through my "pregnant in Anthropologie" series by clicking here.

Over the last few seasons, Anthropologie's style and mine seemed to head in different directions so I bought less and less from them. Even my old favorites sort of feel different from my place in life at this point. I should probably do a big eBay purge eventually.

This time around, I am wearing a lot of non-maternity Boden pieces. Boden actually used to have a maternity line, though they don't seem to carry anything maternity-specific at the moment. Still, they offer plenty of stretchy dresses that bridge my changing body shape and my style nicely. As a result, as I've settled into the second trimester, I've been rotating through a lot of Boden pieces. I've only broken out my maternity dresses here and there. Since I'm just over halfway through this pregnancy, I'm sure I'll be needing actual maternity clothes more and more and I'm glad I waited so that what I have doesn't get as much of a chance to bore me.

Outfit details:
Boden Glenda dress (still available and on clearance! Plus it will work for nursing!)
Spanx tights (Which I'm still wearing because they come up very high and feel nice and supportive on my belly. But I'm guessing they won't do much to hold in said belly after getting all stretched out from being worn during pregnancy... Oh well!)
Sam Edelman Petty booties

Too cold OOTD (featuring my deer print coat) and how I'm trying to stay active this winter

That hasn't been true this week but last week it was too cold to take outfit photos. Still I tried... and although I removed my hat and scarf, I tried and quickly decided not to take off my coat. I don't think I've blogged it before so that's a good excuse. It's very warm and from the end of season clearance sale last year. The closest they offered this year was the Windermere Coat. Though I do like the Duffle. By the time I bought my down filled padded parka from Boden, it was more than 75% off so I'd keep waiting for bigger discounts if I was in the market for a new coat. I do love the deer print and Emilia has a deer print coat from baby gap to semi match!

Details:
Boden deer print padded parka
See by Chloe dress (blogged here also)
Tory Burch flats
Spanx tights

In a lot of ways the weather fluctuations have made it difficult to stay active this pregnancy. To be fair, this is the first time I have been pregnant during winter. And it's my first time navigating the challenges of being a pregnant mom. I'm short on "me time" to go to the gym and out of necessity, I tend to put self care at the bottom of my list of things "to do." That's why I so appreciate at-home, indoor-friendly workout solutions.

I recently was sent this Adjustable 4-Way Resistance Band from TKO. TKO used to be a boxing equipment company but has branched out into the broader fitness market. This Resistance Band is inexpensive and packs easily into my bag for long on-campus days when I'm stuck indoors. It also is easy to store when I'm not using it. I appreciate its lightness and ease of use. I can do a quick arm set no matter what I'm wearing. Although I love my trusty old free weights they have been collecting dust under my bed since I got the bands. Thank you, TKO for helping make easy portable workout equipment for folks like me and for providing me with this sample to review!