Elastic Waistbands

The first time I tried on elastic waistband pants, I giggled. It was Sunday morning, Mark was still in bed and I thought it was time to venture into the world of maternity clothing and it felt really funny. A cross between a little kid and an old lady. Quite silly.

Plus, at least for me, my belly still wasn’t quite big enough. I mean, it was big enough to boot me out of my favorite low-rise, boot-cut jeans. But not quite big enough to keep the maternity pants up. Quite a dilemma. My sis talked about the same problem. The first time she wore her maternity pants, she and her hub went out to eat. As she stood to leave, she had to hold the waistband up so the pants wouldn’t fall down.

I’ve mostly learned to embrace the elastic waistband now. Of course, that could be from lack of better options. But they’re quite comfy and will come in handy during Thanksgiving. There are no buttons and zippers to worry about, which is a nice time-saver during those pressing bathroom runs (which are now FAR more frequent than I’d like.) And most of them ten to have a bit of stretch in them…which is also nice.

Now the worst problem is I still can’t keep them up! Who needs low-rise maternity jeans anyway? Not me. I just want pants that stay up on their own and don’t require constant tugging and pulling. No fun! Perhaps I’m alone on this, but – especially now – I don’t enjoy having any part of me flashed to my coworkers while I go about my business.

So I’ve learned I’m a full-panel girl. Did you know there are at least 4-5 different kinds of maternity pants now? Yep, and I’m a full-panel girl. The elastic panel comes up over my growing belly (which I’ve heard is wonderful even after you have the kid) and it gives the pants something to hold on to – which means… I don’t have to!

The Registry

So, Mark and I registered…. Sort of. We sort of registered. I mostly walked around feeling entirely out of my element and completely unsure of myself. Though Mark seemed fairly secure in what he was doing with the scanner gun.

The gal at the registry desk was very helpful, gave us a starters list, showed us the color-coded map and sent us on our way.

How daunting.

How do I know what I need? Yes, most stores provide a ‘getting started’ list but that seemed to be as long as my leg and I’m skeptical that I really need ALL of that to get started. Or do I?

Where’s my mom when you need her? Where are my sisters? I registered first for the things I know my sisters’ loved: The crib Aquarium, the Boppy, and the jumpy seat. Other than that… I’m lost.

So, I figured we should tackle the stroller/car seat while we were fresh. We pulled the strollers out, fumbled with how to open them, close them, attach and detach the car seat part – quite cumbersome for two novices. But I sure enjoyed watching Mark proudly push the empty strollers around as he tested their sturdiness. This is going to be a fun new side of Mark to observe.

Anyway, Mark’s strategy soon became - scan all three strollers we like, that way we can research them online. Then I start to worry that someone is going to pull up our registry and think “Why on earth do they think they need 3 strollers?!?!”

We muddled through the bedding, tested the ‘play yards’ (though Mark scoffed at the name… he’s right, playpen is MUCH more accurate) stared at the ‘safety’ section and were happy any time we were able to pass on a section that didn’t apply to us.

My question, why aren’t there any cute little girl things with dogs on them? The little boys all have dog themes – little bones, little dog-houses, dog faces on towels, shirts and onesies. Little girls do not. Why can’t a little girl like dogs too? So we did register for a pack of washcloths that are blue with the above mentioned little dog things. Mark didn’t seem to share my worry that people would think we were stupid.

So, we have some semblance of a registry put together… I think. I’ve solicited the help of other new moms to see what they had that they couldn’t live without and what the registered for that they’ll never use.

If you think of something, please let me know!