Bella

I'm excited that it's getting warmer out, because 50 degrees plus extra hormones equals short-sleeves for me. And anybody who's gone shopping for maternity clothes knows that it is much easier to find a darling preggo t-shirt, tank or dress than a sweater.

When I was 12 weeks along, I went to Motherhood Maternity for my first spree. I was so excited to finally have an excuse to buy roomy, comfortable clothes that were cute. As it was 10 below, I was discouraged to find very little in the long-sleeved department. I dealt with this by buying then-unwearable short-sleeved tops with empire waists and ribbon ties in the back. And so in the back of the closet they have lived, until now. In addition to more sunshine, there's more belly to fill them out, and so this is a happy wardrobe week for me.

My mood fit my new, airy, sunshine-yellow shirt today, and I was told by several that I looked like Daffodils, Springtime, and sunshine. This made me want to go buy more. Michael is out of town, so I took myself on a shopping date. As I rifled through the racks at Motherhood, 16 weeks after my first trip, I smiled as I recognized the things I have learned about maternity clothes shopping.

1) Buy your pre-pregnancy size. I sure wish they had made that clear to me when on my first trip, I loaded my arms up with size Smalls, thinking, "I don't even have a belly yet, I need the teeniest size." What a surprise it was, then ,when I couldn't squeeze into...maternity pants. How humbling.

2) Never go shopping when you're in a bad mood. When you're hungry. On a day when you're avoiding the mirror. "Retail therapy" does not necessarily apply when you're expecting, because when you add the hormones of pregnancy with any of the above, and try on clothes that you think will fit but then don't...well, the world just isn't a happy place any more.

3) "Elastic" and "stretch" aren't necessarily synonyms for "fits easily." I like the idea of wearing jeans with a yard of stretchy fabric at the waist. But after I sat down for the first two times in my new pants, the waist was somewhere halfway down my butt. Makers of the panel pant have seemed to neglect that some girls have booty. Some girls had booty before they became preggo. Some girls get a booty after they become pregnant. And the lucky ones, like yours truly, had booty before and more to love after.

Which is where the Bella Band comes in. For those of you who are also children of the 80's, you will likely remember "Multiples," the mix-and-match clothing line of stretch pants, cotton shirts, and "cumberbun" thingies. The Bella Band is like those cumberbun thingies. Can't button your pants? Keep them unbuttoned and use the band like a belt. Looking lumpy? Stretch it over your belly to smooth things over. Can't keep your too-big maternity pants up? You get the idea.

I must again give props to the maternity clothing marketing world. "Bella" means "beautiful" in Italian. When I suit up in my armor - an extra-long camisole, the panel pant jeans, plus the bella band to keep it all in place - it's important to keep that word "beautiful" in mind.