OH! how my wardrobe has changed.

So...what to wear on maternity leave...and does it matter?

The answer is "yes."

Think of the following scenarios:

1) You have had enough, things are getting overwhelming and basically "you quit." You trudge along just trying to get to that 5:00 time frame...when your husband finally gets home and there is crying CRYING and MORE CRYING...you want to pull the whole "you deal with this I'm out of here scenario" BUT...you realize you are still wearing your pajama pants...NO GOOD.

2) You get ready to go to somewhere exciting like Superstore or Walmart, but your feeling particularly sassy so you decide to put on something crazy like a sweater (cashmere)...AS YOU LEAVE...your offspring decides to unload their entire stomach contents on your sweater...A SWEATER that will stay with puke on it for quite sometime because getting to the dry cleaners is not a top priority...NO GOOD.

3) You head out to Chapters and decide to get a coffee and walk around...AHH MATERNITY LEAVE YOUR THINKIN'. Your baby is wearing something cleverly put together and things are looking good, BUT because you've decided to follow a certain SLEEP book your time frame is very limited...and you've just spent way too much time dressing your baby...SO YOU just grab a coat and head out with little attention paid to YOU. As you arrive at Chapters you see a mom with a baby that is around your babies age...AND her hair is done...AND her pants are not crusted with oatmeal...AND HER baby is wearing one of those whimsical head bands with a flower on it...AND her baby is soooo HAPPY...NO GOOD.

4) You get home from going shopping and you go upstairs to give your baby a bottle and thus hopefully set the scene for them going to bed. Your baby rests their head on your chest and begins to eat, but eyes the clever lululemon tag dangling from your zipper....because your child is "crazy" they begin to obsess about it, touch it and try to EAT IT. The moment of hunger has seemed to subside because now your child is having a love affair with the pull "thing" on your coat...nap time seems to be getting more and more distant....NO GOOD.

5)You wear your pants that are of the "slim fit" kind and go out again TO somewhere exciting like "Save on Foods." You are again feeling pretty happy with yourself for having put on said jeans, a scarf, and that you even took the time to get out your sunglasses...you feel like you have just captured celebrity mom status. Due to your celebrity status and the potential paparazzi around, you decide to go into "supermom" mode when you get home and get on the floor to play with your baby. You soon realize that the slim fitting jeans are very limited in terms of mobility and coverage...NO GOOD.

In all honesty if your like me and do love clothing, maternity leave is tricky.

-You don't want to give up something ELSE you truely adore so you try to keep up to current trends.

-You are on a limited income, your clothes need to be machine washable, stretchy, dual purpose

What I think works:

1. Zippered leggings:makes it look like your still "in it"

2. Great "celebrity status" scarf...keep it in your car or baby bag: something that is soft and you adore...great for covering up barf and drool on your clothing: look on boutiquetoyou.com "love quotes" scarf...pricey but 10% of the proceeds go to the a children's charity and they have cool names like "meditation"

3. T-shirt dress or tunic: basic colors, look on Revolve clothing at these brands BOBI and BB Dakota...usually reasonably priced and often you can find a coupon code to bring it down further.

4. Boots: that have a wide enough shaft (UGGs) that you can hold a baby and stuff your feet into at the same time OR knee high boots and you just figure out how to make it work

5. Watch: necessary if you are schedule Nazi like me, buy one that is colorful just to show the world your not taking things too seriously. Look on revolveclothing.com for a watch like Nixon's blue time teller, or go to Roots for a bright colored watch for $50ish dollars.

6. Jewelery: something that is soft and not too flashy so that it becomes amusement for your child in "quiet-time" activities. Ex: Dogeared karma bracelet

7. Belt: look for one that you can slide over your t-shirt dress or tunic. Look on Anthropologie's website for their tellicherry belt.