I beg your pardon!

Sorry I've been MIA for a while. This week has been a bit of a whirlwind. Tuesday I missed my weigh in due to headache and slip of the old pregnant mind. I've been training a new colleague at work so getting in some blog time on my lunch hour has even been difficult. Thursday I did finally remember to weigh in and came in at 108.8 which is up a smidgeon from last week but nothing too unsettling.

I have had some changes in the past 4 days that I wasn't expecting quite yet. I can no longer comfortably button my blue jeans, especially when sitting. I do realize I'm in my 5th month of pregnancy but I really was not expecting this to happen until the 6th month or even later. As I haven't found a bella band or similar here yet I'm just walking around with them unbuttoned but still zipped, crossing my fingers that they don't slip down and give the whole office something to see. (get our your dollar bills folks, here comes Sarah!) To look at me I still look the same but underneath my clothes my belly is definately taking on a new life. It's obviously bigger but it's also harder, not that "mushy belly" feeling that is used to have. It's nice to finally have a little something that makes me "feel" pregnant.

I still haven't felt any movement from the baby but it's still very early for that. I have been sleeping quite a bit more than usual once again, hitting the hay at a whopping 7:30 pm Wednesday night and sleeping until 7 the next morning. I was thinking the fatigued had passed when I began the second trimester but apparenlty it was just taking a short break.

We went shopping to try to find me any sort of clothing last Saturday and I'm going to have to claim "crazy pregnant lady" for that trip. I left almost every store in tears or near tears. It is so frustrating to try to shop in the Netherlands when you're plus sized. Not one single store had any plus size maternity, which I already knew but even in the plus sized stores I was disappointed (once again) in the craptastic selection of flowery bold patterns, oversized long shirts and old lady fashion. What in the world is a 31 year old semi-cute semi-fashionable person supposed to do? It makes me feel like such a leper, like I don’t count, like I don’t even exist! I’ve not only cried about it though, I’ve decided enough is enough and took some action. I wrote nice, well written, friendly emails to every plus size and maternity store that I could find online asking them why they don’t carry plus size maternity. I pointed out that not once single store in the COUNTRY carried this type of clothing and there is a large market of people that they seem to be missing out on (no pun intended). Will my little letter campaign do any good? Probably not, but at least I can said I did something about it and have a bit of a peace of mind. I have gotten a few responses from stores apologizing and saying they will send my letter to the “upper management” but that doesn’t do me much good right now. I’m going to probably be ordering from JC Penny online and having my good sweet Mommy ship them over.

They’re having the “Negenmaandenbeurs 2008” (nine-month fair) at the RAI, which is a huge venue here, next week. We’re going to go in hopes to find a crib that we like and just have a little look around to see what else is there. I hope to get some inspiration for some nursery ideas, find some cute bedding sets and see all the new gadgets and toys they have for babies to play with and for baby safety. Mostly I’m just glad to have the day off with Marco and to be able to shop baby all day long!

So that's that for this week. I hope you're all having a successful healthy week no matter what your goals are!