Earlier this week, Chris and I went to lunch and got to talking about our house. The conversation turned into some interesting/quirky facts about it that I'm sure we'll share in a future post one day. But the funniest one, that we are reminded of almost daily, is when we hung wallpaper in the entry, we took out the doorbell. Faye was just a baby at the time, and we had a tiny sign over the bell outside to not ring it but knock softly instead. Doorbell rings. Dog barks. Baby wakes up. You know the drill. So we thought, you know, we don't really need this bell anyway and removed it from the inside of our house and haven't had a working bell since.
Eventually--over a year ago, two?--the tiny sign on the doorbell outside fell off and up until yesterday, people would continue to push the button, figuring it still worked. Not infrequently, we'd be walking by the front door and the FedEx guy would just be standing there waiting for a signature, or the babysitter waiting for us to answer the bell that never rang. We were interviewing a bunch of people at our home yesterday and after walking by the front door three separate times to see someone was standing there unbeknownst to us, Chris finally unscrewed our old doorbell outside. Now let's see how long the hole stays there...
Other fun things this week!
Faye is now officially in the bunk room with Greta full time (for naps and nighttime) and we're all loving it. I didn't even think about how our nightly routines would just be a one stop thing now--glorious! Greta reads to us all every night and then we sing a song, say prayers and Faye reminds us all to stay in bed (we may have said that 30 times the first 2 nights) and it's lights out. I was worried Faye would drop her nap, but so far, she still takes a good 2-3 hour nap every afternoon in her big girl bed. It's so much quieter in there, compared to her nursery that was on the main floor, so I think she actually sleeps better!
The prettiest, breath-taking mobile, that you could definitely DIY with some patience...maybe a lot of patience. Those petals!
What's your spending threshold before talking it over with your partner? (We've never set any specifics here, but nowadays, I won't usually spend over $100 without consulting Chris just to make sure he's going to love it as much as I do.)
A low block, strappy heel in nude for under $30--I'm over the moon!
I was shocked at what Jonathan Adler said about making compromises as a couple when it comes to decor in this article. Saying, "So the compromise is, somebody just needs to be Charles in Charge of the situation, and if it's a straight couple, it should 100 percent be the wife. And any man in a straight couple who weighs in on decor just needs to shut up." Every since we have learned to bring our styles together, I can't even tell you how much happier and more comfortable everyone in our home is!
Jennifer's garage organization post sparked a new project over here! So many great ideas there!
Lastly, I would love some suggestions on your favorite maternity jeans--especially if you're tall! My super stretchy Levi's (my favorite jeans!) are still are going strong, but every other pair of pants, I've succumbed to the ol' hair tie through the button hole of my jeans trick. I picked up 2 pairs from Motherhood Maternity, but after an hour of wearing, they won't stay up! They stretched so much, and my bump isn't big enough to hold them up itself yet. I would be willing to spend more on a good pair that fits through the legs, doesn't stretch out throughout the day and will last me through the next few months. Weigh in, will ya!
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Very awesome work very beautiful home.
I had the worst time finding maternity jeans that actually fit properly in the thighs, bum, hips and weren't frumpy and left me feeling gross - until I tried H&M ones! And the price cant be beat either...not totally sure how long they make them though, maybe online they have options? I'm only 5'7", but one of the pairs is too long
Honestly I finally purchased Walmart maternity jeans. I was just stretching out my regular jeans or wearing old hand me downs and didn't like any of them so finally bought some in month 8 so I didn't want to spend a ton. I prefer Demi panel and since I bought them so late and it was my last pregnancy I wore them for the next 6 months or so! I had worn my old jeans so late in the pregnancy they never fit again because they were now too big.
I just had an experience this morning where I felt compelled to consult my husband about a purchase. I made an offer on an antique portrait on Chairish that with shipping worked out to $125, then had to raise the offer to $140. Got outbid again and at that point felt the need to consult my husband before going any higher. So apparently my threshold is pretty much $150! Although most of the time I would probably ask him for anything over $100, but I had a feeling he would support my purchasing something I loved that much (he did). Darn thing sold before I could make up my mind though. :'(
Aw, bummer!
Citizens! They are a little pricey, but I loved them for all my 3 pregnancies! Comfy, didn't stretch out and stayed up! Can resell easily if that helps to justify $:-)
Topshop! I'm not tall (at 5' 2", the opposite, in fact!) so I bought ankle length, but Topshop's jeans are super affordable and awesome in terms of slim cut through the legs and holding their stretch. I bought J Brand's from Pea in the Pod, too, but I loved my Topshop over the bump jeans more. Their "petal" nursing tops are a lifesaver too, if you're planning on BFing. Now that my daughter is 7 months I don't mind dealing with buttons, but when she was nursing round the clock or when we travel it's so nice to be able to nurse under a cover without dealing with buttons!
We did our own electrical for our house remodel, and when we ran the doorbell wire, we put a switch in before the transformer so we can turn it off (it's in the utility room and is gray switch right next to the gray electrical panel, so it won't be something that people randomly turn off and on). We figure there will be years of our life (with kids) when we won't want it active, but then there will be other times when we'll like it having it. This won't solve the problem of people seeing it and expecting it to work though...although any time I visit someone's house and use the doorbell, I half expect it not to work and listen for it through the door to see if I need to knock instead :)
I always do the same! I will say, I normally knock instead of ringing someone's bell for that reason
I'm only 5'5", but I also love my Gap maternity jeans. This pregnancy, they are literally the ONLY pair that is comfortable!
I think GAP jeans tend to stretch out but I've loved the two inexpensive pairs of HM maternity jeans I've purchased over 2 pregnancies (I'm 5"9 and they are both long enough).
J Brand maternity jeans!!
I second the comments for H&M Mama and Gap! Just had baby number 3 in January. I'm 5'11 and have never been an H&M fan but loved there maternity jeans, shorts and tees. (And all of my clothes from them and Gap Maternity survived through 3 pregnancies in great condition!)Congrats again! We have three girls and it is the best:-)
Gap for sure! I also had a j. Brand pair I loved (mama J.) but I think they might have been discontinued. I also second ASOS. Never ordered their jeans but the other maternity stuff I ordered was SO cute! Free shipping + returns so low risk. I'm 6'0" tall for reference.
H&M maternity jeans are the best! I don't know what I would have done without them. (I'm average height, 5'7")
Julia
Check out rgmaternity. They specialize in mternity clothes for tall women!!! I LOVE their pants!
Julia- are the girls living in the basement? do you have a walk out? considering moving my little girl ( 7, not so little anymore to the basement) actually, she wants to go but more of concern for safety
They are living in the basement. It's not a walk out, but we do have ladders in all the window wells.
Ohmigosh, doorbell drama! I currently have a piece of polka dotted washi tape over my doorbell - it doesn't work and we haven't had a chance to figure out how to fix it yet in this new house, ha! It seems to do the trick though and people know to knock instead.
Thanks for including our garage. Looking forward to seeing what you do with yours!
I've always had great luck with gap maternity jeans in tall (I'm 5'10")!!
Have to second (third?) Loft maternity jeans! I have one pair that I wore all throughout my first pregnancy two years ago, and just pulled them out again (I'm 20 weeks along with my second). They wash and wear great, have a comfy band, but sturdy denim that holds its shape! Good luck! Maternity clothes are the worst!
I'm not tall at 5'4", but I loved Old Navy maternity jeans (well, maternity everything), and I think they come in short, regular and tall. :) I liked the short waistband as opposed to the one that went all the way over your bump for later in pregnancy. But early on, the full waistband that goes up to your ribs stayed up way better for me. I know this isn't your first rodeo, so you probably have a preference already. :)
Nextdirect.com has tall maternity sizes!
This is off subject, but wanted to ask. Do you think you could put a link, on your About Us page maybe, to your first blog post? I've been reading your daily posts for awhile, and always click on the links to older posts, but I would love to go back to the beginning and read forward!
Your doorbell drama made me laugh, ours broke but we hated the location (right next to kids bedrooms-WHY?!) so we bought a wireless one we meant to hang and just...didn't. And I love it. Now it lays on top of the fridge-no one sees the ugly thing, kids stay asleep and if I am going outside and expecting someone I just bring the doorbell with me :)
Oh my gosh, that's hilarious and genius!
Oh my goodness. I love being pregnant at the same time! That mobile... all the heart eyes!!!
For jeans, I have been on a search! I'm 21 weeks now and full panel jeans aren't staying up for me yet. But THESE!!! They are so, so worth it. I like them better than my non pregnancy jeans I own. It's a splurge, but I can wear these three or four times (basically until I feel like I'm just gross for not washing them) and they don't stretch out. Not even in the knees like some skinnies. They fit true to size (I'm a 28 normally and the 28 fits perfectly). I'm not really tall - 5'8" -but have long legs and generally wear long in all my jeans. These regular length fit like my long jeans from American eagle. (Slightly bunched at my ankle. Perfect length rolled at the bottom)
It looks like they're almost out of the jean wash, but the black jean could be such a staple, too! Or perhaps they could be sourced elsewhere. I can't say enough!
I'm now searching for more jeans like these with the "side panel". Good luck!!
https://www.apeainthepod.com/dl1961-side-panel-erin-denim-maternity-legging/006-24310-000-001.html?dwvar_006-24310-000-001_color=006-24310-41#q=erin%2Bdenim&lang=default&start=1
I ended up ordering 10 pairs from pea in the pod and returning 9...I kept a pair of Paige which felt the most "normal" for maternity jeans. They have the side/pocket panels that stretch which I liked since I'm on the smaller size for belly they grew with me slowly. They're pricey, but I got them during a sale and felt similar, that I'd rather have 1 good pair of jeans than several "meh". I also got a pair of gap side panel towards the end of the pregnancy that I like. They ran small, but again felt the most "normal" vs. maternity.
Hi there! I loved mine from Loft so much that I hated to stop wearing them after having my babies!
I agree with Jonathan Adler 100% lol. My husband picks the cars we drive because that's his passionat and he knows what he's doing. And I pick the lighting and wallpaper because he trusts my style and knows that I know what I am doing, it works for us.
Gap tall and old navy tall for me through my pregnancies.
During my pregnancy I tried a bunch of different maternity jeans from Gap, Old Navy, MM, etc. What ended up being my absolute favorite were maternity jeans from H&M's Mama line. The skinny jeans fit perfectly and stay up, even after multiple wears. Plus they look totally like normal jeans, which was a big win for me. If you're tall (I'm not) they'll be perfect...since I'm on the shorter side I ended up chopping off quite a few inches and doing the raw hem/cuffed look to make them work. Good luck!
Have you looked at ThredUp.com for maternity clothes? That might be a good way to get a nicer brand for less.
Lilac maternity jeans were my favorite. In the summer i rolled the pant for a cropped jean, and i wore them post pardem too. Fit was amazing.
I splurged and bought a pair of Loft Maternity jeans this time around, because nothing was working for me. I love them! The material on the band is really comfortable, and I like how much they stretch, but don't stretch out. I think they were these ones: https://www.loft.com/maternity-denim-leggings-in-rich-dark-indigo/421361?skuId=21861024&defaultColor=8615&colorExplode=false&catid=catl000043
Not sure what else they have, because it looks like these are almost sold out.
Gap has great maternity jeans! I hated the full panel, so I always went with the demi panel and they stayed up better for me :)
Try JCrew maternity pixie pant and their maternity toothpick jean. They do go on sale and they are worth the $$!! I wore almost nothing but those starting in my second trimester.
FYI, I'm 5'10" and have long legs :-)
https://www.jcrew.com/r/search/?N=0&Nloc=en&Ntrm=maternity&Npge=1&Nrpp=60&Nsrt=0
Okay, I seriously know no one who shops here in real life, but I buy maternity clothes online from JC Penney. I'm wearing my maternity full panel jeans a second time around. And they are adjustable, like little kids jeans. I love them. I had problems with them falling down until I realized they were adjustable, life changer!
I'm 5'10'' and basically wear the same pair of H&M maternity jeans every day. So comfortable, cute, and affordable. They're the perfect amount of stretchy but don't stretch out.
Julia, I'm 6'4" and love the maternity jeans from Long Tall Sally. (I'm due with baby #3 on May 1!) The jeans are not long on me but are the best option I've found. I know you're not as tall as me so they may work for you too. Finding good quality, flattering tall clothes can be difficult. Add the baby bump factor and it's almost impossible. But those jeans are winners!
I gave up on maternity jeans a long long time ago. I never got them to stay up. I ended up just living in black leggings for 6+months.
JCrew maternity jeans were all I wore! Madewell recently released some too but it was too late for me to justify ordering more.
YES AND YES. Just go ahead and buy the nice expensive pair - they are 100% worth it. The trick for both of these is the low elastic panels, NOT the over the belly band.
“So the compromise is, somebody just needs to be Charles in Charge of the situation, and if it’s a straight couple, it should 100 percent be the wife. And any man in a straight couple who weighs in on decor just needs to shut up.”
What that what?!? I cannot even think of something to say other than I completely disagree. Andy and I have had some funny conversation about decor, and I admit that I almost always "win," but to assume he should just not comment at all is disrespectful to him and our partnership as a married couple.
Now, if he wants to weigh in on how painful childbirth is or advise me on other specific to women's issues, that's another thing altogether. :D
I like the maternity jeans from H&M. I'm 5'8" with most of my height in my legs. I went up a size. I am normally a 6 but an 8 fit more comfortably when I was pregnant. Good luck!
I was going to say Gap Long Maternity Jeans! I LOVED them when I was pregnant!!
Hey Julia! Love reading you blogs & listening to your podcasts! You should check out Merricks Art for maternity jeans. She has two posts about a dozen jeans and all the pros and cons of each. Here is the link http://www.merricksart.com/2016/02/the-great-maternity-jeans-hunt-part-1.html - good luck!
Belly band over the maternity jeans helps hold them up until you have a decent bump...
I also think a belly band will help tide you over until they stay up on their own. It will also help keep your regular pants up as you wear them unbuttoned.
Hello and Happy Friday!
I have twins and I wore the maternity jeans from Old Navy the entire time I was pregnant with them. They always stayed on, didn't dig in, and were reasonably priced. Check them out :)
Made well for maternity jeans! Only ones I've found that stay up all day no problem :)
ASOS tall has maternity jeans! Free shipping too (careful of the UK sizing though) :) Happy Friday!
I am 5' 11" and order ASOS jeans and loved them but they definitely ran small. I had to return. But the felt and fit like real jeans and the band was super tight, in a good way.
Have you ever done a post on your favorite places to buy maternity clothes? I just got a pair of maternity jeans at Old Navy and they meet the long length criteria, but I don't know if I've got a big enough bump yet to hold up a full panel pair. Maybe I should have gone side panel? This is my first attempt at maternity jeans and I just kinda want to continue wearing regular ones for as long as possible. I'll keep checking the comments for other suggestions
Another GAP maternity vote. Also 5'11" and while I usually don't like GAP jeans I loved them during pregnancy.
I'm 5'11", and I loved Gap maternity jeans! I am not a fan of their non-maternity jeans, but - for whatever reason - their maternity jeans were the only ones that won my heart.
I second this, as a long legged 5'10" momma of two. I wore several pairs through both pregnancies and they never stretched out and always stayed up.
Also tall - I loved Gap and I think Old Navy too. I also do not wear their regular jeans, but they were my go-to for maternity!
Another vote for Gap! I am 6'1" and Gap had the ONLY maternity jeans that were actually long enough and stayed up! I only had a few pairs in their dark wash and they went with everything! Everyone else's "long" size were never actually long enough for me!
I tried the Gap maternity jeans with the demi panel at around the 12 week mark (had a tiny bump at that point, but no weight gain) and the panel was SO TIGHT, they were not wearable. They fit everywhere else, so it wasn't issue with the size, it was just the panel.