Stretchy Pants Part II

Billions of women in this world have experienced pregnancy. I know I am not the only one to experience this body-morphing transition. However, when it happens to you, it is easy to feel like you are the only pregnant person on Earth. I feel like strangers stare at my belly and am shocked about the weight gain. I've gained five pounds since high school. Since February, I have put on twenty. Oh, I've enjoyed every minute of gaining, but DANG!

So, with my new added girth, (Not to mention the 15-20 lbs I am still expected to accumulate), I had to buy new clothes. Easy enough. It's Summer. I would buy lots of sun dresses and feel comfortable, cute, and breezy through the hot months. I did need a pair of jeans and shorts, too. Not a problem I thought.

WRONG! Maternity jeans are a joke. At least the options and trying on process. My body has a love/hate relationship with jeans. During middle school, many tearful hours were spent in dressing rooms trying to find one pair of jeans to fit my awkwardly tall, tiny hiney. It was downright hellacious. I eventually found a brand that fit. I walked the middle school halls in ROCKIES with NO back pockets. If I remember correctly, the jeans came all the way up to my rib cage. So cute.

Fast forward to high school. The Buckle sold jeans that actually fit! Those jeans would cost my parents half their paychecks. There was just one problem. If we didn't get to the Buckle when the new shipment came in, those German-blond headed-long legged-farmin'-Wall girls would buy all of them.

Now, it is not a problem to buy NPJs (None Pregnant Jeans). Jean makers are fully aware that an over 5'9'' female demographic exsists and make cute jeans accordingly. Only one tiny branch of the maternity world has realized this. I'll come back to that in a moment.

I was actually excited about venturing into a well known maternity boutique to begin my maternity shopping experience. My excitement was quickly extinguished. This highly recommended store was, well, matronly. Not that there is anything wrong with that. It's just, I'm not quite ready to drown in fabric and wear the same patterns similar to those of my beloved Golden Girls. I did manage to find the cute stuff. But there was nooooo way I was going to pay $100 for a dress or blouse. (I believe oil price speculators and maternity retailers may be of the same breed).

So, after trying on jean, after jean, I reluctantly settled on a piece of over priced denim fabric that was a tad too short and about a 7.8 on the Mom Jean Meter scale. Not a happy shopper. I felt like I was 12 all over again. The only thing missing is that the jeans were not red, which I'm pretty sure I owned a pair of red Rockies.

Fast forward to the next day. Mom is shopping at Nordstom's and I have happily parked my pregnant self on the store's overstuffed couches. Half asleep and half reading the San Antonio Express News, mom comes over and suggests I try on a pair of jeans she found. I take a look at them. There is a stretchy tummy panel connected to a really cute pair of jeans. I am hesitant. I am also desperate. I really hate the jeans I found the day before.

Not expecting much, I pull on the pants. Somebody in the Heavens loves me! I can't believe it. The pants are long, cute, fit my body, and don't look like they are made for someone who drives a powder blue mini van accented with wood paneling. "Mom, where did you find these jeans?" "In the juniors department." She says. Are you kidding me? I am wearing TEENAGE maternity pants? I couldn't wrap my head around the concept. It was just so wrong, but the jeans felt so right. I then struggled with an internal moral conflict: Would I be supporting teen pregnancy if I bought these jeans? I tried to justify these Junior department maternity jeans. Maybe, with the popularity of Spanxx, teen girls are requesting tummy control panels. Besides, baring your belly in hip-hugging jeans was sooooo 2001.

I wasn't kidding anyone. Upon further inspection, these where definitely made for the stars of MTV's "16 & Pregnant." What was it going to be? The mom jeans or the knocked-up teen jeans? I happily chose the latter. The best part is that I bought two pairs of pants and two pairs of shorts for the same price I paid at the Over Priced Golden Girls Maternity Store.

So, this concludes my Stretchy Pants buying adventure. I probably will not blog again until after the 4th. Hope you and your family have a blessed and safe Independence Day!

*Shalayne

P.S. Hi Memaw and PaPaw!!! Hope you recovery is a speedy and painless one. Love you both.

A few recent photos:

Ed & Chino workin' in the HOT sun

23 weeks pregnant. Yes, I'm wearing a romper. ( I love it). What you can't see are the 5 in. platform heels I'm wearing. I call them my "I'm pregnant, not dead" shoes.

Julio is not so sure about this baby business.

Painting Presley Anne's room!

Ta-Da! I can't wait to move in the baby furniture.

I like cheese

After a day of shopping in San Antonio with Mom and Morgan, Ed met me downtown for an evening on the Riverwalk with our friends Thomas and Eva. Thomas and Eva are from Germany and have been on holiday for most of June. We thought it would be fun to relax at the river house for day or two before they flew back.

Thomas proposed to Eva a couple of weeks ago on a small island in the Bahamas. Her ring is gorgeous! In Germany, the fiancee receives the band first and wears it on the left hand. At the wedding ceremony, she will get the engagement ring which she will wear on her right hand. It's pretty much the opposite of how we do it in the states.

The river was relaxing and HOT. The two days we where there, the temperature read over 110 degrees. Even the river was warm! Perfect for swimming. Thomas and Eva left this morning. I hope they have a safe journey home. I now have one year to learn German. (They are marring next Summer.) So far, the only phrase I can say is, "Ich mag kase" ( I like cheese). Useful? not so much, but it's a start.

In baby news, I am starting to feel a routine with Presley. For the last two weeks, the minute I get into bed at night she thinks it's party time. The girl moves non stop! I love watching Ed's face when he feels her. His eyes get big and his smile, even bigger.

Ed picked this wall decal for her room:

We found the decal at www.whatisbilk.com

We are looking forward to the up coming weeks. We will be responsible for a teenager for an entire week, celebrating the 4th at the Devil's, traveling to see Memaw and Papaw, and hopefully make it to Houston to see Ed's aunt Janna. I can't wait!

*Shalayne

Stretchy Pants

I have been a babysitter, a nanny, and now an elementary teacher. If there is one thing to know about kids, it's if they are too quiet, they are up to something. This also applies to husbands.

This is how I found Ed and Chino the other day:

In baby news, Ed and I made a trip to Angelo to buy baby room paint and an area rug. Our little girl will have a blue room. Yes, blue. Oh, it will be girly. The blue paint was color matched to a Tiffany & Co. gift box. Her room will be Tiffany's blue with white and silver accents.

I screamed when I saw this high chair. It. Is. Awesome.

Better go, I can hear my husband pulling up to the house in a big, green, John Deere machine. Besides, I need to get ready to head to San Antonio. NONE of my clothes fit. Time to buy what Ed calls "Stretchy Pants."

*Shalayne

Trickster

22 weeks pregnant. Chino and I enjoying the Trickster.

Morgan and the Trickster blowin' in the breeze

I don't have a backyard. There is not a fence or green grass for my bare feet. There is, however, a beautiful peacock and acre after acre of arid West Texas pasture complete with limestone rocks, cactus, tall grasses, and not to mention a cave underfoot.

For this week only, there is something amazing in what can be called my "backyard". It is the Trickster. The Trickster is a traveling art project that is purposely placed in unexpected areas. Artist Duane McDiarmid is the man behind the concept and sculpture. http://duanemcdiarmid.30art.com

This is how I would describe the Trickster: A conversation sparking, rolling, solar powered, gypsy pirate ship complete with sweet treasures with in. You see, the trickster contains a solar powered freezer stocked with free ice cream treats.

Duane says it takes a special kind of person to approach and explore the Trickster. Once a person discovers the contents, those who are cautiously curious venture to see the treasure for themselves.

So, what is the purpose of the Trickster? Duane believes people do not talk to each other anymore. At least not like we used to. The Trickster has the ability to not only arise curiosity, but spark conversation among strangers. He says once people began to talk, that is when miracles can happen.

I often think of art and what motivates those to create it. Too often I come to the conclusion that many artist are self absorbed and try to produce pieces to simply shock or to garner attention for themselves. Both defeat the purpose of art in my book. It is a blessing to meet an artist whose intention is to simply create an "impromptu ice cream social" in hopes that humans will once again talk to each other.

Please click on my blog title above for more information about the Trickster and Duane McDiarmid.

*Shalayne

Chino

  This is our dog, Chino.  He is half boxer, half sheltie.  Before Chino, I was a luke warm animal person.  Definitely not what you would call an animal lover.  My husband and this dog have changed that about me.  This dog means the world to us.

  I never had an indoor dog, much less a large indoor dog.  I was hesitant about living with an indoor dog when Ed and I married.  But, knowing how much my husband loves Chino, that was not a battle I wanted to fight.  Now, I can't imagine this dog sleeping anywhere else but on the floor next to our bed.

  Chino is loyal, loving, playful, and a tremendous protector.  The latter is comforting due to where I live.  I love the times when Chino comes to me and places his paw gently on top of my hand.  He does not want anything but to simply hold my hand.  I never knew dogs could show gratitude, but he does.  Every time I replenish his food or water bowls, he thanks me with a sweet lick across my cheek.  He is nothing short of a blessing to our home.

  The one thing I admire most about this dog is his relationship with Ed.  Ed and Chino were made for each other.  I now know why Chino is such a good dog.  It is because Ed is good.  Ed is the original loyal, loving, playful, gracious, affectionate person and protector of this home. Chino is simply a reflection of my husband.

  Forever humble, Ed sometimes questions his future parenting abilities.  I have zero worries.  I tell him that if he treats our kids half as good as he treats the dog, then he will be the best dad in the world.

    

Hamburger

GIRL!

Presley Anne Mayfield due October 22, 2009.

I think Ed and I are wearing permanent grin. Dr. Wampler says she is 99% sure Baby Mayfield is a little girl. During the sonogram, she said she was looking at a Hamburger as opposed to a turtle. We'll take her word on it.



Presley is measuring at 1lb. and 1oz at the moment. According to other measurements, she has long legs...and a big head. We are sure she'll grow into that big head just beautifully. :)



I told my mother we would have to buy her a little cheerleading uniform since she will be born during football season. Upon further consideration, I said, no, we can wait til next year, as she might be too small to attend games this season. Mom quickly said, no, that we will load her up just like she loaded me up and take that baby to some football games. After thinking about it, I suppose it's her Texas birth right/duty to be in those stands on Friday Nights.



We are blessed and happy to share this news with you.

*The Mayfields