WhatIWore: Confession: I’ve never felt like I could live up to the role of cool girl. You know the type of girl that loves football, doesn’t wait around staring at her phone for a boy to call and that has confidence to spare? I’d rather watch PBS on Netflix, I can’t play mind games and I envy women that don’t give a hoot about what other people think. 

When I had Felix, I went through what could delicately be called an identity crisis. Paired with PPD, it took me many months before I felt like myself or at least a new version of myself as a mom. Pregnancy was hard, the birth and recovery were hard and then being hospitalized with more surgery was… yup. Hard. The year I became pregnant and a new mother were the toughest both physically and mentally of my life. 

This time around has been so different. Minus some struggles (read: morning sickness and mood swings) in my first trimester, I’ve had a much better experience with this pregnancy. I feel more confident about what my body is doing, how my baby is growing and how I’ll handle two kids. I also feel better about the way I look. I’ve had a slower and more steady weight gain, I feel so strong (lifting a 33.5 lb toddler up and down all day will do that for ya!) and I’ve been wearing clothes that give me more self confidence. 

Speaking of clothes…

When: September 29, 2016

What:
Shades: Prada (thrifted for $30!)
Necklace: J.Crew (more great costume jewelry here)
Jacket: BB Dakota, a gift of A Pea in the Pod
Tee Shirt: a gift of A Pea in the Pod
Jeans: AG legging (one size down), gift of A Pea in the Pod
Boots: Clarks

Where: Coffee Shop

So, speaking of clothes, this is a new outfit! I feel like such a cool mom and maybe… just maybe, a cool girl!? Cool woman? I feel good. Last week I posted about these jeans and my experiment to try a size down from the other items I previously purchased (verdict: the smaller size stretches to the perfect fit for me!). A Pea in the Pod generously offered to complete the outfit, so many thanks to them for their gift (I chose the items myself)! I will absolutely be wearing the jacket beyond pregnancy (it’s got the texture and feel of a sweatshirt, but the asymmetrical zip makes it feel fashion forward to me!). I’m also nearing the point of no return to regular length tee shirts. So far they’ve been long enough to cover the bump and not reveal the stretchy belly panel on my jeans, but specifically made maternity tees fit and flatter much better now. 

And I’ve gotta mention the boots too. On my recent assignment for Clarks I fell in love with these boots too, so I ponied up and bought them for myself. I love the super stacked high heel and buckle detail. There are still some sizes left in the black, and there’s also a brown version.