@38WeeksΞI adore this top and am so glad it has fit throughout my maternity (although the last snap is a bit snug). I feel very Brady Bunch mom (or maybe Alice) in this top and love to wear it when I’m doing housewifey things. On this occasion, we didn’t have electricity from 9am-5pm so I listened to a battery powered radio (okay, an iPod) and worked on hand stitching pillow cases for the baby’s room. It’s probably super cheesey, but I enjoyed wearing a thrifted, vintage top on such a low-fi day.

@35WeeksΞ This is one of the most comfy outfits for my late maternity wear and I throw on this tunic all the time! Light cotton is great for the warm, rainy days of summer–and the plaid brings me back to my country roots. At first I had some misgivings about the tunic. I do wish it was either longer and had a straight hem, making it a dress…or was a bit shorter, making it a longer top that could be worn with shorts. But right now, anything that is remotely cute and covers the bump is good enough for me. With only a few weeks to go at my maximum width, it’s not time to start shopping. I think I might consider altering it for post-maternity because I love the colour combo (also the main colours in the little guy’s nursery)

@36WeeksΞTo celebrate the beginning of the end and to thank my hubby for all the amazing support he’s given me during this pregnancy, I arranged a super surprise weekend for him including a scavenger hunt, lunch at the Farmleigh Boat House (delicious!) and a weekend of swimming and picnics at our favourite hotel in Ireland–Bellinter House, Co. Meath (seriously, go there sometime!) This outfit was perfect for sweet scheming and wouldn’t give away where we were headed next. I’ve loved this precious white top from Mothercare and wear it all the time as the bump grows. The clean, white cotton feels so fresh and feminine in the dog days of summer and helps me feel like I’m glowing as a pregnant woman should.

There comes a time in every gal’s pregnancy when you start to feel a bit puffy and rings may not fit. My hands are only really swollen on humid days, but since this is Dublin in the summer–that’s almost every day. To save any tight-ringed drama, I’ve decided to start wearing my rings close to my heart. ♥

@33WeeksΞ Well, I am most definitely in the 3rd trimester and most definitely showing! Especially with this tight figure hugging outfit. Surprisingly, it doesn’t make my bus mates any more keen to give up a seat!  I’ve felt quite nautical lately with this outrageously sunny weather. This top has little sea gulls and sailboats and is not maternity. I have a suspicion that its a really tacky tank dress, but the stretch jersey makes it perfect for my bump.

Along with the nautical top, I added my lovely little antique store in Dingle (just before we hopped aboard a boat to visit Fungi the Dolphin). I love collecting little pins or scarves on my holidays that remind me special moments.

Now, just a note and apology for the lack of posts recently. But the 3rd trimester is exhausting! Not only am I ridiculously round, but there’s a million things to do at work (only one week left though!) and so much left to buy for the baby. And this hot weather does nothing for my style as I’m generally hot and puffy as I get home from work, neglecting my photo and blog duties. I’ll have a few more cute outfits to come once I start my leave.

@32WeeksΞMy husband planned a lovely day out on Dollymount Stand on the bank holiday, but true to Irish form, the sunny weather disapeared and we got a wicked windy and wet day. It didn’t really matter to me. The sea is the sea and I love long walks on the beach, rain or shine. By the way, in the top photo I am pointing out a seagull–because you know, you never see them at the beach!

There’s not much to say about this outfit except that it is very comfortable for a day of mixed weather conditions. I love these Keds so much. They were slightly too big, but now that my feet have swelled they fit like a charm. So now I’m trying to build as many outfits around them as possible. How fantastic are the old bathing shelters at the far end of Dollymount Strand? I really wish I could go back in time to see the beach in it’s heyday.

♥Electric blue sweatshirt dress: Mothercare ♥ Back tank: Old Navy ♥ Scarf: Vintage, from Mom’s college days ♥ Leggings: Gap ♥ Peep toe wedges: M&S ♥ Felt necklace: Handmade by me ♥

@24 WeeksΞ Moving to Ireland from the US should come with a vocabulary list. My poor kid is going to be confused when I say eggplant and dad says aubergine, I say BAY-sil and dad says bass-il. One of the terms I found funniest when I first moved over was jumper. That’s why I like this dress–it suits both definitions: 1) a sleeveless, collarless dress or pinafore; 2) a heavy sweater or shirt. It’s a jumper jumper!

This little dress was a great find at Mothercare (€15). Made out of heavy sweatshirt material, it is really very comfortable and fits easy over the bump without clingy stretching like some jersey. It’s short and bright and looks age appropriate for a gal in her 20s–something that I’ve found lacking in a lot of maternity lines.

Accessories include a great scarf that I stole from my Mom’s closet years ago and those new M&S wedges. Sadly, I decided to return the shoes after taking the photo. They are lovely, but a little to high for maternity shoes. The necklace I made out of little felt circles stitched together matches perfectly and fills the space from the scoop neckline.

♥ Maternity jersey knit pencil skirt: Mothercare ♥ White embroidered shirt: Penneys ♥ Green boyfriend cardigan: Penneys ♥ White tank: Gap ♥ Black maternity tights: Mom’s the Word, Palo Alto ♥ Black boots: Jones ♥ Tulip necklace: Perk Up Vintage ♥

@22 WeeksΞAs you might have noticed, I’m not posting outfits in order now. I just want to keep you on your toes. Anyway. I actually wore a version of this outfit today (at 26 weeks). I really love this top from Penneys that I got last summer. It has held up remarkably well and has really transitioned into a maternity top. My lovely tulip necklace is Cloisonne from Perk Up Vintage.

I’m finding that I can still wear a lot of non maternity tops, especially with so many longer tunic-y type tops on the high street these days. It helps that I was smaller in the chest to begin with. The key to managing my maternity wardrobe has been mixing and matching what I already have and updating with new things only when necessary.

The pencil skirt was necessary. Absolutely. This little skirt is a great piece from Mothercare. I got it on sale for €15 and have already gotten more than my money’s worth. It’s thick jersey and cut to go around my bump (with pleating paneling of the skirt, rather than an elastic band) so it’s very comfortable. Funnily, I never liked the look of pencil skirts on me until now. Glad to finally try it out!