So. Very. Pregnant.
That’s how I feel all day long now, all the time. So awkward and pregnant.
Baby Girl is 28 weeks along now! Yup, my li’l sidekick and I have been together for seven months, which to me is kind of unreal because, 1), where did all that time go? — and, 2), this is almost the home stretch (she’s due in early March)!
So, at the doctor’s office this week for my checkup, my doc did this old-school trick with a paper measuring tape to measure how many weeks along I am, but it was more for fun than seriousness because she’d already taken measurements with the sonogram.
With the paper measuring tape, though, she placed one end at the bottom of le bump, right at my pelvis, then took the tape up over my belly button (which is less of a belly button these days and more of a smooth belly spot, but I’ll get to that in a sec) and over my tum to the top of le bump, just below my breasts. Amazingly enough, the tape measured 28 inches, corresponding to 28 weeks along, so sometimes those old-school techniques still work!
Cool, huh?
So…fascinating thing about belly buttons and pregnancy, and I don’t know why this never occurred to me before, but when your tum expands to otherworldly proportions, it can push your belly button from an “innie” to an “outie.”
Yeah, hello, Captain Obvious! But I had no idea. And it seems to have happened, seriously, overnight. WHOA!
Mine’s still borderline innie…but that innie isn’t going to be an innie much longer.
Aaand, you wanna know something gross? Of course you do. 🙂 Over the course of all of this belly button outing, I’ve found stuff in there…like lint and a tiny ball of what might have been cat hair. Not sure.
I KNOW! So gross, but on the positive side, this is now the cleanest my belly button has ever been.
Another thing…I’m having a really hard time focusing these days, and I get overwhelmed easily. I haven’t been posting as much for the past week or so, but not because I haven’t been trying. Everything has just been slower going than usual.
I sit at my desk or in front of the camera for a video, and the words just don’t come as easily as they used to (or, um…at all). It’s either some kind of pregnancy brain fog, and/or distractions because, yeah, stuff on my mind.
So everything takes longer than usual, but I’m still here. Still chuggin’ along.
Oh, and the crying? Seriously, I don’t even know, but I cry at least once a day, which I guess is just pregnancy hormones. It feels like PMS turnt up a gazillion notches.
Um…this is probably a good spot to say something about the outfit I’m wearing. 🙂
You might remember the white Caslon shirt from my 18-week bump watch post. Well, the leggings are H&M maternity, and the boots are the Susanna Boots by Bare Traps. The over-the-knee socks I’m wearing, though, are such a pain in the @ss. I got them because they were on sale at Nordies and, you know, ’90s nostalgia.
Back in the day I wore similar thigh-high socks with a little a-line skirt (if you’ve ever seen Clueless, they’re like what Cher and her crew wore), but I conveniently forgot how really, really annoying the socks are/were because I have to keep pulling them up every five minutes.
Oh, and the sweater is one from Nordstrom last year. (Or was it the year before? I can’t remember anything right now…)
Anywho, just wanted to say hi. I hope you’re having a great week so far.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Super pregnant you still look beautiful! Baby Girl will be a beauty for sure! Sorry you’re having such a hard time focusing and that you are so emotional but guess what?? It’s almost over and soon you will have your Little One in your arms!
The outfit you’re wearing is really cute too and I actually love these socks paired with boots!
Have a wonderful day!
Hi Karen,
I am 11 weeks ahead and can relate to the pregnancy issues 🙂
I was also wondering how my bellybutton will change. Turns out it is as flat as possible. There is nothing left that can pop out.
In a short while the baby will be born and I guess I will miss my bump a bit. Until then me and the little baby inside are enjoying every single day.
So happy to see this great photo of you and your daughter-to-be. You look fabulous! Early March will be here before you know it. Enjoy this special time!
Karen,
you look absolutely beautiful and glowing!!
You look lovely!
FYI: In Japan they use sock glue which keeps your socks in place, seriously.(Available on Amazon) I’ve tried it and it works! But you have to wear them with bare legs.
Oh Karen, you look simply beautI’ll and glowing – I hope that you and baby girl are doing well! Big hugs from the UK to the USA 🙂 xxxx
Sorry I meant beautiful… Oops! Xxx
First off, I must say you are looking beautiful!! Pregnancy looks good on you!!! Are you feeling lots of movement/is she having a little dance parties in your belly?? 🙂 I always loved that!
Secondly, when I was pregnant with my son, my midwife would use the paper measuring tape to see how far along I was measuring. Right up until the end I measured right on track… and then I had a 10.5lb baby, which shocked us all, but explained why I was so uncomfortable all the time, haha.
Thirdly, Pregnancy brain/fog is real!! One time I was driving to my mom’s house (something I have done hundreds of times, and she only lives like 5 minutes away), and I had to pull over and look up how to get to her house cuz I couldn’t for the life of me remember where to go. lol. The struggle is real!!
Girl, just wait until you are 38-40 weeks pregnant. You will look back at the pictures of you at 28 weeks and go “oh my god I was tiny”!
I’m impressed that you still dress so cute and wear such lovely makeup. I’m very into both clothes and makeup but being pregnant turned me into a very frumpy non-fashion person. I wore leggings, a t-shirt and a cardigan everyday. With Uggs as they were the only shoes my feet fit into. So way to rock it!
You look great! Pregnancy changes a woman’s body in so many ways. Your breast, hair, vagina, feet and especially emotions OMG! The sacrifice we females go through to bring fore life, lol. All worth it when you hold and look your little one in the eye 🙂
Forgot to mention that bovine feeling ( read that in a pregnancy book years ago,hilarious } Meaning you aren’t your swiftest mentally !! Lol Too much going on in the body for the brain to focus .
Snifffff. At one point, I had a proper innie. Then, after my first baby was born (I have three and HOLDING), the pregnancy-induced outie never went back. I now have a bizarre looking outie, which I’m told is called an umbilical hernia and requires surgery to repair. Great. Stretch marks and a belly nose. hahaha
LOVE MY KIDS but Yikes, LOL
PS You look marvelous 🙂 It’s so nice to have a constant companion, even if said companion does a little dance on your bladder now and then!
Belly nose?! That’s a cute description. LOL
Hi Karen, just as everyone is saying, you look beautiful. Oh but how time flies when you have a little one! My daughter is now 11 years old, and she grew up too quickly. It’s so hard to think how just a few years ago she had that sweet baby voice and would constantly ask me “why” for everything. I wish I can stop time. Enjoy every single second with Baby Girl…before you know it, she’s going to be all grown up!
You look great Karen! So happy for you!
You look great!
Yep your belly button pops out, but it will go back to normal eventually.
🙂
I love to see you so healthy and happy and pregnant! You wear it well.
You look amazing!!! In still just SO happy for you!!! ????
The pregnancy brain thing never really goes away. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve lost my train of thought in mid-sentence or time I’ve wasted looking for my keys or left shoe. I cried throughout my second trimester and half way through my third. At the end of 7-8 months I was done. I’d complain daily to my husband that I just wanted the baby to walk out of me cuz I’m so over it! Oh and here’s something gross – I had a tumor grow out of a sore from my left thumb during my second pregnancy. I have really bad eczema on my hands from constant hand washing and a sore I had never healed. It got progressively worse and noticed that it was growing. The extra amount of blood pumping in me for the baby also fed the tumor. It was disgusting – a huge growth on my thumb tip that I had to see a hand specialist for. He tried burning it off like a wart – that was fun. But then decided that surgery was the best bet. So literally a week after having a C-section I went back for thumb surgery!!
Oh and PS…you look super adorbs!
You look great great! I love the outfit. I also wore thigh high socks back in the day. I loved Cher’s clothes in Clueless. 🙂
I swear they fell down every five seconds because I was forever pulling mine up. Oh, I think I may have gotten my socks from Contempo, LOL! Remember that store? I wonder if it’s still around…
Oh yes, I remember Contempo! I think I also ordered stuff from the Delia’s catalog. I remember Buzzfeed did a feature where they had pictures from the catalog. Such nostalgia! 🙂
I hardly even looked pregnant. So my belly button never stuck out.
My sister is about the same amount of weeks pregnant as you. She says she cant stop eating.
Lucky you! I’m pretty short and small to start with so everything shows, I guess. I wish I could say that I was eating a ton of food, but right now I’m on a pretty strict meal plan because gestational diabetes. Good luck to your sis and I hope birth goes smoothly for her!
A bump? I think you are beyond the bump stage! Regardless of that you look fantastic. Thanks for sharing your journey, I can’t wait to see your little girl.
You look great and your outfit is cute and looks comfortable.
Throughout my childhood my belly button looked like it was sticking its tongue out (yeah, it looked like a tongue not a complete outie), it was so ugly and appeared to be starting trouble with others so I would never wear a bikini; I credit my baby for fixing it because after I gave birth it went completely in. Yes, I thanked him for that.
HURRAY FOR THE BUMP!
I’m always suffering from a pet hair infested belly button!
Karen you look simply wonderful, thank you for posting an update. All those hormones raging do strange things to a girl! Hang in there, take the time to pamper yourself now. Before long there won’t be much ‘you’ time. xx
I’ve been rocking the over-the-knee socks lately too! So cute, but some of them are such a pain to keep up!
You look so cute! I can’t imagine the hormones!
You are so cute, and the bump is so cute! And the line about the belly button made me spit out my water Hahah.
You look gorgeous Karen!
Karen my dear, u r so honest which makes u so loveable! Serious though!….completely radiant woman you are with child in tow! How complete strangers are excited along with u (includes me) is awesome! Baby G is gonna be so beautiful.
Reading this post makes me look into my belly button, and realize I should clean it right away! Haha!
Oh I just know about the paper measuring tape. Surely will check it out when I get pregnant someday 🙂
You look gorgeous, Karen!
Wow! Time does fly! I feel like just the other week you made the big announcement on the blog! So excited for you Karen!
You look great! The forgetfulness is real. The body starts making hormones that will help you forget the pain of childbirth. Plus the other hormones that make you cry at pizza commercials. Throw on top of those the distraction from trying to make sure you have everything baby needs when the time comes, and it can feel very overwhelming. Take care of yourself and baby girl first. <3
Hi Karen, I’m glad you are and Baby G continue to do well 28 weeks into the pregnancy. How time flies! I bet this Christmas will be reflective and exciting – the last with you and El Hub before Baby Girl joins you in the flesh and exciting to anticipate her arrival and the THREE of you.
Cheers to a healthy and healthy next 2 months!!
Even though you FEEL awkward you still look super gorgeous though! Love those boots and socks 🙂 And oooh my gosh, that belly button story was so funny, hahaha.
I feel you, these days I think my belly is about to explode! And I keep bumping into walls and the likes, because my balance is off and I am way bigger than I am used to. But at least I am not waddling yet. I know it will come sooner or later (pretty soon, I guess), but it was the most awkward thing I experienced last pregnancy, when I realized I didn’t walk properly anymore, but was just… waddling along, no matter how hard I tried!
You look so pretty and glowy! I swear, my #1 fear of pregnancy is the belly button issue. I have a real (weird) belly button phobia and the whole idea of popping it out makes me very uncomfortable.
woohooo, you’re having a water baby, pisces rule!
boots are awesome, btw.
Once again, I am so happy for you, Karen! Everything happens in right time. And btw, wooohooo for an early March girl like myself xxx
I’ve been so MIA, and I’m so sorry for that, but you look AMAZING!!! Cry it out, friend, I’ve heard and seen the hormones, but baby girl is soo worth it, and soon the hormones will be balanced!!
You look absolutely gorgeous! I have 2 beautiful little children.. and I remember, particularly with my first pregnancy (also a little girl) having a tough time emotionally. Everything was so overwhelming and new.. I was terrified I didn’t know what I was doing. I had mommy brain and was forgetful and tired all the time. I cried over everything, including missing the cut off time for Burger King breakfast by 2 minutes (not my finest moment), weigh ins at the doctors, people’s comments, and tv commercials. It was a hormonal roller coaster. This too shall pass, and soon enough you shall be holding your gorgeous, and healthy baby girl and you will be floating on air. I’m so happy for you and your new addition. <3