Tuesday, January 14, 2014

{my mom's maternity dresses}

I'm done teaching piano lessons now until...well.

Until I feel up to it again, I guess. I'm done at the cable station; and I haven't been as busy with side projects lately. I tackled those boxes in the basement last night, and I've been deep cleaning every square inch of this house, slowly but surely. Washing blankets and tiny little sweaters, organizing and hanging pictures and baking a little.

I bought a box of diapers.

There was a middle-aged man standing in the diaper aisle with me. We stood there beside our empty shopping carts with our hands on our hips, red-faced and confused. He looked over at me, "First one?" I nodded. "Oh," he said, dissapointed. "I don't know what I'm looking at here."

"Me neither."

It's like time is moving in slow motion and simultaneously rushing at me like a rhinoceros with steaming nostrils. I have eight days left until my due date. Eight days is a century and a second all at once. I'm thankful for both the time and the lack of it.

And today, I found myself with a little bit extra. So I played dress-up.

When mom found out I was pregnant, she gave me a bag of her old maternity clothes. She laughs at the things that pregnant women wear now. She says, "You girls with your tight shirts over your big bellies. We hid our bellies under tents."

Tents with shoulder pads. It's true. As if you're not already swollen and beluga-like enough when you're nine months pregnant, you sewed shoulder pads into your tent dresses too in the eighties.

Granted, those things were comfy. Much comfier than skinny jeans. I tried them on today. With shoes that also belonged to mom when she was my age. I couldn't help but add a belt, just to tame the tenty-ness. (Note: I hereby promise never to be a fashion blogger. Posing is hard. Especially in a shoulder-padded tent and nine-month belly.)
 photo IMG_8205_zps36ccea87.jpg  photo IMG_8206_zps81ab9ee0.jpg  photo IMG_8204_zpsfb11a66e.jpg I'm wearing my regular clothes again. A waffle shirt and blue jeans. I'm significantly less balloon-like, but am also feeling a little lacking in the shoulder department. Ah, to be an eighties chick.

44 comments:

Caitlin said...

I really like that blue dress actually! And how funny the difference between then and now :)

Elise said...

Man these dresses are awesome! Especially that last one, I do love a floral summer dress :)

mom said...

Wow! you can even make the tent look cute!

sarahannnoel said...

I think it's official. You're the cutest pregnant woman ever to live. Even in a tent.

Hannah Leanne said...

I want that top dress for always though. You should frame that first picture for his room. Srsly.

Niken said...

i don't have a baby yet, but when it comes to that, compare to my friends or cousins who have baby for the first time, they even admit i have more knowledge than them. haha. thanks to my parents, i'm the firstborn who is way older than my little siblings. when they were babies i helped my mom taking care of them. now i can see the advantage. then, i wasn't so pleased.

you look really great! your mom does have style, doesn't she? i think my favorite is the red one the first pictures.

Sarah said...

Suzy, the blue one actually looks awesome on you! It's a keeper! :) Congrats on the approaching due date! I'm sure you're over the moon and eager to meet that little person whom you have felt kicking around in there! Blessings!

the best part of my day... said...

You so adorable, Suzy. Really. Enjoy these last few precious days before life is never the same...

Suzy Krause said...

i was just saying that to someone yesterday--you never see women now hiding their bumps under tents. however: i would argue that there is no "hiding" a full term bump. if anything, these dresses made it look bigger!

Suzy Krause said...

they are fun hey? i could never pull them off in public, but i do have some friends who probably could. with the exception, probably, of the middle one. yikes. :)

Suzy Krause said...

hahaha well thanks for sending them my way. it was pretty fun to wear them. and pretty fitting after wearing your wedding dress. :)

Suzy Krause said...

aw garsh. you're sweet. :)

Suzy Krause said...

hahahah you could probably actually pull it off in real life. :)

Suzy Krause said...

it is wonderful to have that kind of experience. you're pretty lucky! :)

and yup; my mom's always had good style. i wore her wedding dress for my wedding too and LOVED it even though it was 25 years old.

Suzy Krause said...

aw, thanks sarah! so pumped! :D

Suzy Krause said...

thanks so much. :) you're sweet.

callie said...

You look straight out of the 1970s in that first one. In a good way!! Actually the last one too. You need a flower crown and a ukelele. hehe

Nova said...

EIGHT DAYS!!!!!!!!

Suzy Krause said...

SEVEN!

Suzy Krause said...

i'll take that as a compliment--i love the 70s! :D

larisaa said...

hahahah! the last one is pretty cute, though! I remember my mom gave me this [horrificly ugly] sweater when I was pregnant. It was gray and pink and looked like it would be really soft like yarn you would use to make a baby blanket. But it was not soft at all. It felt like sandpaper against my skin and so I said thank you and shoved it in the back of my closet until I wasn't pregnant anymore and didn't have to lie about wearing it and then I gave it to Goodwill but I should have just lit the thing on fire.

I just don't understand why you would want to make yourself look like a tent? You already feel humongous, why make yourself look bigger?

But those shoes. Are those yours or your moms? Because those are amazing.

You're getting so close! And look at you nesting! That's a sign that Mr. Baby will be coming soon soon soon!

Sending you lots of positive thoughts and prayers as you get closer!

Erika Hayden said...

yay for baby bump!!! Love the photos!!

Ashlee said...

I don't care what you say, you are really pulling off these "tent dresses." They may seem a little out of sorts for the here and now, but the belt definitely helps! The bright red is really nice and who could resist some sweet florals? Sending you lots of good vibes!

Jen Glen said...

Wow! I laughed so hard at the second one Craig had to come over and see what was so funny! I think the first and third ones are very cute with the belt though. You could totally pull them off outside your house! And I also can't believe your mom has kept maternity clothes all these years! That's gotta be a record!

morgan said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Always Rooney said...

Oh you are beautiful! I love seeing the difference of maternity clothes from then compared to now! I would actually wear the top and bottom dresses with them belted:)

-Courtney

Magical Daydream said...

The blue one looks actually really cute on you. Good luck with the last preparations and figuring baby stuff out ;)

Suzy Krause said...

thanks so much! it's going to be quite the learning curve i think... :)

Suzy Krause said...

aw garsh! thank you. i'm so glad mom kept these; it was pretty fun playing dress-up.. :)

Suzy Krause said...

oh man, that middle dress is just amazing, isn't it? i felt like a pregnant david bowie.

Suzy Krause said...

thanks so much ashlee! isn't it funny what a waistline does for a dress? haha!

Suzy Krause said...

yep, the shoes are my mom's! were. they're mine now. ;)
was the sweater your mom gave you from when she was younger, or just a random ugly sweater? you shoulda kept it!

Suzy Krause said...

:D haha, thanks erika!

Business Shirts said...

It is good to have the right maternity dress.

Amy M. said...

gosh so pretty! i thought you were pregnant but I've been so out of the loop. love the last dress!

Megs said...

That second dress is so 80's-tastic! I love it!

Suzy Krause said...

don't worry, i'm not in the loop lately either! haha. and thanks! :)

Suzy Krause said...

i think that was my mom's favourite! how times have changed... ;)

Mrs. Wilson said...

That blue dress is completely adorable and totally suits you. :)

JTay said...

You can totally pull off the last dress though. As for that second one… It must be made of magic, because I have no idea how it can make such a tiny person look so… voluminous. :)

Suzy Krause said...

hahaha well maybe i'll occasionally shove a pillow under it and wear it to church this summer...

Suzy Krause said...

it's totally magic. i felt it in the shoulder pads.

My Name is JACY said...

How cute are you??? LOVE THIS!

Suzy Krause said...

hahaha thank you!