enJOY it by Elise Blaha Cripe

on maxis.

skirt from Alternative Apparel. baby wrap from solly baby.

One of the most frequent questions I get (aside from "how do you print your photos?") is "where do you buy your maxi skirts and dresses?" The answer is...everywhere. I cannot resist a well-priced maxi. In the beginning when the trend started, I thought I couldn't pull them off (I'm pretty short at 5'3"). But now (probably way after the trend has faded) I have completely embraced them. I wore them before I was pregnant, my entire pregnancy and continue to wear them now. They are flattering, comfortable and forgiving, which was key in the weeks after Ellerie arrived when I was insanely swollen post-c-section (thoughts on this will need to be shared in another post...oh man, was I unprepared for the swelling).

one of my favorite photos. dress from old navy.

I always look for soft jersey or cotton fabrics. Something with a little stretch but not too much. I stick to stripes and solid colors because they pair well with the rest of my closet. I usually skip anything with slits, layers or tiers.

dress from gap.

I have found that the way to make maxis work for me is to keep it super casual. I pair maxi skirts with v-neck tees (these are by far my favorite), tanks (I have so many of these) or button-down chambray (I'm living in this one). Sometimes I wear maxi dresses on their own, but usually I throw a tank or tee on top (for some reason I think they are more flattering this way). 85% of the time, I wear rainbows with a maxi, but if I am going out to dinner or trying to fancy things up for some odd reason, I'll wear flat sandals. On me, heels with maxis look ridiculous and like I'm trying too hard, so I save them to wear with shorter dresses.

old navy maternity striped skirt $30 (this totally works for non pregnant people), socialite knit racer back maxi dress $52, bobeau black and white striped skirt $40

liz lange for target black dress $30 (again, sold as a maternity swim cover up and yet it's totally wearable all the time. I wore it to a wedding rehearsal dinner, with a pair of flat sandals and fancy earrings), alternative apparel maxi skirt $38, splendid strapless maxi dress $55

Above are some of my favorite maxis for sale right now at reasonable prices. Starred ones are exact or similar to ones I currently own and wear often.  All links in this post are affiliate which means if you purchase through them I make a small commission. Happy shopping!

still waiting...

...sometimes patiently, sometimes not.

It has been really wonderful to have these past few days as two. Because I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and am therefore considered higher risk, there is a plan in place so I do not go too far past my estimated due date. We are comfortable with this and are so excited that the next part of our adventure will be starting soon.

Thank you so much for your thoughts, prayers and well wishes.

together.

On Sunday, February 3rd, I dropped Paul off in a parking lot on base so he could deploy with his unit. We hugged outside the car and I cried into his chest. "What if she comes before you're home? What if this is it?"

"Be strong, Elise." he said.

About half of me wanted to punch him in frustration. I didn't want to be strong. I wanted to be 21 weeks pregnant and not alone. I wanted our life to be normal. I wanted my husband to live in my house with me all the time.

But the rational half nodded and sniffled and told him I loved him and got back in the car. I sobbed openly and drove home.

The next day, I headed down to San Diego and saw the house we had just bought. And the next four months and 11 days were a whirlwind. I closed Escrow, packed up a house, moved to a new place, decorated it to what for us is perfection, worked on various projects, battled a mouse in the kitchen and kept growing this little baby. And, of course, I had days where it sucked and days where I cried and days where I was anything but strong.

And now, 19 weeks later, we're nearly through it. Paul is home on leave for awhile. He's here. He gets to see this house we bought for the first time (he's a fan!). He gets to sit on the chairs and eat at the dining table and live in this space that I (but really we) built over the past few months. Baby girl waited for him, so now we'll wait for her. Together.

We get to be strong together. We get to become three together.

around here.

Still very much with child. Probably for at least a few more days. But the good news is, the house has never been more clean, or more ready. I have never been more excited. And Paul is so close to walking through our front door. We are getting there. We will get there.

Thank you so much for your sweet words & well wishes these past few weeks. I so appreciate knowing folks are rooting for us. I will be sharing her name and photos on the blog as soon as it makes sense for us, but for more "real time" updates - twitter & instagram are good bets. ;)

we're almost there.

Hooray, hooray...we're almost there.

Tomorrow is my due date. Sometime in the next week, we'll meet this little girl. It feels like it's been forever since we knew there was a baby on the way and it feels like just yesterday that I was wishing for another family member.

I wanted to share today some of my favorite photos from the maternity shoot that I had with the fantastic Tara Whitney last month. Because this was my first pregnancy, I was unprepared for and fascinated by all the body changes - especially in this final trimester. And while FaceTime is awesome, it's been hard having Paul across the globe and not able to celebrate this experience in person with me. Having these photos taken was a way to document this crazy time period for both of us.

And Tara is just magic with the camera.

I have loved being pregnant. Yep. I'm one of those annoying women. But I am also thrilled that soon she'll be out. And here. I'm can't wait to really get a look a this little person who dances in my belly. I feel a bit like I know her and I am so excited to finally introduce her to her dad and my family and friends that love her so much already.

I told Paul a few weeks ago that I had a moment where I realized being sad about him potentially missing the birth is like scheduling a lifelong excursion together and then being sad that we had to take different planes on the first flight. Lame? Yes. How rad and exciting it would (or will be!) to start this adventure together, in the same room, in the same moment. But at the same time, that flight is so minor compared to the full trip. When you're pregnant, it's easy to think about the birth is this huge event that marks the end of it. But, of course, the birth is this huge event that marks the beginning of it.

And the beginning.

Oh, how thrilled I am to be almost to the beginning.

And for the memory keepers or those curious to what I'll do with these photos... One or two might be framed and hung in our master bathroom. Then, I am going to design a book with just photos from this shoot and all the letters I have been writing the baby since I found out I was pregnant. It will be hardbound and if I do it right - awesome. I'll share here once it's made.

All photos by Tara Whitney. Tara, you are the most rad. Thank you for helping me capture this experience. Cannot wait for the shoot with Paul AND the little one.

 

Other posts you might enjoy:

• how I am learning to "balance" work & mamahood.
• newborn essentials
• 34 gift ideas for the brand new mama.
• 9 books our toddler loves.
• our favorite toddler art supplies.
• gearing up for baby #2. literally.
• FAQs / baby edition.
• new mama care package
• what I am eating with gestational diabetes