Hodge-podge

Random, random post.  I have a few cute pictures of Dashiell to share, plus I'm feeling a need to rant about a maternity-related issue, and I need to make an actual list of the new blog name ideas so I have them all written down in one place!  So this is going to be long, and very disjointed.  Apologies. 

I bought Dashiell these p.j.s from Old Navy a couple of weeks ago, and they are my new favorites.  I love the wrestling look!  I especially love the "abs" drawn onto the p.j.s  How flippin' cute is that??  Someday when he's a teenager Dash will see this picture and ask, "what the hell did you dress me in??"  Ha!

The park nearest to our house is a "passive park", meaning no play equipment, and no dogs, running or ball playing allowed (it should be noted that no one pays attention to the dogs, running, or ball playing rules).  But Dashiell likes going there anyway, mostly because there's a huge rock to climb on, and this awesome tree to swing from!  It's also the first tree he's really attempted to climb, which is both exciting and of course worrisome to this particular mom.  I try not to let me worry show too much, though I do keep pretty close by when he climbs in it just in case! :)

Alright, the rant:  I realize that I should just bask in the glory of being pregnant and not complain about stupid things.  And I realize that this particular rant is small potatoes and probably not worth my time to write or your time to read.  So feel free to skip it if you want, I won't be offended.  But why do maternity clothes suck so much??  It's not the cuteness factor - many of the things I have are fairly attractive (at least now, while I'm not in the big-as-a-house phase of pregnancy).  But why - WHY - are they so expensive?  Honestly, these clothes will only be on my body for less than 9 months.  Quality is not what I'm looking for (and often not found anyway, regardless of price).  I want cheap, good-looking clothes that will hold together for a short amount of time.  Certain mall maternity stores - you aren't selling gold.  You're selling temporary clothing.  And maternity swim suits?  They're the worst culprits of the over-priced clothing!  Maybe if I lived in a warm-weather state and predicted swimming throughout my pregnancy and not just for 2 months of it, I could see paying the prices asked for a suit, but I hate spending $50 or more for something that I'll wear a handful of times for 2 months of my life. 

As for maternity styles, I'm calling out Liz Lange for Target - why the hell do you think I'd want a white t-shirt that is so thin you could see the *color* of my belly button?  Yes you are offering cheaper clothing, and I appreciate that, but still, I'm not entering a wet t-shirt contest here!  Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I want to show off everything I've got!  And why hasn't anyone mastered making maternity shorts that aren't hideous?  I have a couple pairs of capris that look fine, but every pair of shorts I have tried are bunchy and weird-looking.  And for some reason all the shorts at Old Navy have a 3" inseam, which I wouldn't even wear if I wasn't pregnant.  Short-shorts are not a friend to a cellulite-prone pregnant lady, believe me.

This is all compounded by the fact that 1) I borrowed most of my clothing when I was pregnant with Dashiell and had to give it all back.  And Dash was an April baby, which means the majority of the clothes I do still have are for winter weather, so I'm basically starting from square one. I had about 3 items of clothing in my "maternity clothes" box that were appropriate for summer wear (and yes, I am in need of actual maternity wear already.  This belly of mine likes to flaunt itself - maybe Liz Lange is right to design too-showy clothing?).  And 2) I have yet to find a good source of used maternity clothes.  The majority of my friends are done with their baby-making years and have long since given away their clothes, so borrowing is out.  And the selection of maternity clothes at local consignment shops is less than stellar.  I did find a few things, but not nearly enough. Sigh.

Alright, rant over.  Thanks for letting me vent, and apologies to those who are seething over the fact that I'm complaining about something so trivial when in reality I should be thanking the heavens that I am lucky enough to be pregnant in the first place.  I am thankful, believe me.  But sometimes you just have to get it all out.

On to the blog name ideas:  I'm still trying to come up with that perfect name, but a few people have given me ideas that may be contenders:  First, from Shannon, "Hanson party of ???", which I like but would probably go with "party of four" since there will be four of us when the baby arrives.  On the off chance we turn into a party of five, it's an easy upgrade. :)  The only problem is that I still have my maiden name and am not technically a "Hanson".  I think I could overlook that if need be.  From Jenn, "Handful of Hansons".  Cute, but still the "Hanson" issue.  And from Betsy, "And now there are Two".  But should I change that to "and now there are four" since there are four of us in the family?  Or should I just stick with the number of kids?  I was thinking something like D+1, but I feel like we'd have to complete the equation somehow and I haven't found that perfect "=".  Plus it would have to be changed again when Baby2.0 arrives and we give him/her an actual name.

So more suggestions are welcome!  Keep 'em coming!

Thanks for sticking with me through this crazy long disjointed post! :)