Greedy sports fan board
 

WHIFFARINO!

Love the sig line.

Greedy sports fan board
 

Most of them I've seen involve the 40 classes that a dance studio has, each doing 2 numbers, so you're there for 3 hours to see your kid's 10 minutes. The other kids tend to be cute, but it does get old. Occasionally you get a chubby 30-40 year old guy trying to "discover" a new side of himself and doing a solo. I enjoyed these.

Greedy sports fan board
 

Should we be relieved it's only "occasionally"?

Greedy sports fan board
 

Greedy sports fan board
 

Do you ever get a specific sense of ennui over your overall sense of ennui?

Greedy sports fan board
 

Don't you find it kind of annoying when a person uses a rhetorical question to change the subject?

Baked or not, the kid will be here on Monday at noon. Any bets as to size/length? I haven't bothered washing any 0-3 clothes this time.

I need to try and hedge my NBA bet with Hank, so sure. I say: 9 lbs, 2 oz, 23 inches long. My sincerest apologies to your nether regions, please give them my regards. Also, please ask for my toothbrush back.

Seriously, good luck!

For SEC chick
 

On maternity clothes: Gap and Old Navy are decent for basics. Gap is better for office casual -- it has good crisp cotton pants and shirts and skirts and the best yoga pants on earth. A Pea In the Pod is a fucking rip off with draconian return policies (store credit only), and Motherhood and Mimi are not even worth visiting. Also, don't buy too much at first, you might develop unanticipated dislikes and discomforts and find you wear the same things repeatedly and let other things languish in the closet.

I have no advice regarding more professional clothing. My office is very casual so I could get away with flip flops.

For SEC chick
 

Thanks. My office is fairly casual as well (worn a suit only once in the year I've been here). While I couldn't pull off yoga pants (well, on a Friday I could), it sounds like the Gap might suit my needs. Thanks for the advice against buying too much at first. I am also afraid that I will outgrow the first batch towards the end and want to be prepared to have to buy more to accomodate my temporary (Lord willing) girth.

Hmmmm... the Gap in the Galleria is reported to sell maternity. I assume that the online selection will be better than in-store, but at least I can check out the goods.

For SEC chick
 

My wife was a fan of Japanese Weekend. Eventually, she was a big fan.

For SEC chick
 

And don't forget Target. The Liz Lange stuff looks like some of it might be work-worthy.

My first pregnancy coincided with the advent of Gap Maternity (and preceded Old Navy Maternity), and back then they had only a very few pieces, most of it work-worthy. Still one of my favorites is a 3/4 sleeve, boat-neck, mid-calf black matte jersey dress that can be worn anywhere and flatters the body without being too formfitting. If you can find one of these on ebay, do it.

This time around, Old Navy is not working for me in pants, but I have their perfect Ts in every possible color. Pants are all from Gap and Target.

tm

For SEC chick
 

At Target it is - the Liz Lange stuff from the Liz Lange shops sucks. And is too small (I was a size 6 who put on a total of 22 pounds, and I was a size extra large in that stuff). And it looks nasty - much nastier than the stuff at Target. Go figure.
I heartily second the suggestion to get everything you can on eBay. There is a ton of stuff, new with tags, and you can probably get most Gap maternity stuff there in any size any day of the week.

My favorite dress was a silk Gap Maternity sundress. I tied a contrasting ribbon above my stomach. It was very cute.
I didn't find the old navy stuff until I was looking to improve a relative's maternity wardrobe, but it is basically Gap maternity, slightly more casual and a lot less expensive.

H&M also had some good maternity clothing, but only a few of their shops carry it. I got some really cute things very reasonably there (like, $30 for a dress and $20 for a top).

That said, I spent a certain amount of money on a few really nice maternity dresses and trousers, and it did make a difference in having a decent, wearable wardrobe overall. I have a jersey Leona Edmiston dress that I still wear (actually, it sounds a lot like the black jersey 3/4 sleeve boatneck dress described above from Gap). I got some really cute pants from Chaiken and 1 et 1 font 3, and the Nicole Caramel stuff is generally lovely if you can find it. (I'm trying to remember some of the other companies, but my entire maternity wardrobe has been making the rounds for the last year, it's on it's third pregnancy now - it gets out more than I do at this point.)

Anyhow, given that cute maternity clothes are so thin on the ground, using the internet generally was useful - using the magnifying effects of online shopping means that you can actually find more than one or two decent things on a given shopping "excursion."

Cute maternity links I've still got hanging around:

Best maternity shop in Manhattan: http://www.veroniquematernity.com/

http://www.pushmaternity.com/ (very pricey, and the exchange rate will kill you, but they had some great dresses)

http://www.isabellaoliver.com/ (less expensive, but still with the killer exchange rate. Not as pricey as Pea in the Pod, anyhow, and a lot better looking. It's basically all comfy stretch jersey stuff that actually looks good because it's well designed.)

Baby Clothes
 

Anyone have a good suggestion for places to hunt for old-fashioned baby dresses -- you know, cotton, with a peter pan collars, smocking on the chest, puffed sleeves with eyelet trim, and matching pantaloons to go over the diaper? I am trying to find something very similar to my mother's favorite baby dress for me, which I wore in a number of pictures. You know, just in case the puppy is a girl.

Baby Clothes
 

Mrs. Bird.

In the alternative, I'd suggest finding a decent seamstress in your area and having one made.