Pregnant Shopping Day Ups and Downs

I ventured out in search of an interview outfit today.  I have a job interview coming up in less than two weeks, the first legitimate interview I have had since graduating from law school a year and  a half ago.  I am wondering how to approach the pregnancy issue with them.  I am far enough along, and big enough, that they should notice, and I don't plan to go to any great lengths to hide my belly because that feels dishonest.

I know that employers are not permitted to discriminate on the basis of pregnancy, but as a lawyer, I also know that there is a huge difference between what the law prohibits and what you can prove actually happened.  Much like certain types of racial discrimination, it is nearly impossible to prove what someone's motives were in a pregnancy discrimination situation.  How can anyone say definitively what was going on in someone else's head?

My search for clothes is only half over.  I did find some super-cute pants that fit me really nicely at the Motherhood Maternity outlet.  They were about half what I would expect to pay in a regular store, and they are petites, which means that unlike most of my pants, I can just wear them without pinning or hemming...or tripping.  The search continues for a top, but I am hoping Target will have what I need.  That is a search for another day.  I do have some nice blazers that I could wear with the pants, but buttoning them is just not an option anymore.

After my clothing strikeout, however, I had time to do some more fun things.  I went to Michael's and picked out two skeins of yarn.  I bought yarn for making baby wipes, which I have never done before but plan to try.  I picked Lion Brand Baby's First yarn in Beanstalk for my first batch of wipes.  The yarn is super-soft, thick, and absorbent, and of course machine-washable and dryable.  If they turn out well, I plan to buy more colors, just to keep it interesting.  

I also bought a skein of yarn for making burp cloths.  For the burp cloths, I plan to use Bernat Baby Blanket yarn.  I bought one skein of white, and I plan to buy one or two more in other colors once we know whether we are having a little boy or a little girl.  (20 days!)  The yarn is also very soft, perfect for wiping little mouths and chins, and it is thick enough to make a very absorbent cloth.  It also has the ultimate necessary feature of being machine washable and dryable.

Finally, I picked up four Snappis from another Craigslist user.  (In case you haven't read my other blog posts, I am a big fan of shopping via Craigslist.)  The Snappis, though used, are in perfect condition, and they only set me back $3.00.  All in all, it turned out to be a great shopping day.

Incidentally, my husband thinks I am a little nuts because I have decided to try cloth diapering and resusable wipes.  He is always supportive of saving money, but he also would not mind spending the extra dough for disposable diapers and wipes.  I keep telling him that I want a Ford Flex after the baby comes, and this is just one more way of saving towards a more family-friendly vehicle.  (We have two dogs, both of whom accompany us on most of our trips, so we are going to need to find some way to split up the dogs and the baby anyway.)  

I am so excited to prove him and the other naysayers wrong!  I am practicing now on stuffed animals to get my technique down, and I am working on a laundry system to make sure that I have enough time to do diapers without letting it get ahead of me.  By the end of the first couple months, I think I may even have some converts to the cloth diapering way of life!