The plight of the tall pregnant lady

I am 5'10". I checked the statistics at halls.md.com, and I am taller than 97% of the American population of women. If I took into account the number of you who follow by blog who are female, reduced further by the percentage of those who are pregnant or have been pregnant, I would probably come up with less than .01% of you who understands firsthand the plight of a tall pregnant lady. There might be more who care to hear me explain, so I will press on with my post.

Finding maternity clothes that fit my tallness is quite difficult. During my first pregnancy, I resorted to the horrible look of high-water pants designed for a women who are 5'4". The shirts were always too short, so I showed off the lovely full panel at the top of the pants. During my second pregnancy, it became easier to find longer lengths in maternity clothes because the manufacturers took notice of the 3% of the pregnant population walking around looking ridiculous. I looked considerably more fashionable during Mandy's pregnancy, but paid the high price for maternity clothes.

This time around, I've discovered a secret to having some cute clothes and paying less. I buy things in the women's section that are styled loosely. The dress above is from Target and I got in on sale for $23. The empire waist and flowing skirt work perfect for my growing bump. A very similar dress at Motherhood Maternity is $49.

At home I love to wear yoga pants. I haven't once done Yoga in them, but they sure are comfortable for laying around eating sugar-free bon bons. Target now has long lengths in their Champion semi-fitted athletic pants for women. The cut of these pants is actually flattering and perfect for maternity or not because of the wide, low waist band. They are only $20.

I've also found great success with women's shirts that are styled long and loose. My favorites are ones that have a bit of cinching at the bottom. Maternity shirts are $20-$40 for just a regular t-shirt that is often not as long as a regular women's shirt -- don't ask me why. This shirt is from Gap and is $15. Check out Gap Maternity and almost the identical shirt is $34.

For the next months of my pregnancy, these kinds of shirts will get me by just fine. If you are one of those pregnant ladies who gets an absolutely huge belly, this won't work for you. Like my hair-dresser who had twins and couldn't touch her fingers over her belly.... nope. You are regulated to the maternity section only.

My next dilemma would be finding jeans that are long enough. Only a few stores carry long lengths in jeans that I can afford (Gap, Old Navy and Motherhood), but they still are hard to find. In one store, a sale's lady recommended I stick with capris when I asked about long length maternity jeans. Thank you. I have capris, but it is 43 degrees today. 

Aren't maternity pants just the most beautiful things you've ever seen? No? One of my friends said the top panel reminded her of something you would roast a turkey in. I can't get that image out of my head.

I couldn't bring myself to spend $35 or more for jeans when I just know the weather will warm up as soon as I do. In desperation I looked at Ross Dress For Less and I found a great pair for $14. They are barely long enough, so if they even darken the door of a dryer, tears will be shed. Wonderful husband, are you reading this? No dryer! These jeans will get me through. Get this: the brand is called Puff Lady. What crazy bunch of men came up with that brand name for maternity clothes? For $14, I'm not going to complain.

Thanks for reading this post if you are not tall. I appreciate your compassionate comments, even if you are secretly thinking I shouldn't whine about being tall. If you are tall, maybe my fashion secrets will help you. It would be the first time in my life when anything I know about fashion helped someone else. And that would just make my year. Or you can pass on some more secrets, or better yet, all the maternity clothes from some trendy, rich, (and tall) lady.

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Tucker Spring 2009

It's been a while since I took a peek at Tucker by Gaby Basora, so I was overwhelmly pleased to see how much her line has grown! Several styles of gorgeously draped blouses, dresses and even a romper. And the prints are to die for, of course!


I am even enamored with this over the top orange Hawaiian floral (not my usual taste), but styled like this it reminds me of something Grandma would have worn on a trip to Hawaii in the 50's!

(p.s. I feel like this hairstyle is stalking me... at least I hear that hair grows faster in the summer... yay for me!) Read More.. Read More..

The Look

Braids & Cropped Bangs, Stripes & Skinnies... A near perfect look in my humble opinion!



(via NAST) Read More.. Read More..

What's on your wish list?

Right now, I am trying to concentrate on fantastic essentials for Spring, rather than overly trendy items that I will no doubt dislike by August... What's currently on your wish list???



American Apparel Light Weight Raglan Pull-Over ($36), F-Troupe White Patent Saddle Shoes at Oak ($158), UO Knit Mini Skirt ($38), Ika Bags' Stockholm Purse ($27). Read More.. Read More..

Learning from Emma

Emmaleigh is contemplative, introspective, and analytical. These personality traits are turning into discernment as she matures. She was like this from birth. She was born not crying and looked into my eyes, all ready to figure out the world. We joked when she was tiny that we would someday hire her out to the FBI or CIA for prisoner interrogation because her analytical stare could probably break a hardened criminal.

Now she is 4 and a half and still figuring out the world. Thankfully she doesn't stare at strangers and make them want to cry anymore. She's sweet and kind and compassion is showing its beauty in Emma more each day.

Emma excitedly plays with her baby doll and mothers her. It occurred to me that my 4 year old little girl shows a revealing glimpse of what her mother's parenting looks like. A frightening thought that I have a little character mirror following me around all day.

Some things I am obviously doing right. Emma disciplines her baby very calmly and by the Book.  She understands what I often tell her: God is in charge of Mommy and Mommy is in charge of Emma. When Emma obeys Mommy, she is learning how to obey God. Emma's baby gets the same lecture, discipline and then a hug, followed by "I love you. You will obey next time?" It makes me so happy to hear her make the connection between love and discipline.

Emma's parenting also reveals what I have to work on. I hear her say to her baby, "You are annoying me!" or "I am too busy," or a she gives a great, big, exasperated sigh when her baby cries.... again. And her baby's issues are just imaginary! Am I really so irritable?

It's no longer easy to convince myself that my reactions, good or bad, are not influencing my children. No one is perfect obviously, but many of the things I see mirrored need to be addressed. Each new day holds a promise for change and growth and a mother gets to direct the path. What an amazing responsibility and an amazing joy. Okay, to be honest, it is also a great annoyance and a bit exasperating, but my challenge none the less.

Happy parenting!

Pictures from the horse ranch where my cousin Lisa works.

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Trust Me

My BFF and sister, Veronica, turned me on to a little style secret a couple weeks ago.... Made by Levi's and available in the Men's section at Urban Outfitters, these jeans are totally amazing! Perfectly skinny, high-waisted, don't stretch out too much, available in a large range of colors, and just $54 (very reasonable for jeans!)... Trust me, you must try these (I got the grey, very nice).

*Update: These jeans are sized for men, so don't buy your normal "girl" size... I bought 2 sizes larger than my normal size. For example, women's 27= men's 30 (roughly, everyone is different of course). And yes, I have curvy hips and a bootie and they fit nice and sexily-snug around those girly parts :) Enjoy! Read More.. Read More..

Wanted: Ethereal White Dresses

Floaty, ethereal white dresses = The best way to beat the heat



Gap ($69.50), Lover at La Graconne ($690), Urban Outfitters ($48), Toast ($72).

The inspiration...


(More Chloe at Coachella via Popsugar) Read More.. Read More..

Denim Perfection

I am such a sucker for a denim-on-denim look done right! Love the sexy seventies vibe of this...


via Garance Dore Read More.. Read More..

The Real Life Amazing Race

I turned on the tv one evening to see that the Amazing Race was on. I like that show, probably because I've traveled around the world a bit and know the challenges that international destinations bring. I saw the teams sprinting through an airport and gasped, "They're in Maputo, they're in Maputo!" I said with great enthusiasm. My husband came running and we watched transfixed as the clueless teams tried to find the office for an airline that would give them tickets to Johannesburg. "It's upstairs by the cafe!" I shouted at the tv. Watching the familiar airport on tv brought back a wave of memories as my husband and I have explored that same airport quite a few times flying in and out of Mozambique.

I've been faced with many challenges while traveling that would make great tv if I had a crew following me around. I was stuck in deserted train station/homeless shelter in Naples. Or climbing the Ifle Tower in pouring down rain. My camera was stolen on the same train ride where I realized the back of the train doesn't always reach the same destination as the front. I took a 40 hour bus ride across Canada sitting beside a midget. And I faced Sunset at a rural African airport with no ride in sight. That's to name a few. And my husband has many more because he's traveled more that I have.

While thinking about these adventures, they don't really compare to real life now. All those scrapes I was in far away from home seem rather simple because I faced them as an independent person, not a parent in charge of other's healthy and safety. Take yesterday for example: we were trying to find the Tulip Festival. It should have been easy enough to find with clearly marked signs.... if we turned the right way off the freeway... and if we didn't have 2 children literally screaming at the top of their lungs for the same story book. I imagined the tv crew following our every move and thought of a great idea for a new show. It would be a combination of the Amazing Race and Nanny 911. Now that would be a challenge! Forget about easy stuff like lugging 50 pound cheese wedges up a steep hill in Austria or bungy jumping off the Space Needle. The real challenges in life arise when children, wonderful, beautiful children, enter the picture.

We eventually made it to the Tulip Festival. A little cranky and worse for wear, but the beauty of the flowers lightened my mood and the hay fort and slide did wonders for the children.

There are a 150,000 blooms and it was fun to walk the rows choosing our favorites. The pink fringy one above is my favorite. I don't know its name because I was taking pictures while trying to keep Mandy from eating barkdust. There's a challenge for you.

Flowers, endless flowers. Emma would have been in paradise if she could have picked them. But she didn't. She was very good.

Our perfect angel. Defiance and manipulation rear their ugly heads more and more as sweet Mandy develops her independence. How deceptive a picture can be...

Emma is in a total posing stage. She walks around finding backdrops and saying, "How about this? I look cute. Take my picture." So I do. She is going to be an amazing assistant to my photography business soon. Or extremely consumed with her own beauty. There are no problems with low self-esteem at our house.

Mandy is also a little poser, when she chooses. This is her "I'm perfect and never scream and cry and throw fits" pose. Some in our party were not convinced.

The Tulip Festival goes through the 3rd and I would recommend going if you are in the area. There is a lot to do for kids, endless picture taking possibilities, and the Tulips are really gorgeous. Just remember to write down the direction before you go and turn east off the freeway. You can't miss it. :)

I plan to do some editing on the Tulip pictures later in the week and post them on my photography blog. Stay tuned.

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Shoe du Jour: Huaraches

Not quite a sandal, not quite an enclosed shoe... the huarache is the perfect pick for Spring...




UO ($38), Target ($14), Steve Madden ($69.95), Pierre Dumas ($45), Vintage via Etsy ($35), Dear Golden Vintage ($28). Read More.. Read More..

Paradise Photography

I now have my very own, very real, website at www.AlysunPetersPhotography.com

It wasn't as easy to figure out as a blog, but I am happy with how it turned out.... after working on it for weeks and weeks. Let me know what you think! You might even see yourself pictured if I've done a session with you or your kids. I have 2 different slide shows of some of my favorite pictures. This is an exciting step in my business and it is a relief to have it up and running.

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Happy Weekend!

Today I was reminded of Charlotte Ronson's darling campaign videos. This one is from her Spring 2008 collection, but still a treat to watch... The perfect Friday viewing to daydream about a lovely Spring weekend! Enjoy!

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Hitching A Ride

Baby Blue was calmly sitting on the side of the road this morning as Jeff passed by on his way to work. I am sure if Blue had a posable thumb, he would have a had it up, hitching a ride home. Jeff turned around and brought him back to us and you should have heard the cheers of excitement that rang through the house! Now I think I will take the "Baby Blue" music off the blog. All this cat affection is making me a little nauseous.  Read More.. Read More..

Ask Camp Comfort: Spring Essentials

Lovely reader, Jenn, wrote in to Ask Camp Comfort with a rather over-arching style delimma.... What do you do when you want to achieve a certain look, but can't manage to pull it together?... Well, of course Jenn already knew the answer - It's all about stocking your closet a few important essentials!

So, how to pull off that "quirky, sweet, gamine" Camp Comfort style... You may remember when we chatted about The Staples, but since that was in January and fairly cold-weather focused, let's refresh with some Spring Essentials...


1. A light weight blouse/shirt: Easy & breezy but still looks pulled-together (Anthropologie, $88).
2. Short Shorts: I love the railroad print and button details of these shorts (Forever21, $19.90).


3. Long Cardigan: Because let's be realistic, it's not all sunshine (Forever21, $19.80).
4. Easy Dress: I am a huge fan of dresses you can throw over you head, slip in some cute shoes and head out the door... This Loyale dress is just perfect (Loyale, $184).


5. Flirty Skirt: Skirts are so easy to throw on with almost any tee tucked in (Urban Outfitters, $58).
6. Cross-body bag: This is a staple for me in any season, but particularly I find that when the weather warms up I don't want to be weighed down by a large bag (Vintage Coach, $155).


7. Light Tennies: I am a creature of comfort and TOMS are just the thing, love the awning stripe! Ked's are also a good option here (TOMS, $50).
8. Strappy Sandals: I like sandals with cross-foot straps and a sort of "grandma" look, is that strange? (DV, $55).

Of course I would LOVE to hear what your Spring Essentials are! Read More.. Read More..

Bathing Beauty

Janelle Grace asked about bathing suits with shorts-style bottoms and immediately the image of Rita Hayworth popped into my mind. Hayden-Harnett makes the loveliest version in pale blue. It's a bit pricey at $88 for the top and $98 for the bottoms, but the ruffles make it almost quite worth it!


Ok, that's my last word on swimsuits for today! Read More.. Read More..

Ask Camp Comfort: One-Piece Swimsuits

We have a couple exciting new installments of Ask Camp Comfort this week!

First up - One-piece swimsuits! Camp Comfort reader, Jane, wrote in asking for some fun and flirty one-piece swimsuits that don't break the bank (why are swimsuits so expensive anyhow???)

Here are a few sassy and vintage-inspired one-pieces for Under $100:




JCrew Retro PolkaDot ($76), Aerie Nautical Halter ($39.50), Delia's Plaid Boyshort ($48.50), Delia's Cinched Bandeau ($38.50), Gap Leaf Print Halter ($65), Insight Tie-Back ($98).

I know some women have a hard time wearing one-pieces if they are long-torsoed (I don't think that's a word, but you know what I mean)... Well, Delia's has a huge selection of one-piece swim made especially for those with a longer torso! Hooray!

P.S. If you're looking for a good deal on swim, try waiting to buy at the end of the season when literally ever piece of swim will be deeply discounted... and then save it till next year. (I know, the waiting is the hardest part!) Read More.. Read More..

Baby Blue

Baby Blue used to have blue eyes. Really, truly. His eyes are green now, but we still think of him as our Baby Blue. He's the best cat we've ever had and now he is missing.

We went for a walk on Sunday and he followed us up the road, running through the fields and trees without a care in the world. He didn't follow us home and we haven't seen him since.

I'm not a cat lover myself. Don't hate me for it. But somehow I managed to birth children (I'm still not sure they are mine) who adore cats. My girls love Baby Blue to pieces, nearly literally. They carry him around like a baby and he appears to love it. They kiss him on the mouth and I can hardly stand it. But for Baby Blue, I do hold just a bit of affection. Not kiss-on-the-mouth affection, but honor-the-nice-kitty-with-a-blog-post affection.

We went for walks Monday and Tuesday trying to find Baby Blue. Emma has all kinds of theories about where he went. The best possible scenario is that he walked to the library to get some books. The worst, and perhaps the most likely, is that Baby Blue had a run in with our neighbor the cat nabber. The neighbor takes it upon herself to take cats in the area to the Humane Society. Never mind that we live in the country and the cats are doing no harm except living the good life catching mice. She drives up at down our road at 5 miles an hour searching for nice kitties to lure into her van. It is SO creepy. We are quite certain she stole 2 other kittens of ours last year. The Lord loves her, but we have a hard time sometimes!

In the meantime, Emma really misses Baby Blue. Mandy does too and calls "Kitty" every time we are outside. Sniff, sniff. Baby Blue, come home!

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Noble Youth

I would gladly accept any piece of clothing from the Noble Youth S/S 09 line. (Hello, striped-knit-henley-romper!)



And I would love to take a little jaunt into their lookbook wonderland! Read More.. Read More..

Can We Take A Moment....

...To reflect on Chloe's Coachella outfit - Bobby socks with sandals!?!? I think I kind of LOVE it! What do you think?


And while her boy is obviously a major hipster, I am such a sucker for tattoos and facial hair (lucky me, the husband has both!)... Read More.. Read More..

From Your Boyfriends Closet

I am definitely a fan of the occasional raiding of the boyfriend's closet... and I am sort of a sucker for 1960's-style surfer apparel (c'mon I'm a California girl, what can I say?)... Paired with cut-off jean shorts and sandals, these tanks are beach ready! (And you know he thinks you look sexy in his clothes!)


Tanks from Swell


Ray Ban Wayfarers ($109), Orla Kiely Beach Bag ($178), Havaianas ($18), Forever21 Shorts ($17.80)

P.S. Apologies, I could not stop myself from an overtly Summer post as it was in the 90's in Southern California today! Read More.. Read More..

Wanted: All Things Chambray

Chambray is the perfect stand-in for heavier weight denim in the warm weather months!


Built By Wendy Tiered Skirt ($145), BDG Chambray Shirt ($52)


Paper Tiger Zipper Top ($135), Built By Wendy Tennis Dress ($198)


French Connection Dress ($148), JCrew Pant ($49.99)


MinkPink Skirt ($68), See by Chloe Dress ($340) Read More.. Read More..