I must admit that one of the perks of pregnancy that I looked forward to most was taking a break from my stringent eating habits.  As my husband, friends, family, co-workers, or even students would agree …

PRE-BABY, I rarely let myself indulge in fried foods, full-fat desserts, or even a cheese that didn’t indicate  reduced or low-fat on the wrapper.  So the thought of eating for two and specifically, more “mainstream” for 9 months was certainly a good one.  

*In fact, I am fairly sure that I had dreams of eating Skinny Dip ice cream everyday for the duration of my pregnancy prior to thoughts of future babies had even entered into my head.

Well, my first trimester was a good indication that I may not be in the glory of good food that I once thought.  Some of my favorites, including Mexican and late-night ice cream with a side of cool whip … suddenly made me feel more nauseaus than anything.  And while I was pretty much starving everyday, all day … there were very few foods, healthy or not, that looked even the slightest bit appealing.  Plain, pretty much tasteless carbohydrates (perhaps a sign of my baby girl to be?) were the only thing I could get down.      

Now that I have entered my third trimester and am nearing the end of this new and foreign experience, (and beginning a another one!), a lot of my feelings of sickness have (thankfully) subsided.  I even can occasionally stomache some cool whip … which three months ago, would have been unheard of.  Yet still, many of the foods that I had been looking forward to are definitely not at all tempting, and furthermore, my love of Mexican has still not returned.  And those crazy, pregnancy cravings you always hear about?  I haven’t really been a victim, with the exception of a daily bowl of Cheerios since month 2.  

SO … no, my husband has not been awoken at 2 AM while I beg for pickles and ice cream.  Something tells me he is thankful. 

I would certainly say that I am one of “those” girls who has dreamed about her life from the moment she was a little girl.  You know … the dream wedding (which, thanks to my parents, I did have!), the two-story home with the fence surrounding it, and of course, the kids and perhaps a dog to go along with it.  So needless to say, I have pondered the thought of my children’s names a time or two.

I am fairly sure that on a previous blog – I admitted to my high school strategic plan to have twin girls who I would name Whitney & Britney.  Well obviously, times have changed and I clearly have moved passed that idea … and I promise that I would never impart that bad fortune onto any genetic blood of my own.

(And even if I was crazy enough to want to, my husband would never let me.)

  So now that any names I have previously believed to be worthy are crossed off the list – I am left with the task of finding the perfect moniker for my first child, a daughter.  One that will take her from birth to an adult woman, and be “impeccably-fitting” all the way through.  I will admit that I was once thought that this task was going to be an easy one – but in the last few weeks it has proven to be quite the opposite.  

Mr. BB & I both would love a name that is different without being too different, girly without being too girly, and one that obviously flows well with our last name.  It has been quite the task.  Thus, our name game continues.  Three months left until we must have that perfect name for that bundle of joy we currently, and  fondly, refer to as Little Miss Brickner.

All winter long, which has also could be referred to as the entire first trimester and most of the second trimester of my pregnancy … I have been struggling in layers of fabric that seem to be getting tighter by the day.  As a fashion teacher and complete style addict, I certainly believe in the famous mantra “Beauty is pain” – but it has definitely become harder (by the day) to continue to place my emphasis on being chic above comfort.  In fact, as I can recall, the last few times I have squeezed into skinny jeans have been so brutal that I truly felt like a stuffed sausage.

So although I have been warned of the trials and tribulations of a warm weather pregnancy on more than one recent occasion … I have chosen to embrace the higher temperatures with open arms.  It certainly seems easier to get my constantly-growing body into a maxi dress or tank top and shorts rather than layered garments over a tight-fitting pair of pants and boots.  And believe me – I have done the research.  I have spent many minutes/hours poring over pregnancy style websites in an effort to keep up with my fashion sense throughout these nine months.  All signs point to the perks of warm weather with-baby …

And yes, I am aware of the downfalls as well … namely, the swollen feet, constant dehydration, and sudden feelings of a higher temperature at all times.  But for the sake of fashion, I can handle that.