So, I'm over 30 weeks preggers now. By rights, I should have (in my own head anyway) near-on everything organised over the next few weeks in case I 'go early' and truly, I intend to get right onto it... but in one organisational area in particular, I am really struggling.
In truth, I am beginning to lament my noble decision to keep the baby's gender a 'surprise.' It is a decorating nightmare challenge, to be sure, but can we even talk about costuming and wardrobe? I mean, have you seen the 'gender neutral' offerings out there?
By this stage, when I was pregnant with Fern, I pretty much had her entire wardrobe entirely sorted. People like shopping for girls. Friends, family, even work colleagues I barely knew would approach my desk after lunch hour with pink frilly offerings... shopping for baby girls is an entirely effortless and enjoyable pastime. Too easy, some might say - esp if they are currently banned from spending and Country Road send them a one-day-sale notice in the mail.
Ahem.
Those blessed with baby boys often groan about the general lack of design creativity by the stores in the costuming department. I have conducted some half-hearted research and discovered they are right... but only to a point. There are some gorgeous things if you know where to look. Hello online shopping!
But gender neutral? Not so much. I've been everywhere, and this is what I currently have in stores for my new baby:
- 1 long sleeved onesie from Pumpkin Patch
- 2 yellow Bonds Wondersuits
- One all-in-one and a long sleeved top from Cotton On
Um... that should be enough... for the first day, anyway?! Am I the only one struggling in this area or am I being abnormally fussy? Really, I need some truth here because I am at a complete loss. I can't even seem to find gorgeous plain white baby clothes, and I would have thought they'd be everywhere! I can't bring myself to buy my newborn scratchy unnatural fibres which rules out just about everything from the cheaper chainstores (sorry Target/ Big W) and even good old never-let-me-down DJ's delivered nought over the weekend. I did find some rather gorgeous Peter Rabbit white onesies in Myer (I love this brand) in a beautiful soft cotton, but they were sold out in all the small sizes. What's a rapidly expanding, desperate, impending mother to do??
Folks, should I even be worrying about this? Can I get away with just a handful of clothing to start, with the vision of doing a desperate shop once the baby is born? How far did YOU go with gender neutral clothing? Where did you shop?
ps. You will be pleased to know that my body has finally cottoned on to the fact that it is supposed to be not only pregnant, but in the final trimester. Just this last week, I have doubled my body weight (and number of chins), I'm tired as all buggery and just a tiny bit neurotic. I would post a picture, but I'm not sure I can fit all of myself into the one frame...;)
