Hunting for the Perfect Baby Shower Dress

I have been wondering for months when my anticipated baby shower will be. My mother and mother-in-law have been teasing (more like lying to) me for weeks by saying there will be no shower. Here I was, at the end of August hitting 29 weeks of pregnancy, with no baby shower to look forward to. Talk about  summer-time sadness!

Anyway, to get my mind off of not having my own baby celebration, I decided to send a text message to my cousin, who is tying the knot very soon, to see how the wedding planning is going and whatnot. One of the first replies she sent back went something like, "When is your baby shower? I know the invite is at grandma's, I just haven't had the chance to up." My face lit up. I KNEW they were hiding something from me!

Immediately after that message, I felt a sense of excitement and called my mother. She seemed half disappointed that I found out, and half relieved, I think. I am pretty sure she was just dying to tell me.

Then, it occurred to me: I needed to find a dress soon! And trust me when I say this, the struggle to find the perfect one was very real.

My vision was to find a dress light in colour, perhaps in blush or ivory, that either hit the knee or fell to the floor, something that still gave off a comfortable, summer feel. I was looking for something with either a flowy appearance or that was form-fitting. Does that sound like too much to ask for??

I first browsed all the maternity stores that carried maternity-wear: +Thyme Maternity, +Motherhood Maternity, +Old Navy, +PinkBlush Maternity and even turned to various online shops likes  Sammy Dress, which was a complete failure.

What I thought I was buying from Sammy Dress.

What I actually got and what it actually looked like.

Then, I thought of looking through regular clothes from +Hudson's Bay, +Sears, +BCBGMAXAZRIA, +GUESS, +Suzy Shier, +DynamiteStyle, e v e r y w h e r e .

I must say, I tried on quite the variety of dresses, some of which seemed like they could have worked, and others that were complete no-nos.

From my many shopping adventures, here are some of my favourite "could have been" looks:

From BCBG, this dress looks stunning, but I was afraid it would make me look like a whale by the time the shower came around.

Also from BCBG, this was another gorgeous gown; however, because it is designed for a non-pregnant bod, it did not entirely sit well. 

And then this dress was very comfy, but I felt like I was 60-years old. It made me look slim from the front but looked baggy from the side. This dress was also from +BCBGMAXAZRIA.

Hello sexy mama dress! I so would have bought this had I not been pregnant, as the colour looked absolutely gorgeous against my summer skin tone. But I had to remind myself not fall into temptation. I am still dreaming about it!!

So as far as I was concerned, there was no dress out there for me. I was going to have to settle for something decent and could not look fabulous for my own baby shower.

And two weeks later (so a week and a half before my baby shower), I decided to go out to the mall and not come back until I found THE dress. Let me say, that attitude worked! Within perhaps half an hour, I had found it. It is an ivory crochet dress, goes down to the ankles and hugs all my mommy curves. Bonus #1: It is not a maternity dress, so I can wear it next summer if I wanted to!! Bonus #2: It was on summer clearance, which meant mama was happy and so was her wallet! Bonus #3: It still had enough room for me to grow in to over the next week and a half. 

The store that came to my rescue was Laura. I was so surprised because I never ever shop there, and yet, I found the dress when/where I least expected it. 

Finally, I felt one step closer to being ready for Lukeybear's and my big day!

For pictures of the dress I wore at our baby shower, stay tuned—that story is coming up shortly! All I have to say is that everything from the weather to the food and decorations was perfection. (But for a sneak-peak, follow me on Instagram at @chezalesiadunn.)

Did anyone else struggle with finding a baby shower dress or for any other special occasion? I'd love to know! :)

-Alesia D.

Sleep Deprivation in Pregnancy

So last week, I was in my 32nd week of pregnancy, and this week, I have entered my 33rd (obviously). Let me tell you, it has made a world of a difference.

For starters, I actually slept this week. And I am not talking about sleeping for a few hours here and there. I actually went to bed early (passed out by 10 every night), had a full night's rest, felt no back pain, and woke up a total of once nightly, IF I even woke up at all. It was bliss, and my body is feeling great about it.

Last week, on the other hand, was a horrendously painful pregnancy week. I could not get myself to fall asleep earlier than 11 p.m. some nights and not until 1:30 a.m. other nights. And when I did finally get to sleep, I would be awoken to a pressing urge to use the bathroom, between two to five times a night, with the addition of the occasional startled wake-up (which is definitely out of the norm for moi).

I am wondering if it has anything to do with the temperatures beginning to drop or with the slight increase in the amount of "comfort foods" I have recently been consuming.

For example, my husband and I went out for a last-minute car ride late at night last weekend. It was a pretty cool time, actually. We went out for a nice walk in our downtown area, split some yummy +BeaverTails (relax, Canadians don't eat real beaver tails... They are simply deep-fried dough covered in cinnamon and brown sugar. Mmmmm) and then went out to a wicked late-night diner where we indulged in the best strawberry milkshake and onion rings in town. On our drive back home, we noticed a cool outdoors dance party at one of the museums. It felt like such an adventurous night! And well, that night marked the first time in months I was able to get solid sleep until morning.

It has been the best little gift during this pregnancy thus far, and I have been taking advantage of it every chance I get. I think when your body shows you signs of fatigue, you must drop what you are doing and just sleep, especially if those Zzzzzz have been lacking lately. And for whatever reason, the urge to use the washroom in the middle of the night has significantly been impacted. I mean, nowadays, I only wake up around the time my alarm goes off to get my day started.

And so far so good!!! I'm crossing my fingers that things stay the same!

Thanks for reading,

-Alesia D.

Eggplant-Zucchini Lasagna

Eggplant season is currently in full swing, and unfortunately, this purple veggie often has people looking the other way, as they pass it in the grocery isle. And let me just say, I was never a big fan of it either, until last year, that is.

Last August, my mother urged me to check out a local eggplant festival. My first reaction was, "Really? There's an actually festival that celebrates eggplants? This thing really has its own celebration?" So basically, this festival was created to showcase the wide variety of meals and treats one can make using eggplant. Like, I'm talking pizzas, stews, stuffed peppers, sauces, dips, pickled items, ratatouilles, desserts, cakes, and, lasagnas!

Seriously, the lasagna I tried that day I visited the festival left such an impact on me that I wanted to learn to make it at home. One thing I really liked about it was that it contained no pasta noodles, but instead employed the use of sliced eggplant and zucchini. And honestly, less noodles and processed carbs only means more CHEESE. =D (And this preggo mama needs her calcium for baby, right?!)

To make the sauce for this dish, I decided to make a marinara sauce from scratch to keep things as whole and healthy as possible (the recipe I used only served as inspiration). It tasted so good in the end!

One thing though, if you are pregnant and making this, make sure to have a niceee foot massage lined up afterwards. When I was finished making this amazing meal, my feet were finished. Usually it's my back that gives me a hard time, but I am guessing that at 7 months pregnant and at 20 lbs later, the feet are feeling the pressure to say the least!

P.S. Contrary to popular belief, eggplant does not induce labour. I made a nice, big batch of ratatouille a few weeks ago, and there were no reactions, aka, Baby L is still baking in that oven of mine. So relax and enjoy this fiber-rich, oxidant-packed veggie in its many forms. :)

Now enough with all the talking, I'm sure you just want to make this lasagna already. So without further ado, here is my nutrient-dense, vegetarian and gluten-free twist on same-old lasagna. 

Ingredients:

• 1.5 large eggplants, peeled and thinly sliced;
• 2 large zucchinis, thinly sliced;
• 2 tbsp olive oil (or enough olive oil to brush on these vegetables);
• ¹⁄4 cup olive oil;
• salt + pepper;
• 1 can (28 oz) diced or whole tomato;
• 2 tbsp tomato paste;
• 9 garlic cloves, sliced and diced;
• 3 carrots, chopped;
• ~7 leaves of fresh basil;
• 3 tbsp dried parsley;
• 1 pack mushrooms (~10), sliced and diced;
• 3 big handfuls fresh spinach, cut up;
• 1 tub (15 oz) Ricotta cheese;
• 1 egg;
• 1 tsp dried oregano;
• 1 tsp dried basil;
• 1½ cups Parmesan cheese;
• 3 cups mozzarella cheese, divided;
• crushed red chili pepper flakes; and
• 1 cup water.

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Wash, peel and slice eggplants and zucchinis, then lay them flat on on parchment paper, in baking sheets.
3. Brush them with the olive oil and sprinkle some salt and pepper, then place in oven for 12 minutes.
4. To make your marinara sauce from scratch (my sauce of choice for this meal), combine crushed or whole tomatoes, ¹⁄4 cup of olive oil, carrots, 2 cups of chopped spinach, fresh basil, mushrooms, salt, pepper, tomato paste, 7 cloves of garlic, crushed red chili pepper flakes and water. Keep on medium heat until carrots have softened then move to low heat and let simmer until ready to use.
5. In a bowl, combine the Ricotta cheese, ½ cup mozzarella, egg, remaining garlic cloves, dried basil, oregano and parsley, remaining spinach, salt and pepper. Stir very well.
6. Spread enough sauce to cover the bottom of the lasagna pan, and begin layering in this order: eggplant, zucchini, Ricotta-spinach mix, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and sauce. Repeat with remaining ingredients, but this time, your last layer of cheese will include the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
7. Place in oven uncovered and bake for 30 minutes. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes before serving, and voila.

Buen apetito amigos!