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8 months later and I still have a little post baby bump.  Why is it that "bump" sounds so cute when you're expecting but sounds hideous when your tiny infant is now 8 months old?!  Whenever I'm tempted to get depressed about my lack of six pack (one of my proudest features considering nothing else about my body was toned even before Genevieve!) I just look at my gorgeous, happy, sweet little baby and think about how I'd gain another 35 pounds any day for some Genevieve love!  Oh and I also remember that I have a picture of myself after a run with a nice sweaty six pack showing.  That's right-- a bit narcissistic but such a shameless picture comes in handy! Anyway, regardless of my boundless love for G and my "proof" picture, shopping for a swimsuit with a belly just isn't quite as fun as shopping for one pre-baby (and really how fun is shopping for a swimsuit EVER?!).  Not to mention the fact that it's now August and all the good suits are gone.  I found a couple of suits that seemed perfect to hide my belly that were out of stock (anyone else get annoyed that the site doesn't remove the photo?!).  Just so that someone else can share in my disappointment here are pictures of them:



How cute is the Target Xhiliration baby doll suit?  Considering how many women consider the stomach their problem area, I don't know why there aren't tons of suits in this flattering silhouette!  And this Marc Jacobs number...don't even get me started.  The adorable ruffles hide everything and doesn't seem "mom-ish" at all!  The price tag is about $300 but my girlfriend (who just had a baby in April and was also looking for some coverage) got one in a different pattern for $40 at TJ Maxx.  I'm sure you can imagine how pleased I was to hear of that amazing deal. I wonder when the bible says "rejoice with those who rejoice" if God meant even when friends find amazing deals that you WISH you were lucky enough to have found! ;)

So those would have been my top choices but here are a couple of tankinis I found that do the trick and were not only in stock but on sale!

The bright side of this abysmal economy (how long have I been unemployed again?!) is the amazing deals retailers are willing to give us to win over our dollars. Creative deals, sales, and clearance events abound. Take Target for example. Today only they are having a black Friday sale. "But Tiffany, isn't black Friday in November?" you ask. Why yes, you are correct. However times must be tough at the Red retail giant because this year black Friday is in July. Click here for awesome online deals, today only!

Happy shopping!

You would think that since I run a blog I'd know just how dangerous the blogosphere is...but I am only just now discovering it. I mean, I've blog surfed before, but this time, I can't stop. It started with my looking for ideas for Genevieve's first birthday party (that's right...the one that's 4 1/2 months away). Well I basically am falling down the rabbit hole. falling...falling...falling. Every blog links me to a new blog. And that one links me to a new blog. And that one links me to a new blog PLUS a cool etsy site PLUS an online boutique. And that links me to the next blog. You get my point. I can't say that I mind. Besides feeling a bit, I don't know...addicted?! I'm discovering all sorts of cool design, decoration, and party planning ideas. On a deeper level, I've also read several very painful (as in you better be wearing water proof mascara) stories. I mean stories of horrendous loss. These stories make me grateful for my own story...and inspired by those who get back up when they've been knocked down. once. or twice. or three times (Read the what's in a name part 1 through 7 post of Joy's Hope Handmade). I'm also being inspired to make this blog the best it can be. I owe that to you (and to me). But anyway, I'm totally digressing.

So I can't share every cool post, tip, idea, or story with you. But I wanted to share this one because it's something I read about myself on cnn.com (or some news site) but couldn't quite articulate how I felt about it. Well Kristin did it much better than I could. Here's an excerpt of her post.

Mark and I had a much-anticipated date night tonight, to celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary. We went dinner at our favorite Cuban spot, and then we decided to get crazy and spontaneous, so we went to Target to buy a new rice cooker.


HOT DATE. I know.




Then we scanned the rest of the aisle. We found Mermaid Story Barbie. White version, full price. Black version, CLEARANCE....