Changing times, same Lover dress

This is a post of reminiscence. As you can tell, the first photo is me now. The second one is me at Brother Benjamin's 30th birthday. Two years ago exactly, give or take one day. Oh how the rollercoaster of life winds and wiggles in different ways. Then I was eating Somalian food with my fingers. Now I'm just eating whatever I can get my hands on.
Anyway, back to the dress. What with me being a bit stingy with myself when it comes to new maternity clothes (I've bought two pairs of jeans from Topshop and that's it), plus, the fact that maternity clothes are the frumpiest excuses for style I've ever had the misfortune of trying on. And not to mention that it is rather exciting to challenge myself and make old clothes work avec Le Bump, I find myself in a number of summer dresses would be shocked about the changes in my life. If I'd told any one of them at the time of purchase, or over one of the many drunken, happy nights that we'd shared together, that one day in the future, around June 2010, it would be happily stretching itself over my swollen belly, then I think it would have fallen off its chair - or at least its padded coat hanger.
One such dress is the classic red Pippi Longstocking number that I picked up in 2003 while enjoying myself (read: wasting time in the sun) in Sydeny. Cousin Holly will remember the dress, seeing as I copied her and all. Holly's was brown I think, I wonder if she still has it?
Anyway, that dress has seen me through a good few years, and now it finds itself becoming a very pleasing maternity option. I like how it isn't empire line or printed with lavender sprigs, like the rest of the maternity garb on offer. It hugs my bump with reassurance. Plus, I feel like old Alice. Remember her? The one who used to drink glass upon glass of red wine and liked to binge on blue cheese and parma ham?
I think it is important that Old Me stays visable during these changing times. Pregnancy is wonderful. And I'm hoping that motherhood will be even better. But I don't want to lose my sense of self in a sea of elasticated jeans and nappies. If that means holding onto a few old fashion bits from the days before Toby (what a terrible thought) or before even The Times (mmm, less heartbreaking) then I will keep pulling out vintage goodies from my summer wardrobe stock. Because clothes are a great way of linking your life together.
That sounds really shallow and pathetic doesn't it. Oh well, I like the dress and it's making my mind go a bit giddy.