Stretched and Confused

I should have taken pictures! No, nothing too risque, just pictures. Sure the thighs jiggled a bit more than I liked and the whiteness of the skin would be shocking with a flash. But I still should have taken pictures...

It's cute in the beginning, almost a thrill. "Oh I'm pregnant! I'm going to get so big". Then it starts to scare you as the first stretch marks appear on the back of your thighs. As the weight packs on and the stomach grows, your mind starts to forget about your body and only thinks about the life you are carrying. I guess it's God's coping mechanism with what is really happening with your body. But then the day of reckoning comes.

No, I'm not talking about the day you give birth. Yeah, that's a thrill and joy, but not the day you'll really remember. I'm talking about a week or so later. The day when you step out of the shower, start drying yourself off, the condensation evaporates off the mirror, and you see what has happened to your body.

"Ahhh!" I screamed. Those cute little beginning stretch marks decided to multiply like rabbits all over my legs, back, and stomach. I dare to turn a little and shiver at the sight of my butt. It looks like a pack of alley cats used my butt as a scratching pad. Skin that once encircled the life I carried within me, now look rejected as it droops in cascading folds. And further down, I'm still having nightmares of what it went through, so we just won't get into that!

Now luckily most of the extra weight seemed to slip away. I guess it helps when you have someone draining ounces of milk off of you around the clock. But those last few pounds just don't seem to want to budge. It's like those pounds have found a nice cushy home that they would fight to the death for. The phrase "Mom Butt" flashes through my mind, and I can see that my fate has been sealed. I had to go swimsuit shopping yesterday. I cringed at every suit, and pulled at every edge hoping it could cover just one more inch of skin. The days of bikinis are long gone.

Clare is over four months now, and I think I look great... as long as I am fully clothed. But this story is not to terrify any of my friends that are pregnant or going to be in the future. My little girl is worth every mark, and I will create new ones for her future siblings. I just want to say to those ladies out there, take a few pictures. They will be something nice to look back on right before you pop in the "tone and firm" workout DVD!