“You are going to love having a summer baby”
Those were the words I heard for the full 9 months of my third pregnancy. My first two kids are winter babies. Everyone seemed to be in agreement that this was going to be way better. I wasn’t sure how it could possibly be better.
I’m not saying that spending my maternity leave in the sun, toes in the sand, watching my kids splash in the waves isn’t amazing but really, RIGHT after having a baby?!?! I don’t know many moms wanting to sweat in the heat and wear a bathing suit, only a month after having a baby. This thought plagued me for 9 months!
May 2016 rolled around and our sweet, precious baby boy arrived. I spent the first 6 weeks soaking up his goodness and figuring out our groove. Then the day came – the dreaded day when I could finally enter the pool (according to doctor’s orders) but did I want this? That’s when it hit me.
I could sit around worrying about what I looked like, how my belly was still squishy and thighs bigger than normal OR I could suck it up, put on my suit and rock the smile that God gave me.
SUCK IT UP BUTTERCUP
Those are the words that played out in my head. I chose the suck it up option! Do you think my kids worry that I still look pregnant? Do you think my husband cares that my thighs are bigger right now? The answer is NO! So then why should I worry?
Instead, I chose happiness. I chose fun. I chose my KIDS. I didn’t want to waste this entire summer worrying about how I look. I would have missed not just putting my toes in the sand but sitting down and digging with my kids. Building sand castle after sand castle so we could stomp them like an elephant. I would have missed teaching my 2 year old to swim without her bubble. I would have missed diving to the “deepest deep” with my 4 year old. I would have missed tens of memories that we made every single week!!
So the next time you see me wearing my bikini and rocking my smile, don’t judge, don’t comment and don’t stare. Know that I’m not worried about what you look like or what I look like so I don’t think you should either! Lets agree to tell our inner mean girls to “suck it up buttercup” and lets focus on our kids! They deserve better than their mom avoiding the beach because she isn’t where she wants to be physically.
Choose your kids. Choose making memories. Choose to kick that inner mean girl to the curb! Then choose to join me in getting healthy, staying confident and rocking that bikini all year long!! 🙂
