Guess who turns 9 months old today?

And guess who is on the move and  into everything???

I can hardly believe it’s been nine months since taking that ambulance ride through the “ice storm”. And nine months since I looked like this…

I must say that, as much as I appreciate what my body did for me in bringing baby B into the world, I also really appreciate how fit and strong it feels now. It helps me feel more like myself – not from a looks standpoint, but from a lifestyle standpoint. Plus, why wouldn’t I want this cutie out in the open with me to play with for the last nine months?

Okay, now that I have oohed and ahhed over Baby B enough, let’s get to Body After Baby! I debated doing this installment, because it’s not about making big leaps of progress anymore. I reached my happy weight. I fit into “The Jeans”. I wanted to focus on training for my half marathon and other fitness goals. And I didn’t want to come across as “Look at me! Look at me!”.

But Body After Baby isn’t 100% about losing the baby weight. It’s about showing the full journey of a post pregnancy body the first year after birth. I believe a woman’s body changes and reshapes itself a lot over that time. I want to document those changes and show the real post baby body journey.

So despite not focusing on monthly progress anymore, I still decided to go ahead with two last updates – one at 9 months and then one final one at a year. Here we go.

Month 9 Body After Baby

I notice two things:

a) Yep, I’ve been basically maintaining!
b) Oh dear goodness, girlfriend needs a tan!!!!

I truly believe the mentality that It takes 9 months to make a baby and it will take at least that long to get back to your normal. I also believe having that mentality can make the process more realistic and more achievable overall. It is possible, but it can (and likely will) take lots of time. That’s what I hope to show by sharing my journey.

I’ll be honest – I was a little nervous before checking in on whether or not I have actually maintained. From a personal standpoint, this check-in reassured me that I don’t need to overanalyze my decisions. I have learned what works best for me to balance a healthy lifestyle. I just have to stay consistent and trust my body. Focusing on the feeling of health will continue to carry me a long way.

Thanks again for reading my journey! Crazy to think only one more Body After Baby installment left now!!! Hopefully Braedon won’t work me too haggard chasing after him the next few months.

• Do you remember what you were doing 9 months ago?
• Are you fair-skinned or do you hold a tan longer than a month? More than I can say for myself obviously! Ha!

Well, looks like my blogging mojo is back in full swing…but that workout mojo is still alluding me. Sigh. I had my clothes on and a plan to hit up spin class, but then this happened.

Makenzie and I both got back into our pajamas to snuggle with some books instead.

A lot of you mentioned last night that when you face the workout blahs it’s usually because you need some rest, so you choose to ride it out. I think that is what is going on here. I know this isn’t typical for me, so I’m giving in and laying low for the time being. I trust I’ll be ready and raring to go again soon. I know myself and I know I won’t “fall of the wagon” too long.

Even though I don’t have the motivation to get to the gym…I do feel off without it. In order to keep from feeling that exercise guilt I experienced last week, I am choosing to focus on the positives. I choose to think about how far I have come and that, while I lack motivation for a few days, I still go after and achieve my goals on the whole.

I had a reminder of that this weekend, so I will focus on that instead. The jeans.

As I mentioned in my last Body After Baby progress update, I have reached my happy weight and no longer plan to track my progress as meticulously. I still plan to do one last set of “progress pictures” at the year mark and perhaps one other set, but that was the last of Body After Baby I planned on sharing.

I feel a little silly posting about these jeans, but they were honestly a benchmark in my progress I wondered if I would ever reach. I have owned those jeans for almost two years. This weekend I got to take the tags off and wear them for the first time ever.

It kind of rocked. So I’m sharing.

I got those jeans, along with another pair, about a week after my fitness competition two years ago. I was at my “happy weight”, but thanks to the stresses of the show on my body, I had to gain weight in order to get pregnant. I couldn’t return the jeans, so they retired to the back of my closet and I wondered if I would ever get to wear them.

I refused to do anything crazy to get into them, so I figured they would never fit. I told myself if they didn’t fit one year after B was born, I would sell both pairs on ebay. I didn’t allow fitting in the jeans to consume me.

I would only occasionally try them on to see, but each time they would either barely button or fit too uncomfortably. Until this weekend.

I gave them a try. They fit just right. I didn’t kill myself to wear them again. I just did my thing and let my body go where it would.. I can remember how far I have come…and know nothing will stop me from keeping on my healthy path.

I know that fitting into a pair of jeans isn’t the be all of a fit lifestyle, but it still feels good to have that tangible sign of my progress. It’s a form of motivation that doesn’t play mind games with me like a scale could. It’s a suitable way for me to gauge my habits without obsession.

And they help me know that a short lull won’t overtake my habits because I am determined to care for my body and work hard in the gym. That reminder will stay with me, as I plan on wearing these jeans, along with the more casual pair I got at the same time, for a long time to come.

• What's a tangible way you like to track your progress? Are you a go by how the clothes fit gal?