You know what really irks me? Headlines on magazines like US Weekly with claims like the following: “See How So and So Lost All Her Baby Weight in 10 Days!” or “Celeb X Got Her Pre-Baby Body Back in ONE Month”. You know what I’m talking about. I don’t know if these were actual headlines, but they sure do sound familiar. And okay – it’s true you can lose all the baby weight that fast. As for your body achieving the same shape? For your average Jane without the trainers and nannies, not gonna happen that quickly. It just won’t. That is why I plan to tell all (openly, honestly, and with pictures) here on FFF.

I delivered baby B one week ago. My body looks like this right now.

And it is absolutely perfect. Just how it is. It carried my child for 9.5 months. It nourishes my little man right now. It plays with my beautiful daughter. It is me. It is real. It is beautiful.

Sure, I have fitness goals I want to achieve…but that’s more about caring for myself and doing things I enjoy. I still need to love my body where it’s at in this moment. And I do.

In sharing my “body after baby” journey, I hope to show that it is possible to regain fitness and get back in shape with balance, moderation, and consistency. I want to reflect the reality that it takes time, dedication, and effort but that it can happen.

More important than anything though, I want to express the strength and beauty of our bodies. They can do miraculous things – whether carrying a child or running a mile or hugging a friend. Please love yourself today and every day. I’m beautiful! And you are too.

Question of the Day – What about your body amazes you right now? Remember – be confident!

And for those interested – I shared a link to the sneak peek of Braedon’s newborn photos on my Facebook page. 🙂

Dare I say that I actually miss cooking? I may have just lost my mind. Me. The chick who doesn’t really care to cook…cannot wait to get in the kitchen for dinner.

We have an incredible support system of friends and family. They are keeping us well stocked with food. Delicious food. As you likely remember, my parents visited for a few days after we came home from the hospital. While they were here they prepared dinner every night.

Then, last night our friends came over to hang out and have dinner together. Our friends, Ben & Danielle, prepared a dinner of a macaroni casserole with chicken & broccoli along with some salad and cornbread.

I wished I felt better to spend more time hanging out, but I had a terrible epidural headache. I think it was one of the worst headaches I have ever experienced. I drank two cups of black tea for the caffeine, which apparently helps, and then crashed as soon as possible.

Today, we spent a large chunk of the day at a newborn photo session for baby B.

I cannot wait to see the photos! From what I could tell, they will be adorable. Don’t worry – I will share the gallery link here when finished in about a week.

Since we spent so much of the afternoon at the photo session, we never had the chance to go to the grocery store. I haven’t been in over a week. That meant we had to dig into the freezer for tonight’s dinner. We opted for Trader Joe’s mandarin orange chicken alongside some canned green beans. Sometimes you have to make due.

And crazily enough, cooking will wait until Thursday as I have a special dinner planned with my sister tomorrow and we have another meal provided on Wed night.

Question of the Evening – What do you do for dinner when you have basically empty cupboards? Any recipe recommendations for our dinner Thursday?