hawt mom monday: under pressure.

how much weight did you gain during pregnancy? [just over 30 pounds. thanks for noticing.]

wow are you sure there's just one in there?! [yes. + i'm only 7 months pregnant. again, thanks for noticing.]

so are you back to your pre-pregnancy weight? [smaller, thanks for asking. you try to breastfeed a nine pound newb and see how fast he hits empty on the boob tank and you're ravenous for chicken breast at 4 am bc you can't even keep up with the calories you're burning.]

it's amazing to me how the common courtsey filter just shuts off when you're expecting right?

it's equally amazing how much pressure there is afterwards to find your thinnest fittest hawtest + best bod ever. not surprising either - when you consider that the questions above are just one grain of rice in that pressure cooker. check out any gossip magazine/blog today + half the top stories are about how fast or slow it took so and so to lose the baby weight.

and us moms will try anything to get there. i personally know mom's who are doing weight watchers. curves. hot yoga [count me in]. running [count me in again]. atkins. the cambridge diet. that crazy medical soup diet. walking. hiking. trying. anything. right this minute. to get thin + fit + into their skinny jeans like miranda in that episode of sex in the city where burger breaks up with carrie with a post it.

hawt mom monday isn't about pressure. it's about celebrating what only us moms can truly appreciate + understand: that we literally gave our bodies up for 40+ weeks to take on the first step of our most important role yet. there were swollen ankles. and maybe even stretch marks [knock on wood dear man upstairs you are so good to me please never let me get those.] there were weigh-ins every other week and then every week [which is just cruel]. there are suddenly boobs. there might be more to sit on. there might be more in general. and while it's obv worth every pound and craving, it doesn't come without the post-game pressure.

even lately - getting back into the dating game aka bedroom - the pressure it totally there. pre-marcus, i don't think i ever cared if i had stomach definition, or toned arms/legs, or ... you get me. it's not even about a size on a tag. it's about confidence + wellness + feeling better than ever - even with your clothes off. it means eating clean + making healthy + sustainable diet and lifestyle choices. i'd like to think i surround myself [even in the bedroom] with only people who also appreciate me even on days where there isn't much definition because i had to pull a few extra pta meetings last week and missed a few key power hot yoga classes.

after smiling + nodding through the 'are you sure it's not twins'. and politely+ tactfully asking the nurse in the waiting room not to loudly announce your weekly weight gain during third tri. and politely trying not to cringe when a hungry man states 'you look good for someone who had a baby' as if that should be considered some weak compliment [read: IT IS NOT A COMPLIMENT].

hawt moms and hawt moms in the making? we get it. we get the pressure. we get to support each other and make sure to be point out the positives and let our mom friends know when their asses are looking extra hawt at soccer practice. we get that it is a true. accomplishment. to make 4 work outs happen in any given week between cleaning. cooking organic meals. pta-ing. drop offs. pickups. hot wheels on the living room floor. reading. bike rides. loving. working. and doing it with our heads on straight and our lip gloss on. we get that as moms, we are equal parts totally proud of what our bods have accomplished, and certainly much more sensitive about what our bods look like now.

 i totally hope that when + if you peruse this blog's archived hawt mom entries - you notice that i try to type out topics that are accessible whether you gained 25 or 60 pounds. and whether you still have 25 or 60 pounds left to lose.

because us hawt mom's in the making? we get the pressure cooker. we get it and we handle that heat so well that we can hop right in the kitchen and whip up organic lunches to boot ;)

hawt-on mamas ;) even under pressure.

-kare
xo