9 Months In, 9 Months Out {Body After Baby}

After I broke up with the scale, I was not sure if I would do another Body After Baby post, but here I am for my final one.  M has officially been here with us for as long as he was in utero- wow, did that go fast.

Little Munchkin, M

M is the happiest baby and I absolutely adore him.  If you follow me on Instagram, I apologize for the amount of pictures of him you see on your feed.  I hope he at least brings a smile to your face.  Before I had a little boy people always said to me, “there is nothing like a little boy’s love for his mommy,” and I truly didn’t believe that it would be any different than with my daughter.  WRONG!!!  There is no doubt that C loves me, she always wants to “be like mommy”, but she adores her Daddy and it is evident.  M on the other hand, is all about Mommy (for right now).  When I walk in the room or he hears my voice his eyes light up and he will either reach his arms out to me or crawl to me as fast as he can.  I love it when I am rocking him before bed and he will just put his head on my shoulder or grab my face and give me kisses.

He is crawling, pulling himself up to things and talking away.  He loves balls and can throw them quite hard for 9 months, which makes his softball player mommy thrilled and I know his Daddy and Uncle Z are both looking forward to many hours of playing catch in the backyard.  He makes me keep my floors clean because otherwise he will find the smallest piece of debris and it will go right in his mouth.  I love every minute with this little guy!!!

My Feelings

I can’t believe it has been 9 months since I also started this journey to lose my baby weight.  People say, “It takes you 9 months to gain the weight, it will take 9 months to lose the weight.”  This is so true.  Since I have broken up with the scale, I hopped on it one time after my trip to Napa.  I was down a couple of pounds since the time before, but I haven’t been on it since.

It feels liberating to not be worried about a number on a scale anymore!  Frankly, I don’t really care if I ever see that silly number on the scale again.  I have become more focused on how I feel: I am confident, I feel wonderful, I am strong and I am incredibly happy.  I am focusing more on finding balance and making my health and priority not for the number on the scale but to for the example I am setting for C & M.  I want to be able to do things with them for many years to come.

When it is time for M to learn to slide and run the bases, I want to be the one to teach him to do that!  C has already been asking to bump the volleyball and when it is time for her to dive to dig her first ball, you better believe I am going to be right there doing it alongside with her.  THIS mom will not sit on the sidelines and just watch.  (Whether they will like that or not is yet to be determined.)  And if they choose something other than sports, well I will learn to do that too.

My Progress

All of my clothes fit and I can wear everything I did before having M.  My jeans are not as loose as normal in the butt and legs and it doesn’t bother me.  Some of my shirts are still a little snug in the midsection.  I remember with C that I hung onto a lot of weight in the mid section until she dropped to 2 or 3 nursing sessions a day- I think my now she was only nursing 3 times a day.  M on the other hand, is still nursing 4 times a day.  I am in no hurry to cut him off because I know it is the best nutrition he could possibly get.

My Fitness Level

• I ran 1 mile in 6:30!  In high school, my fastest mile was 7:14 (yes, I remember that!  I get my competitive nature honestly.)
• I squatted 155 lbs.  I couldn’t do this in high school weightlifting class either!
• I am still benching pressing about 100-110 and frankly haven’t been working on this as much.
• I got my 1 pull-up!!! It was not by June 1, but the other day at the park I busted out one STRICT pull up.  I unfortunately cannot master the kip and have to do a strict pull up.  I guess, the positive here is that it really uses all your upper body strength.  I have never been able to do a pull-up in my life.  Once again, not even in high school!
• I did 32 push-ups in a row on my toes this morning!

What is next?

I am just going to continue living my balanced life: a lot of hard workouts and staying active with my family; a lot of good, satisfying clean eats; and some yummy treats planned in there too .

I hope that through these Body After Baby posts, I have inspired you, wherever you may be on this fitness journey, that it takes time.  Whether you are wanting to lose pounds, gain muscle, or just be healthier, it does not happen over night.  Whatever your goals, are they take time, work and intention.  Be kind to your body, take care of it, fuel it properly and appreciate its abilities- every thing else will fall into place.

Did you miss my other Body After Baby Posts?  Check them out:
1 Month
2 Months
3 Months
4 Months
5 Months
6 Months

Your turn- tell me!
How do you live a balanced life?