Cupcakes & Running Shoes: This Body

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

This Body

My body is incredible.

No, I’m not that vain.

I’m just realizing how amazing my body is, and that it is about so much more than how it looks in the mirror.

I was first in awe of its abilities in September of 2010 when it carried me 13.1 miles through my first half marathon. (Woop woop Jamie!) I remember crossing the finish line thinking, holy cow – I did it. All those months of training, the blisters, the aches, the pains – my body had succeeded in helping me accomplish one of my many life goals.

And that was just the beginning of being amazed by what it could do.

My hub and I started trying to get pregnant as soon as I returned from that half marathon weekend… It ended up taking what felt like FOREVER – about 5 months – which is really pretty normal in the whole baby-making business. But there were many times throughout those five months that I doubted if my body could even do it – get pregnant, that is.

But on January 31^st, 2011, I was amazed once again. I was pregnant!

And then, I wondered, could my body sustain a pregnancy? Could I really grow a human being? Make a new life? Give a little miracle all of the things it needed in order to survive?

And I did. My body did. It kicked butt throughout 40 weeks of pregnancy – nevermind the nausea and cravings for mashed potatoes and donuts – and created a human life, people. Have you ever thought about it? I mean REALLY thought about it? The way one minute, your baby is a poppy seed, and the next, she’s a 9 lb 14 ounce bundle of human life?

It’s incredible. And my body did it – it grew a child. It nurtured this child. It went into labor when my child was ready to make her appearance. It endured 21 hours of labor, pushing out my ~~toddler~~ newborn and then slowly healing itself back up. And now, for over three months, my body has been providing my child with all the nourishment she needs. Every ounce she’s gained has come from my body.

Like I said – if you think about it, I mean REALLY think about it – it’s unbelievable.

So sure – I’m a little wider than I used to be – I’m still struggling to fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes – I’m quite a bit mushier around the middle than I’ve ever been – and I can’t run quite as fast or as far as I used to.

But I grew a human being. I gave birth to a life created by my hub and me. So the wideness, the mushiness… it’s a very, very small price to pay. And when I look in the mirror, I am more in awe of and proud of what I see than critical. It’s taken me a long time to get here, but I’m here… And if I ever falter, all I have to do is look at my sweet Cameron Kate’s face, that big gummy smile, and remind myself that it is about so much more than how I fit into my clothes or how I look in the mirror.

It's about her.