|| TOP || BOTTOMS || SARONG || ALL BY SEAFOLLY ||
*** This post is sponsored by Zappos
If you’ve been reading along with us for a while – you know I had my second son, David, in February. It has been 5 months since I had him, and by society’s standards, my body should be completely back to normal. I should’ve “bounced back” by now.
But I haven’t entirely.
And you know what? I don’t really care, and I’ve never felt better.
Now don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying I’m giving up on my life, on my body, or on my health. <<< I’m not saying that at all. But let me be honest with you. I am still carrying 10-15 pounds of extra weight that wasn’t there before I had David. My boobs need some serious extra support. The bags under my eyes have never been darker or larger. The skin around my belly button is stretched and wrinkly (you can see it in all of these photos). I have cellulite. And my inner thighs are lined with silvery stretch marks.
All of these things used to get me down when I’d go to put on a swimsuit. But, not anymore. I’ve realized that “bouncing back” just isn’t that important to me anymore.
And you know what? It’s liberating.
These past five months, I’ve realized a couple things. I’ve realized that my kids won’t remember if I had the most rocking bod of any mom on the beach. My kids won’t remember if I went to the gym every day and had the abs to prove it. My kids won’t remember if my arms and my thighs were completely toned and taught.
But you know what they will remember from our time at the beach?
They’ll remember the memories. They’ll remember how much fun we had catching crawdads off the pier. They’ll remember how much we laughed as I swung them around in the waves. They’ll remember how much we smiled as we dumped bucket after bucket of sand in a pile to make sand castles. They’ll remember that I was there. And that is what matters. None of which has to do with how I look – or how fast I “bounced back”. All I care about right now is making memories with, and being present with my children.
Thankfully the suit you see in these photos – from Zappos – allows me to do just that, and more. For quite some time I’d been looking for a bikini that worked with my “post baby body”, and this one, by Seafolly, is absolutely perfect. The top is slightly padded and has a light underwire cup that gives really great support. Lord knows I need it. I also love how structured the top is as well. I feel like I fall out of everything lately – so the structure is a must for me. Most importantly though, are Seafolly’s bottoms. They are truly full coverage, which is something that is a little hard to come by now a days. I don’t know what swimsuit designer decided that all bikini bottoms were going to start resembling dental floss (who am I? my grandma?) but to find a swimsuit brand that actually makes bottoms that cover BOTH cheeks – I mean – total score. And then – I’m also in love with Seafolly’s coverups and sarongs. It is SO nice to be able to do one stop swim shopping, and Zappos and Seafolly totally have you covered. No pun intended. The sarong I am wearing in these photos comes in a bunch of colors (it’s under $50— SCORE) and I have my eye on this amazing coverup of theirs as well.
Really, I am just so glad I discovered this brand. Their suits are incredibly well made, super on trend, and I love that they work with my body. They’ve me comfortable wearing a bikini again. They’ve made me feel confident. And they’ve helped me concentrate on what really matters. Not my stretch marks, or my wrinkly belly button, or some crazy idea of “bouncing back”. But instead – on my family, on my kids, and on making memories that last.
A couple weeks back – actually the day before these photos were taken – we were at the beach at our Tahoe house. I was wearing this bathing suit, and William and I had been splashing around all day in the water. His lips had started to turn blue, and his little jaw was shivering, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get him out of the lake. After half an hour of coaxing, and promising I’d build him a HUGE sand castle, I was finally able to wrap him in a towel and have him sit on a lounge chair with me. As we sat there listening to the bustle of the beach and the lapping of the waves, he started combing his fingers through my hair. Then he looked at me with those big blue eyes and said, “Momma – you so pitty.” AKA “You’re so pretty.”And you know what? For the first time in a long time… I totally felt it.
Being a good mom makes me feel more beautiful than “bouncing back” ever could. And concentrating on what makes me happy, rather than what doesn’t, has made all the difference in the world.
*** Sizing note – Seafolly is an Australian company, and their suits come in Australian sizes. I am wearing an AU 10 in these photos.
