Six Pack Mack

     I must admit, one of my biggest fears about being pregnant was that the pregnancy would "ruin" my body. I was never embarrassed to share the sentiment (although I am now slightly embarrassed for myself that I was so vocal about it!) and I often rattled off all of the changes in my body I feared as I simultaneously jogged in place and completed a set of push-ups. Little did I know that pregnancy would in fact be the impetus for me to completely improve the way I viewed myself, my relationship with food, and my relationship with exercise.
     I was always extraordinarily proud of my "six pack" abs (no shame showing them, a la Mike "The Situation"Sorrentino...perhaps I should be more ashamed that I watch Jersey Shore?)..so as Josh and I began to document my pregnancy with a weekly snapshot of my belly, I soon noticed that my abdominal muscles were a four pack...then a two pack...and soon, it looked as if I guzzled a six pack... of beer. Anxiety started to creep through my mind and body and then, I felt a flutter.  It was as if our developing baby was reminding me, "hey, you have something much more important to think about now...nourish me, enjoy the process, and forget the rest." A sense of calm flushed away the icky tingly feelings of anxiety as (much to Josh's delight) for the first time in years, I ate a cone filled with full fat (to be read with sarcasm: the horror!) ice cream from Marvel.

Shout out to cousin Kathy! (in this picture with me and my pregnant self at Marvel)