Wearing lately {+ my favorite pants}

Getting dressed postpartum is hard. I made the mistake of trying on a pair of pre-pregnancy jeans a week after giving birth (don't do it). Four weeks out, I had dropped 20 of the 28ish pounds that I put on while pregnant but my loose jeans pre-pregnancy still wouldn't cut it. And now, 6 weeks later, I can get them on and button them (barely) but they just don't fit like they did before. I started exercising again last week: so far I've tried zumba, hip hop aerobics, and cardio-boxing along with this dvd a couple times a week (funny story that this is the same dvd that I did with my mom after she gave birth to the youngest two of my 7 siblings). Still though, it's going to be awhile before my clothes fit like they used to, and that's ok.

So I decided to pick up a couple pairs of pants and tops that fit well now. It's good for my psyche and body image in this somewhat rocky time ha...

 

Pants: J. Crew 

Top: J. Crew

These are the J. Crew skinny zipper pants, which are on sale today for $25 (gasp). I first saw them in this picture:

 

Shirt: J. Crew bell floral tunic

Pants: J. Crew skinny zipper pant

I kind of fell in love with the whole ensemble, the gorgeous blue tunic (also on super sale today) and the perfect pants. I didn't think that they'd work for me now, but I ordered them in the larger of my two J. Crew pant sizes and hoped for the best. I was shocked when they arrived: they fit beautifully (I mean, as beautifully as pants can 6 weeks postpartum) with (almost) no muffin top, just enough stretch, flattering back pockets...aaaand I may have picked up another pair today (but seriously, $25!)

These Splendid tunics are part of the very few shirts that I owned pre-pregnancy that are flattering right now, and I've been wearing them nonstop:

On left:

Tunic: Splendid

Jeans: old, current version from J. Crew Factory

Sandals: Birkenstocks

On right: 

Tunic: Splendid

Sandals: Sam Edelman

These tunics definitely fit me differently than they did before I was pregnant, but they are drapey, which is always good post-partum, and they are long enough which has been an ongoing problem for me since I started breastfeeding. They're on sale right now here in lots of colors but they're still kinda pricey (I found mine on sale at 6pm.com and on Ebay).

I know it's been said before, but I'm trying to appreciate my body for the incredible feat that it's accomplished: birthing a human being (sans epidural, no less - although whether that was a good idea I'm still wrestling with in my mind ha). So I will forgive my stretch marks, soft belly, and "extra curves" and marvel in what my body has done. In the meantime, I'm trying to eat healthy, exercise and dress in a way that is flattering now. And at the end of the day, what really matters right now isn't worrying about my clothes or counting calories, it's reveling in this sweet little guy and relishing every moment with him...it's amazing how much joy a person so tiny can bring.

Last week, in our 4th of July best!

 

Linking up with the Pleated Poppy and Agi.