Happy Friday ladies. Sorry for being so off and on the blog this week. Between getting back from vacation (aka being buried in dirty laundry), getting sick (oy), and prepping for Teddy’s FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY (excuse me what?!), I’ve been putting the blog on my mental backburner. However today I wanted to briefly chat about something that has been on my mind since going on vacation, which is putting on a swimsuit after having a baby.
Now the whole “body after baby” discussion can be a whole separate conversation that I’ll leave for another day. It’s a lot to unpack on a Friday, so we’ll try to keep this light. I just wanted to tell you guys that I don’t have much cause to wear swimsuits. I live in the Pacific Northwest where it’s cold 75% of the year and a hot summer day is 75 degrees. Not exactly pool weather in my mind. So I only ever wear a swimsuit when I’m traveling away from home.
So when was the last time I wore a swimsuit? Oh you know, before I got pregnant in early 2018. Yeah, it’s been a minute.
Anyway, this brings us to a couple of weeks ago when I was packing for our recent Florida trip. I was digging in my drawers looking for a swimsuit to bring for the trip. I realized that while I have several bikinis and swimsuits, all of them were purchased for our honeymoon over four years ago and a lot has changed since then. I’ve gained weight, lost weight, had a baby, gained weight again, and started losing it again.
So there’s this moment when I’m sitting in my closet looking at my options. Which is it going to be? The high waisted bikini that I absolutely love because it makes me feel like Grace Kelly? The teeny bikini that I got on super sale and was obsessed with because Amber Fillerup also owned it? The semi scandalous one-piece that reminds me of Baywatch? Or the covered up one-piece?
Any guesses which went on vacation with us?
Yeah, it was the covered up one piece. Not that there’s anything wrong with this swimsuit. I actually really like it. It’s got serious retro vibes that always get me compliments the one time a year I wear it. I just wanted to share about that moment in my closet. That moment when of course I was going to wear the one-piece. It wasn’t even a question in my mind. There was NO WAY I was going to bare it all in a bikini, nevermind that I love the ones that I have.
It’s hard to acknowledge sometimes the changes that happened in my body. I used to be a professional ballerina. I was all muscle with a very dialed in diet that was all about fueling my body for the 8-10 hours I’d log in the studio. But I’m not that person anymore and I haven’t been for years. And sometimes that reminder is in the form of picking a swimsuit to wear on vacation and it doesn’t feel good.
Now those of you who live in warmer places might have a different story. Maybe that choice gets easier or change when you are poolside multiple times a week. Maybe that choice isn’t as hard when you have sunshine and warmth all the time. Andrew and I were actually talking about this as we walked along the beach in Florida. We both commented that if we lived here, we’d both probably work harder on our looks. Waxing, workouts, spray tans, would just be a regular part of life instead of something that happens on special occasions.
Anyways as I was unpacking and working through the mounds of laundry, I saw my swimsuit and thought to share that story with you all. I know I’m not the only one that has been in this situation. It’s a story that graces magazine headlines every spring.
I hope you have a great weekend. We’re having Teddy’s birthday party and I’m going to try to make a vegan birthday cake. I’ll let you know how it turns out. I’m no master chef so I don’t know if you should be worried for our guests or not. See you on the flip side.
xo – Ana Luiza
If you want to see the swimsuits that I purchased back in 2016 check out these posts:
