Hi there, and happy Thursday! Time’s a-flying, I tell you. Now that I’ve been back to work a month, I figure it’s as good a time as any to talk about my “body after baby.”

All in all, I feel pretty good, although I definitely get more tired during the day. I can’t wait for the night when I have 8-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep!

I definitely don’t feel—or look—like I did pre-pregnancy, and that’s to be expected. I’ve always heard, “it took you 9 months to have a baby, so it should take 9 months (or more) to get back to (your new) normal.” I’m not in a rush!

A lot of my pre-pregnancy clothes are fitting, although I’ve added a new “accessory” to them: a muffin top and/or love handles. 🙁 While many of my pants fit comfortably (I’m still rocking some maternity skinny pants), I’m all about the loose-fitting tops at the moment. And for whatever reason, I’m still carrying a lot of fat in my arms! Some tops with fitted sleeves just don’t work—and I no longer see the muscle definition I had after months of Bikram. Le sigh. Oh, and I’m sure my hips are permanently wider, too.

So how do I feel about this newfound squishiness? For the most part, FINE.

Although part of me longs for the strength, endurance, and muscle tone I once had, the reasonable part of me says “don’t rush it.” Right now (in the season of layers instead of bikinis), I’m just not focused on “getting my body back.” I’m all about nourishing and caring for Baby M. I’ve worked too hard making breastfeeding work—and he’s too important—to risk lowering my milk supply or not feeling my best.

I’m also fascinated and proud at what my body has done: it nurtured and carried a living being for 9 months and survived a marathon of childbirth! And after stretching to house 6 pounds of baby and, in my case, 28 pound of “other stuff,” I have a newfound respect and admiration for my body. I care for it differently.

Having said all that, I do have my bad days where I feel like a fat cow. Some mornings I start the day feeling bummed about my, well, bum. This is hard on me because I’ve never really had to work at maintaining my weight or figure. Body comparison is a shameful, slippery slope, so I probably should avoid Pinterest and Instagram for a while!

So while I don’t want to become obsessed with “getting my body back,” I feel like I’m in a rut. After spending 90% of my 12-week leave indoors, often in a recliner, I need some movement in my life. Regardless of whether my old skinny jeans fit or not, I need to feel like my body is doing something. I need to regain some strength, stamina, and muscle tone.

I have no plans to take pictures or track my weight, but I need to get back into some sort of fitness routine, especially since I set a goal last year to run in the Azalea Trail Run this March. I’m going to rely on indoor workouts with the elliptical, stability ball, hand weights, and my DVDs and probably get back into Bikram next month. I’m going to commit to 3 days a week of at least 20 minutes of exercise. If you have a favorite at-home workout, share it!

So, that’s my postpartum “plan” in a nutshell. We’ll just wait and see where it takes me.

Since it’s Thursday, I’m linking up my rambling to Amanda’s Thinking Out Loud.