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I may have spit up all over me, but at least I'm wearing heels

We all have things that make us feel gorgeous.  For me, it's shoes.  I have lots of "happy" shoes.  My husband has never quite understood the fact that the right pair of shoes can make me feel great!  They may be my bright pink moccasins or my Audrey Hepburn red heels with a bow on the toe, or they may be the brightly colored, fuzzy slippers that are oh-so-comfortable.  Whichever shoe I'm in the mood for, my emotion changes the second I put it on.  I go from being down-in-the-dumps to happy and excited for the day to come.

My "Happy" Shoes (notice the spit up on one pair)
Pregnancy, both pre-natal and post-partum, is a time of emotional highs and lows.  People say stupid things to us (that's a separate blog issue), we gain weight, hair grows in odd places, we lose hair, our skin changes, and we have these lovely lines developing on our bodies.  Basically, a lot of things we didn't know would happen - or didn't think would happen - occur.  During nine months of pregnancy and many, many, many months (or years) afterwards, we develop a self-consciousness about ourselves and our bodies.  It's not the body we're used to.  Our body becomes alien to us.

The good news is that we can still feel good while going through all these changes.  For you, it may not be wearing the right pair of shoes.  It may be taking the time to fix your hair, painting your toes, reading a good book, watching your favorite TV show, going to your favorite restaurant, or any other thing that makes you happy.  It doesn't have to be expensive, but it has to be for you.

Finding the time to have even the tiniest bit of focus on yourself can do amazing things for your emotional state.  Not only will you feel better about yourself - and all of the changes occurring - but this attitude will emanate to your family.

Some rainy day you might see me walking into the coffee shop: I didn't have time to take a shower and I have spit up running down the side of my sweater.  Take a look at my shoes and you'll know that I've decided to take control of my emotions and all the chaos in my life. 

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