How Did I Get Here? Part II

For Part I, click HERE.

About three months after meeting my husband to be, I noticed that my clothes weren't fitting quite right.

I had never owned a scale in my life...just weighed myself on the gym's scale from time to time. I noticed occasional "water weight" fluctuations, but they could almost always be attributed to food I'd eaten. But this water didn't seem to be going anywhere. So I bought my first scale.

I knew that my "normal" weight to that point was 125 pounds. I stepped on the scale, and the red digital numbers screamed back at me: 140. What?! That's not water!!

It's almost like my body knew before I did that I'd be making babies with this guy, and it had better get ready!

140 was actually a pretty good weight for me. I felt good. I looked good. I was healthy. I was insanely happy...but that had more to do with the guy than the weight :)

I stayed at 140 for the next 5 years. We graduated from college, we got married, we bought a house, we got jobs. Life was awesome. I was so in love and so happy.

And then we decided to have a baby.

Now, I'm a planner. I had it calculated practically to the second when I'd get pregnant. We paid off the bills so I could be a SAHM. I went off the pill...but those darn pregnancy tests kept coming back negative!

Eventually, we had to pursue professional help. Dr. Getchaprego (as we called him), informed me that I wasn't ovulating. I took the appropriate drugs...and I got pregnant the very first time. Nine months later, my precious Benjamin came into our lives. I gained about 30 pounds during pregnancy. I was down to my normal 140 pounds about 4 months after his birth.

We learned that I was pregnant again when Benjamin was 6 months old. I had another blessedly healthy pregnancy, and we had a healthy little girl...my sweet Clara Rose.

It was then that I started to struggle with post-partum depression.

I was determined to not be "depressed". I thought I just needed some extra sleep...so hubby did all he could to get up with babies and let me sleep in mornings. Didn't work.

I thought I just needed some exercise and "me" time...we bought me a gym membership and I began doing aerobics and lifting weights 3 times a week. Didn't work.

Finally, I relented and took an antidepressant. Sweet relief. Sometimes God gives healing in ways that I don't like...but at that point I just wanted healing.

Through all that exercise though, I got back in shape. I was back down to about 143 pounds. (3 pounds over my ideal)

When Clara was 2, we decided to try for another baby. It wasn't happening. The doc put me on progesterone, which seemed to add 5 pounds to my rear end over night. It also enabled me to get pregnant, so I didn't care one little bit about the extra padding :) (8 pounds over my ideal)

I gained another 30 pounds with that pregnancy, and our incredible Samantha was the result. I couldn't have been happier. She was a dream baby in every way, and I fell in love with her immediately.

After Sammy's birth, I lost all but about 3 pounds of the "baby weight". (11 pounds over my ideal)

I weaned Samantha from nursing when she was 13 months old, and learned that I was pregnant again one month later (seems my fertility problems are gone for good!!).

Again, a healthy pregnancy and my beautiful baby boy, Thomas. Bliss. And lots of feelings of being overwhelmed. But mostly happiness. I wouldn't change a thing.

And here I am. Thomas is going on 10 months old, and I've lost all but 4 pounds of my latest pregnancy weight...which brings me to 16 pounds over my ideal weight.

Given my history of being super skinny, very lean, and with lots of efficient fat burning muscle, being HERE (over weight, not so lean, and much less muscle) is a bit of a rude surprise!

But that's it. That's how I got here. This is my new starting point. I look forward to writing my "How Did I Get Here? Part III" post, where I'll write all about how I got back down to around 140 pounds :)