Beach Day!

Yesterday, we had a girls' day at the beach! Mama took off yesterday and today to keep C, and I asked for yesterday off so we could head to the beach for the day. So much fun!!

We drove down to Topsail Island (Surf City) and met up with my friend MM (the one who comes to ride horses with me sometimes). Her and her family have been there for a week, lucky ducks. So it was me, C, Mama, and 2 of my cousins. We left a little before 10, stopped to eat lunch at McDonald's, and were on the beach by around 12.

C played so hard. On our vacation to the OBX this summer, she was scared of the water and wouldn't touch it. Not yesterday! She loved being in there. The tide was pretty strong so we had to hold her hands most of the time, but she loved it.

C and my younger cousin M played in the sand quite a bit, too. There was a huge pile of sand in C's bathing suit when we took it off!

We stayed out there until 4 or so. Afterwards, we headed to my aunt's trailer and used her outdoor shower to clean up. Then we headed to Island Delights, my favorite restaurant on the island. They have an ice cream bar and you can get food like burgers and fries. The whole place is decorated like the 50s - they even have a working jukebox. I love it!

We finally left the island around 6, and C immediately passed out (she hadn't had a nap all day and had worn herself out!). She slept the whole way home, and then DH held her for a while and she kept right on sleeping. I finally got her up to put her nighttime diaper on her, and she stayed up for about 30 minutes before she said she was ready to go night-night. So I got to bed earlier than usual, too. ( :

After our day yesterday, I have decided I need to live at the beach. Not really, but man, would that be nice! Unfortunately, I did get a sunburn in a few places (apparently, I totally missed the sides of my neck with sunscreen - oops). So I'm already taking Benadryl round the clock. I'm a little itchy, but so far its nothing I can't handle. I have a feeling its gonna get worse, though. My stomach itches and it didn't get sunburned at all. Just a true sun allergy. :/

And yes, I wore my bikini yesterday! In PUBLIC! I bought it a few weeks ago at the insistence of my friend R. When I was pregnant, I wore a one piece bathing suit for some reason. I wish now I hadn't hid my belly. The first summer after I had C, I bought a slimming one piece. Its very flattering on me, but I really hate wearing one pieces. I just didn't want anyone seeing my tummy. Even though I lost all my pregnancy weight (plus 10 lbs), my stomach has never recovered. I have a lot of loose skin that I don't think will ever go away. Last summer, I got a two piece, but the top was a tankini so it covered me up. But my friend R pointed out to me that I'm too short-waisted to wear a tankini and have it look right (and she's totally right), and she urged me to wear a bikini.

Between her and the Beauty Revealed Project on facebook, I've gained a lot of confidence in my body lately. This is my body. I have learned to embrace it. It housed my child for 9 months, it delivered her vaginally, it has nourished her for 2 1/2 years now, its pretty amazing! I don't have a flat tummy anymore, and I don't look like a model. I don't even look like some other new mothers that I know, who look like they haven't even had a baby. But I'm finally okay with that. I traded a flat stomach and abs for a gorgeous, smart, healthy baby girl - how can I be upset over that?? Yeah, maybe I could get my stomach tighter if I worked by butt off in the gym or something, but I'd rather spend my free time playing with my daughter, not stressing over a few extra inches around my middle. My body was made to bear and nourish children, it doesn't have to look like a super model. And the cool thing is, my husband totally loves my new bikini, lol. ( ;