To those who haven't yet made the same mistake

I'll start by admitting: yes, this is vain and this is superficial and shallow. But I still think it and I will forgive you if you judge me. See this picture to the right? This is me a day after our little girl came into the world. I'm over-joyed, in love, grateful, and in awe of what has gone on in the past 24 hours. But what else am I? I'm clearly not thinking ahead to the ramifications my choices will have on Charlotte's baby album...

The one thing I had going for me at this time in the hospital was that I took a shower that morning... big feat for a postpartum mama. However, everything else about my outer appearance is just a bit, well, embarrassing. As you can see in the background, we had visitors. And we had other visitors other days... and lots of pictures... lots of pictures to look back on for the rest of our lives. And what will I see each time I look at these photos? That darn ROBE! That darn, wide-open-in-the-back, hospital-issued, completely unflattering robe (and I won't even go into the details of the postpartum undergarments you can see through the open back). The most painful fact to face is that I had other clothes in my bag! Lots of clothes. But I chose to wear the robe, not even a soft, cute hoodie. No... the robe.

Now don't get me wrong, I look back at these pictures of those first couple days of Charlotte's life often, just to relive the pure joy. But ladies - you understand my pain, right? So if you haven't finished packing your hospital bag, be sure to keep my story fresh in your mind. But remember, the hard part is getting yourself to actually put something else on. If you struggle with finding the motivation, just envision what you want to see yourself wearing for generations to come.

live and learn... in the meantime, dwell on the things you can never change ;)