Good Bye Shoes

This summer was a hot one.  Being in my third trimester and chasing a toddler around outside all day was exhausting.  Besides exhaustion, there were a few other things that pregnancy had brought me, varicose veins and swollen everything were a couple of them.  When I returned to work in September I was 8 months pregnant and living in flip flops.  I don't normally wear flip flops to work, however based on my extremely swollen feet and understanding principal, who has five children, I did what was best for my tootsies.  Then came Back to School Night!

Back to School Night is the night where the parents come in to meet me and I give them an overview of the school year.  First impression are important and I always want to look my best when meeting new parents.  I went out and bought myself an adorable dress from Destination Maternity with a pair of maternity tights because there was no way I was letting my white, cellulite legs hang out.  Yes, cellulite another thing that comes with pregnancy, but will eventually go away.  

My friend from work has quite the commute, so she opted to come back to my house to get ready.  After dinner we got dressed and I went into my closet to grab my shoes.  Uh oh! To my surprise I could not even get my feet into them.  I expected they'd be a little snug since I was swollen, but to not even get my foot in.  Yikes! I felt like Cinderella's stepsisters.  It was awful.

I looked at my friend in sheer panic.  What was I going to do? "What size shoe are you?" I quickly asked her.  She was an entire size bigger than me.  "Can I try them on?"  Ah, it's like heaven.  They were so comfy.  Long story short everyone at work heard about how I swiped her shoes right off her feet, literally.  Luckily, she had brought two pairs, heels and flats to see which looked better.  Otherwise, one of us was going bare foot. 

That story sparked so much conversation about how many women's feet grew during pregnancy and never went back.  That couldn't be possible, it didn't happen with my first, there is no way.  My feet are just swollen, I thought.  They'll go back to normal once the baby is out.

Well, everyone from work was right! My feet grew an entire size and after spending the last four months getting blistered and calloused, I put my shoes on Craig's List (a friend's wonderful suggestion) and am in the market for some new ones.  I'm not usually one to get attached to things.  I clean out my drawers and closets twice a year donating tons of clothing and accessories.  My shoes are different.  They each have a story.  I am connected to them.  They didn't get worn out or go out of style.  I simply outgrew them, after years of collecting them.  I used to have something for every outfit and dress.  I am now limited to the two new pairs I bought on Zappos to jump start my collection.  I have been holding on to my shoes for the past few months and today I finally said, Good bye!

Just a few of the pairs that I said good bye to today.

 It's hard feeling like yourself again after having a baby.  So many things change that you never thought possible.  I've adjusted to clothes fitting differently or even going up a size.  It's all worth it every time I look at my two beautiful girls.  It is just unexpected and different for everyone.  

What is one change that was hard for you after having a baby?