belly up

We like to to play the "where-is-baby's-body-part?" game
with Addison and see if he knows where his different body parts are.
For instance...
"Where is Addie's nose?" or
"Where is Addie's foot?"
To which he searches his small body to see if he can
find the correct appendage or phalange.
But our favorite body part to locate is the belly button.
Not only is it adorable to see him lift up his shirt
and see his delectably round toddler belly peeking out,
but when he locates his belly button, he tries to say the name,
and it comes out,"budduh-budduh".
This he likes to say over and over.
And truth be told, I like to hear him say it over and over.
Until he tried to locate my "budduh-budduh" today.
He enlisted the help of his brother, Will, whose own taut firm navel,
was easily located on his wiry 4 1/2 year old abdomen.
My belly button, however, has tried to seek refuge and hide out in the
hilly terrain of my after baby belly.
And while the post nursing pounds are slowly dropping off,
the skin has yet to return to it's normal state.
Or scarier yet, this may now BE the normal state of my stomach.
I can't dwell on it. It makes me weepy.
After being over stretched for roughly 2 1/2 years of pregnancy,
I think my abdominal skin finally said, "I give."
That is quite possibly too much information for you, tsgs,
but I've vowed to keep it real with my writing no matter
how painful and traumatic to my own psyche.
All that to say...as the search for my belly button
was realized with Will saying,
"Oh, there it is." and then
"Mom, it kind of looks different because it's so far in there."
I knew the fun and games of "where-is-baby's-body-part?"
had come to a sad and terrible end.
There's not a whole lot more to said.
It's not pretty, girls. It's just not pretty.