Late this summer I was feeling self-conscious that though I was five months pregnant, I didn’t look “pregnant enough.”

My belly was small but growing … and just when I finally felt like I looked pregnant (i.e., 20-22 weeks) a comment someone made really upset me. I shared the incident in this post, “When Words Sting.”

Well, imagine my surprise when, yesterday, the person who had made that comment over the summer paid me a lovely compliment!

I was walking up the walkway to the office after lunch, and she eyed me up and down before saying, “Dang girl, you bounced back nice! You don’t look like you just had a baby!”

I was completely flattered, especially given the context of what had ensued just eight months before.

I blushed a little and said thank you and that I feel great but — as I always do (because I can never just take a compliment and go with it … ) — I added the caveat that “though I’m more or less back to my pre-pregnancy weight, I still have about ten more pounds to lose to get back to my comfortable weight.”

Not that there’s anything wrong with how I look NOW or anything … but still, I know where I feel my best. If I didn’t lose it, I’m back in pre-preg clothes and can’t complain (hell, I might even test out my favorite Joe’s after my monthly guest comes and goes!) but I still have a little work ahead of me.

So we talked a bit about losing baby weight (she’d also gained 25 lbs but said it had been hard to lose) and I once again tipped my hat to exercise as to what kept me fit during my pregnancy and made it easier to bounce back. I really do believe that, and hope in my next pregnancy I will remember how good exercise helped me feel before, during and after baby.

As of my last weigh in three weeks ago I was only 0.6 away from my pre-pregnancy weight …  but the past three weeks have gone over my Points by at least 20 each week which can’t be good for anyone! (I’m not eating nursing Points I’m entitled to by choice [since I’m not exclusively breastfeeding and don’t feel like I need that many extra Points!] but they’d about even out the 20 I’ve gone over by each week).

Anyway, moral of the story … people will surprise you at the moments you least expect it.

How about you? When were you last surprised by a random act of flattery?