Am I Aging Too Soon?

Warning: vanity entry!

Because my office mates wanted to see the dress I will be wearing for our Christmas party, I tried to search in my photo archives for a picture of me wearing that dress. Sooner I got all depressed and discouraged. I noticed that even after giving birth before, I still looked the same up until 1 year ago. Then all of a sudden I looked vet different. Not only did I gain 20 pounds but it seems that my face changed too. Is this a sign of aging? Goodness I am not young anymore but I'm not that old either!

I just joked that this was what our company did to me, because the change was evident a few months after I started working again. But seriously, it got me worried. I know that if a woman wants to see how she would look like in her older years, she just needs to look at get mother. Well my mother is aging gracefully, so I should be confident, right? But them again, when I think about how she looked the same age as I am now, I think I am falling behind or missing that age-gracefully factor!

Sometimes I even feel like I look older than my mother and that she is far healthier than I am now. I try to eat modestly and all but it seems that dieting doesn't do wonders for me. Yes, I know I need to exercise, but heck, I see others too who are seriously exercising and going to the gym but they are still bulky.

I know I should do something and that I shouldn't resign and nor embrace the fact that this is the "me" now, but I can't help but be depressed about it.

*sigh*

I know I should just chill and stay healthy as much as I can, and be thankful that I don't have any illnesses. I just wish that I still look a little closer to how I was two years ago. Is that too much to ask?