Today I got on my bike for the first time since the fall. The plan was to get up at 7 to be out the door by 7:45. Sweet Pea made it easy for me because she was up at 6:58 and she was hungry! She hadn’t eaten in about 2.5 hours. In grown-up time, I would estimate that to be about 8 hours, based on the little grunting noises she makes that are audible from her crib to our room, which then escalate into full-blown wailing within the space of about 2 minutes, only to be immediately extinguished when she latches onto my boob and starts sucking like she’s drinking liquid gold.
At 6:59 Dan brought her to me, because I figured it would be easier to nurse than to pump. But then I changed my mind… Her first feeding of the morning (and 5am is still the middle of the night as far as I am concerned), or really any feeding, can easily last an hour so I decided that if I was ever going to get on my bike, this was not going to work. So Dan began to heat up a bottle of breastmilk while she nursed, so he could continue to feed her while I got ready to go. But then wouldn’t you know, out of nowhere, she stopped sucking and fell into a deep milk coma. I ever so gently put her down on the bed and hoped she wouldn’t notice. Then I stared at her little sleeping face for a minute or so before finally getting out of bed.
I wasn’t sure how it would feel to put on bike shorts after all this time and an additional few pounds. But bike shorts, at least my favorite Louis Garneau ones, are like Spanx. Everything worked out just fine. Ok, I admired myself in the mirror for a few seconds, if you must know.
I was able to pump about 1.5 ounces (Booh! But better than a stick in the eye), while I simultaneously ate breakfast and g-video chatted with my BFF. The pumping apparatus was not in the video screen, not to worry. Except when I flashed her, which made us both giggle. And then she told me her two year old son was sitting there. Oopsies!!
The bike ride was pretty uneventful. I just did my normal short loop, which I think is about 8-10 miles round trip. I’m not really sure, my odometer was not functioning. I should know, I used to do this loop all the time, but I don’t. Either way, it usually takes me about 40-45 minutes. Today it took 50. Which was fine because the weather was PERFECT for biking. I took it easy… Would you believe my legs were beat up from yesterday’s mini-run!? Well, they were. So I think it was good just to move them. Now my butt hurts because its been soooo long since I sat on a bike!
BTW, while I was biking, I was thinking of how much fun it was when Dan and I used to do this route together. A lot of times, we would get up early, before work to do it. I’m going to miss that. We got a Burley trailer, but Sweet Pea is still way too little to ride with us. Also, I wondered if I would feel nervous about traffic, now that I am a mom. I wondered if the inherent danger of this sport and my new responsibility would make me unable to enjoy it, but actually I felt just the same as always (which is aware of, but not nervous about cars).
I am inclined to write something to tie this all up but I can’t focus because I’ve got Dan right next to me on the couch reading to Sweet Pea from the New York Sunday Times Magazine, specifically, an article about the Whoopie Cushion, which has rendered me unable to concentrate on anything else! Till next time…