I am pumping while typing… I have become a world-class multi-tasker since Sweet Pea was born. I can pump, eat breakfast, and check my email at the same time. Recently, I made a to-do list on my phone while nursing. I know, I should have probably been savoring the bonding time with my beautiful baby, who is getting bigger every day (today we had to get the bigger diaper size. Sniff!), while giving her my full attention. But believe me, I spend plenty of time attending soley to her, like when she gets hungry and we hang out from 4am to 5am solid with no interruptions. Also, we get some nice, focused bonding time when I am bathing her. You would not believe the concentration that is necessary in order to get a wet, slippery newborn clean while keeping them from drowning.  Clipping newborn fingernails also presents a wonderful opportunity for directing 100% of your attention on your little one; I think there should be special training for this unless you have done a fellowship in neurosurgery. This too, requires laser-like focus.

The problem is I can’t seem to focus on normal things. Like today, I went to Milk Club (this is where nursing moms can go to weigh their babies, hang out, and nurse. There is a lactation consultant present to answer any questions. It’s free, and it’s really nice to be able to get out of the house and not have to worry if the baby fusses or gets hungry, because that’s basically the point).  I brought a package I need to mail and a coupon for a free pair of underwear at Victoria’s Secret. After Milk Club, I stopped and got the underwear with my free coupon, plus two bras for which I had no coupon… I am totally that person for whom they designed this promotional and I know it. I wouldn’t have even entered the store if I hadn’t had that dang coupon, and then they lured me in there and I spent money I wasn’t really planning to spend!

Upon leaving Victoria’s Secret, I settled Sweet Pea in the backseat and glanced at the package I needed to mail and said to myself, “Stop at the post office.” Then I remembered I completely forgot the copy of “Horrible Bosses” that I needed to return to the video place which was just a couple of blocks away. Doh! Then as I was driving home, NPR was doing an interesting story on the national debt (which is up to 15.6 trillion dollars, according to Kai Risdal, Lord only knows if I am spelling that right), and then they started a new, even more interesting story about medical billing, which I listened to until I pulled up to our house. I was so fascinated by the story that I was tempted to stay in the car for a little while to keep listening. And then I remembered I never dropped off the package! GAAAAH!!! Seriously, I think a few of my brain cells are getting sucked out of my nipples every time Sweet Pea eats.

Ok now back to regularly scheduled programming; Yesterday, Monday April 9th marked Day 11 of the post-partum fitness experiment.
Day 11:
I set my alarm for 7:00 but shut it off. I didn’t even bother pressing snooze. It just wasn’t happening. I lost some motivation because I am laying off the running for now, with my foot thing, whatever it is. Also, I was just plain old ridiculously tired, so I slept as long as Sweet Pea let me. She woke up for a couple of hours and then she went back to sleep. I kept on thinking I should pump, but I feared that as soon as I got all set up, she would wake up. I kept on thinking this for about three and a half hours. Yes, you read that right, my little angel slept for three and a half hours. I might have worked out in the basement, but I hadn’t set up the baby monitor and, again, I was sure that the minute I got it all set up, she would wake up.

Instead, I organized her room. I put some of the clothes she’s outgrown (Sniff!) in a box, then I organized her other clothes by size. I got her closet in order and discovered that after a few weeks of thinking she might really enjoy a bouncy seat, for months, there has been one sitting in her closet, in plain view, new in the box! We registered for it and got it as a shower gift, and I completely forgot it existed. I am telling you, she is sucking out my brain cells, one by one.  I am just glad I found it before she exceeded the 25 lbs. weight limit. While she slumbered, I assembled the bouncy seat, did laundry, I cleaned up around the house, and generally did not stop moving for all three and a half hours.

It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you know every minute could be your last.  I know, that sounds dramatic. And I’m not saying I do the same stuff people do when they have a terminal illness. But having a baby really does make you think hard about what Needs. To. Be. Done. Now. Like, when your baby is sleeping, and you have an hour till you need to be somewhere, you would be a fool to do anything but shower and get dressed if you haven’t already. Because if you take the opportunity to reorganize your linen closet and then 40 minutes later your child wakes up… Well, you still have to be somewhere in 20 minutes, you’re still in your jammies, and an organized linen closet is not helping the situation. This is entirely hypothetical of course, but I will just say that if I had ever done this, which I would absolutely never do it again. Some mistakes need to be made only once.  But I digress….

Day 12 (today)
I only hit snooze a few times. I got up and pumped 4 oz (yeah!) and went in the basement and got on the trainer. I made up the workout as I went, which included several short intervals in the big ring, no more than a minute apiece. I discovered that Netflix added Season 6 of Weeds (big time yeah!!) so I watched the first episode and part of the second during the 40 minute workout. Then I did some crunches, side plank (30 horrible seconds per side), regular plank (a whole minute), some stretching, and called it a day. I can already tell that I am getting fitter, especially when I go to Milk Club; the place is on the third floor, and schlepping Sweet Pea up two flights of stairs in her car seat carrier is noticeably easier now versus a couple of weeks ago.