It's Like Riding a Bike...

While I was pregnant I managed to (carefully) ride my bike quite a bit until my center of gravity really shifted about five months in. That was last June, and since then my poor bike has been collecting dust in the basement. That was until yesterday, when Matt gave it a tune-up, and then I actually rode it (you know, like outside and everything!). The weekend before I ran jogged a whole three miles at the clip of eleven minutes per mile. Not exactly a record, but it was the farthest I'd ran in months and months.

I'm calling it a comeback...

Henry's arrival was pretty rough on me. I am certain that without a c-section I would have died. It makes me a little sad to know I wouldn't have survived in the wild (not that I could really explain why that is to you), but I am quite grateful to be more or less unscathed thanks to the marvels of modern medicine.

That said, recovering from the surgery and its complications while learning how to care for a little baby was really difficult. But, I'm slowly starting to feel like my old self again (minus anything resembling abdominal muscles), and I am very glad for that. Life is just better when you can ride a bike.

Maybe soon Matt and I can stop having this exchange every two days*:

Me: You know, having a baby is so hard on your body.
Matt: You're the first woman to ever say that.
Me: Well it is...

* Just to be clear Matt has been nothing but sweet and wonderful, but realistically you only get to be a body-sacrficing martyr for so long.

Three Months Old

Today our little man is three months old! They say the first three months are an extension of womb life-- the fourth trimester. Having now lived through the first three months, I don't disagree. I've never spent less time sleeping, or more time making sure another creature is adequately fed and comfortable. 

I've felt really challenged by this job at (many) times. I know people have managed to survive having babies (multiple ones even!?!) since the dawn of time, but I've certainly gained a new appreciation for what it means to exist as a parent. 

Lately it seems obvious that Henry is adjusting nicely to life on the outside. His personality is blossoming, and he is a very happy baby. He is constantly smiling, and has the cutest squeaky laugh. He loves being read to, and is an overall amiable companion. 

On Thursday he suddenly became an excellent grabber-- very focused and precise. The milestone surprised me a bit. It seemed abrupt. Sure, he had been working up to grabbing things lately, but suddenly he could do it perfectly and accurately. I realized the same will be true of other milestones-- sitting, crawling, walking, etc., and that they will come quickly. 

This really struck me, because the last three months have felt endless in their way, and sometimes when I'm tired or overwhelmed I find myself wishing him bigger and more independent. But, he will be... soon, probably before I am ready, and then I'll be wishing him small and cuddly again. 

I know this all sounds a bit cliche, in the, "They grow up so fast!," way, but I guess things are often cliches because they are true. In the coming months I'd like to work on being present-minded, and enjoying the ride that is babyhood. I think we are going to have so much fun together... at least until he turns 12 and tries to rebel against me by doing something like dabbling in Republicanism.

Yurt Life

I'm going to keep this brief because Henry has his very first cold, and for the last few days the sleep has been sparse and the snot abundant. 

Since we moved into our house we've needed to do something about the duct-taped-together flooring. The project got a little more complicated and expensive than we would have liked, but so it goes. 

We needed to be out of our house for most of the process, so we found an economical (and awesome) temporary home: a yurt!

We spent seven nights as yurt-dwellers, and it was a fun break from our usual scenery. Here are some pictures from the week... 

Two Seven

Tuesday was my 27th birthday. I don't have much to say about turning 27... it's 27? Three away from 30? Kind of old, but kind of young? 

Nevertheless, We celebrated on Monday by taking a long walk on the Stillaguamish River with some friends. It was foggy and cold, but still lovely. Also, the Honeyboy snoozed for the whole 2.5 hours we walked-- a Martin Luther King Day miracle!

After the walk we ate lunch at an excellent Lord of the Rings themed vegetarian restaurant that featured options like "Bilbos Breakfast Burrito." Now I wish all restaurants were LOTR (or Star Wars) themed.  

We ended the day at our temporary yurt home (more on that soon), with some ice cream. Not just any old ice cream either-- an $11 pint! I'd wanted to try this since I spotted it months ago. I figured if one pint costs $11, it must be amazing... and the expensive equals better logic rarely fails me (e.g. wool socks).  

What better event than an anti-climatic 27th birthday for an $11 pint of ice cream? 

The verdict? Very, very delicious, but not too much more delicious than the $4 pints, and still $11. So...maybe we'll have it again when I turn 28?

11 Weeks

Two Months Old!

Henry is two months old today! Yay!

Part of me can't believe he's only been with us for two months-- something about sleep depravation makes time feel very, very slow. That said, these two months have also flown by... life with a baby is dynamic, and he seems to grow and change every day. He's a real smiler these days, which is just fantastic (and I have a feeling he will be as handsome as his Papa).

Though it is starting to sink in, I've had a hard time conceptualizing myself as a mother these last couple months. I don't know if it makes sense, but it's a fact that I simultaneously can barely wrap my mind around, and yet know to be the truest thing of all. While the new role has been a major adjustment for me I know that we (three) belong to and with each other. 

Anyways, enough with the touchy-feely, and a little more about Henry:

Height: No idea, but he's going to be tall.

Weight: 12+ pounds... he gets an official weigh-in on Monday at the doctor's, but Matt put him on a produce scale at the grocery store last week and we got a rough estimate.

Eye Color: Still blue.

Hair: Dark, but old mannish-- thinning on top. 

Appetite: Excellent. Would you expect any less?

Special Talents: Being smiley and cute, evading sleep, and attracting chatty strangers.