He's here!

Liam Thomas was born on August 19th at 10:03pm. At some point soon, I'll post a little bit about his birth story, but right now I'm still overwhelmed with everything. In addition to bringing this tiny person into the world, we bought a house and moved into it. Talk about overwhelming! Trying to pack/unpack your entire life while a week overdue, and then with a brand new baby while you are still healing from the delivery is insane. The husband has been amazing through this whole process, and I don't think I could have gotten through without breaking down without him.

Right after delivery. I was in labor for 30 hours (I didn't feel most of it, thanks to the epidural), and pushed for about 25 minutes. Easy peasy.

Liam is wonderful. He's so strong and alert. Breastfeeding can be a bit of a battle, but we're both learning. I don't remember what sleeping was like. He loves to nap during the day, but for some reason I can't make myself sleep. I used to be able to nap during the day with no problem. Not anymore. Instead its "quick! Do ALL the things before he wakes up for his next shrieking/feeding!" Between breastfeeding and pumping, I might get an hour or so of "down time" before needing to tend to Liam again. It's exhausting, but rewarding. I will admit to having a few hormonal breakdowns (including cold flashes. Who knew you could feel freezing in 90 degree weather?!). Thankfully, the husband was there to keep me from going bonkers. It's quite an adjustment going from pregnant to not-pregnant. It's strange to have my body back for myself (for the most part. My breasts still seem to be held hostage.)

Daddy picked out the coming home outfit.

Kid loves to sleep.

Daddy's first night. Kiddo is sleeping, but dad isn't.

He likes to conduct a symphony in his sleep.

We went outside for some vey brief sun. Still snoozing. I swear he doesn't sleep ALL the time.

I am so eager to get back on the bike. There is a fantastic trail near the new house, and I get to watch people riding/walking/running on it every day. I can't wait until I can explore this new area and see where it can take me. I'm still healing from the birth, but in a few more weeks I should be cleared to go. I'm hoping that in the next few days, we can at least take a few walks together. I haven't really been able to stand/walk for more than 10 minutes at a time without soreness/pain. It's starting to fade though.

It's strange living so far from DC. Looking at photos on twitter and instagram, I find myself missing activities that I used to take for granted: running along the Mall, night rides around the monuments, biking through Rock Creek & the C&O canal, group rides, 5K's downtown... I don't regret moving at all; it was definitely time. But I will still miss the ease in which I was able to participate in those things. However, I'm also eager to see what sorts of things I can participate in HERE. There are beaches and parks, and I've already found a local cycling group that does a bunch of rides. I'm sure there are local running groups and races too. And I'm still going to participate in the "big" cycling/running events in DC too.

Speaking of, the 50 States Ride and the Boundary Stone Ride are both coming up. I've done the 50 States Ride a bunch of times, and its one of my favorite rides to do in DC. It's also one of the more challenging rides I've ever done. You wouldn't think that simply riding around the city (the "goal" of the 50 States Ride is to ride on every single state street/avenue) would be difficult, but you would be wrong. There are some killer hills in the city! And for some reason, this ride loves to attract bad weather. It's always either super HOT or super RAINY.  I believe registration is already full though (its a super popular ride), but they are always looking for volunteers! Check it out here: http://www.waba.org/50-states-13-colonies/

The Boundary Stone Ride is one that I've heard about, but never had the chance to participate in. Similar to the 50 States Ride, the Boundary Stone Ride is all about exploring DC by riding to all of the old DC Boundary Stones. Doing the whole ride amounts to a metric century, or you can simply break it up into "sides" (about 15 miles on each side).  It will be taking place on Saturday, September 19th, and you can find more info about it on their facebook page or registration page. Registration is free, and you still get a t-shirt and a swag bag! (So, make a donation!) Phoenix Bikes will be providing bike support at rest stops, and Boundary Stone (of course) and DC Brau are sponsoring the ride and hosting the after-party. I'm seriously considering doing this ride. I should be healed and recovered by then.  I doubt I could do the whole metric century, but I could at least do a side, maybe two.

For October, I've registered for the Law Enforcement Ride & Run to Remember again. This will be my 3rd year participating, and I will be part of a team again (Blood, Sweat & Tires). It is a fundraiser for the NLEOMF, so stay tuned for more info on that!

That's it for now. It's been a whirlwind and it doesn't look like it will be slowing down anytime soon.

Big News!

No, not THAT news.

Baby is still very much in utero, and not showing any signs of making his debut anytime soon. He's definitely running out of room, though.  11 days until D-day, and I'm really hoping he'll stay put until then.

No, I have other Big News. Stuff I haven't been able to talk about much because its all happening pretty fast, and its a little overwhelming.

This Girl on a Bike is moving.....to Maryland. Just over the Bay Bridge to be a little more precise, without giving out my exact address. I'm gonna have to update my twitter handle.

After living in DC for 18 years, it is time for me to make some changes. For the first 18 years of my life, I lived in a small town in central NY State, right on the shores of Lake Ontario. My 'hood was mostly farmland. I love where I grew-up, and I loved the childhood I had because of it. I went to small(ish) public schools and spent a lot of time outdoors. It was quiet, safe and yes...a bit boring. By the time I was 18 and ready to leave home, I knew I wanted the opposite of what I grew up with. So in August of 1997, my parents dropped me off in Foggy Bottom in Washington, DC.  I specifically chose George Washington University because it was an "open" campus in the middle of Washington, DC. I spent the next 18 years making my life here, as a DC resident.

I consider my last 18 years as my "2nd Life". I did a lot of growing up here. From an 18 year old awkward teen-adult, to a now married & pregnant adult. My first roommate was a crazy French girl that grew up around royalty and taught me many things that my small-town experiences lacked. We spent years having crazy adventures until he she moved from DC to continue her globe-trotting, and now works with refugees all over the world. She was the first of many friends that I would meet from all over the world that came to DC. I remember U Street when it was mostly parking lots and only a few clubs (State of the Union, anyone?). Most weekend nights, I could be found at the goth night clubs where the Nationals now play. DC was NOT known for its night-life at the time (in fact, I remember my Parisian roommate being astounded at the fact that DC essentially shut-down at 10pm most nights. It was true. Except for maybe Georgetown, but that was still very much the bro-town it still is now).  In order to shop at a "decent" grocery store, I had to take the metro into Virginia. I had a bunch of odd-jobs until I finally settled on a career in law enforcement, and now work for the District of Columbia as a police officer. I moved into the building that I am now in the process of moving out of 15 years ago! I can't imagine not living here. I've watched my neighborhood go through so many changes. I lived through 9/11 here. I remember seeing the smoke from the Pentagon from the rooftop. DC has definitely shaped the adult person that I am now.

But, its time to start my "3rd Life". My priorities have majorly changed, and so have my wants and needs. It's no longer just about what I want/need, but what my family wants and needs. And although DC is a great place for raising a family (it really is!), its just not what we want anymore. I want to go home and NOT be the police.  I can't do that when I live in the city I patrol. I want peace and quiet at night. I want space, both metaphorically and literally. I want our kid to have the same kind of experiences that I grew up with. I do not want to go grocery shopping with my kid, and run into some jackass that I arrested. I don't need/want 15 restaurants within a .5 mile radius. We can still come into the city for the museums/events.

So, we are buying a house in Maryland. We chose that area because we have a few friends there, and we really like the area. Closing on the house is on the 10th. Yup, the day before I'm due! (Pleeeeaaaase, kiddo, just stay in a little while longer). That means we'll be moving with a newborn. No, we're not insane. Why do you ask? And if you are going to do one really big stressful, life-changing thing, why not do another? It's actually been helpful, in that whenever I start to stress about labor/delivery/caring for a newborn, I just starting thinking about mortgages, house payments, commuting & moving, and the stress from that basically cancels each other out!

Hello, denial.

And yes, this means I'll have to start driving to work. Shudder. Which means we'll need to buy another car. Ugh. These are major cons to our move. The commute is going to be at least an hour, each way. I'm not looking forward to it. I did research alternative commuting methods (maybe park at a metro, metro in to Union Station, keep a bike at the Bike Station, and then bike in.....but that would actually add way more time to my commute). The worst part? I'm also going to have to become.....a Maryland Driver. Yup. Oh, the shame. I might honestly cry.

The good part is that the area we live in (basically an island) has a pretty good bike trail system (it still needs a lot of work in getting connected to various places, but they are working on it). So, even though I may not do a whole lot of biking to/from DC, I can do a lot of biking at home. One of my major reasons for picking the house that we did, is that it is just down the street from an entrance to the bike trail. I'm hoping we can save the car trips for commuting/DC trips, and stick to bikes/the Vespa for just getting around/errand running/etc.

I'm going to miss so much about living in DC. The idea that I won't be able to just pop on home when I'm out & about in DC is going to suck. I love that I'm only minutes away from so many bike trails. Events going on downtown? I can get there in 15-20 minutes. I don't want to be a stranger/tourist in my own city. I know every crack in the sidewalk, every alley cut, every little quirk in a 2 mile radius from here. Just from running/walking/biking the same areas every day.

In less than a month, that will all change for me. I still can't fathom it. Definitely denial.

In the meantime, I have officially started maternity leave. I'm using this last bit of time before kiddo gets here to start packing. We haven't bothered unpacking/unboxing a lot of the baby stuff/gifts we've received since we'll just have to immediately pack it all up again. The apartment looks like a hurricane hit it. Ugh. Boxes and stuff just EVERYWHERE. Who knew a 1 bedroom apartment could contain so much STUFF. 15 years of stuff. Bah!

Anyway, if you don't hear from me much on twitter/facebook for a bit, this is why. Busy, busy, busy.