Riding; Ketchup and Mustard; Cuteness

Dear Internet, sorry I haven't updated since early tuesday morning. We've had a hectic week here. I had my first ride in over a year with Katie Schied at Sage Meadows. I got to ride Drifter, who is 26 and totally unflappable. Which was exactly what I needed. She started me out by instructing me to take two laps in two point. Um....what?! and HOW?! My boots, which I maintain have shrunk (and not that pregnancy weight gain made my legs bigger), were cutting off most of the blood circulation to my feet. Ow. And then there's all of those muscles I haven't used in ages. Ow. And THEN, there's the fact that even if I were in riding trim, I haven't ridden two point in years. Holy OW Batman! I made it one lap. We did some trotting and a little canter. And lots and lots of walking while I tried to breathe through the pain. At the moment I have my boots sitting and stretching so that they'll fit a bit better next week. And I've been attempting to do a little cardio every day. I'm really excited to go back next week. She studies with my favorite instructor so she brings a lot of what I'm looking for to the table. The one downside I forsee is the lack of an indoor riding space, and in the rainy northwest winters that could be problematic for me. Especially since riding in the rain with glasses is difficult!

On Wednesday I started a new group, Listening Mothers. My psychiatrist has been strongly recommending it to me since I had my baby. I'll probably have some more to say about it later but for now I'll leave it there.

Today I attempted to get the baby back on a nap schedule. He's had a fractious week and has been cranky. My friend, who has been staying with us was headed off for a big trip on Wednesday so the energy in the house has been a little more frenetic than usual. Also, Jon is leaving me alone with the baby while he flies home next weekend and I'm more than a bit freaked. Add this to the fact that we've had things sceduled during naptime all week and you end up with a mommy and baby who are having a difficult time coping.


Something I've been meaning to write about that I've found hilarious recently is the baby's preference for one breast over the other. This preference is subject to change at any moment-even during a feeding. I'm sure there's some perfectly reasonable biological explanation for this; probably having to do with position and milk flow. But all I can find to relate it to is ketchup vs. mustard. Currently, I have designated the right as ketchup and the left as mustard.


And finally, we reached an all new level of cute this evening. The baby had a containment failure and wet the bed. He woke up yelling and required a change of clothes and sheets. I sat down to nurse him while Jon changed the sheets. Jon finished and was leaving the room when the baby suddenly threw his head around, stretched out one arm and whimpered. Jon had to come back and hold him for several minutes before Edward would assent to be comforted and go back to sleep. This is the first time he has demanded comfort from both of us and it was so sweet it almost broke my heart. In other news he has learned how to pull the string to make his toy play music and will shortly be driving us crazy, so I'm glad we stopped to appreciate the cute while we could.

What Am I Getting Myself Into???

I have my first ride in over a year today. I don't leave for another twenty or thirty minutes which leaves me plenty of time to obsess over this fact. I've chosen to take a few lessons with a new trainer. I know her from my volunteering days and I like her a lot. I've met at least one of her school horses and he's a great lesson horse. And still my anxiety had me up last night-sicker than a dog.

My body has changed so much since my last ride and I'm nervous about how that will affect everything. I'm really struggling with feeling too heavy to ride. It helped me to watch some of the Reining from WEG yesterday night. I saw many men riding smaller horses and they looked fine. But, oy. I know that the only way to get over this hump is just to do it. I'll let you know how it goes. Wish me luck Internet!

Well, Darn.

I have a new quote to add to my favorites list: "To float away on a life-long song, in a mist where melody flies."

I was reading an article on finding a good in-home daycare. It turns out, my home is a terrible place for a child. I had nine out of the ten signs of a bad daycare. I don't have too rigid a schedule. That's the one thing I have going for me as a caregiver. Well, that and a lot of love.

This is the precise reason I don't read many parenting books or magazines. I prefer to get information and advice from other parents. Whenever I do, I end up feeling horrible and inadequate. And I'm neither. But damn, it's hard to remember that sometimes.