Mountain Bikes = Baby?

Today was awesome. Ayden slept so well in the tent last night, as always. He seems to sleep best outdoors and the few times we have slept in a tent have been his best nights of sleep to date in his little life. Maybe we should just sell our house and live in a teepee... It didn't work out quite as well with Maverick and we may have to rethink our plans to take him camping with us this fall. He's a crated dog at night, and actually loves it, so sleeping out under the stars stressed him out. He was panting and pacing, waiting for us to take him home. David ended up putting him into the back of the car with all the windows cracked. It was more crate like for him and he finally got some sleep too.

When we got home we made ourselves some brunch then hung out for a little while and when it was time for Ayden's morning nap we all took it together.

"Do I have anything in my teeth?" Avocado and green smoothie face :)

 When we woke up we saw that we had slept for 2 hours! We needed it and felt rested when we finally got up. Though Ayden slept well in the tent, David and I still woke up a lot so we were so happy that Ayden was up for taking such a long nap!

After lunch, we walked through every room of our house and made a to do list to knock out together.  We got to work and got all but two things marked off I think.  Our house is more put together right now than it's been in a long time.  With everything in its place and the carpets all cleaned we keep having to remind each other why we want to sell this house.  The only way we'll realistically move out is if we find a new house with ALL of the features that we wish this house had.  For me, that's adequate storage for seasonal decorations, my school teaching theme tubs (that I plan to use with Ayden) a laundry ROOM, and a place away from our living space to keep our pet crates (laundry room, basement with a window, etc.).  As for David, he would like a location close to either a park or down town, all brick or stone exterior, a garage and a basement/attic/workshop type area.  We weren't super realistic or picky when it came to purchasing a house with the features we would want in a home but it was our first house so I suppose we should cut ourselves a break.  We will be picky for our next home though!

At around 5pm, David's parents came over to watch Ayden while we went for a bike ride.  A local park has recently revamped their mountain bike trails and David has really been wanting to go ride them with me. 

We actually purchased our mountain bikes a month before we found out we were pregnant.  It took us a while to conceive, so in an effort to distract myself I dove into mountain biking full force.  I enjoyed learning wheelies and rabbit hops.  I'd watch YouTube videos on different tricks and extreme trial riding for ideas and motivation.  I also really enjoyed teaching my body new skills which is something I hadn't realized I missed from my dancing days.  As it turns out, all we needed to do to get pregnant was to spend a pretty penny on a couple of mountain bikes because we seriously found out we were pregnant like 3 or 4 weeks after we bought them.  Needless to say, no more fancy mountain biking for me while I was pregnant (for obvious safety reasons) or in the past 7 months (no time or energy) until now. 

 I have to admit, it is still very hard for me to leave Ayden.  I seriously love being with him so much! When we are away from him I am distracted, feel like I have forgotten something very important, and think about him almost the whole time. He was in very loving, capable hands so I wasn't worried about him, but I just feel incomplete without my little sidekick.  One misconception about attachment parenting is that the parents put their own comfort and lives aside for their baby; but that is not what it's really all about.  AP is about the family as a unit.  Decisions and routines need to be made in a way that benefits all members of the family.  A parent who gets a "break" and comes back refreshed and renewed is going to be more respectful and responsive than a parent who may need a break, but doesn't take one, leaving them feeling impatient and tired.  In this case, David really wanted to have a mountain biking date with his wifey and though I didn't want to leave Ayden, I knew we'd both benefit from some time to focus on one another.  After it was all said and done, we were only gone for about an hour and a half and we had a lot of fun.  Ayden and his grandparents got some bonding time and it was fun to see him happy to see me when we were reunited, which is not something I get to see very often since we are always together.

With the perfect mix of fun, productivity and relaxation, this was a great weekend from start to finish! 

~Sarah