i would rather run, but i can walk

Having given birth six weeks ago, I'm finding myself a little more sore, worn out and outta shape than I anticipated and would like. Bed rest, while ostensibly good for Sam and my medical condition, did me no favors weight-gain wise, or from a healthy pregnancy standpoint. I gained +/- about 40 pounds during my pregnancy (no, I don't resent NTodd's only gaining 23). I'm sure I've lost some weight since delivering, but since I'm not forcefully being weighed once or twice a week, I'm too scared to step on the scale without having some sort of plan to get back in shape.

With regards to the aches and pains I have our doula, Allison, suggested I talk to my doctor and see if perhaps I can get a referral to a physical therapist in Burlington who specializes in post-partum treatment. A C-section is surgery and major in a way I could have never fathomed before actually having mine. I really thought I'd bounce back a little quicker after delivering Sam. I wasn't prepared for the aching in my joints, though. The realization of the time it takes to convalesce has been troubling and difficult for me personally. I have my 6 week check up and H1N1 tomorrow so I will then discuss with my doctor Allison's recommendation.

Beyond that, however, I have been wanting more regarding physical fitness. 12 weeks of sitting on your ass being waited on hand and foot by your beloved and infintiely caring partner (I feel like I'm channeling NTodd somehow) can do that to a person. It's not as simple as joining the Y for me: we live 45 minutes away and its not really feasible or realistic for me to drive one and a half hours round trip to join. But I was inspired by some women of the past couple weeks on, of all places, Twitter. [cue the boos and hisses]

I follow a couple of women whose blogs I read faithfully, since those many months of couch surfing in my last trimester. Both women discuss their personal experiences with fitness and exercise and weight loss, as well as write for Bodies in Motivation. Anyway, I saw Sundry's update on Twitter this morning about her great run in the rain. Beyond it making me wax nostalgic for my hometown, Portland, Oregon, where if you don't do things in the rain, you simply don't do them, it got me thinking. What if I had a long-term goal? What would it be? What would that do to motivate me?

Serendiptously, while online the next day I came across the announcement of the 5K Vermont Canine Run cancellation. Granted it was canceled this year, and there are no guarantees for next year, but a search of teh google indicates that there are these kinds of races with your dogs all over the place! Boston. Rochester. New Haven. All within driving distance. But the most attractive to me, would be training with our little Mexico! How fun to work with him on the leash, starting off with walks and then graduating to running? I really think he'd do great and this would do wonders for him, not just me.

The runs I've found so far are in May and June. So that's 6 or 7 months to train for a 3.1 miler with our dog. NTodd and I were chatting about how and where Mexi-nugget and I could run, particularly because we are heading into winter in Vermont. Admittedly, I became a little discouraged at the rurality, climate and terrain. Then I came across this inspiration . The only way I'm going to do this is if I believe that we can.

The planner in me is already researching a work-out regimen and timeline. I'm gonna do this and hopefully Mexico will will enjoy it too. If he doesn't, I will just run a 5K myself sometime late next spring. But I really hope he wants to.

as I was saying

Having gotten a bit side-tracked with the Coat Hanger Brigade, I totally forgot to finish a couple of posts that I had been writing. The amount of time I have to think about what I want to say is far greater than the amount of time I actually have to write it. It's just the beginning, I know, although I am getting pretty good at one-handed typing!

But the note-worthy, or rather blog-worthy, occasion is that I have nursed my son in public two times! A major milestone for this mommy! The first time was in downtown Burlington, at Borders, where we go to enjoy the free WIFI and the snickerdoodles. I just didn't feel like walking all the way back to the car and I looked around at the available tables and thought about what people had been writing in the comments of this post. And I realized, I can totally do this. I moved to the back of the seating area with my back to everyone, draped a blanket over my shoulder and nursed Sam. I didn't feel self-conscious, in fact, I felt rather empowered and proud of myself. A few days later, Sam and I drove Todd to Champlain College and waited in town for him to teach his class and I nursed in pubic again. No one, that I noticed, even paid me any attention on either occasion.

Thank you very much to everyone who shared her experience with me. It truly made a difference. There is a breastfeeding support group nearby in Johnson, VT, but I kinda like the one I have right here.

UPDATE: thank you, sir, may i have another?

Digby's none too pleased about the treadmarks on her back:

I would have to guess that if more than 17% of the congress were women, there would be a little bit less likelihood that women's rights would be so often used as a handy tool to placate neanderthals. That's just a guess. Habits are hard to break.

Which brings us back to Jeannette Rankin who said, "We are 52% of the population, we should be 52% of the Congress."

This is where our work lies. We must work tirelessly to elect more pro-choice women to state and national offices.

And MNKid had a wonderful comment below:

I am now post-menopausal. Safe from the interference of Government in my uterus and ovaries. I am childless. No daughters. Why should I care about the "stup(id)ak" ammendment?

It's all good for ME isn't it?

I have a great-niece and a great-nephew. It's stunning to think that she may not enjoy any of the reproductive freedoms so many women have fought for over the 20th and now the 21st Century. It's criminal that my nephew may grow up in the same kind of misosgynistic society as did his Great-Grandfather.

Health Care Reform should have been single payer. Health Care Reform should have been so much more than what it is becommin...another pile of bureaucratic loopholes and double-speak to shield the reality of less care for women.

There is no change to believe in here. I am disappointed in President Obama. He left it up to congress to come up with a plan without presenting anything but his own vague ideas. I am stupified at the Blue Dogs. I am outraged at the GOP and their propaganda machines. I am just plain sad about the willful ignorance of so many of the American populace.

My scheduled donations to Planned Parenthood begin today. My letters to my Congress Rep and Senators go out today. Stand up, keep fighting!

h/t Ms. Farenheit

the wheels on the bus

[Pulls self out from under the bus, brushes dust from pants, flips Congress the bird]

Yesterday 64 Democrats voted for the Stupak Amendment as an 11th hour swap to get the votes for Health Reform. The Pro-Coathanger Brigade I call them.

Sigh.

Sam received this onesie from his thoughtful Auntie Monica A.

This is just what I was talking about when I said I wasn't ready to explain to my daughter about why exactly her uterus is the business of people like Bart Stupak. Yet I was completely blind-sided. Early yesterday morning, in between feedings, diaper changings and blowouts, onesie wettings, crying and cooing, I told Todd that there was no fucking way that this amendment would pass. Only now do I realize the full mental implications of 1-3 hours at a time of sleep for the past 5+ weeks - my mind is mush and lacking cynicism.

After getting some of the anger off my chest, today I've been thinking about what I can do. I'm going to work my ass off for Deb Markowitz, who is running for Governor of Vermont. I'm going to donate money to Planned Parenthood. And volunteer my time to a non-profit in Burlington helping women who are the victims of domestic abuse.

I will raise my son to be a tolerant man. We're already planning his first trip to DC, and I guess its never too early to introduce him to our friends at CodePink.

I've been thinking of Jeannette Rankin a lot today. She's someone I so admire: first woman elected to the House of Representatives, 4 years before women had the right to vote. She bravely cast her vote against war, twice. She dedicated herself to the suffrage movement. And she stormed the Capitol with 5000 other women in 1968 at the age of 87 to protest the Vietnam War.

When I feel alone and bitter, I read this.

Here is where I'll note that yesterday, from the morning to the 11 p.m. vote and into the wee hours of the next morning, we got our information exclusively from Twitter on our Blackberries. I have an awesome list of people I follow, and yes, pre-dominantly women. I got information as quickly as it was coming off the wires. And was re-tweeting and replying to people in rapid response format. I was able to converse and commiserate with people, ask questions, shoot off angry tweets: it was goddamn great.

[I do not miss Huffington Post and their screaming 72 point font headlines]

The information age is constantly evolving. 5 years ago most people didn't have their own blog. Now, blogs are only one cog in the whole machine. I just kinda snort when people diss Twitter on their blogs.

Now I gotta go feed my son, whom I had by CHOICE.

Wicked smart

In which Sam demonstrates his amazing skillz.