Back on our bikes!

I had to reach for the pedals with my tiptoes, making me sit artificially straight in the seat with my shoulders squared and my chest high. For a minute I wondered what on earth had happened to my bike, until I remembered that the last time I had ridden it I was 39 weeks pregnant with Finley, and I had had to have Seth to adjust the seat to accommodate my burgeoning belly.

It was crazy to think that it had been months. And then, that it had been only five months. Having a baby sends you into a weird kind of time warp. 

I looked over my shoulder at Seth pedaling slowly (carefully!) behind me, our precious cargo strapped into the trailer behind his bike. She was bouncing around alarmingly but seemed fine, busily chewing on the straps and taking in the late evening shadows with wide blue eyes. What a difference a couple months makes!

We were ecstatic that Finley was getting big enough for the bike trailer and the jogging stroller in time for weather nice enough to enjoy family outside time.

Less ecstatic that this seemed to coincide with a decline in the enjoyability of weekend family snuggle time. (Finley no longer contentedly drifts off to sleep after a morning bottle in the big bed on weekend mornings. Instead she thrashes around, flails her limbs, pulls our hair, and makes increasingly loud baby chirps as we try to go back to sleep, drifting off again only after it's been long enough for Mom to have given up and downed two cups of coffee, foreclosing the possibility of more sleep. Then she and Seth snuggle while I do dishes. Evil genius.)

In an effort to exhaust the little beast, and enjoy the finally-springlike weather, we spent as much of our weekend as possible outside. It was cherry blossom season in DC, but Finley and I braved the traffic Saturday for a walk along the river with Steph (and a play date with Tessie, which went surprisingly well.) We couldn't quite bring ourselves to deal with the tourist crush on the mall, so we retreated to Bethesda's own cherry blossoms, which are almost as nice.

And, of course, we have cherry blossoms right in our front yard! Spring in DC really is lovely.

 It's not quite warm enough for swimming weather, though. We've been dying to take Finley for her first swim, but the water at the Walter Reed pool is really, really cold. Finley kicked like a champ, but screamed like a banshee. We'll have to try again when it warms up a bit. We're convinced she's going to love it.

Seth indulged me Sunday morning before barricading himself in the library, and we all went to brunch at the Bethesda Farmer's Market. There's a food truck there that I've been stalking called the Culinary Nomad, and it was even better than advertised (deep fried cheese grits? Yes, please.) Besides, I think that a sunny Sunday brunch picnic is pretty much heaven on earth. 

Now it's Monday and I'm stuck in airport number two, headed to Madison, WI for a couple days for an outreach argument. I hate leaving Seth and Finley, but I have to admit that I'm excited about the sleep.

And, OK, the cheese curds.

But it would be impossible not to miss this crazy baby, who is as happy eating her feet...

...as she was determined to steal my breakfast potatoes. (Seriously. She snatched a handful while I wasn't watching. This isn't a great photo, but it's evidence!)