At one time, which already feels like a mini life time ago. I was a head up, shoulders back, chest out, stroller pushing Career woman. I use to walk or ride my 20 year old Sears Roebuck, three speed, (pulling my bigs which were my littles then). I would stop at the magazine shop, pick up my Utne Reader, get myself a latte, stop at Adventure Cycling Association (where Paul worked) and get my fill of America’s cross section, and get my hair cut (every three weeks). This would all happen even before I turned the keys to my office. And the first matter of business upon entering my beautiful, quiet, healing space was to put on the radio. And I would exhale with relief to hear that National Public Radio was still being transmitted over the waves.

For anyone who is not aware, I use to be a professional, who owned my own business and had the luxury of raising my two children (Rainy and Torrent) in that office. I was so proud of myself. There I was raising well socialized, educated, polite, sophisticated, worldly children in the midst of helping others reach their ultimate innate human potential. I was a chiropractor, a good one, who adjusted men, women, children, babies, the occasional K-9, and a few of the neighborhood homeless dudes.

Back then I was aware of things, many things; my town, the plight of non-profits, the education battles, the struggles on the Black Foot Reservation, Seattle and Calgary, (they were the two closest big cities around, just 8 hours away) and who is selling the best cloth diapers and covers in a 50 mile radius. I was also in the know politically speaking too. I could converse about many grown-up, professional things. Trust me I was really well informed. I just wish now I could list a few things that I knew then. But I can’t because since then I have nursed a lot (62 months to be exact. The last 20 months nursing twins, so I like to double that current nursing figure. That would bring my nursing grand total, to date, a whopping 82 months!) Like I said, I nursed a lot and I’m still going strong. Nursing and remembering don’t co-exist well with each other.

So, like I just mentioned, here I am now, years later…still nursing, not just one baby at a time but two, Dare and Sanguine. By the way, they will be 20 months on the on the 4th I mean the 6th…you see what I mean. I am not walking to work any more, or reading the Utne Reader, buying the latte or getting my hair cut in some stylish do (We are all well aware of what the hair dos and hair don’ts have looked like the past two years). Instead I am walking to the elementary school, to the park, the library, to the science center, and to the grocery store. The one thing that has remained constant however in my listening to NPR. Every morning at 5:45 I still exhale with relief that National Public Radio is still being funded. When that clock radio clicks on and there is that beautifully clear, calm, radio voice about to tell me of all that has happened since last nights dinner I wait eagerly for the current events. I Even make sure that I am in a comfortable position, with my blankets placed perfectly without rustling. And as I wait patiently for that information to break the silence of the morning all I hear is Dare’s soft, sweet voice calling: mama, mama, mama, mama. Shoot, I missed it. Well, it goes like that all day long. Just as I am about to get the big news, any time of day, all I get is a real life kid either talking incessantly, singing off key, crying as if he has been wounded, laughing like a hyena, or yelling like we are all deaf.

I know it is all OK. As a matter of fact, it is all GREAT! Because now instead of that, sometimes, hard to swallow Dr. title. I have earned or have been bestowed upon some of the most incredibly, meaningful titles that describe my new and dynamic career. Try these on for size… I wear them everyday; Mama, Momica, Mamakins, Dali Mama, and last but not least Dog-ma… Jojo gave me that one. She is the Human Whisperer.

Bicycling has been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember. Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to earn money guiding, instructing, performing, exploring, delivering, racing, repairing, maintaining, designing, selling, and building bicycles. I spent 5 years using my talent as a designer at Adventure Cycling Association in Missoula, Montana inspiring people to travel by bike. Since leaving Missoula, I’ve had the opportunity to design the websites for both the League of American Bicyclists and the National Center for Bicycling and Walking. I also designed a t-shirt recently, emblazoned with the words: Embrace Sustainability! Ride Your Bike. And now, I’ve officially become an advocate/activist for bicycling. I’ve been appointed to the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Council for the City of Ithaca and I’ve been elected to the New York Bicycle Coalition Board of Directors. I just got back from The National Bike Summit in Washington D.C. and I am motivated more than ever.

My mission now is to help make Ithaca a place, where bicycling is respected and embraced. So keep your eye on the new domain bikewalkithaca.org. This should be a fun ride.

The switch happened about six weeks ago. Paul and I decided that it was a good time to wean the littles at night. It’s hard to believe but I guess I was beginning to show signs of being a bit tired. I hadn’t had a full night sleep in more than 18 months. Up until this point my bed time job was to put the littles down the only way there is, to nurse them into oblivion. Too bad though, the trance only lasted for two hours. And then I do it again and again and again, until Paul’s sweet voice woke me the next morning. Paul was in charge of putting the bigs down by reading and singing. Well, anyone with milk in their boobs would tell you that I had it made… I possessed the only REAL Super Hero Power.

Well, back to weaning. It took about three nights for the littles to get over me. I guess you could say I was sadened by the short amount of time it took. But then I was beginning to feel bad for Paul. His sentence now was just beginning—to spend the rest of his nights fighting the littles to just relax and give up the ghost. And all I had to do was read and sing. I was on easy street, or so I thought. But then something funny happened, the bigs wanted a lot of books read and my entire repertoire to be sung every night. And just as I was finishing up the first book, I would hear Paul leave the babies and walk down the creakiest stair case, just minutes after saying good night to us. And now the babies are sleeping through the night too.

On occasion I ask him how he does it, and he gives me a big smile with a little giggle and says “they just fall right asleep.” I know one thing, Paul is my super hero!