Boy, have things changed!

This post was inspired by the concert Riley and I went to Saturday night. Now, I've been to my fair share of concerts, many of them with my good friend Jenna. However, none of the concerts I have attended before were quite like this one was. It really had nothing at all to do with the band, and everything to do with the place I'm at in my life right now.

But let me back up a little. For Riley's birthday, I bought him tickets to The Black Keys. He also received gift certificates to Earls and thus, a date night was born. Grandma and Grandpa Little were lined up to babysit and left with explicit instructions for bed time, and we were on our way. This was the first time we had been away from Griffin for longer than just a few hours. Our first stop was dinner. We decided this would be a cheat day on the paleo diet we have been following (I'll leave the details of that for another post), and boy did we make it count!

After not eating dairy or gluten, or consuming any alcohol or caffeine for nearly a month, I really went all out. We ordered an appetizer (breaded calamari) and I drank 2 mojitos (which were delicious by the way), and then proceeded to eat meals that contained bread, cheese, and an array of other foods we have been avoiding. We also had a hot fudge sundae for dessert, and I finished it all off with a glass of white wine, while Riley enjoyed several beer. We ate more carbs in one meal than we had in the month leading up to it. And we were both feeling it after - bloated doesn't even begin to describe it.

 Anyway, being that I was going to be away from Griffin for at least 6 hours, I knew I was going to need to pump. However, by the time we were ready to leave for Rexall, I wasn't ready to pump yet. I didn't want to bring the whole pump to the concert, especially since we were taking a taxi down there. So I decided to just bring the little carrying case with an ice pack in it and an empty bottle - might as well keep the milk for later, as I wasn't going to be drinking anymore. So I shoved the whole thing in my purse and off we went.

When we got to the concert, they were searching bags. I pulled out the little black carrying case from my pump and proceeded to explain to the security guy that it was just an empty bottle, so he didn't need to worry. He looked at me strangely as I realized that he was expecting a bottle of vodka or something. I opened it up to show him the empty baby bottle and started to stammer an explanation. He cut me off part way through, "Just go," he said. So with that embarrassment over, we started looking for our section. 

Riley picked up beer and popcorn on the way to our seats (because clearly we needed to eat more carbs), and we were ready, except for the fact that it had now been about 4 hours since I had nursed Griffin and I was getting very uncomfortable. The opening act was finished and they were setting up for The Black Keys. I figured as soon as I left my seat they'd be ready to start - just my luck. But Riley convinced me to go because they hadn't done the sound check yet.

So off I went. I found a bathroom close to our section and got myself set up. Let me tell you, hand expressing breastmilk at a concert in the bathroom is not something I ever imagined I'd be doing. But there I was. Standing in the stall, listening to drunk girls talking about other girls, milking myself. And, you guessed it, as soon as I got my nursing bra unclipped, The Black Keys came on stage and started their first song. However, I wasn't about to stop now. I managed to get about an ounce in the bottle - just enough relief to make it through the next few hours.

 The concert was great! During the second or third song, people in front of us and to the left started to stand up. I could still see and was really hoping the people right in front of us would stay in their seats. I mentioned this thought to Riley and we agreed. We wanted to enjoy the concert from our seats, we weren't looking for any exercise (although it may not have been a bad idea after all we ate at dinner). Luckily we were able to enjoy a good view of the stage without having to unplant our butts from our seats for most of the show. It did occur to me that this was a rather different mentality than I used to have at concerts, but it didn't really bother me that I was now one of those old people that got annoyed at the young people standing and blocking my view. As the band came back out on stage for the encore, Riley mentioned that he still had a full beer - now this is not like my husband to not finish a beer. He was struggling to get through it and ended up leaving half of it in the bathroom on our way out - this is another thing I never thought I'd see.

 On our way home all I could think about was that I hoped Griffin was up when we got there so I could nurse him - my one ounce of relief had pretty much disappeared. I was also looking forward to a few consecutive hours of sleep, as my mom and stepdad were going to keep Griffin in their room after I fed him. When we got back to Leduc, he wasn't up, so I decided to pump. Riley was asleep before I finished one side and I was eager to be asleep as well. I finished up and put everything away and of course a few minutes after my head hit the pillow, I heard Griffin. I met my mom in the living room, and as I nursed Griffin I started to feel woozy. I hadn't had anything else to drink since my glass of wine about 4 hours earlier, so I knew it wasn't alcohol causing my discomfort. The wooziness quickly turned to nausea and I all but threw Griffin at my mom while running to the bathroom where I proceeded to throw up.

Was this the first time I'd thrown up after a concert? No. But it was the first time I'd thrown up from a food hangover. Needless to say I won't be going that crazy on my next cheat day. Anyway, I managed to peel myself off the bathroom floor and return to bed where my husband was still snoring away happily. Jealous, I laid down and willed myself to feel better. This was going to be the first time I'd get more than 3 hours of consecutive sleep and I certainly didn't want to spend it being sick! I only had to get up once more, and then I did manage to get 6 hours of sleep. 6 straight, glorious hours. I woke up on Mothers Day feeling refreshed, still a little bloated, and old. I guess concerts aren't what they used to be after you have kids!