Huckleberry Finn

I just had to share these happy springtime photos. I promise I did not plan this photo shoot. When I saw the combination of overalls and daffodils, I had to grab the camera. (I do not promise, however, that these are the only two photos I took.)

I also thought some of you might get a kick out of this repurposed stroller:

Notice the seat so beautifully cut away?

As my back was aching from hours of stooping to support a two foot tall human, I thought, there has to be a better way! With all the crazy parental gadgets out there, hasn't anyone invented a way to help your child walk without breaking your back? Well, actually, the answer is yes, but would you put your child in this? After passing on the baby reins, we were left with the push toy option.

Jane LOVES this lion, but it is not very good at helping her walk because as soon as she puts any weight on it, it flies out in front of her and she lands on her face. She needed something she could hold on to and push, but that I could control while standing up relatively straight. Enter the modified umbrella stroller. It's perfect! Jane can hold the bars in the back, and with the seat cut away, she can see over it as she is walking. I can either hold onto the handles and help steer, or put the brakes on, which adds just enough friction to let her push by herself. Can you tell I am proud of this?
Disclaimer: I was quite torn about the prospect of cutting up a perfectly good stroller, but it was a ten year old hand-me-down, so I decided it was worth the sacrifice. I think I've already made up for the cost of it in Advil saved.

Spring fever

Wow, I can't believe it has been a month since my last post! Jane is down to just one nap a day, so I guess that has something to do with it. So what are we doing with all those extra hours of "wake time"? Going outside as much as possible!

Jane, Nickel, Maggie and I were all getting pretty sick of being limited to indoor activities. See how much happiness a little fresh air can bring?

Also, note that our little army crawler finally picked her tummy up off the floor. That's right! At fourteen months, Jane has mastered the traditional crawl. We have hardly recognized this milestone, however, because she is also cruising, standing on her own, and even taking her FIRST STEPS!

Look, Ma, no hands! 

Don't forget to stop and smell the flowers

Ok, time to back up a couple weeks to our first attempt at going outside this spring (winter). I may have jumped the gun because it was not exactly warm on February 15, but I think the hooded jacket and bib combo worked quite nicely for our picnic in the park.  

Last Friday we discovered another fun outdoor activity: feeding the birds! This is such a classic kid thing. I am so excited that Jane is old enough to enjoy going to see the ducks, geese, and pigeons at Centennial Park. She doesn't quite understand who the bread is for yet.

Jane loves to hear and then spot airplanes/helicopters.
I never knew there were so many until she started noticing them all the time.

Most recently, we have enjoyed going to this nearby playground. (It's at the far end of this picture, past the gazebo.)

I am embarrassed to admit that it is only three blocks from our house and I just discovered it last week. It's in this little dead end street pocket in a direction we rarely walk, so I didn't even think to go there. But thanks to a walk one afternoon with Richard, we happened upon it and are so grateful. There is never more than one other person there, so I let Maggie run loose and chase tennis balls to her heart's content. Meanwhile, Jane goes down the slide... head first!  

I never intended for her to plummet towards the ground head first, but she insists. It was definitely a surprise, coming from a baby who is just now taking a few independent steps. Who knew she had a daredevil streak?! So here's the routine... See how there is another slide coming out the other side of the platform to the right? As soon as Jane gets to the bottom of one slide, she turns around and crawls back up (with us pushing her), then as long as she is facing the other slide, she just dives on into the hole head first. She is thrilled and can't get enough!  

So, here's to going outside! Right now, I am typing at my desk with the back door open, so I feel like I'm outside, and Maggie feels like she's inside. We are both happier.