Get going!

We've been busy little bees lately! I'm preparing for my upcoming international trip. Tom's preparing to take his last ARE. And all this on top of the usual work, house, exercise, Holly, etc. duties. I need to head to sleep soon but couldn't resist posting about our recent outdoor experiences.

Now that Holly's sleep and nap schedule has been pretty stable for about 3 months, we feel better (and alert enough) to get outside and do a little exploring with her. Tom and I both enjoyed camping, hiking, kayaking, swimming, running, traveling and more before Holly joined us. We've been slowly integrating her into these occupations. She did a bit of light hiking with us in Asheville, she enjoyed the ocean a few weeks back, she's been loving the local swimming options, and she went out over 4th of July weekend in a paddle boat on a local lake.

This Saturday morning, Tom popped off to a local yard sale and discovered an excellent canoe at an excellent price. And now it's ours! We took her out on her maiden voyage today and had a really lovely time! Last night, as we read through local paddling options we discussed whether or not we were insane for taking a toddler out canoeing. I did a few searches and found that if we're insane, at least we're not alone. There's a whole family-paddling community out there supporting each other. One woman even had recommendations for taking your 4-month old on an overnight trip which included how to breastfeed in a canoe while both parties were wearing PFDs. OK- now that's hardcore!

Holly loved dipping her hand and toys in the water as we paddled and experiencing the local bird life. Except for losing one of her rubber duckies (fear not, Princess Duckie was rescued from the lake after some tears alerted us to her absence and she rode in the prow with me for the rest of the trip) she really seemed to enjoy her first canoe trip. She didn't mind the massive sunscreen and hat action. She didn't complain about her PFD. She did suggest a few times,"Mama- Holly walk on water?" which prompted some interesting conversations. But on the whole everything went splendidly. So I say to my fellow parents - let's get going! We're thinking of breaking in slowly. Maybe this fall, start with a little car camping. Next spring, some skiing. Who's in?