Big Boy Walk

Lately we've been having trouble with John being naughty and purposefully misbehaving. The whole last week he's been dropping both naps, but then is irritable. Some days he's positively hyperactive, which is not his personality. It's exasperating. My friend Elaine, mom of three, suggested that maybe he needed more physical activity. This reminded me that I had been doing well getting him outside daily for a while, but now that I'm six months pregnant (and still taking sleeping pills all day as part of my anti-emetic drug regimine), I've become quite lax because I'm tired and don't want to do more physical activity. We go days without my ever taking him outside except to put him in a car seat, then into a grocery cart, and back home again. That is simply no good for a growing child bursting with energy!

So, today I took John for a proper morning constitutional. It occurred to me that the family walks we've been taking are good exercise for me and Daddy, but don't provide any exercise for John because he is in a stroller or wagon. I was quite nervous about John bolting because he likes to do that and doesn't understand walking next to Mama. I took my Ergo in case John tired out or became rambunctious and I had to carry him all the way back home.

We walked the smallest block around our house, which is one-half mile. John did great! We don't have sidewalks in our neighborhood, so I couldn't teach him the easy rule of "stay on the sidewalk." I just kept him on the lawn-side and I walked on the street-side. I reminded him to "always walk next to Mama." When a car came by, I held his body so he couldn't bolt. When we crossed streets, we practiced, "Look left, no cars, look right, no cars, look left, no cars, now hold Mama's hand."

Here is John looking at ants:
"Show Mama your stick!"

The walk took an exceedingly long time because of how often John wanted to stop and look at leaves, sticks, dirt, grates, dead bugs, living bugs, airplanes overhead, and trash. We saw two dogs and one cat, but the very friendly cat was covered in open sores so I told John that she was sick and we were not going to touch her. John got tired twice and asked to be carried briefly.

When we got home, sweaty John ate a snack and fell asleep in short order to take a deep morning nap. Hurray! (And thanks, Elaine!)