Outdoor fun

It is finally spring/summer in Saskatchewan. The weather has been warm and sunny, and it is projected that we will have more of the same - even getting hot - in the week to come. We have been doing lots of outdoor activity. This is partly just related to the weather, and partly related to a new sleep strategy we are trying.

It has been difficult (especially for Jeff) having Maren go to bed so early and get up so early. Jeff has been getting up with her at 4:30 or 5:00 am everyday. So we are trying to keep her up a bit later in hopes that she will start sleeping a bit later. Instead of letting her determine bedtime, which has lately been around 5:00 pm, we are trying to keep her up until at least 6:00 pm. In order to accomplish this, we are spending time with her outside close to bedtime. She has also started getting really into music, and will "dance" along to anything that has a good beat. So after outside time, we have been having a pre-bedtime dance party every night. It's hard to say whether it is working, but we did have two days in a row where she slept in until 5:40 am, and that was a sign of possible success.  We are going to keep trying, and hopefully there will be some lasting change. Fingers crossed.

One of the outside activities we have been doing is carrier bike rides in the recumbent. I know that all the experts say not to bring a baby on a bike until after age 1, but after thinking about it, as long as I don't go too fast, it's no different than pushing her in a stroller. So while I can't go for long walks in the stroller, I am able to cover that kind of distance by riding with her on my tricycle. We have so far gone to the park and taken a trip to the local library branch. I am looking forward to many more trips in the months to come!