Raina grows stronger!
Raina has never been particularly outdoorsy or much a fan of exercise, so getting her outside and active has been a continuous struggle for us. For the first three years of her life, she chose the stroller for every activity and she refused to go anywhere after Lola arrived, because she had been displaced from the stroller. Family ventures came to a halt, which was miserable for everyone, so we've made a concerted effort to build up her endurance over time.
At age four, she could walk to the local playground about 1/2 mile away, run around like crazy, and make it home but there was much complaining, stopping, and crying. At 5, she could do it happily and without complaint OR she could Big Wheel there with some assistance. At 5.5 years, she could run the entire trip there and back OR she could walk to our favorite local restaurant (about 1 mile away), have dinner, and then walk home. Now she can wander around the STL Zoo for a few hours and all we hear are excited statements of "Let's go over there to see this animal!" I think in a year or two she'll be ready for some real tourist-focused walking cities like Chicago, New York, or DC. It's glorious.
Raina's newest discovery is the bike. We come home from school and she bikes around the driveway while I make dinner and, on weekends, she bikes to the playground or to a restaurant. Going uphill she bikes at a walking adult's pace and going downhill matches a light jog, so it's perfect for us. It's possible that this summer will see Raina and I at Creve Coeur Lake Park -- a nice, flat bike loop -- to see if she can make it the full 3.7 miles. If so, we'll be able to do long family walks again, which brings me great joy. She currently has a very old hand-me-down bike that doesn't fit her well (she's grown tall and leggy) so we're going to upgrade her bike for her birthday in a few weeks. I'm excited to see what she does with it!
At age four, she could walk to the local playground about 1/2 mile away, run around like crazy, and make it home but there was much complaining, stopping, and crying. At 5, she could do it happily and without complaint OR she could Big Wheel there with some assistance. At 5.5 years, she could run the entire trip there and back OR she could walk to our favorite local restaurant (about 1 mile away), have dinner, and then walk home. Now she can wander around the STL Zoo for a few hours and all we hear are excited statements of "Let's go over there to see this animal!" I think in a year or two she'll be ready for some real tourist-focused walking cities like Chicago, New York, or DC. It's glorious.
Raina's newest discovery is the bike. We come home from school and she bikes around the driveway while I make dinner and, on weekends, she bikes to the playground or to a restaurant. Going uphill she bikes at a walking adult's pace and going downhill matches a light jog, so it's perfect for us. It's possible that this summer will see Raina and I at Creve Coeur Lake Park -- a nice, flat bike loop -- to see if she can make it the full 3.7 miles. If so, we'll be able to do long family walks again, which brings me great joy. She currently has a very old hand-me-down bike that doesn't fit her well (she's grown tall and leggy) so we're going to upgrade her bike for her birthday in a few weeks. I'm excited to see what she does with it!
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