I haven’t blogged for quite some time, but I feel like things are coming back to a balance where there is more time for things like climbing. When Annie was about 6 months (right when she started crawling well), I started taking her with me to the gym once or twice a week. She thinks it’s great fun to crawl all over and chew on the ropes and hang from the holds. And for the first time since her delivery, I can say that my strength is returning. I started bouldering again for the first time in well over a year (only route climbing during my pregnancy). My body is starting to remember the faster, more powerful movement- and I notice big strides each week. While I spend the vast majority of my time at the crag/gym chasing Annie around, I am starting to send 13s again. Still a ways away from my pre-pregnancy level of performance, I feel healthy, strong, and psyched.
Annie is now 9 months old and makes me so fundamentally happy. I am in awe of her everyday as I watch her discover the world around her. I am so in love that I feel like my heart is going to explode any day now. Pure adoration. So many of my parenting worries have lulled and there are moments when I could not feel any more whole. I look forward to the evening hours every day when I read her bedtime stories, watch her eyes flutter as I nurse her to sleep, and then just rock for a while in the serenity of the moment. I feel incredibly connected to her and we have so much understanding between the two of us. There is nothing more magical.
And what I couldn’t be more happy about is how much Annie likes to be outside. It will be easier when she’s a little older and beyond the ‘I-must-shove-all-the-dirt/rocks/sticks-I-can-find-into-my-mouth-stage’, but it is still wonderful to see her hanging out at the crag as if nothing could be more normal. One of the key beta points I’ll offer to other parents trying to bring baby out to the crag is the hammock. Annie’s like most babies- when she’s tired, you have a short window to get her to sleep and beyond that it’s living with an over-tired baby (think honey badger). She’s never been one to nap easily (forget stroller, carseat, etc). Enter: hammock. I picked up one of those easily-packed, stuffs down to the size of a raincoat- hammocks at REI a couple of weeks ago and it is the ticket to napping outdoors. The downside/upside is that I have to nap with her. That’s a win-win if you ask me.
Here’s some photos of family craggin over the past couple months:
Just woke up from our nap
Cheering on Papa
Baby sign for 'Allez!'
River Ready
The best toys in life are free
We even travel with our own lifeguard
