H is for Hibernation

There is a ridiculous amount of snow in our neighbourhood... here's a photo of the snow pile beside our tree. It's hard to tell how high it is, but my sore back from shovelling snow to the top of it is further proof!
H is also for Heat, and, the blower on our furnace.... well, it blew. Completely. We had to spend a gut-wrenching amount of money that we don't have to get it fixed today, which is all the more sweet just before Christmas. And to celebrate our newly warm house, I decided that we needed to go... outside.

I hadn't been out for a walk with Sara in days because we've either had howling winds, blowing snow, icy and snow encrusted sidewalks, freezing rain, or all of the above. Today it was cold but sunny and the winds were calm after an overnight snow dump, so I seized the opportunity. And well, let's just say that when people told me how much harder it would be to go out during the winter, they weren't kidding! I used to leave the stroller on our walkway, ready to go at a moment's notice, and I could just walk out the door with Sara, my shoes and keys. Here's how it goes these days...

First: Boots. She tried to eat one while I put on the other, and cried when I took it away. Then, mittens. Sara doesn't like losing control of her fingers, and started to shriek while I shimmied the first one on, so next came the soother. Then, the snowsuit. This is surprisingly the easiest part. Next, I had to figure out where to put her while I got my gear on, including my boots which were wet from shovelling the driveway. I wheeled her playpen over to the front door and put her in it. Sitting in her snowsuit is tough, even though it's designed to be thin, and she soon tipped backwards in a pink pouf with arms and legs sticking out. Not impressed and unable to get back up, she started to cry again while I got my boots on. Once we were ready, I scooped her up and finished with her hat and hood. Finally we were out the door, only to discover that the sun we'd had streaming through the windows all day was totally gone.

Next: Opened the garage, pulled out the stroller, and strapped her in. Easy. Then came the plastic wind shield with velcro tabs. Who designed this thing?? It doesn't go over the stroller easily, and I spent more time trying to keep the hard plastic from hitting Sara in the face while I wrestled it on. Finally we were ready to go, and I pushed the stroller onto the sidewalk. Things were going well, snow was falling softly, and Sara was content. Then, we hit the end of the street... and a wall of snow. Yes, the considerate snow and sidewalk plow drivers had built snow walls at every corner, so unless our stroller has hydraulic features I'm not aware of, we were trapped. I had to find fully shovelled driveways on each side of the streets, and cross where we could. But I must say, our Graco stroller handles the winter terrain very well!

It was great to get outside, but our walks won't be as frequent over the next few months.... although she does look so cute in her winter gear!
Every winter I wish I could just hibernate and go out on my own terms, and this year is going to be the closest we get. So we will decorate for the holidays, find some new indoor games, and I'll enjoy every moment at home with my favourite girl!