Harlie's First Trip Out

This morning we went to Maymont Park.  I was certainly a little uneasy about taking Harlie out on her first trip.  But I'm glad we did.  Thanks to Jennifer for making it happen.  We had to take two cars, so Jennifer had a friend of hers come with us so she could drive, too.  Thanks for all your help, Kristy!

Getting buckled in.

I don't think I ever told you about Harlie's car seat.  Getting her home from the hospital was tricky.  She wasn't the safest she could have been if we had better equipment.  We did the best with what we had, but it was far from ideal.  After brainstorming with a few folks, Tom came up with a great solution.  We took her harness that she uses on the bus, which has D-rings at both shoulders and both hips and latches in to a system on the bus.  Tom bought that same latch system, and we used her school harness.  This system is also used by parents of special needs kids (for kids that won't stay buckled in, I guess, since the zipper is behind the child and they are unable to unbuckle themselves).  Much safer!

We went in the morning, so we could try to beat the heat.  The forecast said it was going to be 86 today. And Harlie would roast in that cast!  She wanted to be picked up a lot so she could see everything.  Between lifting her and all the walking, Jennifer and I got a nice workout.

Look at this hill!  That is Cooper at the top (in the middle of the photo) wearing light blue.  And Kyleigh (Jennifer's daughter who is just two weeks younger than Harlie) and Murphy are just under him.  They ran up and down that hill a few times.  Whew!

And here's what Harlie did while they went up and down the hill...

Just chillin'.

Murphy

After we walked the park, we ended at the Nature Center, which has fish tanks and otters.  It's an inside building, so it's cooler, too.  Harlie even stood up!  With support, of course.

Cooper, Murphy and Kyleigh

More standing with minimal support!

Harlie loves water play!

She walked down to the end - with support, of course!

Otters are VERY motivating!

Cooper yapping away.

You might be wondering why on earth we let Harlie stand with no shoes on.  Well, we were trying to keep her cool, and we never expected her to stand or walk!  Oops.

So, it turned out to be a great morning.  In the Nature Center I had to tell Jennifer that I was glad that I thought of it (which was totally untrue! It was ALL her!).  It was a lot of work, but it was worth it.  All the kids had a great time and were completely worn out.  It was so great to see Harlie up and "about" some.  I know this cast is only temporary - but I miss all she could do like you wouldn't believe.  I miss seeing her walking around.  I miss seeing her play.  And it was so great to see her enjoying herself - despite that cast!

That's it for now.  Thanks for reading!
~Christy