Our Trip to Jemison Park

Ok, for real this time. I am going to be better about posting to this blog (she says as her baby starts fussing behind her).

I wanted to play catch-up on all the stuff I haven't posted because I'm the worst, but I guess I won't bother. At least not at this point. Needless to say, our little man is growing up!

We went for a walk at Jemison Park in Mountain Brook, AL yesterday. This was my first time going there, but not Patrick's. I had actually had a friend at church suggest the same walking trail to us, but I don't think when I mentioned it to Patrick that he got the connection (she had told me it was just past Brookwood Mall and that was all I knew).

On a creekside trail at Jemison Park

Patrick and I enjoy walking, it's cheap, it's healthy and it's a nice way to appreciate how beautiful our state is. I honestly wish we walked more but with Wiley being so little I've yet to really want to venture out on my own with just me and him.

We have a stroller (Baby Trend Encore Travel System), but it's not the fanciest and I didn't really expect it to be so great on trails (I have taken it on some gravely terrain, but mostly keep it to sidewalks and indoor places). Don't get me wrong, I really like the stroller for what we got it for. I just knew for walking trails I wanted to see about baby wearing. After much research and saving of the gift cards we were given we bought an Ergo Sport baby carrier.

We did use his stroller during the "snowpocalypse" since we didn't want to risk us slipping on ice while wearing him.

We love the Ergo. The Sport is great because it's designed to fit bigger people, like myself. I am right at the limit on the waist belt, but I'm hoping once the weather gets nicer that I might be able to get out on more walks and change that. What's great about it is that it can fit both me and my husband. While I'm reasonably tall (5'7") and my husband is semi-tall (5'11") there's about 100lbs of weight difference between us (he's tall and lanky, I'm fat). We actually went to a the local babywearing meeting and talked with them about what options were out there for us since we did need one carrier for two different shaped people. I'd wanted an Ergo from the start but didn't want to buy one without being sure we could both wear it. They also showed us a wrap carrier, which I really liked and want to get... but the Ergo was easier for us to put on (though I do think the wrap carrier gave my back better support). The thing is, I could probably get my mother in law to make us one (someday I will get a sewing machine and learn to sew, we just have no space in this apartment for one), so I hated to spend so much money on something I could buy the fabric for and make for way less.

Patrick and Wiley at the Preserve in Hoover, AL after the snowpocalypse of '14 had started to melt.

So we went to Jemison Park and had a great time walking around, we think we probably went for over 2 miles, but we're not sure. There was a lady with a stroller and right after I noticed her and her friend turn around we came upon a "foot traffic only" area of the park, a creek with concrete blocks sticking up out of it that you crossed on. I was pretty nervous because since my pregnancy I've become less than confident in my balance (I fell twice during pregnancy). I asked Patrick to venture out onto it first and see if he thought that it would be difficult for me to manage with Wiley (since we're front-wearing currently and it's not like I can look down and see my feet).

Patrick and Lupe testing the waters.

After some discussion I decided to go for it and once I stopped being super careful and slow I found it relatively easy. I managed to cross the creek twice (coming and going), so I'd say I did pretty good.

Me and Wiley crossing back over the creek.

Success!

Even Lupe managed the crossing like a champ, she's a good little dog.

Jemison Park is in Mountain Brook so there are tons of big, beautiful houses. One of the neatest houses we saw though was one that had been built to look like a mill (though it never was used as one) and had served as a tea house for years before becoming a private residence. I think it's image is also used on the seal for Mountain Brook or something to that effect. 

I wish we could live here.

But the actual creek in the actual park was also very pretty (I just opted to not get a million photos).

I guess there's not much more to say about the park. We didn't make it to the end of the trail, though when I looked at the map I couldn't figure out if we made it to the end of the park but not the end of the connected nature trail. I don't know. Either way, hopefully someday we'll be better prepared and in shape to make it the whole way. I may try to write up posts about some of the other trails we've walked on soon.