Blanche Neige

Our baby lounging in her stroller

Two weeks ago, we had warmer than average weather in Montreal.  I believe we actually reached a high of 10C!  I dusted off our daughter's stroller, and we had our first outing with the carriage since early December.  You might ask yourself why I had stopped using the stroller.  Don't most babies love the gentle vibration proffered by a carriage in motion?  Yes, but not our adorable Brat.  In September 2010, I had registered for a mother-baby exercise class involving strollers.  We would meet the instructor just a few minutes from my house along the Lachine Canal, and with a group of about ten other mothers and their babies, jog, stretch and chat as we navigated the bicycle path.  Within a few minutes, all of the other babies were sound asleep.  The Brat was calm, but not asleep for approximately the first 15 minutes...then she would start whining.  The whining then gave way to tears.  Each class ended with some 15 minutes of isometric exercises and stretching.  At this point, if I did not remove my baby from the carriage, everyone would stare.  They were doubtless wondering what method of torture I was inflicting on the baby, because she was no longer simply crying, she was now wailing.  So out of the carriage came the baby; and the tears would instantly cease.  She did not mind being held, or placed in a forward facing baby carrier, but she was happiest on my exercise mat, where she would crawl around.  I assumed that my baby was particularly active, and did not want to sit still for any length of time.  Suffice it to say, we did not really enjoy the course as much as I had anticipated.  The last class took place in early December; the path along the canal was now snow covered, and not easy to navigate, even with our heavy duty stroller.  I decided to store the stroller in our garage as I had simply had enough of the baby's whining.  In hindsight, I am surprised that I stuck it out for the duration of the course!

The 10C weather of two weeks ago prompted me to give the stroller another go.  I wasn't holding out much hope, but much to my delight my daughter seemed to thoroughly enjoy our outing.  So much so that since then, she attempts to climb into her stroller multiple times a day; she then grabs the straps, and indicates that we should buckle her in and take her out.  At your service Brat!  So we enjoyed a few lovely days outdoors, and then mother nature decided that it was time for some more snow.  We actually got stuck in a snow storm just last week.  The weather, until a few days ago, has been below 0C, and once again we find ourselves indoors.  Environment Canada actually issued a snowfall warning in the Montreal region on the first full day of Spring!

Our cold winter prompted a lengthy discussion about moving to a location with a warmer climate.  Until this last winter, I had not really felt restricted by the cold weather.  With the exception of snow storms, I would jog outdoors five days a week.  However with the baby in tow, it was a different story.  She disliked her stroller, and I found it difficult to keep her warm without the protective environment of the carriage.  Here is a list of alternative warmer-weather locations that I proposed:

-Vancouver.  Main advantage we would still be in Canada.  But what about all the rain?, my husband asked.
-Dubai.  Living income tax-free has it's definite advantages,  but would we both be able to secure work, and what about the scorching hot days of the desert summers?
-Melbourne, Australia.  My husband's company has an office there, but would I find a job as easily?
-Denver, Colorado.  My husband's company also has an office there, and their winters are much warmer than ours, but is living in the USA really that simple?

We are open to suggestions.  Do you live in a child-friendly, warm climate location that you would recommend?

My guess is that we will remain in Montreal for the time being, and that as the Brat grows up, the winters will become more tolerable.