When I was pregnant with Beth, I still worked in an office full-time, and several days a week at lunchtime, a few co-workers and I would slip on the sneakers we kept in our cars or file cabinets or desk drawers, and go for a nice long walk. It was a pleasant way to spend the lunch hour, and we walked quickly enough to get some exercise, too.

During the spring I was pregnant with Lucy and Beth was still not quite 2, we were living in Wilsonville. Our apartment was about half a mile from the town center, which meant that almost every day we went for a walk--to the library, or the bank, or to pick up milk at the grocery store. Sometimes we would go to the park, or walk along a quiet country road at the edge of town where horses watched us over the fence.

I enjoyed those walks for many reasons, but one of the main benefits, in my mind, was that I could walk at a good pace, for an extended period of time, and get some exercise on these daily outings.

Now I am pregnant with my third, and going for long brisk walks just isn't as easy as it used to be. Beth used to be content to ride in the stroller with Lucy while I pushed the two of them. I used to walk for miles, while they rode along happily. But Beth is almost 4 now, and she is no longer content to sit passively. She must walk and run and jump beside me. She must stop every 10 feet or so to examine a crack in the sidewalk or an interesting leaf or the shadow cast by our neighbor's tree.

These things are all well and good, and to be honest I think an almost-4-year-old really ought to be walking on her own two feet instead of riding in a stroller. But it sure makes getting some exercise harder. Walking at Beth-pace, for distances Beth-legs can handle, just doesn't provide much of a workout. A pleasant excursion, yes. Exercise? No.

So, that just means I have to get up early if I want to walk before the kids are up. One more little challenge to staying in shape. That's just what I need.