Tips for Camping With a Baby

If you've never taken your baby/toddler camping, do it! It's really fun. I was a little nervous to take Cohen out on his first tent camping trip. We had a practice round when we camped with my parents at their "campsite" but that was close to home and we were in a camper, so this was a little different. I have had a few people ask me for tips and since we've gone once now, we're experts :)

1. Pack a car bag:
Our trip was a 6 hour drive, which is a long time in a carseat. I packed Cohen a bag that I kept in the front seat with me so that it was easily accessible. The car bag had: diaper and wipes, hand wipes, snacks, sippy cup, toys I knew he liked, a disposable place mat and bib (in case we stopped at any restaurants along the way), a bottle with the water in it and formula nearby, squeeze food pouches (SUCH a lifesaver), and a change of clothes just because you never know.

2. Clothes: This will depend on where you live/where you are going, but around here you have to prepare for any kind of weather. Even if the forecast says sun, there could be rain/wind/hail you just don't know. This is probably obvious, but bring clothes you don't care about getting dirty. For a weekend of camping I packed:  
                          Warm weather clothes (shorts, tank tops, t-shirts)
                          Cold weather clothes (sweats, footie pajamas, sleep sack for at night, socks,
                          sweatshirts,stocking hat)
                          Situation dependent (swimsuit, sun hat, sandals, shoes, sunscreen, UV shirt etc)

*While it was warm during the day, Cohen wore almost everything I had brought him at night. Since he is too little and moves around too much for a sleeping bag I just piled clothes on him and tried to put a blanket on him. I packed 2 of everything because I knew he would get dirty and I ended up putting double layers on him at night so it worked out well.

3. Camping:
                          *Rags/washclothes/towels/wipes - babies are messy and even messier when they are
                            camping. We brought old rags that we could use to clean up toys, hands, etc and
                            just toss if needed. We also brought a thing of Lysol wipes and Wet Ones for cleaning
                            Cohen and his things

                          * Blankets - beach blanket, a blanket just for the crib, and one for outside (fire
                             sitting). I also used one of our larger blankets to put over the side of Cohen's crib so
                             he couldn't see us as well, he still could if he stood up, but if he woke up and looked
                             out he wouldn't see us and instantly start crying.
                          * Pack n play - I almost considered not bringing this but I'm so glad I did. Cohen                                   needs comfort of his 4 walls and I need the sleep without him crawling on my                                                face. Also, if your baby has a favorite blanket or sleep toy, bring them. It helps with
                             sleeping in a strange place. 
                          * Carrier - If you have a carrier, bring it. We brought our Ergo and it was wonderful
                             for carrying Cohen down to the beach where his stroller couldn't go. It also worked
                             well to keep him out of the sand and mud when we didn't want him there
                          * Walker - this isn't absolutely necessary, but it sure was nice. Cohen is a mover and
                             doesn't appreciate being strapped in his carseat/stroller. This let him have a little
                             freedom without being on the ground eating bug. Our walker wasn't actually a
                            walker because it didn't have wheels which was an extra bonus.
                           * Bottled water - we brought bottled water to have for making bottles and for sippy
                              cups
                           * A very large car to hold all of the above and understanding friends who tolerate
                              camping with a baby (thanks Richie and Rachael!)

Also, just be flexible. With a baby, things aren't going to go perfectly, just try to go with it and have fun!

And just as a side note, it's probably best not to work the day before leaving for camping and wait until very last to pack your own bag when the car is running out of room. You might decide you don't really need to pack shoes and you will definitely regret it.

Whew, I think that's it. More pictures coming soon. Would anyone add anything else?

Fess Up Friday - 4th of July Edition

The ultimate photo bomb. And no, he's not singing the Star Spangled Banner, he's BURPING!! Yep, just keepin' it real.

p.s. Several of you have asked if you can "borrow" Fess Up Friday and of course you can!! I don't know how to do fancy link things, but you should post a comment with your blog address so we can all read the fun :)

Down on the Farm

My parents little farm has been growing lately with the addition of the tractor, new goats, and pigs on their way plus the chickens they've had for awhile. We love our fresh eggs and I have a really hard time buying them from the store now.

 {Cohen, meet goat. Goat, meet Cohen. I think you guys will be friends}

The goats are the most recent arrival, they are two girls, a mom and baby. My mom has been milking the mama goat! She makes about a gallon of milk a day. Cohen thought Grampa and Gramma got him a horse, we didn't have the heart to tell him they were goats.

{Mom and Baby}

 

This is the house I grew up in so it's fun to go back and see all they have going on there. We also wandered over to the neighbors raspberry field which is only about 10 steps from my parents yard. In case you didn't know, I am an experienced berry picker. I started in the strawberries when I was 12 or 13 (I think?). We got paid by the pound and it was something like 15 cents a pound, so a whole days work usually brought in about $2.00. Probably needless to say I didn't last very long there, plus June is SO rainy and crawling around in the mud day after day gets old. Then I graduated to working on the raspberry pickers, I need to find a picture of one for those of you who haven't seen one. If you are local, you've seen tons of them. My job was working on the picker and picking out all the bird nests, bad berries, worms etc. From the picker I worked up to the coveted position in the cannery which was similar to the picker but it was inside and we got paid by the hour. Anyway, that's my history as a berry picker!

 

 

{Trying out the goat milk}

The pigs, Bacon Breath and Pork Chop, were scheduled to arrive today but they just got weaned from their mom so they are waiting a few more days to make the move. 

My favorite dessert is Raspberry Royal (seen above), it's kind of like a raspberry cake. So good. Here's the recipe in case you need something delicious.

Cake:
2 C. flour
1/2 t. salt
1/3 C. butter
1 T. baking powder
1 C. Sugar
1 egg, room temp
1 C. milk, room temp
1 t. vanilla

Mix all together.
Pour into greased 13x9.

Top with: 3 1/2 C. fresh raspberries or blueberries.
Bake 350 degrees, 30-35 minutes.
Cool 5 minutes

Top with Glaze:
1 1/2 C. powdered sugar, 2 T. cream, 1 t. vanilla.

We are on our way to my sister's annual neighborhood 4th of July Bash. Happy 4th!!

One Year After Loss

It's been a year since we lost Carter. I never thought I would make it a year without him, but we have. I think the things that I've learned over the year and the things that I would tell someone else going through this are:

You will make it through. Sometimes the pain seems so deep and so excruciating and you don't know how you could possibly make it another day. But you will. Soon the days will get a little easier and pass a little quicker. On the days you feel like you can't possibly make it another step, you can. Focus on the next 30 minutes if you need to, and once you make it through that, you can focus on the next hour. You will find strength you never knew you had and you will keep moving.

You will never get over it. And don't let anyone tell you that you will. You lost a child, not a puppy or a gerbil, your child. A hole in your heart that no one else can ever fill. You will move forward, but you will never forget about your child and move on.

Give yourself permission to feel what you feel. There have been many days when I have just had to let myself be. When I wanted to cry or laugh or not get out of bed, I just had to let myself do those things. I have to go through those emotions and feelings. I knew if I stuffed them down, it wouldn't help. I tried to just accept that people might judge me or stay away from me, but I had to be true to what I was feeling. This was my son and I needed to and deserved to feel these emotions and feelings for him. At the end of the day, the people who truly love you will still be there for you no matter what. 

Do what you need to do to get through the day. If you need to stay in bed and cry, do it. If you need to sit at your baby's grave all day, do it. If you need to go to the grocery store and buy flowers to take your baby, do it. If you need someone else to come over and watch your kids so you can do what you need to, call them. If you need a friend to come over and just sit with you, call and ask. There is no "right" way to grieve.

Most people don't mean to be insensitive or rude, they just don't know. I'm sure we've all heard the "He's in a better place", "God needed another angel" and the "You're young, you can have more kids" statements which generally hurt more than help. People want to help and sometimes say things that to them seem helpful, but really aren't. Just know that they probably mean well and they want you to feel better, they want to help ease some of your pain. If they say something you find offensive or insensitive, gently tell them. Suggest other things they could say or do to help. People who haven't been there won't get it, they can't. 

That lost, dazed and wandering feeling will get better. I remember the first time I went to the grocery store after the boys were born and I just felt so incredibly out of place. I wondered how everyone else's lives could keep going when mine had come to a screeching halt. Things will slowly start to feel more "normal" although it will be a different normal than before.

Ask for help and tell people what you need. Find people that you trust and ask for what you need. Things like loss show you who your true friends really are, the ones who tell you that you can call any time of day or night and mean it. Many people want to help they just don't know how. If you need space or if you need someone just to sit and be with you, or you want to show someone pictures of your baby, etc. Let people know what you need, your true friends will do anything they can to help.

I hope this can somehow encourage anyone else who is going through this. On the days it seems like there is no possible way that you can take one more step, you can. The days will be long and hard, but you will make it!

Anyone else have anything they would add?

Spectacle Lake - Hiking & Fishing

The men were in fish heaven. They would go out in the boat at least twice a day, even in the rain, and be out for hours fishing. I know Danny had really been looking forward to getting some good fishing time in and he got lots of it. They also caught a lot of fish. Almost every time they went out they would come back with a few more fish.

Cohen also got to go out for his first boat ride! He tried to convince Grampa to get him a fishing pole, but the pole is still bigger than he is so he decided to wait awhile.

On Monday, it was rainy but we decided to go for a hike. We were optimistic that the sun would come out, which it did, but not until we got home later in the afternoon. We drove through and out of Tonasket to a campground which was the start of our hike. It was a nice, easy 2 mile hike around Beaver Lake over to Beth Lake. The boys wanted to do some fishing but by that point it was pouring and we got chilly when we stopped moving. Cohen didn't want to miss out on any excitement and had been fighting sleep the whole car ride and the majority of the hike. Finally, he passed out and we had to scoop him out of the backpack.

 

{See the optimism in our shorts?}

{Too much fun}

Spectacle Lake

Friday morning we set off for Eastern WA bright and early. Cohen was a champ on the 5ish hour drive and we only had to stop a few times. The drive was beautiful and I even stayed awake for most of it, which is rare for me. I did nod off once only to have Danny wake me up and ask me where we were, to which I responded that I had been sleeping and had no clue.

We arrived to the lake and checked into our rooms. We had been to Spectacle Lake on vacation once when I was younger. As we pulled in it still looked pretty much exactly the same. We unloaded our stuff and pulled open to curtain and there was the lake. Such a perfect view right out our window.

Saturday morning we woke up to rain. Since we couldn't play on the lake we decided to go for a little hike.

On Sunday we woke up quite excited. A few years ago our good friends up and moved far, far away all the way to Wisconsin. They recently moved back to Idaho and so we made plans to meet up at the Grand Coulee Dam. More coming on that later. 

The men fully enjoyed the local fishing. Every morning and evening they would head off in the boat and stay out for a few hours. They caught a slew of fish and fried some up for a few meals and had plenty left for the freezer. Meanwhile, the women folk stayed inside planning the renovations to the Spectacle Lake resort while working on a puzzle.

 

 {First taste of fish}

 {Doing dishes, sweeping, and watching the baby...}

{While Gramma does crossword puzzles...}

 {And Danny drinks his morning coffee}

We had planned on staying until Wednesday, but by Tuesday we were growing weary of the rain and sad about the lack of sun we had been promised. It was getting hard to keep Cohen entertained in doors out of his regular habitat and he was growing restless. We decided to pack up and head home. Cohen was a champ on the ride home, he slept for most of it. Whenever he would start to fuss I would just hand another toy or piece of food over to him and he was happy again. 

We had a lot of fun, but I think Cohen was happy to be home. He crawled all around the house and would get a huge smile on his face whenever he found one of his toys.

 

Babies, Friends, & BBQs

Happy July! Whew, we've been busy.

Thursday Danny went golfing with his friend as part of his Father's Day present. I sent Cohen over to Karen's house so I could get some cleaning done. After 5 hours, I had only gotten through our 2 bathrooms and Cohen's room. The rest of the rooms will have to wait I guess. 

Friday was Danny's last day of vacation so we went to Seattle to see some of our friends. Richie and Rachael are visiting for the summer from Ohio and we were pretty excited to see them. We also got to see little Elliott. I got to snuggle him while he slept, I miss that age with Cohen. Minus the wires and machines. All these pictures are cell phone pictures because a) I forgot my camera and b) my camera is being held together with a piece of duct tape and only works when it wants to.

{Sweet & chubby little Elliott}

 {What is that?}

We went out to pizza dinner with our friends and Cohen entertained himself and others quite nicely.

 {Do I have something on my face?}

{Richie, Rachael, and baby Elliott}

Saturday we went to a neighborhood block party BBQ. Our neighborhood is growing quite rapidly and although I play bunco monthly with some of the gals, there are so many we don't still don't know. We also feel like we are a little behind since we were pretty much MIA last year. Our new firepit went for its maiden voyage and as soon as we lit the fire it started pouring. But we sat outside in our raincoats and watched the fire anyway. We got a fire pit last spring to enjoy over the summer but when we weren't home at all, it got relocated to Karen's house and it seems quite comfortable there so we got a new one.

Sunday we went to my parents for strawberry shortcake and some weed pulling. My parents have a garden and we get to eat out of it if we help. We also invested in a half a pig to raise at their house(the other half is my sister's), we love bacon!

This week isn't much slower. Therapy, 4th of July, work and probably more sun searching this weekend. Ah, summer is here.