Our first Camping trip

We had our first camping trip on Friday night with our friends at Wolf River Campground. We had the rustic sites (only a porta potty). We had to pack for the camping trip along with the week vacation in MN so the car was plum full.

We had Joshua sleep in the changing pad next to us. I had him in a zipup sleeper and swaddled in one of those swaddle wrap things. Then another blanket, mittens, and a hat. It got down to 40 degrees that night. I was freezing, because I didn't pack enough for me. Packed enough to clothe Josh like 20 times... Nice.

He did pretty well that night. We did have to go into the car and turn on the lullabye CD to get him to quiet down, we were a bit rowdy at the campsite. We had packed 4 frozen bags of breastmilk so I could have a few beverages too. Unfortunately, we lost 2 of them because evidently the bags were not sealed properly or had opened. But again, these days I can't drink much anyway. 3 beers was enough!

We went to bed at 3am, yeah had no idea it was that late. Then woke up at 6am to feed Josh and pack up for the trek to Brainerd MN. It is a 7 hour drive - which turned into a long 10 hour trip for us. But we made it. Jim and I crashed as soon as we got there. Thank goodness for relatives who are willing to watch our little man and our dog. :)

My 36 hour Retreat

Some of my sorority sisters were heading back up to MTU for a mini getaway weekend. I had mentioned it to Jim back in April and said that if we could swing it, I would really like to go, even if it was just for a night. So Jim said as long as there is enough breastmilk, go right ahead.

Now here is where I brag about my hubby - he is a natural at being a dad. Really patient and just good at it. So I really didn't have that anxious feeling of leaving Josh with him. Instead I was wondering how much I would miss him.

Well I pumped like crazy to stockpile for this getaway and had enough for 2 nights. So I left Friday at noon and made the 4 hour drive to Houghton. I met up with the 7 other gals and we had a blast! We hit up the Ambassador for fishbowls, hit the DT, and then the Dog House. I even had a couple Pickled Eggs! Yum! It wasn't too late of an evening... we were all back in the hotel by 1am. But it was enough for me! I definitely can't hang like I used too!

The next day I called home to see how the night had gone with Jim. His repsonse was, "He's been up since 6am, I dropped the dog off at daycare and haven't got a thing done". I laughed. Sounds like the normal routine. He said it was fine and to have fun. So I spent the rest of the day up in Houghton... So nice to relax and have some good quality girl time. I got back on the road at 5 pm and made it home Saturday night around 9:30pm.

Whey didn't I stay another night - I missed Josh, knew that the headache I had from the Friday night adventure would only be made worse with another night in Houghton, and finally was looking forward to having an entire Sunday with Jim/Josh/and Hilo.

That headache didn't go away until Monday. Yeah definitely can't hang anymore!

Top Ranking Baby Items

If I had to make a top 10 list of my favorite baby items... the Baby Bjorn would be definitely towards the top. I love it because I can securely hold Joshua either facing out or facing in while still managing to do some household chores. Joshua loves it because he can either watch what I am doing or snuggle in and get a nap. LOVE IT!

And some other favorites...

• The Graco Quattro Tour Deluxe Stroller/carseat
• The Boppy - had to get another one so I could have one on each floor
• The Rainforest Bouncer - Josh loves it... and the music makes Jim and I think we are in the Jungle during dinner - ha ha!
• The Baby Einstein Lullaby Classics CD - I swear it has a subliminal message in there that gets him to instantly calm down
• The portable swing - fantastic when I need a shower
• The Symphony In Motion - Zoo Mobile - Again Josh Loves it...

Bathtime with Joshua

In the first few weeks, Josh would just SCREAM during bathtime. We tried putting wash cloths on him, having the tub empty, the tub full, running water... nothing seemed to work. Then we found the sprayer. He loves it! This along with keeping the tub full so it is up to his belly when he sits in it seems to make him relax and enjoy the tub time.

And this has now become a Jim and Josh activity. I am officially on camera duty. Which is just fine for me.

He is getting so animated now! And his smile is so darn cute... always starts as a smirk on one side... then goes to a big wide mouth grin!