Archive for 2011

When G was just a few weeks old, I started imagining this blog post in my mind. I was going to take my new little baby on so many great adventures, and then I would blog to the world about how easy it is to get out with an infant, and how we weren’t letting the challenges of new parenthood keep us indoors!

But, it turns out, in Colorado, in the winter, it is rather difficult to get outside with a baby. This year, we were lucky to have a very dry, relatively warm, winter. But most of those warm days were super windy, and G was (and still is) not a happy camper when the wind is in his face. Plenty of other weekends were just too chilly to take a 10 pound newborn out for a hike. And then there were quite a few where I needed a long afternoon nap more than time outside.

We did have a few nice adventures and learning experiences in the past six months. In fact, G had his first hike in the mountains at 8 weeks old!

Just after Christmas, we took G, Liv, Mark’s parents, and his brother, for the short hike to Horsetooth Falls. It was a lovely, warm winter day in the mountains, and G napped in the mei tai on Mark’s chest for the 2 mile round trip. We all went slow, as I was still recovering from the pregnancy and Mark couldn’t see his feet while walking (ha! Payback!).

When G was about 4 months old, we bundled everybody up on a chilly March afternoon and went for a hike in the Coyote Ridge Natural Area. It felt wonderful to be outside as we walked along the wide trail winding up through the foothills. G slept in the carrier the whole time, again, but he did have very cold hands by the end of the trip.

With future adventures in mind, we made the leap and invested in a camper trailer this spring. We found a great deal on the small, perfectly appointed Jay Feather Sport (165) camper, and had to buy.

We think this set-up will work really well for us with the little one. The trailer has a double bed with a single bunk above it. It has a nice sized booth and table for inviting in friends, and all of the amenities we’d love to have while camping, especially a furnace for chilly nights with the kiddo.

We took it out for a spin on a rainy weekend in March, and as it was our first camping weekend with the trailer and baby, we stayed close to home. We just spent the night at a KOA in north Fort Collins, but had a really fun time.

Mark found the idea of camping in town pretty hilarious, but I felt like a kid putting up a tent in the back yard. You can still have a great time and a nice adventure, even if you don’t roam too far.

These days spring is around the corner, and G is sleeping much better at night. This provides Mark and I with the energy and ability to tackle the logistical issues of mountain adventures with the baby in tow. We have already had some great successes that leave us excited for what the future will bring!

I can’t believe it’s been nearly six months since the little guy came into our lives! And what a six months its been! Exhausting and exhilarating, a whole slew of new challenges and problems, bliss and joy, and fun and games.

I know this post is starting to sound like the last one, with these long list of dichotomies. Whenever I sit down to think and write about my time as a mom, and how our lives have changed, I find its easy to complain and gush at the same time. Either G hasn’t been the easiest of babies, or Mark and I are two over-enthused parents, or maybe a little of both.

Either way, I could list so many problems: early health problems, lots of colic, low milk supply for mom, G’s allergy to cow’s milk formulas, and his inability to sleep anywhere but on Mark’s chest. And I could list so many blessings: G’s expressive faces, his infectious laugh, his unique and loving personality (already!), the fun we’ve had playing baby games, and sleeping afternoons away snuggled and nursing the sweetest baby in the world.

It seems like nothing in the world of parenting is half-way or eased-into. Mark and I have thrown ourselves at the task; head, heart, and mind fully committed and fully involved. We both feel that this is the hardest thing we have ever done, and is worth every ounce of effort.

Mark and I are the kind of people who enjoy adventure, challenge and, yes, even hardship. We believe that you learn more about yourself and your world when you face your fears and try something new and outside of your comfort zone. And yes, having G was, and continues to be, terrifying and uncomfortable, and beautiful and amazing.

This is life worth living every minute….