happy camper

we took our littlest on her first camping trip last week to watch the Perseid meteor shower. unfortunately, mountain thunderclouds covered the stars that night, but we still had an amazing camp-out with a bunch of besties.

our favorite spot for car camping, silver lake. because it's got a lake and a river spot both perfect for swimming, large flat rocks for sunning or stargazing, and endless mountain vistas that capture your breath and spirit.

my first time swimming since the surgery....sooo good!

blissed out daddy...

it was both our babies' first camping experiences!

so fun to camp with these cuties...i remember becky often telling me, "you're going to love breastfeeding," with sweet emotion, and it is so true.

telling carolann and ezra about my birth while nursing my baby on the warm rocks in the mountains. (darin took the cool soft focus photos)

lucy has taken a real liking to the moby wrap. we have had the fortune of being given several different types of wraps/slings/carriers and so far this one is the best for her newborn size, she snuggles right in like a tiny papoose and falls asleep deeply. it must remind her of the womb.

but most of the time on the trip she was awake and alert.

this is what she loves looking up at:

hanging out in our campsite:

carolann and ezra provided veggie burgers and everyone else brought potluck dishes, sylvan tended the grill and dubbed it "chef sylvan's place." we had a campout FEAST:

busted out lucy's jammies and a little hat that is already too small, but sooooo cute.

she got lots of good making-friends practice. i think she really likes her friends.

the sun started to go down and we were sure hoping we'd get lucky and get to see some crazy shooting stars, but the clouds moved in as the night got darker.

evening feedings out-of-doors at dusk with the smell of pine and smoke and dirt and fresh air.

 so perfect.

lucy slept very well next to me on the cushy bed i made with quilts in our tent. i was more nervous than her, needless to say, and spent much of my night quiet but alert in the dark, hearing my fellow campers breathe, or babies wake up to nurse. i left a head-lamp on in the corner for moral support. lucy woke up happy as a lark to her favorite view:

and to faces like this! sylvan was basically our camping ringleader and class clown. the fun thing about sylvan is he will play with kids of any age and they all actually have fun together. he took oliver and yarrow under his wing and really boosted their interest in walkie talkies.

 i can't believe i am now one of those family campers. i am not just a freewheeling adult who can drink beer and get loud and stay up super late. i am a mama. those who told me about the transition, from maiden to mother, this was one of those moments. i took lucinda into our tent around 10:30 and just relaxed with her and nursed her while our other friends sang camp songs and passed around a bottle. i loved every second of it, my heart snug with sweetest love in our forest nest, but it was interesting to note my new position in the social world.

sleepy morning feedings:

little bundle.

the boys, yarrow and sylvan:

see what i mean, walkie talkie brigade!

our whole group. i recommend group photos. no one ever wants to deal with it at the time but everyone always loves the results. it's a rare day indeed to get all these friends together, from san francisco to the mountains, we love each other.

stopped at the lake before heading home:

sylvan and siri were in heaven. siri was so ecstatic she whined frantically while going after her sticks in the water. she was livin the dream.

good bye lake, trees, mountains, clouds....with our little adventurer who loves the great outdoors, i am sure we'll be back soon!