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!

Comments

lightwood said…
Ha I'm the same with group photos! Always the dorky instigator... Everyone complaining and then they all want a copy afterwards. Camping trip looked so relaxing & fun, and you are a total natural mama... Love that cute pic of Lucy & Darin's funny face :-)
i loved the moby for both mine. best newborn carrier. these pictures remind me of camping trips from when i was a kid. we used to camp out in your neck of the woods and man, these pics take me back.
Equine Bovine said…
I can't believe how big sylan is getting! dang kids, growing up on us. I love the pictures of the group of buds at silver lake! you look super beautiful, and lucinda is aaaaddooorable!! xo
as stated above by lightwood, in every sense of the word you are a natural mother.

your trip looks all kinds of glorious.
Zoe said…
Such lovely photos :)
Kimberly said…
Looks like so much fun...and yes, crazy how a role can change so easy...hard to understand until it actually happens to you.
anne said…
the moby rules for newborns! and although lots of people don't go camping with little babes, it's actually much easier than when they are crawling around in the dirt at a year old :D

your trip looks like fun! and i love group photos too. i usually have to force myself and everyone to take one but like you said, it's so worth it!

i think lucinda is going to be the adventurer like her parents. with all you did while you were pregnant and now that she's here, she will be right at home in nature!
what a beautiful trip! i can imagine how heavenly that first return into the water must have felt!
i agree with anne that travels like this are actually way easier with a new babe --you can put them down, turn your head for a second, and they are still there! so not so with a one year old...still fun, but in a whole other way :)

(p.s. i spy a dress becky and i swapped at the nc fair--she looks so lovely in it, of course!)
Tina Dawn said…
Just love the photos of you feeding your little one. Remember my post on breastfeeding way back when before she was a twinkle in Darrin's eye? I am so happy you could follow in my footsteps, although you didn't have to get carried away and follow the C Section part too! Bless you and your family. Love T
Andrea said…
we didn't get to see much of the meteor shower either due to clouds, boo :( How lovely is little Lucinda? Wonderful to see that she has not stopped your adventures in the wild. Gorgeous pictures!
Living the dream indeed. So amazing how aware of everything you are. This log here, is beautiful and reminds me so much of the early days with my wee one. I really do want you to know though that your awareness and openness to these steps and your savoring and love of these days, is such a joy to witness through your flow of words and pictures and you, your love, your kindness and your natural Mamma ways. xx
red moon arrow said…
you know what's so awesome? Is that even with a newborn you are out there enjoying the wilderness and camping fun. I once believed that after children come into the picture, you have to give up so much. But I clearly see thru so many woman I know, that this is absolutely not true. We can still travel, enjoy our creative outlets, camp with friends, go to dance parties, have gatherings, etc... because kids love all that stuff too... I loved all these pics and I am so looking forward to seeing you and Lucy on my next trip to pville, which I hope is really soon.
love you~
Anonymous said…
sweet heather, i am so struck, both in this post and in the others, by the community that lucy is already nestled in. so many arms, so many eyes...my heart is blown when i think of how much love, how many concentric circles she is surrounded by. i am glad that your first experiences of the transition from maiden to mother are gentle and welcomed. your circle of friends seem to be family centric. it was not so, for us here in the city, where we watched most of our social scene back away in search of more glamorous times.

you really communicate the sense of the deep dream time you and lucy and daddy are in. that photo of "what lucy sees"...profound!!! what a way to introduce her to our beautiful world....it must just seem like the externalization of the joyful womb home you gave her. xo
Missa said…
Aw, Lucy seems like such a go with the flow kind of baby, LUCKY YOU! That's so awesome that she's already got her first camping trip under her belt. You are impressive nature mama! Yay for family camping, speaking of which, I've got a blog post I should be working on ;)

Group shots are the best! You all look like you're having a blast :)

I look forward to the day we all get to do a camping group shot with our bloggy group and families!
Teeny said…
Oh man, you sure are a mama. sweetest moments just you and bubs enjoying each other's life while the others whoop it up. That protective instinct stays with you always now. I love it, it makes me fierce. More than I could ever be for myself. xoxoxo
Mrs. Habit said…
how fun! And what a lucky babe. She's going to have so much fun on all these cool adventures - with all those jolly fun people.

I love these photos. mostly because it tells us how sweet and naturally you've adjusted to life with baby. She is so beautiful. and seemingly a happy camper too :)

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