One "First" Off The List- Camping!

It's been a busy week compared to my solo weeks with baby girl. Andrea has been visiting and enjoying her granddaughter. She went out of town for a night to visit Rodney's cousins- Betty and Wendy. Those two remind me of my own Aunties (mom's sisters) - in the way that they are lots of fun to be around. They were all going to Betty's for a girl's night. Betty has a beautiful home that over looks the ocean and you can actually watch BC Ferries crawl into the harbour. She is a wonderful hostess that makes delicious dinners for her guests and it's like staying at a nice hotel when you are there. Naturally I wished I was going with Andrea.
 Friday came and the sun was shining as radiantly as it had been all week. Alina and I took a walk to visit my work buddies. Every Friday I take her to work and everyone gets a snuggle. When I returned, Betty's RV was parked in the drive-way. The girls were now going camping. Once Rob got home, he mentioned that he'd love to take the Westfalia for it's first camping trip. So we spontaneously decided to go for it!
 It took us about twenty minutes to pack up what we needed for one quick night of camping. It was our first overnight trip with Alina, so I was a little over the top with the baby items. Rob didn't think that we'd need to bring her swing. But I insisted, just in case she didn't go to sleep easily, we would wish we had it with us. I brought her four sleepers, just in case she pooped through three. I brought three outfits for the next day, so we would have options pending the weather. I brought her play mat so she would have it in the morning to make her smile for her doting Aunties and Nonna.
 In the end, Alina was so enraptured with her surroundings, that everything I brought to entertain her was nothing compared to the green leaves hanging over our camp site. She loved camping. She posed for a million pictures with Mom and Dad, Nonna and the Aunties.. Then just herself sitting in a lawn chair, then her with just Nonna, and then just Daddy, etc. etc. She was up for an hour or two, and then I fed her her bedtime snack. We had her all snug as a bug in some jammies and a warm blankie. The van has a spot right beside the bed that fits her bassinet perfectly. She fell asleep within minutes and slept well until 4 am for her first feeding.
 While baby slept, Rob and I decided to take a quick voyage down to the beach in the dark. On our way back we passed a swing set. We both joked that we'll be 60 years old and unable to pass a swing set without wanting to jump on and start swinging! There's nothing better than getting back on a swing and feeling the air hit your face as you swing up and back down. It always brings me back to a place of comfort and fun. It's funny how something as simple and basic as a swing can remind you of a time and place when the world was so much simpler.
 It was so nice going camping and being able to leave Alina in the trusting eyes of her Aunties and Nonna. I think it was the perfect first outing for all of us. We had a camp fire, roasted weenies and listened to good, old tunes. The ladies slept in Aunty Betty's luxurious RV. We slept beside it in our dinky Westy. But it was snug and perfect for our little family.
 First outing: success. I'm just looking forward to the next one!

The Aunties and Nonna - A's First Camping

Enjoying her surroundings

First Family Outing

One Happy Camper