But here is the thing. I really love camping! I grew up camping. And I'm not talking sleeping in a cabin with running water and electricity kind of camping. I mean real camping! My parents crammed four of us into a teeny tiny two person tent that leaked when it rained for many years and we had an absolute blast! Around the age of eleven we moved up in the world and bought a trailer. Nothing fancy like those RVs that come with TVs and satellite and pop out sides, but an enclosed space to shelter us from the rain and give us the luxury of being off the ground. The biggest thing for me was that it had it's own toilet and I no longer had to make that scary pitch black middle of the night run to the washrooms while scaring off bears and raccoons with my flashlight. Talk about spoiled!
Last year hubby and I did our first family camping trip with our almost one year old. We'd purchased a nice tent and all the other necessities we'd need to make it an annual thing. Our son was still on formula, in need of diaper changes and for the most part on a different diet then us. He was also in between crawling and walking, which means he was sitting in the dirt 24/7. This made things pretty challenging for me as I felt like I was always either making food/bottles, washing dishes or attempting to keep a rock out of my child's mouth. The dirt thing didn't really bother me, and trust me he ingested a ton of it. One thing I was not expecting though was how wonderfully he slept! He thought the tent was funny and slept a good 10-12 hours each night.
With a new baby due here any day, we assumed camping would be off the schedule for this year. The last thing I wanted to do was have my young baby crying at 3am in a dark tent and waking up all the neighbours around us. But with the possibility of us being able to go for a few days coming up I actually find myself really wanting to do it. And I don't think it would be as hard as I initially thought.
If we were to go, and it's still a big if... my parents have offered us the use of their trailer. This would make a world of difference! It means a proper bed for us, our toddler and a place to put our infants bassinet. It means easy access to a washroom (with a tub), a soft place for diaper changes (and storage) and a quiet safe place for naps and nursing. Noah is another year older and no longer requires different food or milk then us. He can also walk, run and enjoy exploring the nature around him. Baby Asher would be around two months and will hopefully be fully on breast milk and content being worn, pushed in a stroller or sitting in some kind of bouncy seat or pack n play. We'd also have help in the form of family members. That sounds do able right? The biggest hurdle would be the usual one with camping, and that's the packing before and unpacking after aspect. But is that really a reason to shy away from a fun family adventure? I don't know...
