Camping

Sorry it's been rather quiet out here. I was busy checking off this list that Mrs.Breedorf sent me to plan for the past weekend's camping trip.

Tent
Sleeping bags
Thermarest mattresses
Pillows?
Pack N Play
Pack N Play sheets
Blanket for Tara
Flashlights

Folding lounge chairs
Booster seat for meals

Table cloth
Cooler
Big tub for washing dishes
Clothes line
Camp stove and fuel
Trash bags
Camping Pots and Pans
Spatula/cooking utensils
Big knife
Spice kit
Dish soap
Nalgene bottles
Water

Plates
Eating utensils (forks, spoon, knife)
Cups/mugs
Sippy cups
Snack Trap

play tent
Blanket for floor of tent
Toys and books
Floaties for the water
Shovel/Pail
Backpack (+sunshade) for hike?
Tricycle?

Warm PJs
Long sleeve
Long pants
Swimming Ts
Rain gear
Uggs
Swim diapers
Diapers
Wipes
Changing pad
Sandals
Shoes
Socks
Hat
Washcloths
Towels

Sunblock
Wipes for hands
Bug Off
First aid kit

Need I explain any further? Actually thank god for the list .... we had everything except the pillows which I regretted dearly for (sleeping on the ground when you're 8 months preggo without a pillow is damned uncomfortable, let me tell you). But Jen, why the '?' next to pillows on the list, that messed me up. Jen and her friend Mindi are experienced (one trip more than us) mom-campers so they bought most of the stuff. We took the essentials - tent, sleeping pads, blankets, Tara's potty and Mom's food.

It was an exhausting but fun trip. Tara enjoyed rolling around in 1) tent 2) Mud 3) Dirt 4) Dixie's water bowl 5) Sand 6) Peebles. She was so filthy by the end of it, it was hard to find her among the dirt n' leaves. We went to the Belfair Park at Hood Canal. It was a one hour ferry (sail-a-boat, says Tara) ride and a 1/2 hour drive to the campsite. I didn't manage to take any pictures of the site as I was too busy chasing Tara going NO!, No Tara, No Mud, Mud dirty!

Here are the few pictures I did take.

(Dads are watching a kitesurfer on the water, wistfully.)

AHat

Goodness, I didn't realise the mere picture of a child with a clean (clean, mind you, clean) swim diaper on her head would create such a stir. I see that it has reflected poorly on my parenting style and in the future I need to keep such pictures within the confines of my PC and not share it with the blogosphere.

For the record, Tara was refusing to get ready for her swim class and wanted to keep playing with her Nemo diaper instead of putting it on, so in a moment of sheer frustration I plopped it on her head and she went around gleefully screaming AHat-AHat-Nemo-AHat and was most amused, unlike the rest of you!

A few days after the controversial picture was posted I was left an actual hat at my work desk with a note saying "For Tara". I GET IT PEOPLE. Thanks Diane for the adorable hat, it stays on Tara for exactly 0.00000002 seconds unlike ahem the swim diaper.


Ok, so I could have posted this picture instead. But me = bad parent.

Baby #2 interrogates

Do you know when I'm due?
Let's see my mom will be here in 10 weeks so you should be here in 12 weeks which puts it around Halloweenish.

Are you counting down when grandma gets here instead of when I get here?
I am, aren't I? But, I miss my mommy so.

Did you and dad really nap during the ultrasound?
Ok, let me explain please. The room was really dark, the air-conditioner was turned on really high, it was 2:30p.m. and the technician had the voice of that teacher dude from the Wonder Years (you know that dreadful monotone voice?). So when she was going on about the 4 chambers of the heart, and the vessels, and the arteries it just lulled us to sleep ... just for a second though. Remember the startled "WHA, WHAT IS THAT??" your dad blurted when she was obviously pointing to your toes, just to show he was wide-awake?

Have you picked a name for me yet?
Not yet. Avi left me a voicemail at 2a.m. one night saying I should name you Sasha. I really liked it and then realized Ali G's real name is Sacha and I don't know if you'd like being named after Borat. Plus we have to stick with the whole sun-moon-star deal and Sasha means nothing in Sanskrit. So let's do this, if you are born in the morning we'll call you Anusha (beautiful morning) if you show up at night Nisha (night) and if it's raining like crazy like it often does in Oct we'll go with Varsha (rain).

Why do all the names end with sha?
Huh, I hadn't realized that till now.

Is Avi going to be here for my naming ceremony?
Avi is busy sharing a drink with MPs from the UK on the world's highest bar and living in style on the 23rd floor condo in a hip district in Shanghai right now. He can't access this blog (censorship!!) so can't answer this question. You'll get to see him next year when we visit him and he'll greet you with a Tiffany sippy cup, I'm sure.

Why do I get thrown punches while I'm trying to sleep?
Tara is intrigued with my ever growing belly. She first points to it saying bebe-bebe. Then she gently pats it and gives it a little kiss. When she doesn't get any response she starts to poke it and that eventually starts to punch it. You move only when the belly is being punched, why don't you give a little kick to acknowledge the gentle pat? We'll all be happier.

Why are you feeding me Tara's left-overs?
Your sister is a fussy eater. She eats only the cheesy part of the pizza not the crust, she eats the center portion of the grape as it's firm not soft like the ends, she sucks all the salt out of the ritz crackers and then tosses it, she drinks half the apple juice and moves onto the grape juice, she eats the broccoli flower and leaves the stem, she licks the nutella off the toast and leaves the crumbs. How can I waste so much food and considering I don't have the time to cook you a meal I just eat her left-overs. I know you are in the mood for pickles, spicy sri lankan curry and bacon but it'll just have to wait for when you get here.

Am I getting all of Tara's hand-me-downs then?
Pretty much. You will have a new carseat considering Tara used Bryn's and didn't have one of her own. So you have that to brag about. Other than that you're gonna get all her stuff. Trust me most of it is brand new, worn probably once or twice and some of them even have the tags on. All her toys have been washed and are drool free, promise.