Yes, that is a small a/c unit. We rigged it up on the screened porch end of the tent so that me and baby didn't get too miserably hot. (I still think we were roughin it compared to the others with RV's complete with water, a/c, and bathrooms!)
We had a good time. We tricked my FIL by giving him a pink gift bag. There was a blue onesie inside that had "Team Grandpa" on it. He has claimed from Day 1 that I was carrying his grandson so we wanted to have a little fun with that. Really, he would have been happy with another little granddaughter to have wrapped around his finger but this little boy is coming after a long line of girls on PC's side so that's okay too!
In one of the baby conversations on the trip, SIL asked me if I had thought about childcare. I told her I would like to find someone to keep him in their home or someone to come to our home rather than daycare until he's a little older. MIL told me (later) that her feelings were hurt because we hadn't asked her to keep the baby. To tell the truth, I never thought about asking a grandparent to change their routine to keeping a baby 40+ hours a week. Help us? Back-up? Yes! PC and I have known since we started TTC that we would be a two parent working home and we would just have to make it work like many other families in the same situation. We wouldn't leave our child with just anyone and we wouldn't choose a daycare blindly... the grandmothers are going to have to trust us on that! Whew! Overwhelmed thinking about all this already!
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you are a brave girl going camping!! Childcare is a hard to think about for me too. My employer has a daycare in the same building that I can use for 50% off so that is probably what we will do but I know what you mean about wanting them to be in someone's home.
yeah.. that is a big question, among so many others!!! Your family sounds amazing!!! I wish I had a mother that could take care of my child...what a blessing!! really! Camping...I love it! But not pregnant! ouch! Did you get any sleep!?
Looks like you may have to join team RV on the next trip :)
We are headed camping this weekend - I am so excited, but slightly dreading the hard ground that we'll be sleeping on.
I've been thinking a lot about how we are going to handle childcare. I'd always thought that I'd stay home to raise my children, but that really isn't an option for us right now, primarily because I carry our insurance. Ideally I'll be able to cut my hours back a little, bring the baby to work with me a little, flex my husbands schedule so that he can take the baby for a bit, rely on my mom a little, and rely on my SAHM Bestie a little. I wonder if I am being too optimistic about this all working out, but it feels like the best way to approach it for us, at least for now.
Camping is impressive, no matter how you do it, especially when you're an incubator! Nice job!
I'm super struggling with the child care thing, too. I was gonna write a post about it today...how funny. It's a lot to think about- such a big responsibility...I wonder if I'll ever feel 100% comfortable or if it's one of those things that you just have to take the 90% comfortable with leaving your offspring "elsewhere" and move forward...ugh.
I love camping! Looks like you were well prepared :)
I agree, it's a huge task to take care of a baby all day...I wouldn't consider asking my parents/MIL either. But that's great she's willing to help so much!
I don't have a google account so I apologize for being anonymous. I am 50 years old and have two children now - ages 22 and 26. My in-laws watched our daughter while I worked and I was able to quit after having our second child. Did with a whole lot less - and things were less expensive back then. Anyway....what a HUGE gift to have your MIL offer to watch your baby. I cried when my MIL asked if she could watch Emily. It was a wonderful experience all around. For everyone. Emily talks often about how lucky she was to have them care for her. I could work without worries. I say - take her up on the offer. She wouldn't have offered if she didn't want to do it. PS....I follow your blog because I found your site when Emily was going through infertility and two losses - one at 19 weeks and one at 6 weeks. She is now 18 weeks along and due December 18th through the success of IVF. Blessings on your baby. gail
We tried an in-home daycare for a few months, but there were a few things that I just couldn't get past: the adult-to-child ratio of 1:12, the fact that she did her laundry and dishes and such while "working", the environment was a little too relaxed (i.e. she spent too much time on Facebook), the house was too small for that many kids, she definitely spent more time with her own 2 kids then the rest (the nature of an in-home daycare).
If it were an option for us to have a nanny come to our home, I think that would have been great. But, instead we found a daycare that is actually a preschool and it is fantastic. There is a teacher:kid ratio of 1:6. This is the teachers full time career; - they aren't just sitting on the couch playing with their Blackberry. Genna had started school last year preferring adult interaction, and now she has come a long way forming friendships with her peers. Now she is not mixed with kids birth - 4, she is with other 3 year olds. The schools philosophy on learning, discipline and when to just be a kid is in total alignment with ours. As great as the preschool is, I still didn't want her to be in that environment full-time. Luckily my mom wanted to watch her - she wanted to full time, but I thought it would be best to have Genna go to school M-W-F mornings and T-TH and the other afternoons are with grandma. It's been working quite well. Grandma gets a break, and Genna gets some socialization.
Now, if only we could swing it so that I would get a little more Genna time...
My 2 cents: take up your MIL on her offer, but only a few days a week - and only if you're in agreement on parenting rules. I still can't get my mom to stop giving Genna candy every time she asks for it :)
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