Annual Apple-n-Pumpkin trip

Every year we go to North Georgia, around Ellijay, to go apple-pickin and pumpkin-pickin.

Our favorite orchard is R and A Orchards.  They are family owned, you get to ride behind a tractor in a wagon without hay, and there is apple picking and a little store.  No petting zoo, milk a cow, putt-putt extravaganza.  Which is totally more my speed.  (Yes I recognize that probably when E is older we will have to visit the ones with bounce houses, but not yet, yay!)

We left home by 9:30AM and decided to grab a snack en route.  Chick Fil A's line was ridiculous so we went to Dunkin Donuts.  And proceeded to wait in a 4 car line for 30 minutes.  Total fail.  Then we gave E a piece of biscuit, which we shouldn't have done - we never eat in the car and he proceeded to choke, then barf all over himself while we were on I-85.  No bueno.

Thankfully, the rest of the 2.5 hour trip was super uneventful.  We finally arrived at the orchard and proceeded to have a great lunch - sandwiches, chips, and a fried chocolate pie for Jeff.

Then out to the orchard on our tractor ride to the far area to pick apples.  But first, a selfie.  Of course.

It was the last weekend for U-pick (last weekend in September if you need to remember), and by now there were still some to pick but plenty had fallen to the ground in a super rotten stinky way.  So, definitely no scooting around for little buddy.  He got to ride on my back.

After we got our fill of apples - a 1/4 peck - we headed back to the main building for my annual apple and caramel treat.  Ethan thought the caramel was just fine lol.

Off down the road we went to Burts Farm, the epicenter of all Fall Fun Cuteness.  There were literally a zillion families with matching outfits trying to take their pictures.  Not that many were picking out pumpkins, but that's ok.

Every year Jeff picks out the biggest pumpkin he can carry.  No exception this year.  There was no injury this year either, thankfully.  No yellow jacket stings either.

Ethan loved to scoot around and be free, and of course stand while banging on a pumpkin.  And watching the kids, his favorite pastime.

We finally got our fill of fall fun, and headed home.  Another success!

Leaf Peeping at Black Rock Mountain

One of our absolutely favorite places to tent camp was at Black Rock Mountain State Park.  However, we're not so convinced our trailer will fit into all of the campsites, and since there is no reserving specific campsites, we haven't been camping there in a couple years.

So when a weekend opened up this fall (October 24) we jumped at the chance to rent a cabin.  

Much to our surprise, it was absolutely beautiful!  Old cabin but totally restored - new flooring, bathroom finishes, comfortable beds.  

We rented a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom cabin, which included a fully stocked, functional kitchen.  The centerpiece of the living space was a gorgeous fireplace (which we didn't use).  And we couldn't believe the view off the deck (20 seconds of Zen).

We had to of course take a selfie while Ethan napped.

I received this Bitybean carrier to try out and review, and it worked great for hiking this weekend.  Kept us both cool and sweat free, mostly - and was totally washable for when we were not sweat free LOL.

We did not hike very many, or very difficult trails, but we were still rewarded with amazing views.

Ethan LOVES to be outside, and we had a lot of really fun moments chilling on the back porch - listening to the birds, watching the leaves blow, and playing.

And a lot of playing.  Here's an almost 8 month old loving life...

We used the firepit off the front of the house all the nights we were there, and burned a lot of wood.  And ate a lot of smores.  What a great weekend to reconnect with the family and have some great memories!

Fort Mountain Camping (with a 7 month old)

We decided to return to camping now that the weather has cooled off.  We headed up to my favorite park, Fort Mountain State Park, during the first weekend in October.

We had a lot of fun once we got through the traffic up I-75.  We set up the camper, unloaded the firewood, and made some jambalaya for dinner.

Ethan's reaction to his first campfire was priceless - he was "woo-ing" like normal, with his arms outstretched to either side (also like normal), and then he caught a glimpse of the fire as it flamed up.  He stopped in his tracks and just stared.  He looked at me.  Then Daddy.  Then back at the fire.  Grinned.  Then started "woo-ing" again.

We set up the pack and play on the convert-able dinette area and left our queen size bed set up like normal and put him to bed with minimal fuss.  A typical night with diaper, jammies, book, nurse to sleep, with his sound machine and nightlight going.

Jeff and I proceeded to have (multiple) s'mores and we had a chance to reconnect as a couple - it was so, so, so nice.  Those moments of peace and quiet, when it's back to just the two of you, are really rare.  We were so grateful for it.

10PM rolled around and it was time for Ethan's dream feed, and our bedtime.  While I sat and nursed, Jeff got ready for bed.  And then...Ethan woke up, woke up - and was scared.  He was sleepy but did not know where he was, why he was awake, what the heck we were doing, where was he sleeping, etc etc etc.  I would hold him and was SURE he was asleep, and then put him in the pack and play and then... WAAAHHHHH.  Jeff would do the same... then WAAAHHHHH again.

We finally ended up tearing down the pack and play.  I slept on the dinette, while the baby slept with Jeff in the bed.  We are NOT co-sleepers, so Jeff didn't sleep very well for fear of rolling onto the baby (who loves to snuggle up against you).  There was only a thin buffer between my butt and the plywood, so I didn't sleep very well either.

The next morning was cold and called for rain.  We were exhausted.  So we decided to make breakfast, have a nice walk, and lunch, and naps, and then head home before spending the 2nd night.

Quitters?  Yeah, maybe.  But maybe we are just being smart parents, working with E's development as best we can.  He is just not used to having anyone or any other noise in his room during night sleeps.  This is great for 99% of the time when he is in his own room and crib, but not so great when we want to camp.  So we have been smarter too - we rented a cottage with his own bedroom for our next trip (more on that soon).

We'll try camping all together again sometime, but maybe not for awhile.

30 weeks - Christmas!

My mom and sister came to the ultrasound with Jeff and me during Christmas week. I was so glad they were able to share in the excitement!!! Usually having family so far means they miss out on this stuff, so I was really grateful. 

I continue to get weekly ultrasounds to monitor baby's growth - he is definitely "intra uterine growth restricted" or "IUGR", which means he is small and lower than the 10th percentile of growth for gestational age.

However, even though he's small, he's still plugging along the growth curve, right around 7th to 8th percentile. All of his bio markers check out as well - cord blood pressure, movement, practice breathing, amniotic fluid - so he's doing great! 

 Our ultrasound tech (who I love) was really good about trying to get Peanut to move around so we could see different things. 

 We could see him wiggling, turning, kicking, practice breathing, heart beating...and when she zoomed on his face we saw him wiggle, then YAWNED a big ole yawn! 

 The fact that Peanut is a BABY (and not just blobs on the screen) became real for Jeff in that moment. I'm pretty sure Jeff fell in love with him right then. It was really cool to watch that happen.

 Now, the normal ups and downs list: 

 UPS - Christmas hike was ACCOMPLISHED although SLOW for me. I seriously thought he might drop out of my you-know-what at certain points, but I'm glad we did it.

 DOWNS - My feet and ankles are starting to swell more by the end of the day. And my skin is getting so dry! 

 UPS - Christmas break was REALLY good for napping. So grateful. Wish I could do it every day. 

 DOWNS - My hips are really starting to hurt more when I try to flip around in bed, and when I get up. I have to shuffle-step my way to the bathroom REALLY slowly (3-4 times a night) before my legs work properly.

That's it for now! 

Ups and Downs - 23 weeks

It's been a pretty quiet week. I had a lot of late nights at work so it was just a work-sleep-maintain kind of week. But Peanut is not letting me forget about him, oh no!  More and more thumps every day. 

UP - Our crib and nursing glider & ottoman arrived this week. This means the nursery is ALMOST complete!!!!!!!! We have all the pieces, and have rearranged the furniture, but are still struggling with what to put on the twin bed in terms of sheets / comforter / etc.

UP - We went hiking again :). Only probably 2 miles or so, and we went really slowly, but it was great to get out and hear the creek, see the leaves, and enjoy the fall weather.

DOWN - I'm swollen. My legs, ankles, and feet are quite poofy by the end of the day. Exercise and excessive water intake seem to help, as do elevating and footrubs when I get home.

DOWN - My belly is getting big. I've been eating well and exercising, but I continue to worry about weight gain.  I FEEL like I've gained a lot.  I have my next monthly appointment this week, so we will see where I weigh in and what the doctor says. Between the bit of extra weight and general swelling, I don't feel like I'm getting around very well (plus my right hip is a killer). It's too early to do the waddle!!!

Our Favorite: Fort Mountain recap

We took some time to ourselves in early June to visit our favorite state park, Fort Mountain State Park in Chatsworth, GA.

We were afraid of rain (AGAIN)...and on the drive up on Friday it rained, and it rained Friday night...but Saturday dawned a wonderful - if not humid - morning!

We had a leisurely breakfast of oatmeal and prepared for our hike while waiting for some of the humidity to burn off.  We decided hiking in 65 degrees but 95% humidity is much worse than 75 degrees and 70% humidity, so the couple hour delay was no big deal.

Fort Mountain is one of our favorite places for a couple reasons - but one is the hiking trails.  Our very favorite trail is the Gold Rush trail where you literally hike up a running creek bed, dodging in and out of the magnolias in bloom.  It is tricky, and uphill, but it's so beautiful and fun - like you're playing in the water - that the work doesn't seem like work at all!

Once we got to the end of that trail, we made the decision to carry on to the backcountry trail.  It's a trail with beautiful vistas and waterfalls, and a really cool boulder field to traverse.  As we approached the boulder field this time, we saw maybe 75 people dressed in pioneer costumes, hauling wagons (like old timey wagons), and gear, and themselves, all while hooting and hollering.  It was QUITE the sight in the middle of nowhere and I'm certain we won't see anything in the backcountry like that again!  (When we got back to the main area we asked a ranger who they were.  They were a local LDS church group who make the trek every year to honor their families who settled in the area.)

After almost 6 miles of hiking, we got back to camp..and it was HOT.  So we put on our suits and headed to the BEACH!!!  After having a quick hot dog of course (we were starving!! A Clif bar on the trail is not enough sustenance).

The water was COLD but felt good on the nice hot day.  We have so much fun bobbing around together, and I play this game where I swim away and then swim towards Jeff as fast as I can.  Then we bob around some more, and people watch the parents on the beach.  My favorite people watching moment this time was this kid who backed all the way up to the stone wall, and then seriously WENT FOR IT running into the water and tried to body surf.  In a lake.  It was hilarious, the reckless abandon he showed!

Back to the camper for a quick dinner outside, then a great campfire and smores!  It was just what we needed to reconnect, forget our grief for awhile, and relax.

My Trip to LA

LA in this case means...Lower Alabama (sort of).  Our 2nd trip of the year was at Florence Marina State Park, about 2 hours south of us, west of Fort Benning, right on the Georgia-Alabama state line, bumped up against the Chattahoochee River.  Still don't know where we were?  That's ok.  It was literally the middle of NO-WHERE.

No problem, though, because...

Of course, we forgot a couple things...and surely there was a town nearby to pick them up.  NOPE!  Jeff coined it, "Lumpkin: Where hope goes to die."  There was barely gas in the nearby town, let alone some last minute meds and creams we needed (ugh, don't ask).

ANYWHO, we had a great site, off of the water.  Not super shady, though, and definitely can see how HOT and HUMID it probably gets during the summer.  The gators don't mind the weather, and that means it's a fishing and boating (not swimming) kind of place if you ask me!

On Saturday, we headed just a few miles down the road to Providence Canyon State Park.  It was magnificent.

You could hike around the rim, or down into the canyone and squish through the sandy, running water of any of 6 canyon hikes.  So cool!  Unfortunately, "someone" (me) forgot the camera so this is the only photo we have.  This is definitely a must-do-again trip.

Finally, on Sunday we picked up THREE geocache logs hiking the nature trail by the water - and also set a new Travel Bug out into the wild.  Travel well good buddy!