Memorial Day Camping Adventures
Our little Phoebe turned two months old last week! We started our Memorial Day weekend with her checkup on Friday morning. She’s a very healthy girl! She’s a whopping 12.5 pounds and 23 inches. It’s time for her to start settling into at least a loose bedtime schedule and doing three rounds of tummy time every day. Dave was able to come along to the appointment because he took Friday off, so he stood nearby while Phoebe got her vaccines—three shots in her chubby little legs. She screamed, of course, but fell into a recuperative sleep as soon as we got into the car. The nurse has obviously done a lot of immunizations, because she looked over and said “Are you all right, Mommy?” I was, but I was glad Dave was there to watch instead of me.
We planned to go camping at Angel of Shavano campground with our friends Katie, Todd, and Henry Johnson, so we stopped by their house after Phoebe’s appointment. Todd wasn’t home from work yet, so the Gribble contingent went to get some lunch. The Johnsons met us at Caffe Sole, and we caravaned out toward Salida. It was a beautiful sunny day and very warm in the car. We stopped in Fairplay to get a drink, go to the bathroom, and let Henry stretch his legs. I fed Phoebe, who promptly threw up milk all over me and herself. Thank goodness I’d opted to sit on the sidewalk instead of in the car! Apparently Henry often throws up when he’s too hot, so we weren’t too worried. We figured that if she didn’t do it again, it wasn’t a big deal. Happily, she seemed all right and fell right back to sleep in the car.
We drove for a while longer, but about 20 miles outside Buena Vista, one of Taco’s bells started to bing. We looked over and saw that he was overheating, so we turned on the heater and rolled down the windows. The temperature dropped, but when it shot up again, we pulled over to the side of the road. Todd hopped out and came to look under the hood with Dave. They could see coolant leaking out, so they added several thermoses of water to the coolant reservoir and talked about how to patch a leak. We were hopeful that we could get into Buena Vista, so we decided to keep going and stop if necessary. The temperature gauge stayed high, but didn’t seem to be rising. Then the engine quit. Dave managed to coast into a reasonably sized berm on the side of the road and Todd hopped out again to discuss our options. They pretty much agreed that it must be the water pump, so there wasn’t much chance of waiting and trying to go farther.
It was decided that Todd and Dave would drive the Johnsons’ car into Buena Vista (we were about 15 miles away) to try to find a tow truck. Katie, Henry, Phoebe, and I would sit in Taco and play for a while. Phoebe had a couple of snacks and continued her nap. Henry was awesome. He drew pictures (mostly different colored lines, although he’s branched out into curves as well), listened to a book a couple of times, and ate snacks. After about an hour, Todd returned. Dave was coming with the tow truck driver, so we shuffled some stuff, including Phoebe’s car seat, into the Johnsons’ car. We also put some of their stuff in Taco so that the two carseats would fit better. Henry loves trucks, so it was fun to watch Taco being loaded onto the big yellow tow truck. The guy at Ford’s automotive in Buena Vista said he’d still be around, so he could look at the car when it arrived, even though it was almost 6:30 p.m.
Dave and Katie rode in the tow truck and I joined Todd, Henry, and Phoebe in the car. The automotive guy took a look and agreed that the problem was almost certainly the water pump, which isn’t too expensive of a fix…it’s just a matter of getting the part. We decided that Todd and Dave would go looking for a campsite, because it would be great if we could still go camping. So we moved most of our stuff, except for a small pile, into the Johnsons’ car and they set off. Katie and I held Phoebe and watched Henry go up a step, and down a step. Up a step, and down a step. He played with his new dump truck in the dirt and rocks, and then he and I went running in the parking lot of the automotive shop. Out to the rocks, back to Mama! Out to the rocks, back to Mama! Around 8:30 p.m. or so, Katie and I started to get worried and annoyed. Where were those men? They had both come back once after checking the RV campgrounds, and we had been disappointed to see them both there, as Dave was supposed to be staying with the gear and cooking dinner. They had gone away again to find a nicer campground with trees.
We had dismissed the possibility of another car failure and were worrying about deer when Todd finally showed up, alone. Hooray! We sent him around back to talk to the car guy about the water pump, since the guy had determined that’s what it was. We thought Todd would be better able to convey the information to Dave. We put the babies in the car and Katie squeezed between the carseats…she’s a trooper! We waited. And waited. Finally I went to rescue/retrieve Todd. I had almost decided I was going to find his body hacked into pieces, but he was just talking with the voluable car guy, who had once had his car break down in Nederland, so he rented another guy’s personal car to get to Denver to find the part he needed, and then been allowed to fix his car in that guy’s shop. I mentioned to Todd that Katie was squeezed into the seat between the car seats and Henry was hungry. Not to mention me.
We drove about 12 miles up Cottonwood Pass to Collegiate Peaks Campground, where we found Dave with a fire and boiling water. A couple of hot dogs later, we were all happier.
The Johnsons' tent.
The Gribble UFO/yellow limpet.
We went to bed soon after dinner. Phoebe wore socks, pajamas, a giraffe hat, her Mickey snowsuit, and by the middle of the night, a fleece swaddler (she was sound asleep and let me swaddle her arms briefly). We were all warm enough, but Dave and I alternately worried about her all night. Her little hands and face were chilly, but no chillier than her hands get at home if she doesn’t wear mittens. She was in a good mood in the morning.
Chillin' at the campsite.
Mmm...fist.
We got up and Dave made bacon, potatoes, and eggs for breakfast. As soon as we finished eating, the men set out back down the mountain with Katie’s cell phone to try to find a rental car. That way, we’d be able to leave at separate times and fit all the stuff in the car. Henry and Katie went into their tent to nap, and I took Phoebe into ours, hoping for a pleasant snooze. Alas, it was WAY too hot in there, so she napped in the shade while I read a book on the Kindle. Henry never fell asleep, so they came out and he played in the dirt. He loved it! There was dirt everywhere…he looked like a coal miner. But it was great fun and kept his attention for hours.
Find the napping baby!
Henry playing in the dirt.
Katie and I had gotten to the point where we were looking at every car passing by, hoping it was the dads. When their car finally drove up and we saw Dave in the passenger seat, our faces fell. It turned out that the men had gone all the way to Salida to get the phone to work and discovered that a rental car would cost $50 a day before taxes. So no rental car.
Daddy and Phoebe camping!
We talked about what to do and decided that Katie and I would drive into Buena Vista to call Greg and Emily and see if Dave and I could borrow their second car the next day. We had a really pleasant drive down the mountain…it was nice to leave baby duty to others. (We did have Phoebe, but she was asleep.) Katie bought some Pam so that we could make pizzas while I called Greg on the pay phone outside the grocery store. (It was located right behind a truck running its engine and delivering ice…one guy throwing bags to another guy about five feet from the phone.) I heard Greg, but pay phones take a while to pick up, so I kept saying “Greg, it’s Jess. Hi Greg, Jess here. Greg, it’s Jess.” He didn’t hear me and hung up. I tried again, nervously. What if I couldn’t actually reach him? The second time we both waited long enough and I quickly explained the situation. He said that we could borrow the car. Hooray! Katie and I headed back up the hill, where we found Henry asleep.
Todd had let him go crazy in the tent until he’d sacked out. We built a fire and had pizzas in the pie iron. Then we had s’mores…Henry’s first! Then to bed. It was a much colder night, so we worried about Phoebe more. I added a blanket tucked firmly under the changing pad we were using as a baby Thermarest (great idea, Dave!). I was chilly too. Eventually we had to change Phoebe’s diaper, since she had peed through everything, including Mickey. She got new pajamas and the sheep suit (thanks, Tilley!). We tucked her in between us, and Daddy (aka “heatbox”) kept her warm for the rest of the early morning. While I was stuffing Thermarests into stuff sacks, Phoebe was lying on a blanket in the tent. She was kind of on a slope. She kicked her legs up. Then she tipped them over and was on her side. Then she kicked them back and rolled onto her stomach! She totally startled herself and started to scream. Being a good mommy, I put her on her back before standing up outside the door to announce that she’d rolled over!! (On a slope.)
Giraffe hat and Mickey snowsuit.
Giraffe hat.
You're taking my picture again?
Sheep suit in the tent.
It didn’t take too long to pack everything up. We’d decided that Dave would put our gear into Taco—the car guy had promised to leave him outside—and wait in Buena Vista for the rest of us to go home. Phoebe and I would come back in the Brinkman’s car. Todd and Dave left yet again for the trip down the mountain. Katie and I waited again. Henry ate cheddar bunnies. Phoebe ate. When the car finally pulled back up, with Dave in the passenger seat, I’m sure we looked totally dejected. Taco was not outside! So we unloaded all of our stuff and loaded the Johnsons’ stuff.Dave would be stuck at the campsite all day, and Katie would be stuck between the carseats all the way home.
A dejected Dave and the stuff he'd be hanging out with all day.
We stopped briefly in Buena Vista for Subway sandwiches and then got on the road. Phoebe slept all the way home. Henry woke up and wanted to get out—no surprise!—around Golden. Poor guy. It’s a long trip. The Johnsons drove me over to the Brinkmans’. I fed Phoebe and drank some Sprite. I changed Phoebe, chatted with Greg and Emily, and hung out with John a bit. I admired Thomas once more, and we were on the road again. I stopped for gas in Golden, but otherwise we drove straight back to Daddy. Phoebe slept the whole way, after her little bit of playtime at the Brinkmans’. We found Dave sitting under the tarp, ready to get home. I fed Phoebe as much as she would eat and changed her. She peed all over the camp chair. Nobody cared. We loaded everything up and drove into Buena Vista in search of a hamburger. We found a very busy brew pub and waited for a table. Phoebe was hungry and mad. We walked her around outside and then I finally fed her. But by the time we got a table, she was inconsolable. A long day for a very patient baby! We ended up getting our hamburgers to go and eating them in the car while she screamed. Dave managed to calm her down and she slept the whole way home. We were exhausted when we arrived home around 11:00 p.m., but I had some work to do. Luckily, it didn’t take too long. Dave hauled the stuff in, I fed Phoebe, and he took a shower. Then we gave Phoebe a bath. She was in a great mood! I took a shower, fed her, read her a book, and put her to sleep. She slept from 12:45 a.m. until 5:30 a.m. and peed through her nightgown. Great sleeping, little girl!
This morning we had egg burritos and hung out with Phoebe. Dave played with her. She did some tummy time and practiced rolling over—with a bit of help.
Does this count?
Then she got a tummy ache and we soothed, soothed, soothed. Finally she fell asleep and we packed her up for the coffee shop, where we sit now, catching you up. Taco is supposed to be fixed (including a new timing belt) on Thursday. I’m glad we have a few days before we have to drive back to Buena Vista! And I’m glad we salvaged a pretty fun camping trip, thanks to easy-going and generous good friends. I’m glad Phoebe stayed warm enough. I’m glad we got to eat hot dogs, pizzas, and s’mores. It would’ve been great to hike and spend more time with the daddys, but all in all, I think we’ll definitely go camping again sooner rather than later.
Happy Memorial Day! I know my folks are enjoying the New Straitsville Moonshine Festival. I hope the rest of you, dear readers, are enjoying the day off and the beginning of summer.
A Working Week
This past week has been pretty exciting for the Gribble girls, as we started working two days a week on Monday. Before we had to go into work, though, we enjoyed a wonderful weekend!
On Saturday we went to a second baby party for our friends the Brinkmans and the Bronskis. John’s little sibling, sex as of yet undetermined, will make his or her way into the world on Tuesday, May 25, and Baby Bronski, Marin’s little sister, is due at the end of July. We can’t wait to meet our new young friends!
On Sunday we went to church and then hung around there until 3:00 p.m. for a coffee house that was both a fellowship event and a fundraiser for a mission trip to Pine Ridge Reservation that will occur next summer. Dave was in charge of lining up the acts, and he did a great job organizing, recording, and being the emcee. He also played some sax duets with Katie and a great jazz piece with Gladi on piano. I read a personal essay I wrote back in college. It was such a fun afternoon! There were many musical acts along with some dancing and poetry. Church members exhibited art that they’d created. We’ll have to make it an annual event.
Now that I’m driving the car more than Dave, it’s my responsibility to record important events like the odometer ticking over to big round numbers! Alas, I missed 250,000, so I took a photo of 250,250 instead.
Good old Taco...still going!
I guess you know you’re a parent when you’re videotaping your sweet little girl falling asleep!
Phoebe kicking around…and sneezing…in her carseat.
Phoebe asleep after eating on Sunday evening.
Phoebe’s first day of work went pretty well. We brought her borrowed farm (there’s a cow, horse, and chicken with a cowboy hat hanging above her head—thanks, Genevieve, for the loan!) and she slept in her carseat. She sleeps for a four-hour stretch almost every day, so I got some work done. It was kind of fun to get back into it; I mostly checked my e-mail that first day.
Office with sleeping baby.
On Wednesday I went a little crazy taking photos of our happy baby underneath her farm. Bear with me.
Hands in motion.
What a sweetie!
Something must be funny.
Happy with a horse overhead.
About to sneeze.
Try not to get dizzy as you watch this swooping exploration of farm life…
Phoebe has two new developments this week. She gets tears in her eyes when she cries (so sad!) and pouts (even sadder!). These are obviously meant to make Mommy and Daddy feel horrible and attend to her needs immediately…
Pouting baby.
Thank goodness she looks so cute in her summer outfit! (It’s going to be 85 degrees this weekend.)
Look at the fuzzy monkey!
Rear view.
We’re Back!
When we left you last Tuesday, we were awaiting a visit from Dave’s sister Erika, her partner Heidi, and their daughter, Genevieve. They arrived in the afternoon, after taking a very early flight from Pittsburgh and picking up a rental car. They were pretty tired, so we spent a quiet evening at home chatting. Genevieve wasn’t particularly interested in Phoebe except when she cried—then G would stop exploring and look worried. She did like Phoebe’s bouncy chair! She’s pulling up on furniture and even the walls, so she’s bound to walk soon.
Genevieve takes a look at Phoebe.
On Wednesday, we all (minus Dave, who had to work) went down to the Pearl Street Mall to walk around. I put Phoebe in the Baby Bjorn, and Genevieve sat in her stroller. We stopped in at Little Mountain Outfitters to try out backpacks—Genevieve was a great sport about sitting in the backpacks while we walked around the store! We also went to Peppercorn, the most fabulous kitchen store in Boulder. Phoebe and I had to go to my six-week appointment with the midwives, where I got a clean bill of health! Then back into town, where we all met up at Bookends to head over to Old Chicago for dinner.
Genevieve eats a piece of broccoli. You should've seen the ring of veggies that surrounded her high chair by the time we left!
On Thursday, Erika, Heidi, and Genevieve went down to the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. I stayed home to work on the curtains. It took all day, but I finished all four, hung the other rod, and finished the project! Hooray!
We finally have curtains to block out the moon and the streetlights!
Phoebe making Blue Steel (from Zoolander).
On Friday morning the six of us (again minus Dave) went to the zoo with Emily, John, Katie, and Henry. I hadn’t been to the zoo in years! Phoebe slept the whole time, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
It was a chilly morning. Thanks, Marpoo, for the warm suit!
I’m partial to the primates.
Silverback gorilla.
But the elephants, bears, and other animals were great too.
Perhaps the most fun animals, however, were the little boys…
Henry and John.
The Gribble/Monroe gang.
Dave and I went to the bookstore for a while when he was done with work.
Jess and Phoebe snuggle at the bookstore.
On Saturday, Dave rode his bike to Amante to watch the Giro d’Italia on TV with Elijah, but they weren’t showing it. We met him there and headed up to Nederland to hike in the mountains a bit. Genevieve borrowed Henry’s backpack and seemed to enjoy being outside. Phoebe napped in the Bjorn with Daddy.
Dave and Phoebe hiking in Nederland.
Heidi and Genevieve (seconds before she removed the sunglasses).
We came home and had an early dinner at Efrain’s and then watched the movie Bad Lieutenant. (I went to bed before it was done—it wasn’t really my cup of tea.)
On Sunday, Dave, Phoebe, and I went to church and then we all drove up to Estes Park to see the national park. Heidi hadn’t been there before. We tried to hike, but it was too snowy for tennis shoes, so we ended up just admiring the snowy mountain views.
Daddy and Phoebe in the mountains.
On Monday, Erika, Heidi, and Genevieve went to the Leanin’ Tree museum in the morning. Dave took half a day off work, and we walked around Pearl Street Mall some more. We ate lunch at Snarf’s and stopped in at the teahouse. Dave and I went to YABS that evening while Erika and Heidi packed to head home. We had a birthday party for John, who turned two!
Party hats.
John tries valiantly to blow out the candles on his fish cake.
Tuesday morning at 3:00 a.m. Erika, Heidi, and Genevieve left for home. We had such a nice visit! We can’t wait to see them again when Phoebe is more interactive and Genevieve is walking and causing mischief.
Excitingly, Phoebe has begun to smile this week. When she’s in a good mood, she’s all smiles, waving arms, and kicking legs. See, for instance, this photo and video from Tuesday:
Happy baby!
On Wednesday, Phoebe had a therapeutic bath, since she had a bit of tummy trouble. Luckily, she really enjoys the bath. (She must take after Mommy!) She hasn’t had as many gas problems in the past few days, for which I’m thankful. It’s no fun when she’s in pain!
Phoebe relaxing after her bath.
Happy, smiley baby!
I discovered that Phoebe can follow a mirror moving side to side. She’s becoming so talented!
She seems to enjoy her silky blanket square.
Tuesday Morning
We had a nice weekend. We went to church on Sunday morning and then to the coffee shop for a few minutes. Dave and Katie had a band concert in the afternoon, so Chris and Beth came over and went to the concert with us. It was a little sad for me not to play the music I’d practiced before Phoebe was born, but it was also kind of fun to be in the audience and know the music so well. Afterward, the Edelmeiers and Johnsons came over for brats and French fries.
Yesterday Phoebe and I slept in until 9:30 a.m. because Sunday night was kind of rough. (Tummy ache and the moon coming in the window conspired to keep all of us awake in the middle of the night.) Once we got all of the morning stuff out of the way, P and I went to Target to get new socks and to Home Depot to get curtain rods. Dave and I haven’t added a single curtain to the house since we bought it, but we did buy some material to use for curtains in our bedroom. I spent most of the afternoon hanging a curtain rod and sewing curtains for one of the windows in the bedroom. I have a very old, but quite beautiful, portable Singer sewing machine that I don’t use very often.
Sewing machine from Aunt Nancy.
Because I’m not particularly talented in the craft department, I did succeed in making curtains—but they’re too narrow. I’m almost positive I didn’t measure wrong; I think I just sewed wrong! I think I might still have enough material left to re-do that window and do the other one.
Nice, but too narrow!
(Mind, you I had to feed and soothe Phoebe throughout the day too.) We invited our new interim pastor to dinner, so around 4:30 p.m. I started cooking and cleaning to be ready for him to arrive. We had chicken stir-fry, rice, a green salad, and apple crisp. It was a very pleasant evening. When Pastor Brian left, we watched House, which Dave had had the foresight to record.
This morning has been much more chill than yesterday, although Phoebe has a terrible stomachache. I think it’s my fault—I put too much garlic in the stir-fry. Anyway, she’s asleep now and I’ve cleaned the house to prepare for the arrival of Erika, Heidi, and Genevieve sometime this afternoon!
Sleeping baby. Look how much her face has filled out!
She's almost found her thumb!
There’s a really cute yawn near the end of this video—otherwise it’s just some tongue wiggling and arm waving.
Dirt Showers, Food, and More Baby
On Thursday, we had a spring rain that left dirt all over the car! I’ve heard of acid rain, but mud rain is a new one. Weather forecasters had this to say:
Spring rains are typically refreshing, but Thursday morning’s moisture was mixed with dirt, depositing a dustlike film is some areas. And while some might suspect the volcano in Iceland as the messy culprit, experts say that was unlikely.
‘We can’t prove or disprove it, but it’s more than likely not the volcano,’ said Frank Benton, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Strong windstorms out of the Southwest likely kicked up dust as they roared across deserts in Arizona and southwestern Colorado on Wednesday, sending particulates into the jet stream, which were then washed from the sky as rain fell overnight and Thursday morning, Benton said. ‘It’s high winds across the desert and jetstreams,’ Benton said. ‘Then the rain came and dumped it to the ground.’ (Story by Kieran Nicholson, The Denver Post, 4/30/10)
On Thursday, Phoebe was wide awake quite a bit. She’s spending more and more of the day looking around and working out her little legs and arms. In this video, I broke my self-imposed two minute limit because I got enraptured by her karate kicks and chops.
However, she did sleep adorably some of the day.
This hand is even more pronounced than the last one!
More kicking, this time while lying on the Boppy. (The color balance is a little better in this one.)
This is just a series of totally cute Phoebe photos…
Pot pie dough.
Yesterday, I spent almost the whole day cooking. Brenda and Michael came over for dinner and I wanted to try a pot pie recipe I found online. It started with a whole chicken! I had no idea you could make stock or soup by boiling a raw chicken…for some reason, I thought it had to be roasted first. I guess heat is heat! First I made stock (with some left over to freeze) and set aside the chicken meat. Then I used my new food processor to make the pie crust.
An hour or so before we were planning to eat, I made the filling. I bought 10 oz. ramekins at the grocery store specifically for these pies, but they’ll be good for dessert tarts too. I rolled out the dough, topped the pies (the recipe doesn’t call for a bottom crust), and used a wooden spoon to brush on the egg wash (I don’t have a pastry brush). The pies baked for 25 minutes. I also made a couscous salad. I frosted the chocolate layer cake I’d made the day before. (Chocolate icing with a spring flower in green, pink, and yellow…why didn’t I take a photo to show you? I guess I’ll have to make another cake sometime soon…) The pot pies were just amazing—totally worth a day spent happily in the kitchen. The cake was great too. My mom used to make cookies all the time, so on Thursday I made oatmeal raisin bars. What’s the point of maternity leave if you can’t do some cooking? Phoebe and I are getting out for a walk daily, so I think we’re counteracting a few extra desserts.
Today it’s sunny and beautiful outside. Since it’s Saturday morning, we’re at the coffee shop. Erica, Adam, and Henry are coming over for lunch and we’re planning to Skype with Mom, Don, Erika, Heidi, and Genevieve later on. E, H, and G are flying out on Tuesday for the Grand Meeting of the Cousins. We’re looking forward to seeing them! Photos ops should abound, so stay tuned.