What I've learned from camping with an 18 month old...

We went tent camping this past weekend; the first time in a year. Last year when we went, Samantha was only 6 month's old and couldn't even crawl, so it was a different kind of "trying"... This camp was basically me never getting to relax because I was watching over my toddler every possible second. I didn't sleep well, partly because I never get the same kind of sleep camping that I do at home, and partly because every time I'd wake up I was actually getting up to recover Samantha who had kicked off her blankets! I normally wouldn't have bothered, except for the fact that it got down in the high 50's at night and the last thing I wanted was her to get a cold!

We were worried that she wasn't going to do well and that we weren't going to be able to get her to sleep in the play-pen/make-shift crib (this thought was based on our 2 night Easter stay-over at Frank's parents). And I was fully prepared to be driving the 45 minutes home late Friday night with an exhausted baby.... but, she proved us wrong!

So here is what I've learned:

1.) Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst! (This was more of a reaffirmation than a new thing.) Sami totally did better then we thought she would. She LOVED being outside and didn't freak-out at going in the tent and sleeping in the play-pen!

2.) 18 month olds NEVER sit still! (Again, more of an reaffirmation...) She was constantly go-go-going ALL weekend... except when she was sleeping.

3.) Having a child makes you over pack and over think WAY more then B.C. (before children!)

4.) When not watched closely enough, toddlers will try to eat dirt! :-/

5.) AND, at the end of the day (or weekend, in this case), even though I am tired and sore (mainly form hiking with a 22 lb. toddler in a carrier), everything worked out great!

I still am undecided if I will be happy to take another camp this year, or if I am dreading the thought of it... It was a lot of work and I am still just so tired... I guess it's more of a combination of the two opposing feeling, waring inside of me and your guess is as good as mine as to which one will win out!