Boat Camping in Fossil Bay

Recently we went on our first boat camping trip as three! What an amazing event it was. We set off on a Friday evening and decided to spend the night anchored in one of the most beautiful places in the San Juan islands, Fossil Bay at Sucia Island.

The Mr. checks the weather forecast before we make any trip out on the water, and this particular night it had predicted 1-3' waves. We were quite surprised and happy to see this smooth water, and the trip over to Sucia was very relaxing.


On the left is Orcas Island, on the right is Sucia.


Pulling into Fossil Bay.


Dropping Anchor


The Little One going down for a nap in the bow of the boat. He has his famous "I'm not tired Mommy!" look on his face -eyes wide open! We helped convince him it was nap time by putting a towel over the port-hole to make his cozy nest nice and dark.


My favorite view at Sucia is when the sun is setting over the little strip of island that separates Fossil Bay from Fox Cove.




Our dinner that evening was simple but satisfying. Franks with fried onions, pork n' beans and a green salad.


Time for bed! There is something so fun about getting ready for bed while in the great outdoors. It's so calm and peaceful. The little one was asleep in the cabin while we cleaned up our dinner dishes and settled for the night, but he was eventually transferred to his PeaPod which was set up in the main area of the boat. He actually slept fairly well all things considered, we weren't sure how it would go. It was a shorter sleep, but a better one than I think we both had expected. There are boats coming and going and also other strange noises out on the water that could easily disrupt his sleep. We had draped a blanket over the PeaPod to keep out the early morning light, and I do think that it was good for extra warmth as well, even though he was bundled up like an Eskimo baby.


In the AM he got some snuggle time with Mommy and Daddy in the cabin. I think here it looks like he is saying something like "Whoa daddy, what happened last night? What's going on here? Where are we?!" he seemed a bit disoriented.


The breakfast for boating champions. Scrambled eggs, sausage patties and fried red potatoes.


Another nap. Oh how I love this sweet, sweet sleeping baby!


"Well hello there."


Check out those toothless gums. Love 'em.




This Bungalow360 small satchel was a baby shower gift and it has proved to be an excellent gift. It is the perfect size and shape for a couple of diapers, a wipes case, an extra onesie, paci etc. when hiking or walking somewhere and the diaper bag is too bulky to carry. Just thought I'd mention it in case someone else is looking to solve the same problem. I wear it over my shoulder, and even loaded with all the above mentioned items, I can still fit in my camera as well.


This sweet older woman rowed to our boat and as we struck up a conversation with her, she offered to give us a lift to the island, which was so kind of her! We did have a raft with us and just hadn't blown it up yet, but it really made our day to meet someone so kind.

When we did blow up our raft and make our way to the island, we decided to go on a hike. Sucia has such beautiful walking trails.


Mt. Baker as viewed from Echo Bay.


To the left is South Finger Island in Echo bay. Sucia's many small surrounding islands make it so interesting, click here for the map and notice all the little islands and the neat shapes they form.


This is the Echo Bay campground area. Many people anchor their boats in the bay and kayak or dingy their camping supplies to this area as there are no docks in this bay.


Our destination is to the left!


The China Caves. I can't find a good link right now, but rumor has it (I'll call it a rumor currently, as I can't find proof, although this information is posted on many different sites) that Chinese slaves escaped and hid in these caves and that is how they became known as the China Caves. There are amazing spots where you can go inside, but we didn't do any climbing.




A sandy beach can be found in Shallow Bay right in front of the China Caves. This is something that is somewhat rare in the San Juans as they are mostly rocky.




The Mr. and The Little One just chillin' in the shade. It was a hot day!


Grins for daddy.


Shallow Bay


Madrone


Our Boat hanging out at anchor. We can't wait to go out again!

Say Cheese!

SMILE buddy!........


What Mommy?.......


Oh, you said smile? How's this?.......


Okay, okay..... how's this?......


........oh come on Mommy, just take the picture already, I'm blushing!

My Baby Must-Haves, 0-3 Months

It is crazy to think that our Little One is 14 weeks old. He is starting to laugh, reach for toys and has started grabbing his thighs during diaper changes. He loves to catch the eye of someone nearby with his smile and has graduated to using a talking voice to get our attention when he is bored instead of crying. He is getting louder... his crying is louder, his jabbering is louder and his burps are louder!

During these first three months, I have used a few items that I would call my "must-haves." I thought it would be fun to list them here, and then post updates in the months to come as to what I find most useful for each stage. It is true that not much is really needed for a baby, aside from some sort of diapers (be it cloth or disposables), clothing, blankets and a car seat, but there are some products out there that have been so great that I think it's worth mentioning them.

When I was a nanny I was introduced to the Miracle Blanket. At first The Mr. and I didn't buy one ourselves, as we were having success swaddling our baby with large flannel receiving blankets. However, soon came the day when The Little One could easily wiggle his way out of the receiving blanket swaddle, even if I used two and double swaddled him with the help of YouTube videos, he would manage to get out of it. So, I definitely suggest the Miracle Blanket because we picked one up and started using it immediately and I truly think that a good swaddle is an important step in helping your baby get a good night's sleep.

The second item I love right now is my Moby Wrap. I use the hug hold and find this wrap very supportive for both baby and mommy. I like how the weight of the baby is evenly distributed and there are no straps to dig into or pull on my shoulders. The Little One weighs around 14 lbs now and I am still comfortable carrying him in the wrap. I often wear him in the wrap when I know he is going to need a nap and the stroller is not an option for where we are at the time. I have had him nap in the Moby while visiting the outdoors with friends and family, walking around a disc golf course and also for hiking in the San Juan Islands.

The Little One sleeps in his crib, and the Angel Care Movement and Sound Monitor gives us peace of mind as to his safety. This monitor not only monitors sound, but it has a sensor pad that goes under the crib mattress that is sensitive enough to detect breathing movements. It is incredible. In the first few weeks of The Little One's life, I don't know if I would have slept at all without this product. It was so nice to be able to look over at the digital parent unit on my bedside table and watch the little pendulum swing back and forth, which shows that the monitor in the nursery is still picking up movement from the baby. If at any point movement is not detected, an alarm sounds on both the parent unit and nursery unit.

We use Weleda Baby Calendula Shampoo and Body Wash at every bath. For a while The Little One had quite a struggle with baby acne on his face, shoulders, chest and upper back. When we were at the S family's home for a visit, I borrowed this wash while bathing The Little One as I had left my regular baby wash upstairs in the spare room. That day I noticed a considerable clearing of his skin, and over the course of our stay his acne cleared up almost completely with the continued use of the Weleda product. I immediately went out and bought some and haven't used any other wash on his skin since.

The last item I will share today is the On Becoming Baby Wise along with the blog Chronicles of a Baby Wise Mom. I know that this book has had a bad rap in some circles, but like all things, you have to take it with a grain of salt. Above all things, a mom has to do what is best for her baby at all times and listen to the cues the baby is giving her. I started a routine with The Little One when he was just a few weeks old and we have continued that till this day. For the first two months we were flexible with his schedule, but focused on being consistent with his routine of "eat, wake, sleep." Now that he is 3 months old, this routine has led him to naturally fall into a schedule. His daily schedule changes by 30 minutes here or there if he wakes earlier, is hungry earlier or there are other factors involved, but generally he follows the same pattern every day. At 14 weeks old, he is eating every three hours between 7am and 7pm, goes to bed at 7:30 pm, has a dream feed at 10pm, and is sleeping 8 1/2 hrs through the night. I highly suggest Baby Wise and the blog Chronicles of a Baby Wise Mom is an amazing resource, answering all sorts of questions a Baby Wise mom might have.

So there you have it, my Baby Must-Haves for 0-3 months!