I had big dreams of spending Thanksgiving in Cuba. Then those plans changed to Barcelona. Right as we were about to book flights we got Tennyson to start sleeping through the night. We talked about how awful it would be if putting him in a different time zone (9 hrs ahead) ruined all our hard sleep training work… and decided not to go.
We decided to share Thanksgiving with Lucas’ family. We are going home to CA for Christmas and didn’t want to drive that far two months in a row so the Brooks met us roughly half way. We’re so grateful they shared the distance with us! Medford turned out to be a great spot to stay.
I had a job interview the day we left for Medford. Instead of leaving in the early morning (Tennyson’s happiest time of day) we had to leave in the late afternoon. Baby slept for the first half of the drive but screamed the last hour of the drive despite all of our efforts to make him happy. What we thought would be a fairly easy 4.5 hr drive turned into a miserable experience. We had plans to drive 9.5 hours home for Christmas. The day after our drive to Medford Lucas said, “I found cheap flights home for Christmas.” Ha! We booked the flights.
First time Tennyson Rogue Brook visited the river his middle name is named after.
It’s really cute to see how much Kyle enjoys playing with “his godson” (self proclaimed title ha). Although, I can’t get him to smile for a photo… A few years after Lucas and I got married Kyle said, “You can’t have kids yet because I’m not ready to be an uncle.” Seems like he is ready now : )
ROGUE RIVER
We’ve rafted the permitted 3-day section of the Rogue a few times, but we’ve never done a day section until now. We picked an Airbnb to stay in that was right on the river and didn’t have to drive far to get to a run-able section. It was pretty cold though… It was 32 degrees Fahrenheit when we got on the water. Just sayin’.
Over the years we’ve gathered better river gear and as my gear gets better I love the experience more and more. Even though it was freezing cold outside, my body was comfortable! All it took was a few layers of jackets and dry top/pants. I couldn’t feel my fingers, toes, or nose… but the rest of me was great. Lucas and his brother Kyle seem to be unfazed by everything and their dry suits are great so they were fine. Next time we just need an extra dry suit for Jo! She was a champ in her freezing wet wetsuit.
To avoid going down this… (above) the Brook boys tethered the boat down a skinnier, more shallow route. I’m glad it was a two person job because Jo and I couldn’t feel our fingers. If it were summer and warm out, it would be fun to try running this…. not in 32 degree winter…
Drive Home
To break up the drive home (and avoid another witching hour crisis) we left mid morning at the start of Tennyson’s first nap, stopped when he woke up (went to lunch and on a mini hike), and kept driving for his second nap. Luckily it worked out great! We stumbled upon a delicious cafe in what seemed like the middle of nowhere (Cottage Grove, OR), and the day was perfect for a nice walk outside.
I’m so happy Tennyson loves riding in his baby throne. He loves any chance to look around at new scenery and this backpack sit high enough for him to see past whichever adult head is in front of him. Win for everyone!
