I'm baaaack.

The idea of starting the blog back up has been swirling around in my head for the last handful of months.  I would get excited about it for whatever reason, and then all of the objections would make their way in my mind:  I don't have a specific topic, what will I write about, I don't like the commitment, do I really have time...blah blah blah.  I've decided to ignore the banter and just go for it.  We'll see what happens.  As a fair warning there will probably be a bit about Fitz, parenting, traveling, climbing, cooking, etc.  We've had an AMAZING year and a half since welcoming Fitz into the world and I think I'll look back and post about that, too.  So let's see where we end up.

Being blown around by the relentless wind at the vista on our bus ride down to El Chalten for the first time.  Fitz Roy is hiding in the clouds.

We are going to start a little ways back.  About 6 months after Tommy and I tied the knot we headed down to a special place that Tommy was really excited to show me.  Patagonia.  I knew nothing about the place other than it had the same name as the logo of my jacket, it was a place climbers loved, had amazing beef and chocolate and wine, and it took a long time to get there.  Above is a photo of the first time I ever saw the Fitz Roy massif down in Patagonia.  My mind was blown.  I had never seen a big glacier before and I couldn't quite comprehend the beauty of it all.  As soon as I got a quick glimpse of Fitz Roy on the bus from El Calafate to El Chalten I stared in awe.  For some reason my mind went to:  If we ever have a dog we should name him Fitzroy and call him Fitz.  After a bit of time, but before we were pregnant, talks of children came up and baby names came up and I realized Fitz would be an excellent child's name.  Tommy was quite fond of the name instantly and a while later when we found out we were pregnant Fitz was in the running and nothing quite compared.  When we found out we were having a boy it was decided.  Little Fitz was preparing his way into this world.

Mama's getting' big.  Just a day before I went into labor.

Looking back at these pictures is quite crazy to me.  This time in life somehow made its way out of my memory amongst the chaos of life and raising Fitz.  All I can say is "whoa"!!  I wish there was some way to preserve that cool special time of life where my belly was ever-growing and we were preparing for our lives to be rocked in the best way.  

Is this too much??  In the middle of the storm.  Labor was tough stuff.  Thankful Tommy was there.  He was amazing support, and he caught Fitz!  Brave man.

My labor started in the middle of the night and I was excited and ready for it all to happen.  Just a few hours before I was standing through the Sport Climbing Nationals in Boulder hoping maybe some time on my feet would bring things on.  For the past few weeks I bounced on a yoga ball any spare moment there was and just over 24 hours before I danced like a crazy pregnant woman to "Jump" by Kriss Kross hoping it would bring on labor.  Maybe all of those interventions worked...maybe Fitz was just fully cooked.  The only thing I knew was that I couldn't wait any longer!  After a long day of laboring with the help of Tommy and my midwife and nurse Fitz finally took his first breath!  He was perfect, of course, and still is.  

At that moment I first held him and he looked at me with those eyes there was nothing but awe.  Shortly after our blissful first out of my body encounter he pooped on me, I felt the sting of the numbing injection given to get sutured up and just like that I was brought back to reality and it was game on.  That's kind of how it goes, eh?  And I don't think things have slowed down since that short moment.       

Brand new Fitz.

Just home from the hospital.

Less than 1 week old.  Too cute for words.