Everett Sage goes to Yosemite.

We took Everett to Yosemite for his one month birthday. This trip meant a lot to me. Of course, it was special because it was our first family vacation with the three of us, and Everett turned one month old. For me, though, it was kind of a rite of passage as a mother. It meant that I could still be the person I was before Everett, and also this new version of myself, a mother. The first week of motherhood I was worried that I would never get to do anything that I had previously enjoyed, that I wouldn't be able to find even the smallest remnant of my former self. I was worried that I would never be able to leave the house, because breastfeeding was such a challenge and required so much gear. I was worried that I would never sleep again, because our breastfeeding process was so involved that sometimes by the time we finished, it was time to just start over again. I was worried that I would never exercise again, because merely walking around the block was such a struggle. Each day got a little easier even though new challenges sprung up along the way for those first few weeks. Slowly, we discovered how to parent and still live life. Three weeks into parenthood, we booked a trip to Yosemite. We thought that it could either be the worst or best idea ever, and we went for it. This little trip helped me reconnect to a piece of myself from before I became a mother. Yet it made me even more grateful for this new self that I am slowly learning about, because truly I wouldn't want it any other way. It was nice to be able to adventure with my husband, walk across a river, be immersed in nature, hike up a mountain, go on a road trip- all things I have loved to do, and it was beautiful to be able to do them with a new little family member by my side.

Our trip to Yosemite turned out to be the best idea ever. We stayed in a hotel (no camping with a one month old for us). Each morning, we walked down to the river and had a breakfast picnic. We went on a hike each day. We sought out beautiful views. We were lucky to catch an incredibly beautiful sunset where we enjoyed a picnic dinner. I breastfed wherever we happened to be when Everett was hungry. It was a beautiful few days.

This fawn and it's sibling and mother lived next to our porch, and we saw them each day. We even saw the mother nursing her baby, and it made me feel empowered as a woman. It's like it was a little sign from the universe to show me that I was meant to do this, to mother, to nourish my baby, and in some grand interconnected way, we are all in this together.