My second grandchild arrived last week! As a gift to my daughter, I scanned her old baby book and found these old photos. These photos are from 1975-78. In another year I will get to take out the grandchildren! We will certainly take advantage of the much better gear that is now available.

Little was available in store-bought clothing for infants so I bought old cashmere sweaters from the second hand store and cut them down into wool colothing. I sewed a rain suit (the little red suit in the photos) from coated nylon. I added a canopy (with diaper compartment on top), and internal sling seat inside my pack. When the kids got older I cut a slit and put in a zipper so their feet could stick out!

I took my oldest daughter on 10 days of a NOLS instructor course in the Tetons when she was 16 months old, canoed 4 days on the Yellowstone River when she was 6 months old, did a 5-day backpack in the Wind Rivers, did a one-week combination horse drop in camp and family backpack out when she was 3 years and my youngest daughter (who just had her baby) was 1 year old and I also did a trip just with my youngest daughter when she was 5 years old. The last photo is of our unexpected August snowstorm that we had to walk out in for 12 miles! Whenever weather permitted the babies went bare-bottomed to save on diapers. Digging in dirt was a favorite activity. The first photos are of my oldest daughter and the last two of my younger daughter. They are both mothers themselves now!