Tomorrow, Mike and I are going on vacation.* I know your first question. It's— "Are you taking the baby?" To which I'll respond, "Ummm… does going away with a baby sound like a vacation??" No, Mike and I will most definitely NOT be traveling with the baby. Unless Mazzy figures out how to get to the airport and stow away underneath the plane on her own. In which case, the universe is conspiring against me. AND— isn't my kid super smart?!
Editor's Note: As you read this, I am most probably doing a we're-going-on-vacation dance. And since you can't see me, it's very coordinated and doesn't look at all stupid.
There are two important factors regarding this trip. The first is that unlike our adventurous vacations of yore (yore = pre-baby), Mike and I will be staying at a relaxing beach resort with no plans to leave the premises whatsoever. The other is that this vacation will be the first time that I'm away from Mazzy overnight. (Except if you count the time Mike and I went to see Avatar, which felt like all night but in reality was just a couple of hours). The vacation is seven days, six nights in a row. Way to jump in with both feet, huh? Mike and I had planned on doing a trial weekend away but we both got really busy with work and it never happened.
So here we are. Vacation tomorrow.
THE REALLY BIG QUESTION IS:
Will I… A) miss the baby terribly and as a result, not be able to have nearly as much fun as I intend? or B) have so much fun that I won't want to come back home to see the baby?
I honestly have no idea. SO. In order to properly prepare myself for the trip (and as a procrastination technique in lieu of packing), I have decided to make a list of both my hopes and fears regarding our seven days SANS BABY. It's kind of like a pros and cons list that normal people make when they are buying a house or weighing a job offer except written by someone who is not normal and has no such prospects.
VACATION HOPES & FEARS
HOPE: My husband and I will get some much needed rest.
FEAR: My husband and I will fall asleep on the plane ride down and not wake up until we have landed back in NY.
HOPE: My husband and I will sleep in every morning.
FEAR: My husband and I have gotten so used to waking up at 5am, that we no longer need a screaming baby as a wake-up call.
HOPE: My husband and I will have romantic evenings with intelligent conversation about un-baby related topics.
FEAR: "Poop?" "Snot." "Pacifier?" "Drool!"
HOPE: The baby will have a lovely time with Grammy.
FEAR: A lovely time will mean that Grammy has implemented a "no-naptime" schedule.
HOPE: The baby will take a learning/milestone hiatus while she patiently waits for our return.
FEAR: The baby will speak in full sentences and have just completed the entire Harry Potter series by herself.
HOPE: The baby will look exactly like she did when we left her.
FEAR: The baby will have grown five inches, have hair long enough for a ponytail and ask me when she is allowed to wear make-up.
HOPE: The baby will be beside herself with happiness when we reunite.
FEAR: Our reunion will be met with a blank stare and the baby's three new favorite words "WHO ARE YOU?"
Does this help me? Not really. Am I scared that by the time I get back I will be so racked with guilt from the temporary abandonment of my child that I ply her with nothing but cookies and candy until she is eight? Yes. Am I still beyond excited for the trip? Absolutely. I guess if I go back to my original question and I really weigh A & B, the obvious choice has got to be a write-in vote for C) a little bit of both.
What about you? Anybody have any stories or tips about their first vacation without their kids? Did you spend the whole time on Skype? Did you party like a rockstar? Are you thinking— "The kids? OH CRAP! I knew there was a reason our permanent move to Aruba went so smoothly!"?
* IMPORTANT MESSAGE: MOMMY SHORTS IS NOT ON VACATION. POSTS ARE ALL READY TO GO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
Photo credit goes to N Takyo, universal "NO" symbol is all mine— if you are N Takyo and this bothers you, which is understandable, please let me know and I will remove it.
I bet you’ll have a ton of fun on your vacation! The first time I was ever away from Sebastian was for a week when he was eight months old. I missed him a lot, and didn’t know what to do with all of my time, but it was so relaxing just doing whatever I wanted.
The first time we went away without Emma, she was four months old. We took a 5 day cruise and left her with my parents. We tried to call daily to ask about her. And we talked about her a lot. But, we had a wonderful time. It was truly relaxing. Have a great time! You will be fine. Mazzy will be fine.
Based on my experiences, it’ll be A for the first day and a half, and then B B B oh hell yeah B! The grandparents will have the time of their lives and so will Mazzy. She’ll be clingy, then angry, then so so happy when you get back. Allow yourselves to spend the first drink ruminating on what the baby is doing, and then force yourself to talk about grown up stuff like how gross that dude’s back hair is at the swim-up bar for the rest of your meal. Have fun!
A week at a beach resort? Hell yeah! I would bring the stack of books from my nightstand and park my pasty self by the pool. I bet Diane’s right: a little bit of A, then a whole lot of B. Have a great time!
That first drink is going to be OH SO SWEET. We may actually break our drunk:sober vacation record! And thanks for reminding me that there are lots of quality grown-up topics.
I’m glad to read this — my husband and I were both off for MLK day, and day-care was open, so we dropped off Rebecca and went to see a movie. It was nice, but I kept feeling bad about it, since most working moms are all like “Oh, I wish I had more time with my kid!”, as if I was being selfish for wanting to take the day with my husband.
Granted, my parents live in 20 minutes away, and they have taken Rebecca overnight a few times, so I’ve never been away from her for more than a day, but I hope that someday we can have a mini-vacation/get-away… and that I can NOT feel guilty about it.
I look forward to seeing how it went!
(Right now, we have cabin fever here in bergen county, NJ, and I’m PRAYING she stays down for a long nap, because it’s gonna be a LONG afternoon….)
In nearly 6 years, we have spent maybe 5 nights away from the kids, total. (And two of those were for your beautiful wedding, and I couldn’t drink as I was pregnant with Colin. Bitter.) So I will live vicariously through your experience, and am consumed with envy. And to Heather, above – we used to do that with daycare all the time, and I never felt badly about it. In fact, now that I have a kid in “real” school, I resent the fact I have lost those few freebie holidays. ; )
When I was working full-time, I would feel guilty about getting a babysitter and going out at night. But that’s been one of the nice parts about working freelance. I’m with Mazzy off and on throughout the day so I can go out to a movie at night guilt-free. Which makes me think that I should have seen WAY more of those Golden Globe nominations.
I am so jealous. I was just saying to the hubby how right about this time in January for the past couple years we’ve been preparing for vacation. Not this year. Not with a 7 month old. And definitely not while I’m still nursing. (Pumping every 3 hrs in tropical paradise? Oh HELL no.)
Not to mention that if we left him with my mom for a week, she’d purposely wean him off breastmilk, get him addicted to sugar, and send him back to me so overtired from not napping that I would never sleep again.
Have a GREAT time, be safe, and tell us all about it when you get back!
I’m guessing “whatever I want” is going to lean heavily towards eating, drinking and sleeping. Things that I didn’t need to go to a tropical location to enjoy a year ago!
I’m hoping that Mazzy won’t be having so much fun with Grammy that she has no time for trivial things like parking herself in front of a computer and smiling pretty for her parents.
You don’t know pasty till you’ve seen this woman’s back. This woman is ME in case that wasn’t clear.
Have I mentioned how happy we were that you came to our wedding? Cause really, I totally appreciate it now as a parent. Hope you had fun and it was worth it, even without the alcohol…:)
Did I ever write about the time I took Mazzy (then four months old) and my mother (to watch Mazzy) on a ten day business trip to Vancouver? I, too, did not want to give up breastfeeding. I ended up pumping through the days (on a commercial shoot with moving locations that went for way longer than normal business hours) and then nursing throughout the nights. I’ll write a post about it as soon as the nightmares stop.
Have a wonderful time! I still remember the ecstatic look on Ella’s face when Alex and I returned from our first trip away from her. She was actually speechless! But then she made me pay for the next several days for leaving her. So be prepared for a readjustment period when you get back. I’d say if you’re gone for 7 days, it will take another 7 days before things are back to normal.
This trip is mostly an ice-breaker for you. After the first one it’s easier to go away without the kids. Because I can tell you from experience, it is definitely not a vacation with the kids. Vacation and preschooler/toddler do not mix. Ever. I get babysitters all the time, and leave my kids at daycare so I can do errands or just have alone time. And stay away from the Skype!
Uh-oh. I don’t like the sound of “readjustment period”.
I do believe Mazzy is still young enough that she has very little concept of time…that should ease the guilt about how many days you’re away 😉 And I swear, they appreciate you when you return…even if Grandma spolis the heck out of them…you’ll have a great time when you get home (and yes, she will seem like she’s grown like crazy!).. Have fun!!!
I hope you enjoy your vacation and your time without the baby. The first time I left my little one overnight it was hard and it was only for one night, I can’t imagine doing a week at once. I think that Mazzy will be very excited to see you when you get home and maybe she will even say Mama when she sees you again.
Amazing!!!!!! Have a fabulous time! I’m so jealous!!! You will definitely be disappointed in the sleep department. Your body just doesn’t rest the way it used to. Every time I have gone away, I have woken up at 5:45, just like at home. You will miss Mazzy. You will have adult conversations with your husband…about Mazzy. But you also will realize that an adult conversation with your husband about how amazing your kids are is just about the most romantic thing you could have ever hoped for. Bon voyage!!!!!
I did my first Momcation in almost 2 years a few weeks ago. It. Was. AWESOME. God bless my MIL. I was afraid that I’d have some sort of mental health crisis because I was going to be ALL alone (my husband was away on business too). But I was just fine. I’m not sure how to describe how I felt about the kids – I did miss them, but not in a way that would make me bring them back early.
I also did stuff that I think is fun that other people (husband included) find boring. I went to the library and read magazines for 3 hours. Then I went to the Museum and stayed until I’d seem the WHOLE Museum. And then I went to the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. Safety caps on medicine bottles? Canadian! And I had dinner with my single lady friends and heard all about their careers and school stuff.
You saw me on my first real vacation away from the Blessed one, and even tho it was Day 1 I think I was not doing too badly!
C was baffled to see me _inside_ the computer for once, but some good old peek a boo and he was all giggles.
My advice: drink and have sex as much as you can. And then once more for the road!
Have fun! We’re following your footsteps in the sand in 3 weeks so we’re VERY curious to hear how it goes. Oh, and by the way…we’re leaving Carson with your Mom.
Have an awesome trip! I’m pretty sure you’ll be missing your baby like mad but you’ll also enjoy yourselves as well.
When I was a mother of one I had one weekend away from my son when my mother-in-law took him up to their trailer for the weekend. It was nice but I was very ready to have him home on Sunday. Wish I could offer you advice but I’ve never really gone on a real vacation without the kids…actually I haven’t gone on a vacation at all since I had my son almost 21 months ago.
I’m looking forward to hearing how it went. We’re getting married in July and our honeymoon will follow. So hopefully you’ll have some helpful advice/tips for us 🙂
Grandma is gonna get her used to a diet of ice cream and skittles. I just KNOW IT. Anything to be the favorite.
Wouldn’t that be the icing on the cake…
oh dude… enjoy!!!!!!!!!
(and cheers!)
As long as Mazzy gets blueberries and tomatoes – she doesn’t care who is on the other side of the high chair. I discovered that she has a fascination with sponges, envelopes, packaged tea bags & a Phantom of the Opera music box with a mechanically moving Phantom. The first time she saw it move she said “Hi” to it. She is the cutest.