“The
New Vacation” is a peek inside the experience of many a new mothers this
summer. No doubt, these moms are looking forward to what they remember as vacation pre-baby to find out that no matter who is accompanying
them, she is still the mom. Vacation
isn’t what it used to be...
The New Vacation
Webster’s dictionary
defines it as “a respite.” And that’s
what I’ve always experienced in my annual beach vacations since I was a
child. Should I have known that it’d be
different now that I had a child?
Well…not exactly. I mean, I
tallied the family and friends that would be there. No doubt excited to hold and play with a baby
so I’d get the ample relaxation I’ve worked hard for over the past 10
months. I imagined sitting on the beach,
gazing at the ocean (or a People
magazine) while my little babe slept in that nifty beach tent I bought last
week. Visions of those wonderful
guiltless vacation dinners swirled in my mind with images of Grandma or Grandpa
entertaining our son as my husband and I sat back with a glass of wine. I also pictured my baby so exhausted from the
day’s events that he’d fall asleep at bed-time and sleep through the
night.
The following is what vacation actually felt
like this year.
We arrived at the hotel just in time to
unwind and catch up with family for a bit before going out for a casual
dinner. Prepared with milk and a variety
of Gerber jars, we enjoyed cheeseburgers and fries at one of our favorite ocean
front joints. Near the end, just when he
started to get fussy, Grandma took him outside to get some fresh air and to look
at the tiki lights. So far…so good.
Back at the resort, I lay with our son as he
guzzled a bottle of milk and drifted off to slumber. We had a Pack N Play just the right size for
him and I’d made sure to pad it with plenty of fluff, including his favorite
blanket and his stuffed doggie. Other
familiarities of home included his turtle nightlight and a fan for noise. I was so prepared!!! I joined my parents, their best friends and
my husband for a board game and some cervezas. But I was shocked to find that with every
excited shout, or high-five or tipsy burst of laughter, I tensed up.
Don’t
wake up my baby, I thought. Don’t they realize how loud they’re
being? Don’t they know who has to spend
an hour getting him back to sleep if they wake him? If I did join in on the fun, it’d be with a
hushed giggle or just a nervous smile. I
wanted to cry. Maybe if I showed them I
was being quiet, they’d follow suit. No
deal! Nobody cared. Not even my husband seemed concerned. (Or everyone realized that the baby probably
will sleep through anything or would possibly wake up even if there was total
silence. So they were going to enjoy
their vacation anyway.)
Finally, it was time to go to bed. With our heads on the pillow, my husband and
I kissed good-night, and I started to unwind.
Then he starts. Not my son…my husband. He’s snoring!
I always wear earplugs at home and can somehow manage. But the baby!
Sure enough, our son wakes up to the noise (which the following year he
would shout out – “Truck!” when hearing his dad’s snoring). It’s close to 1:00 a.m.; he’s crying and I’m
very aware that everyone in the house is trying to sleep and we’re in such
close quarters. I panic. I cry silently.
I change his diaper, grab another bottle and curl up on the couch. It’s freezing. No doubt that the men in this place have
cranked up the air. So I shiver,
figuring all the blankets were in the various bedrooms. At least I’d grabbed Luke’s blankie to keep
him warm. Together, we eventually fell
asleep. Like clockwork, he is up and
ready to go at 6:00 a.m. If every night
is going to be like this, it’s going to be a long week and coffee will inevitably
be my best friend!
Now we get to enjoy our first official
day. My mom wants to go to shopping this
morning. Immediately I feel guilty for
asking my husband to spend our first morning of vacation with our baby. I know I shouldn’t but I do. And then I question my thoughts for doubting
that I should. Though I’m happy to be
spending one-on-one time with my mom, I can’t get my mind off my baby boy. We rush back, sooner than we would’ve in the
past, just in time to give him his bottle for his morning nap. Everyone is heading to the beach now; I
assure them I’m happy to stay in the room while he sleeps. Maybe I’ll nap a little, too. And I do.
Before I know it, it’s lunch time. We all eat together and it’s time to pack our
beach bag, making sure I have plenty of milk and snacks, and the tent and
towels and the float. I slather my son
in SPF 50 and top him off with a pretty stylin’ hat. I grab my magazine. On the way to the beach, we pass the hotel
tiki bar. Zac and I should definitely grab a cocktail before dinner one evening. What
fun! Yeah, like this every actually
happens!
Finally set up at the beach, my dad is
upstairs napping and their friends have chosen the pool. Seems as though spending ample amounts of
time with my cute little baby isn’t first on their vacation checklist. Hmmm! But my mom is with us and she enjoys every
second of hugging and playing with our little beachgoer…whom by the way, loves
the ocean! He crawls in and out of the
tide pools, splashing away. His daddy
finds a little crab and he watches in amazement as it tickles his arm.
We decide it’s time to try out the
pool. We bought this awesome little raft
with a sunshade and our angel enjoys the pool just as much as the ocean…he is
our water baby and that pleases us immensely.
I’m happy to be in the pool because I think this hides those last few pounds
of baby weight and I have fun swimming around his float and playing little
games. We return to the beach and to my
mom and my dad (whose had a nice nap); my husband takes Luke out into the late
afternoon sea. He goes out far, safe in
his daddy’s arms. They jump the waves
and my little boy doesn’t flinch when he gets splashed in the face. With a huge grin on his face, hair slicked
back with the salty water, my baby looks like a natural.
I am sitting in a chair, finally
semi-relaxing and overwhelmed with happiness.
I may not be sipping a cocktail while reading up on Jennifer Aniston’s
latest beau…but this is the closest to my vision of a family vacation, and I’ve
waited for it my whole life. There will
be sleep and magazines again in my future, but at least I get to soak in these
moments…and the sunshine…now!
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