How I left my baby behind to vacation!

                Fortunately for me, my daughter is the first grandchild on both sides of our families. I say fortunately because my mom and my mother-in-law fight (in the nicest way possible) to watch her. It’s truly a blessing to be able to have this luxury, especially because I plan to start my career soon and I know my baby is in good hands. This is what made my decision to jet-set alone a little easier.

                A few months ago, my friends and I were entertaining the idea of taking an all girls trip to Florida (yes, I went again). I decided to make a list of reasons of why I should and should not go. Some of the reasons that were in favor of me going were:

1. Now is the best time to go since my daughter is still the only grandchild.

2. I would most likely be working in the fall.

3. In the last year and a half I have been pregnant and taking classes full time, gave birth over the summer, completed a student teaching internship, and then finally finished my master’s project and eventually earned my degree.

And,

4. I Haven’t had a good night sleep since I was 8 months pregnant.  

             Needless to say, I needed a break. While all of these reasons were justified in me taking this vacation, the one reason I had to stay behind seemed to the most prominent: Missing Madina. However, I knew that this opportunity was not going to come by again anytime soon and so after serious contemplation and encouragement from my husband and friends, I decided to book my trip.

            Shortly after, I prepared everything for Madina for the time that I was away. I wanted to make things as easy on my mom and my mother-in-law as possible, since they were doing me such a great favor. Well, if you ask them, I was probably doing them the favor by keeping her with them. Anyway, I began with her food. If you refer to my previous post titled, “Meal Prep for Baby”, you will see how I puree and prep my daughter’s food. In this instance, I organized all of the food by day and stored them in zip lock bags. I wrapped 3 food “bowls” in plastic wrap and labeled them “breakfast” “lunch” or “dinner” like so:

               I then packed Madina’s clothes in separate bags and labeled them using post-it notes to indicate the corresponding days (Monday through Friday) like so:

                In each bag was a hair accessory, a hat, an outfit, shoes,socks, extra cardigan and leggings just in case it got a little chilly and an extra little bag labeled “Night time Pj’s”.

            I also wrote down a checklist for my husband to refer to both in the morning and at night before and after he took her to my mom/mother-in-law’s. He said he followed it promptly…but I don’t believe him.

                Lastly, I printed out a feeding/nap time schedule for my mom and my mother-in-law to use as a guide. Now, I am fully aware that my mom and mother-in-law have had children before and they are perfectly capable of figuring out when a baby needs to nap and eat, I only wrote this down just as a reference. I informed them that it was tentative, and I’m glad I wrote it because they both found it helpful.

               The night before my departure, I was overwhelmed with the feelings of guilt and selfishness as I questioned: Is she going to miss me? What if she doesn’t realize I’m gone? Am I going to be able to handle this? I really shouldn’t be going, do I really need this? Isn’t four nights too long?

              After shedding a few tears (yes, I’m a little dramatic), my husband assured me that there is nothing to worry about, and that everything would be taken care of. I set my worrisome feelings to the side and tried to look forward to the trip.

              When my friends picked me up the next morning, I finally started to feel excited when the thought of sleeping through the night became a reality. I wasn’t as excited about the beautiful beach, our ocean view balcony, or getting to try some delicious new restaurants… I just wanted to sleep.

              And, so I slept. The first night I woke up out of habit it seemed, but after that I was able to sleep through the night, and take naps, and lounge by the water. I cannot tell you how wonderful it was. Although every toddler in sight reminded me of my baby, I was glad I took the time to myself. I came back feeling refreshed, strong, and ready to jump back into the beautiful role of being a mom.

              Sometimes it’s important to allow yourself time to just relax, catch up on sleep, and make your husband realize how much you actually do. We are all so wrapped up in trying to be super mom to our babies, but I don’t believe a few days away makes you anything less. After my trip, I feel a moms get-away is definitely recommended, especially if you have reliable care for your child. So go ahead… Treat yo' self.

             Have you vacationed without your child/children? If so, what was your experience? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section! Don’t forget to subscribe to the blog on the right hand side of your screen.

-Mariam