A little R&R

Around 5 months ago, Jon suggested we take a trip to Mexico this winter. We hadn't been in several years, and he predicted we would need a break by then. I felt an immediate wave of anxiety at the thought of leaving Carter for a week and I'm pretty sure I said no. I hadn’t spent more than 2 nights away from him, and a whole week, in a whole other country, both of us, felt like SO MUCH. I never once doubted his care in our absence – our mothers are so great with him and have fortunately spent every other Friday with him since he was tiny. I never doubted his happiness either – the grandmas just might pull out more smooches and hugs and treats than I am known to do. But I did worry that he would miss us and be confused as to why we weren’t around. And probably more so, I was worried about how sad I would be away from him that long.

Nonetheless, I knew this would be good for us all, so we booked the trip. After all, we are travel people. Pre- Carter, we typically went somewhere almost every year. We prioritize part of our budget for such things like travel, and give up things to do so, but the main reason we have been blessed to be able to travel this much is because of my job. Whether it is tagging onto a work trip or taking advantage of discounts I have access to, it becomes affordable for us. We hadn’t been anywhere since our big visit to Brazil two years ago, and as this trip approached we were definitely itching to get away. Plus, we anticipate the next several years to be family-oriented trips, so this felt like our chance.

I was lucky to have a trial run of sorts in January, as I had to travel to CA for work for 5 nights. Jon stayed with Carter, and I was able to FaceTime each night and get periodic text updates each day, so I didn’t feel quite so distant. My sweet boy was an angel for his daddy, and did just fine without me. While a mother would like to think her children can’t live without her, it turns out they can. Temporarily, anyway. I was greeted with the most giant smile when I arrived home, and the immediate return of some middle-of-the-night wakeups (aka snuggle in Mama’s arms) and not wanting me to put him down was an indication that I was indeed missed.

This trip was a little different, because both of us were going, and Carter wouldn’t be at home with his normal routine. But goodness, all my worry was for naught. I'm told he had a wonderful time and was a perfect angel..."when he got what he wanted, anyways." (This boy knows what he wants and is not happy when he doesn’t get it). I’m sure the grandparents spoiled him silly, and I’m sure he gave them reason to sweat as well. They probably need a vacation from our vacation…which in fact my in-laws are doing right now!

We returned to our favorite (so far) resort, Sun Palace. It’s all-inclusive, adults-only, and small enough that it sort of feels quaint. We love it. Just about every room has a gorgeous ocean view and balcony, jacuzzi, and nice king bed. Two infinity pools, swim-up bar, beach bar service, several restaurants...it's really easy to never leave the property.

In the past we planned a few day outings to give us a good mix of beach relaxation and some adventure. This time, we knew we wanted mostly relaxation, and parked ourselves on the beach 6 out of the 7 days we were there. I had high hopes of sleeping in, but seemed to be up by 7am with the sun almost every day. Never fear, I still got way more sleep than I do regularly at home. Being up that early meant we could go down to the beach and claim prime spots for the day, so it worked out well.

My idea of a good time on the beach is curled up with a book, listening to the waves and people watching. Seriously, I look forward to vacation because I know I'll get to read. Jon prefers to lay in the sun, listen to his iPod, and swim in the giant waves in the ocean. So we each do our own thing, side by side, occasionally chatting or toasting with a new drink. It works. 

We did take one day trip, to an outdoor They had ziplines above the treetops and through waterfalls, rafting and swimming through caves, and utility vehicle driving through mud. It was a lot of fun! My fingers were prunes by the end of the day, but it was so refreshing. I pulled out my best Spanish and made a great impression on one of the cafe workers because I understood him when he told me the time. Twice. (We didn't want to miss the bus home). It brought me back to my Costa Rica days where my blue eyes and surprising Spanish comprehension made men swoon a bit. Always flattering. :)

We ate. And drank. And ate and drank some more. Every morning since our return, as I choke down some toast or oatmeal for breakfast, I dream of the made-to-order omelettes, guacamole, and variety of fresh fruit that I enjoyed. I ordered fish tacos every single day at lunch, usually having them delivered to me on the beach. Heaven. And I discovered that I love a Bay Breeze (with Malibu rum, not vodka), I don't like White Russians, and that the prettiest of drinks are usually the worst tasting. Fortunately, all-inclusives tend to make their drinks on the weak side, so I could actually enjoy several throughout the day without passing out or feeling terrible. It was always noon somewhere!

Perhaps one of the greatest parts of vacation was eating real food and not having to prepare any of it myself. Or cutting it into tiny pieces and then pick them all up off the floor.

We made friends with one of the waiters one night at the Italian restaurant. Jon had asked what the catch of the day was, and our waiter replied with a list of shellfish. Jon asked, "No fish?" and the waiter's jaw dropped and repeated, "No dolphin? You want dolphin?" I quickly replied in Spanish while Jon exlaimed, "Fiiiiiiiish!" and we all laughed. It was probably one of those you-had-to-be-there type of things. I seriously chuckled every time he returned to our table. We downed a bottle of Cab in no time, enjoyed a delicious 3-course meal (me: roasted duck risotto and Jon salmon AND steak (the beauty of all-inclusive)) and had a lot of fun chatting with Rodrigo.

We returned to that restaurant a few nights later and requested Rodrigo's section. He was happy to see us, but after our drinks came over so dejected because he was being sent to help at another restaurant. We promised we'd come see him there for dessert, which we did, and he put on a show while flambeing my banana dessert.

We FaceTimed with my parents and Carter once. Carter seemed indifferent to us, but it was so good to see his little face. He tried to hang up on us within seconds and then waved bye bye and ran out of the room. Clearly not really missing us!

So let's see. Relaxation - yes. Beach - yes. Day adventure - yes. Eating and drinking - yes. That sums up our trip!

It goes without saying, but this trip was really good for us. A year into parenting, we certainly don't have the time, or luxury, to do a lot for ourselves. We came back feeling rejuvenated, and eager as ever to see our little Bubbers. I'm glad Jon insisted we fit this in.

And now? We have trip(s) to Jamaica to look forward to, thanks to family moving there. I can't wait to start showing the world to Carter - even if at first it is the beach. My dream is for our family to explore the world together. We will see how lucky (and far) we get.