Month 14: Vacation, Take II

As everyone who crosses a pregnant lady’s path feels compelled to tell her, life changes forever once you have a baby. One of the changes is that vacation takes on an entirely new meaning. As one mom friend put it, “There’s no such thing as a vacation with kids. It’s just travel.”

Certainly, your recreational expectations must change. When we took our annual summer trip to Cape Cod last year when Miles was only 3 months old, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew that most of the activities I looked forward to were out – biking, kayaking, sleeping in, indulging in copious quantities of rum drinks. Yes, I was a bit bummed, but truth be told I was not quite back in biking shape anyway. And I was more interested in caffeine than cocktails at that point. So, OK, I could modify my vacation plans to include lounging on the beach and reading in the hammock instead.

Turns out, Miles wasn’t a big fan of the beach. Once he woke up from his nap in the stroller, the bright sun and wind -- and for all I know, the heavy Massachusetts accents -- irritated him no end. We ended up back at the cottage by ourselves while the rest of the family stayed at the beach.

I didn’t spend too much time sleeping, either. The cottage we stay in is tiny. The minute the baby was up, so was everyone in earshot. (Sorry, neighbors.) I did some reading, but even when someone else was watching the baby, I couldn’t relax. I was sure I was the only one who could recognize his hunger cues and protect him from killer bees and other predators. (One year the Cape had an infestion of rabid foxes. I swear I’m not making that up.) We did go on one bike ride, but it was not one of the 20-mile challenges we’ve done in the past. It was a short jaunt to the hot dog hut.

This year, I have high hopes that things will be different. Miles is older and loves the water and sand. We have a baby seat for my bike. I now trust others to babysit while C. and I go kayaking. And I’m no longer nursing, so bring on the mojitos! See y’all in a week.