the time we ran through the airport

 Our first getaway was one night in our own city. We were 10 minutes away from our baby. Our second was a last minute, four-day trip to a different country. This mama almost caved to the fear of leaving in such a big way, but we pulled out our passports and went anyway.  And I'm so glad we did.  Here’s the story…

 My dad kindly gifted us some free nights to a fancy chain of hotels. We almost settled on using them to go to Chicago with Evelyn, but we had been there before and a city trip doesn’t offer much relaxation. After some hemming and hawing, and lots of research - we ended up booking a trip to Bermuda to stay on a beautiful resort. This was a once-in-a-lifetime, only-possible-through-my-dad’s-generosity type of trip. By the time it was scheduled, we were set to leave in less than a month.

 Evelyn’s grandmothers agreed to stay with her the while we were away, and I got to work pumping and storing plenty of milk. We had never done a spur of the moment trip, and it was completely thrilling. During that month, there was also a conversation about wills and other scary things as we realized both parents are away and there are no guarantees.

 Honestly, I felt zero relaxation until we landed on the island and had a phone call assuring us Evelyn was doing fine. I was a bundle of nerves until that point. Once I was on solid ground, Zach and I had an incredible trip. We had lovely weather, perfect for reading in lounge chairs and floating in the water. We tried snorkeling for the first time, and it became my favorite activity of the trip. Zach’s favorite adventure was hiking around the coral rocks that created a chain of secluded beaches along the entire coastline.

 For me – a respite from the ongoing feeding and diapers of a new baby was so needed. There are no weekend breaks or holidays from being a nursing mother. Even on our vacation, I still was on a schedule to pump, but it was nice to just feel a little independence after having a semi-attached little person, who needs you so desperately. For my husband – it was a chance to see his wife as just a wife and not a mother. I believe that is hugely important, and it is often hard for me to separate those two roles at home.

We were so thankful for the gift of time away and for loving grandparents who we could trust to care for our daughter.  Once we got to the airport to fly home, we became so antsy to get to our daughter. Our first flight arrived early and a kind Delta employee bumped us up to an earlier flight - so early that we had to run to our next gate.  There was a big sigh of relief when we made it through our front door and were all reunited again.

Stay tuned for a five tips that I learned through the whole experience.