Getting Real with Kira Hazledine
My husband and I recently took our daughter, Hallie, on a little staycation. We only traveled about an hour and considered it our “babymoon.” We wanted some time away from day-to-day nonsense, and we wanted to celebrate our family of three before we became a family of four. I was so excited, and at the end of the trip, we all agreed we had a ton of fun.
However.
It was so exhausting.
Like, entire family in bed at 7pm and asleep, exhausting.
Who knew toddlers could be so draining? Yet, I would do it again in a heartbeat.
It was difficult for many reasons:
- Hallie was outside her typical routine. This can spell disaster for almost any toddler.
- Hallie wasn’t so sure about sleeping in a new place, so the first night in the hotel was a tiring one.
- Hallie was overstimulated at least 50% of the time.
It can be hard to manage toddler expectations. Their fuses are short, and their emotional regulation is poor. Yeah, they are having a ton of fun, but their ability to reason goes out the window. This can potentially create short fuses in parents, which you might see demonstrated by a hurried exit out of a restaurant because the toddler looked dad dead in the eyes as they spit a river of chocolate milk down their bodies.
Yes, there were many challenges.
But we had a blast.
Hallie got to go bowling for the first time, which she had been obsessed with since she saw it on a Teletubby episode. She got spoiled with way too much chocolate milk and a few too many cookies. We went swimming twice a day in the hotel pool, as she proudly learned to kick and paddle with only the assistance of water wings.
My husband and I got to relish in the company of our firstborn and enjoy the company of each other. We shared some favorite activities with our daughter, like mini-golf. We reminded each other that despite the busy days at home, this is our priority. We genuinely love being together.
Although the days were eventful, it was well worth the effort. We did admit to each other that we weren’t quite prepared for the toddler + vacation experience, but I won’t be deterred. Next summer, there will be an older toddler and an infant, and I imagine we will take another small vacation. Patience will probably wear thin at times, but it does at home, too. Might as well all have some fun and create some great memories while we’re at it.
