Aftermath

The trip was nice. We managed to avoid most of January in the rainy Pacific Southwest (so it is in Canada, after all), by virtue of our skills in procrastination. Normally the time share points allow us a single week away, but if you book SUPER late they give you a "discount" of sorts. That coupled with the fact that we forgot to go on vacation last year meant we got three whole weeks away, two in Mexico (no one wants to go there these days, what with all the terrorists and shootings and kidnappings etc.) and one in Orlando. 

As is our usual with southern vacations, the weather was unseasonably cool, which meant we had a week in Mexico of merely 20 degrees Celsius and some rain. Which is better than 5 and raining as it was at home, but does make Mexico rather dull, especially if one is at a resort and the most interesting activities are playing in the pool and playing on the beach. Neither is much fun in the rain, as my four year old will attest. But we also got almost a week of 25+ and sunshine, which allowed us much pool fun and landed two of us (neither me nor baby) with sunburns, so I suppose really it's good it wasn't all sunny. You'd never know we slathered that kid with 50 sunblock each day. But he does have a totally adorable tan line above his butt now.

I enjoyed the first pedicure I've had in ... almost two years. The woman scrubbed my feet with the exfoliator and then tucked it into my purse murmuring "You can just use this in the shower on occasion!" as a tip, I suppose. Which was appreciated and all but I do exfoliate on occasion. I suppose the types of clients she usually sees actually get pedicures more often, so don't have such shocking heels. So it was a tad embarrassing but my feet much enjoyed it. And given it was pretty much my only baby-free hour, it was a very nice time.

We spent three days in Orlando walking about theme parks that were almost caricaturely overdone but which brightened the faces of my son and husband, and which I admit were fun. I rode rides and carried my 20 pound daughter for upwards of eight hours at a time, given she could nurse and sleep and ride in the Ergo, and came home to find that my back was pretty much done with that. A few days of taking it easy on the carrying has helped much, but it's a darn good thing she's pulling to stand and starting to cruise. I won't last much longer carrying her everywhere we go.

Travelling and vacationing with children is not for the faint of heart. We never got to sleep in, nor enjoy a late and slow dinner, nor really enjoy the "happy hour" (11am to 1pm. WTF?) at the resort in Mexico. We didn't spend long afternoons napping and reading by the pool, nor luxuriate in lengthy spa treatments. It was still go go go go go with an almost five year old, dinner and bath and bedtime by 8 for both kids and then collapse into bed ourselves after a day spent walking! playing! swimming! running! beaching! More than once The Man and I looked at each other and thought that perhaps we should have come alone, because it wasn't exactly getting away from it all. And we had kinda needed that.

And yet we stayed, one night, at the Magic Kingdom, late to watch the photos and shows and fireworks, and I held my daughter and saw my son sit on his father's shoulders, in awe of the majestic performance, and I held my partner's hand and I knew deep down inside my soul that this is what it's all about. This moment is the one I will miss when they are grown and gone, the knowledge that I was the one who rocked his world, who brought him to that magical place, where he clutched my hand and shrieked with joy. He loved DisneyWorld, and I loved watching him, and being there with them all was a dream coming true. Not the place, the place  didn't matter. It was the joy and the togetherness and the family that mattered. 

In such a way, it was everything I had ever wanted, and that was nothing that rainy days nor long delayed plane trips nor long active days nor lack of relaxation nor anything else could dampen.