Vacationing with a baby is quite a bit different than vacationing with just the two of us adults. Babies take work, inside and outside of the home. Thankfully we were just driving so we could stuff as much stuff inside our car trunk as we wanted: the portable crib, diapers, wipes, toys, burp cloths, and many spare outfits. But an overlooked consequence of this freedom to haul was the responsibility to bring it into our temporary home and then take it all out to the car again. We paid for valet parking and tipped a bellhop with the luggage cart just to make it feasible to get everything into our hotel room while also caring for a baby who had been in a car for too long.
The car ride down was a pleasant surprise. For the first three months of her life, our baby hated the car. For the past month or so, she has tolerated it, mostly occupying herself or sleeping. But she still screams like she has been abandoned at times. Half way through our drive down, we took a break for lunch, splitting the drive into 90 minute segments. And she was just fine! It was a peaceful start to a vacation adventure.
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| Florida Baby |
The first thing we did after settling into our hotel room in Miami Beach was take a stroll on the beach. People watching, we noted that there were very few kids. When evening arrived, we realized why there were few kids. The party town gave off a vibe of drugs, alcohol, and smoking all kinds of things, not exactly kid-friendly. After a delicious Cuban dinner, we were in for the night. This was the first overnight anywhere other than home and the hospital she was born in for Josephine.
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| Baby in the Pub |
Further in the city is Zoo Miami, a much more kid-friendly location. Even though my baby won’t remember a thing, her parents love zoos and enjoy watching the animals. The baby has shown interest in fish tanks, banging on the glass and staring at the moving creatures in fascination. It was difficult to tell if she noticed any of the other exhibits.
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| Fish! Turtles! Rays! Oh My! |
Carrying a baby around a huge zoo complex is a lot of work! We opted not to bring a stroller because previous attempts to use a stroller have been met with the baby crying to be held, but it may have been worth it to try again. Even with the unlimited monorail pass, we were exhausted hauling our 12 pound squirmer from one section to the next. We carried a giant umbrella to help protect us from the hot Florida sun, but even the shade couldn’t keep us cool. Thankfully we spent a good amount of time resting in air conditioned areas.
I’m so grateful my strong husband bore the brunt of the weight. I don’t know how we would have handled more than one kid! By the time Josephine is old enough to enjoy zoos, we do hope to have a little sibling for her, so I guess we’ll have to learn to manage two squirmers at once. But that's a skill for later.
The best part of our little vacation was Saturday evening through Sunday evening: visiting the grandparents / my parents. This was the first overnight at my parents’ house for my husband and me as well as Josephine. It was more peaceful than the hotel the night before and we got more rest.
The best part of the vacation was yet to come: pool time! We all went down to the community pool to relax the morning and afternoon away. And a great perk about grandparents: free babysitting! First Josephine napped in her carseat under the tent while my dad watched her and my husband and I swam. Then my mom decided to head back to the house with the baby who slept even longer while my husband and I read and swam again. It was almost like our pre-child days!
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| Sleepy Baby, Relaxing Husband |
Unfortunately, the vacation ended the opposite way it began: a baby screaming in the car for nearly the whole ride back. Even a break in the middle to nurse didn’t calm her or put her to sleep. We were so grateful to get home last night! Overall, it was a lovely little vacation, a good test for future trips to come.
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