change of pace... place

Vacations, like everything else, changed for me once I became a mom.

Before Charlie came along, I brought my books, iPod, and a bottle of sun-in, and I'd get lost on the beach until dinnertime.

hello, sunshine state. goodbye, stress.

After, however, was a whole different story.

The first time we went on a trip, I sat there, three-month-old baby in tow, wondering, How the heck do people go on vacation with kids? How can they even call it VACATION? I was too busy changing diapers and slathering my infant with SPF 50 to even think about reading a stack of books. Charlie wasn't sleeping through the night, so on top of crazy days, I spent busy nights rocking my baby to sleep in an unfamiliar bedroom, without the arsenal of baby tactics stashed away at home. To be fair, we were on a trip with my parents, brothers, and sisters, so happy arms were everywhere, eager to gobble up Mr. Charles. But -- as every parent knows -- the buck still stops with M. O. M.

(Ok. Boohoo, right? I was still on vacation. at the beach. with pints of haagen-dazs sitting in the freezer. I reminded myself of those exact things when I was up at 4am with a fuss-ball, tapping my toes until the sun, and the rest of the sleeping condo, got around to rising...)

A year later, here we are again: beach vacation. baby boy. haagen-dazs. etc.

Charlie sleeps longer, and he's more predictable. Charlie = sleep means Mama = sleep. Which means Mama = rational + happy. This year, I brought a stack of books, and I'm plowing through them one by one, during naptimes. When Charlie's up, we splash in the water, stuff oreos into his mouth, and laugh when his feet touch the sand. (he hates the sand. more on that later.)

Not sure where I'm going with this. I suppose this is yet another reminder that, thank the Lord, everything changes, sooner or later. Stages come and go. So savor where you're at. Live it out all the way.

{am I sounding like a broken record yet? can you tell what I'm working on in my heart right now?}

No complaining here. I'm off to corral a 1-year-old, and then eat a couple pints of ice cream once he goes to sleep.

{and then, strategize an exercise plan for losing the 20-pounds I'm gaining on vacay, once we get back to real life.}