our first family vacation

Last week Pat, Henson and I packed up the car and headed to Martha's Vineyard. My brother-in-law's family owns a wonderful place on the beach and visiting is always such a treat.

The Vineyard always brings back memories of my adolescent summers. Those crazy times were spent running around the island, eating taffy, and living in my bathing suit.

I was excited to kick back and reconnect with old stomping ground. Plus, all of my siblings were there, as well as my mom and nephew. It was terrific to see everyone and catch up. Henson and his cousin Wilder are really funny together.

We also took Henson to see the ocean for the first time. He wasn't afraid of the booming waves (it rained while we were visiting) and I was so proud of his curiosity. That day, we made a promise that he would see the ocean every summer, indefinitely.

I SO wanted to call this trip a vacation, but I learned rather quickly that a vacation with a baby is really not a vacation at all. I wanted to forget our troubles and just let loose, but instead Henson and I both got very sick (as did my brother), and it rained. 

Turns out that even though we were in a beautiful place with all my favorite people it was still hard. There was coughing, stomach aches, and stuffy noses. We made the best of it, but honestly it wasn't the easiest trip.

It was our first experience traveling as a family and although it was difficult, we learned a lot. Here are a few things that I learned from traveling with our 8 month old.
           
1. Allow lots and lots of extra time, like more time than you would ever think necessary. If you have a plane, train or ferry to catch, make sure you leave ridiculously early because chances are you will have to stop one, two, or five times.

2. Stock up on snacks and towels because you never know.

3. Don't spend lots of money before you travel on things like new clothes, a pedicure, books, getting your hair done etc. You should forget about that cute dress that would be perfect for a walk in the village or a new suit for relaxing on the beach. If you get to accomplish anything that you plan, it will be short and sweet. Just grab what is comfy and forget the rest.

4. Your child's sleep schedule will not change... actually because they are in a new place your child may wake up more. Don't stay up past 2am. You will regret it.

5. If you travel with people that don't have children don't resent them. They are on a different path and you can't get upset if they drink wine and play games well into the wee hours of the morning. Embrace your life and don't be bitter.

I will admit, I was a little naive when we decided to take this trip but I am still glad we did. Plus I really can't regret a trip that included so much of the family and everyone getting along! Maybe I didn't get to put my feet up but the fact that nobody fought is a little vacation miracle.

On our last day, Henson got up crazy early so we grabbed a heavy blanket and went to the beach to watch the sun rise. It was spectacular.

Just like the trips I took as a preteen, Martha's Vineyard was clumsy, bittersweet, and a huge learning experience. I am really grateful for the memories we made and I can't wait to go back.

I will now end this post with some rather awkward (and hilarious) portraits I took of my brother. Enjoy. Thanks for looking. Love, Ms. Kate