A Romantic Getaway After Babies
By LaToya Moore
It's 2019. Our fifth-year anniversary was approaching and for nearly two of those years, I'd been pregnant. First, with our son, Tre, and then shortly after him, our daughter, Hannah, came along. Our lives had become a combination of sleepless nights, toothless giggles, and warm snuggles. By day, I was busy saving the world as a public relations professional and after 5 PM, I was breastfeeding, cooking and cleaning. Covid-19 didn't exist yet, so imagine all the in-person meetings, interviews and events I attended within an eight hour—sometimes more, work day.
My husband, Jeff, is an accountant. He was currently going through an audit at his job, and we were usually deciding whose turn it was to work late.
Jeff and I were in desperate need of a get-a-way, and since we both loved the beach—we decided to plan our fifth-year anniversary away from the small city in which we reside—and apart from our (then) one and two-year old children.
Securing the Sitters
I desperately called my sisters, who are both young adults, and persuaded them to not only keep their very adorable niece and nephew, but to also stay at our home while doing so. They agreed—perfect! At the time, Kiffany, was a kindergarten teacher, and Tamara, a flourishing nursing student at my alma mater. Of course, we trust them and they were young enough to consistently entertain our energetic and needy toddlers.
Destination Decisions
We instantly began to brainstorm what beach we should travel to and after pondering over whether we should go back to Jamaica or California; we decided against both locations. Miami, Florida sounded like a much better idea for us. Unlike California, we could ensure the water would be warm in May. We also wanted to shop, try water sports and indulge in the local good eats mixed with some fancy dining nights. Miami had everything we needed!
Welcome to Miami
Neither of us had ever traveled to South Beach, so it was everything we expected and much more. The weather—perfect! The food—Perfect! The beach—Perfect! So, what do you do without your toddlers on an anniversary trip—LIVE and sleep! We jet skied, shopped, laid out by the beach and pool for days, used scooters as our main source of transportation, barhopped uncontrollably, and caught up on all of our lost sleep. Yes—we slept in and took uninterrupted naps. The absolute best part about our trip is that we scooted around Miami like two lovers on Spring Break.
We absolutely felt a sense of liberation that we had not experienced in years. Our uninterrupted conversations felt so strange, yet refreshing. We eventually ended up talking about our littles—how could we not? But we both agreed that this was a much-needed trip.
If you and your spouse are considering an adult-only vacation—I say go for it. Do all the things that you otherwise would not be able to with your children. And if you are feeling parental guilt, remember you can't give those babies the best of you, unless you are your best self. So, go and enjoy!
