florida — Musings

*This trip, he couldn’t get enough of the pool and swimming on his own (with floaties)*

The best vacations are the ones where I forget what day it is because one glorious day blends in with the next. Such was the case on our second trip to Florida as a family. We got into an easy routine of waking up, eating breakfast, swimming in the pool, breaking for lunch, taking a nap, going back into the pool, taking a bath, eating dinner, playtime, and then bed.

The days flew by, which is rarely the case back home when we’re trying to entertain Bub all day while balancing work. We decided this time to not bring our laptops and truly disconnect as much as we could. Our skin lapped up the humidity, our hair textured from the chlorine, our bodies tanned by the sun. Quality time together, as a family, with minimal distractions. That’s what I want our vacations together to be about.

The theme for this trip has been going with the flow. Compared to our first trip a year ago, this one has been much more relaxed - mainly due to my headspace. Because we’ve done this trip before, I had a better idea of what to expect and pack. Instead of a large suitcase, we fit everything into a carry-on. Unlike last year when I was still extremely strict about what we fed Bub, we ate at a couple restaurants this trip. I did my best to balance cooking meals and letting him have sweet treats. But, he’s at the age where it’s getting harder to hide snacks and desserts from him. The horror of feeding him non-organic anything a year ago would have given me a panic attack. This time in my pregnant state, we shared popsicles by the pool and near the end of our stay, he had ice cream for dinner.

Restaurants, sugary popsicles, ice cream for dinner?? I don’t know who I am anymore. The drastic difference between Vacation Linda a year ago and Vacation Linda now is wild. I think I like this version more. Sure he’s exposed to things that aren’t necessarily healthy for him (which was going to happen anyway despite my worry). But in return, he has a more relaxed mama who can actually enjoy herself - and him - for a change.

Steve is another huge reason why I’ve become more chill. We’ve learned (painfully) from last year’s vacations what spikes my anxiety. He now does his best to work around them or at least, help me work through them. This pregnancy has also forced Steve to own more of the domestic duties. He habitually does the laundry, no matter what state or house we’re in. He did most of the cooking this trip and almost always cleaned up afterwards. A husband who cooks, cleans, cares for the home, and is an attentive dad. He does it all his own way and perhaps not always the way I would prefer, but I’m finally feeling a load taken off of me.

Parenting is such a trip.

*Zonked after a long day of travel the day before, swimming, pizza, and listening to adult conversations about work*

*Enjoying the sun and warmth as much as possible*

*First family trip to the Royal Scoop (make mine a double)*

*The Naples Children’s Museum is a blast, including an extensive exhibit on India (this is Bub driving me around in a tuk tuk)*

*We could have spent another hour in the workshop area, but we all needed a nap*

*Have been wanting to go to the Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary for a while*

*Taking a break at the Otter Watch bench*

*The swamp where we saw a 12-foot alligator and several baby ones*

*Exhilarated by the alligator sightings*

*But, very much tired from the humidity and 2.5 mile walk*

*Way out yonder where the crawdads sing*

After our first trip/flights with Bub, this Florida one felt easier. Though, flying into RSW is much easier than flying into SFO, which we flew into on our first trip. I used to love the pace and chaos of behemoth international airports. As a mom, I despise them. These days, I take into account whether an airport I’m flying into with my child is more or less congested than a neighboring option.

Is traveling with a kid still stressful regardless of the airport? Yes.

Is traveling with a kid a vacation or just relocating the work? The latter.

Is traveling with a kid still worth it? Yes.

After a long winter, we welcomed the Florida sunshine. We hopped in the pool as soon as we arrived and quickly fell into a rhythm of: sleep, swim, eat, repeat. I almost wrote “relaxing rhythm” but was it truly “relaxing”? I’m learning that traveling with a kid is full of contradictions. There were times of relaxation on our trip, for sure. (I read an entire book, “Where the Crawdads Sing", which I highly recommend.) But, it’s always stressful for me to be in new environments with Bub. At home, my anxiety is already pretty high. When we travel, my anxiety becomes even more heightened. Not only is my anxiety taxing on my own mind and body, it’s taxing for the family, especially Steve.

I can only imagine what it’s like for Steve to be married to someone so anxious. I interrogate him with questions as my mind ruminates. Has anyone smoked cigarettes in the house where we’re staying? Is there a carbon monoxide alarm? Is there filtered water? What if the neighbors smoke and we’re outside in the pool? Do iguanas bite?

Despite the below photos, being in the sunshine state doesn’t equate to always having a sunshine-y state of mind. I’m working on it.