Two Bedroom Airbnbs From Now On

Three days into this 31 day challenge, and I'm already behind. Traveling has thrown me through a loop, and unless I want to go sit in the hotel bathroom to type (I don't), I have no choice but to write later and backdate the post. Cheating? A little bit.

Here's the thing. We'd gotten baby on a great routine and she was finally putting herself to sleep. It was a thing of beauty. And then we had to go travel and completely destroy that routine due to sharing a hotel room. Worth it? Yes and no.

When it comes to things like traveling and attending weddings and in my case officiating at weddings, I'm torn between loving these opportunities and dreading having to care for baby at the same time. When I'm at home doing the day-to-day routine, I don't really notice that my life has taken a major shift. It's just the new norm. But when I'm presented with the opportunity for something out of the ordinary, I'm blatantly reminded that I once had the freedom that comes with being child-free and am no longer able to enjoy that freedom.

Like this weekend as we traveled out of town for a family member's wedding. This is one of those activities that we've done before, a few times. Without baby, we could fully jump into the fun that comes with weddings and hanging out with family. We could stay until the bride and groom make their grand exit, and even stay for the after party if there is one. We could drink without much of a care. We could sleep in the next morning and take our time getting back home.

But with baby in tow, all of that changes. While part of me wants to dive head first into the festivities, the mother side of me says "Nope, you've got a little one to care for. If you stay out too late, you'll be in for a world of hurt when baby wakes you up several times before the sun comes up." And so I hold back. I play the responsible parent who refrains from fully engaging in the fun and I sit in a dark hotel room at 9pm, trying to make as little noise as possible while baby sleeps in the pack n play. Meanwhile the rest of the family is out having a blast.

There's part of me that longs to have that old life back. But then my feelings are overridden by joy for this little creature that has entered my life and changed everything. Suddenly sitting in a dark hotel room trying not to wake that little creature doesn't seem like such a bad gig.