First vacation - a photo pictorial

We went on our first vacation with Magpie this past week. We have wanted to take advantage of my maternity leave and take a big trip. And so we decided to go to Costa Rica. We always said we wouldn't stop doing the things we love if we were lucky enough to have children. That we would make sure to still get out and do the things we enjoy. We thought (naively), how hard could it be to travel with one baby?

Well...

Actually, it hasn't been all that hard. Mostly it's just been different. We can't do many of the things we would have done before having her. And she dictates our schedule entirely with her naps and bedtime routine. This is all as it should be, as she is just a wee little one.

The travel itself took a lot of logistical planning, especially because I had to bring donor milk with us, using dry ice to keep it frozen solid throughout the journey (five hour plane ride followed by a three hour drive to our destination). So that was a bit stressful. But we were successful - we got it here solid as a rock!

The exclusive pumping that is currently my reality also required a certain amount of planning ...picture me pumping in the airport bathroom (thank goodness for family restrooms!), on the airplane, and in the rental car. If you can imagine it, I have pumped there. A little bit crazy, but it is what it is.

Despite us being on vacation, we remain as sleep deprived as ever. Magpie seems to be going through a phase where she wakes up every two hours or so...but luckily since we're on vacation we can nap and give each other breaks throughout the day and night.

I think Magpie has loved the bright sun (although we keep her from direct exposure to it) and warm weather. She is old enough to be looking around a lot now and I think has found the whole trip very stimulating from that perspective (of course she would find any trip out of our apartment equally stimulating...but it is nice to see her so interested in everything around her).

It's beautiful here, even if we aren't getting out as much as we would sans baby.

The view from our condo balcony

I think the key to this trip has been to have realistic expectations. There have been (of course) no canopy tours, no ziplining this trip. We took one shortish morning walk in the rainforest, but it was still hot hot hot! And I worried about Ms. Magpie, so we didn't repeat it.

Hot baby!

Magpie drinking her breakfast as we enter the national park at 7am.

So what have we done this vacation?

In addition to cooking, we have gone to restaurants within walking distance...

Magpie hanging out at the table

And we have spent a lot of time at the condo relaxing. Because we knew that would be the case, we picked a condo that had monkeys right off of the balcony so we could enjoy watching them while Magpie was safe and comfortable.

Squirrel monkey on the balcony

Capuchin monkey in tree at our condo

We also found a local beach that has a lot of shade and have taken Magpie there a few times in her sunsuit and hat...

And we've gone to the pool when it's shady...sometimes accompanied by a monkey or two...

We leave today, heading back to the capitol of San Jose and then flying back to NYC. May the travel gods be with us!

Mo

Click here to subscribe