When I was pregnant the first time, we didn't take a Babymoon.
Instead, Mike and I spent all our money buying and fixing up a house to live in with said baby. It was the right decision for us, and we are very grateful to continue growing comfortably into our home.
For those unfamiliar with the term, "Babymoon" is a cutesy name for a relaxing vacation taken by parents-to-be before welcoming their bundle of joy into the world. It's a period of respite before the world of blowouts and spit-up and night feedings and delirium sets in... and it's a great excuse to show off the bump in island wear.
But with this second pregnancy, we took advantage of an opportunity to travel this fall and take some time for ourselves. But as is typical, I think, with a second child, this babymoon wasn't even really about the new baby.
Truth be told, we had made plans to travel to Hawaii over a year ago. We were invited to our friends' wedding in paradise and it happened to fall on the same weekend as my birthday. We'd be damned to miss it.
Initially, we intended to bring Everly along on the trip with some help from my mom. But, once I found out I was pregnant again, we decided to give Ev and Grandma the boot, tacking "Babymoon" on to the list of things we are celebrating on this one and only trip for the foreseeable future.
We splurged on a stay at the gorgeous Andaz Maui at Wailea, where the wedding was going to be held, and took advantage of the beautiful sights, shops and restaurants. I ate my weight in acai bowls, drank endless virgin lava flows by the pools overlooking the ocean, and generally lived my best life.
We snorkeled with huge sea turtles and I held an octopus in my hands. (Their tentacles feel sticky!)
We had, truly, one of the best meals we've ever eaten at Mama's Fish House.
And we closed out our four-day stay with a classic Hawaiian luau, The Feast at Mokapu.
We enjoyed every minute of rest while missing our daughter terribly, looking longingly (and probably creepily) at every baby and toddler that crossed our path. Getting home to see her again was magical.
And while I'm knee-deep in the second trimester, lugging around a toddler who demands to be held all the time, it's nice to be able to re-live some of that fancy free island living. Please, enjoy my first official foray into the vlogging world and join us on our Maui Babymoon in the video below.
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XO,
Mom Needs Merlot
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