Babymoon

If you're unfamiliar with this term, don't feel bad. I only came across it myself a few years ago while browsing through pregnancy sites.

The term is intended to loosely describe a final hurrah for couples before and/or during pregnancy prior to the birth of the baby to enjoy a final trip together sans baby ... or in our case, kids. The overall general notion of this is that once they enter the picture, its a totally different kind of vacation. Then again, so is this "babymoon".

Most vacations I think of involve tropical locale, beaches, nightlife and most certainly more than a few libations to ease any jetlag and calm the senses.

Babymoon vacations can still involve a tropical locale and beaches but not so much a nightlife and forget the libations. My nightlife consists of a warm shower before putting on PJs and sipping on milk or water while enjoying a late night and much needed snack.

So, there you have it folks. Nothing terribly exotic or exciting about a babymoon because the most exciting part takes about nine months to produce and sometimes the person producing needs a break from all this 24/7 work she goes through.

Ken and I just booked our last getaway (aka Our Babymoon) to The Essex in Vermont. If you've never been and looking, we both highly recommend it! http://www.vtculinaryresort.com/
We're considering it both our babymoon and anniversary rolled into one. Got to multipurpose with double the not so tiny expenses for our new arrivals!

We were there just this past February over Valentine's Day and LOVED it!
It will be something new and old to enjoy the drive during fall season (my favorite season).

We're taking my parents along this time around. Apparently, there is a spectacular golf course up there that everyone except me will be playing on but I certainly won't feel left out. I'll be at the resort spa for several hours. We should all make it back to our rooms around the same time with no harm, no foul...just in time for our dinner reservations.

Yes, at this stage of babymaking, all I'm planning and thinking about is my next meal or snack.

Sad, but true.

Our Wedding

As we're in the final month of 2009 and heading into a new year, it's rife with memories and mostly hope. I don't think I've mentioned it here but Ken and I were married just this past September in a small ceremony with family at my childhood home in New Hampshire. We're planning a formal reception with a renewal ceremony for September 2010.

I think back to this day as I'm browsing through some photos and think that there are some days that turn out so much better than you expected.

Here are a few of my favorites from the day ...

What is this life but a series of moments taken by love, laughter and most importantly, dessert!

The Newlywed Game

Mondays are busy for everyone but considering my temporary hiatus from work, I have had the luxury of sleeping in and taking it easy.

Yesterday was a little different. I woke up early to see my husband off to his client in Connecticut and I left soon after for a meeting of my own. As I sat in crawling traffic on the way, my mind wandered to how I might be feeling and how much my belly would have grown if I were still pregnant. 

I would have been 24 weeks by now. Most of the physical afterbirth side effects have disappeared but I'm still blanketed by the emotional ones. At Ken's suggestion, I've since unsubscribed from all the pregnancy updates and emails so I'm not sure what she might have been up to by now. I have to admit, there are times when Ken is right (yes, I committed that to writing!).

We're waiting to have Nari's ashes returned from the funeral home. What happens after that isn't public information but her parents have a special plan.

What is God's grand design for us? Whatever it is, my hope is to discover the silver lining in hindsight. Regardless of whether we can recognize what The Plan might be, it is important to have faith.

Ken and I are not religious by any means. We were both raised Catholic and attended parochial schools but don't feel as though our faith is demonstrated by our attendance. By faith, I mean it in other ways in addition to and beyond the confines of a few hours each week in a specific location.

What do I mean? Faith in each other. Faith in ourselves. Faith in our future.

Without faith, we wouldn't have made it through the night at the hospital, the day we came home and the blurred days immediately after. Without faith, we wouldn't have hope for our future and the strength to stay positive. Most importantly, faith guides Ken and I to be who we need the other to be for each other. It isn't foolproof (ask either of us!). We're not keeping score. We're keeping the faith!

We haven't been married very long but it's safe to say that we've been through hell in a sandstorm during what should have been our honeymoon. I say that with a chuckle and have still retained a sense of humor through it all.