Striking Out On an Adventure

A little over six years ago, Ed and I set out on an adventure that we knew would change our lives. And we were not wrong on this point. How much would it change our lives? Like all new parents, I suspect we underestimated this. For starters, I was sure breastfeeding would be a super breeze and I would be an awesome rock star at it. How hard could it be, right? As it turns out, it was almost as hard as finding parsnips in Paris (an allegedly impossible task), about as hard as getting a waiter to serve a cheese or wine that simply do not "go" with a meal (very difficult), and almost as hard as finding a vegetarian recipe that's not a dessert amongst a bunch of what look like super French recipes. After a while the breastfeeding got a lot easier, and by the time Helen came around I finally *got* it. And wow, what a relief that was!

Ed and I also underestimated the disruption a child can cause. We were certain we would be the couple that just brought their baby along everywhere they went, he would sleep whenever and wherever we wanted him to, and our life would continue largely unchanged. Only we got a non-sleeper the first time around, and getting him to sleep in his own room was hard enough, let alone in a house full of strangers and strange noises.

And while we didn't think our first vacation after having a child would be biking across the Loire Valley as we had done prior to my getting pregnant, I'm pretty sure we figured that we'd be back to traveling to more exotic places than the beach, ski mountains, or a lake at this point. But instead, we've received several very enticing home exchange offers, and we've yet to pull the trigger on any of them. Why? Because plane rides can be very long with children.

But I'm feeling like we've turned the corner recently. In the two not very easy flights it took to get from here to California a couple of months ago for our annual ski vacation, Connor and Helen held up find. Of course, they slept most of the second plane ride, but still - they made it, and so did Ed and I.

I don't know where we'll be going with the family this year, but I've already started bugging my sister about hitting an island for Thanksgiving this year. I'll be working on my parents in a couple of weeks when they stop in for a visit.

And just like all the annoyances about Paris that might be present, the adventure has been totally worth it!

Disclosure: This post was inspired by the From Left to Write book club reading selection  - Lunch in Paris, by Elizabeth Bard. It's a fantastic story that made me want to fall in love and see the world all over again - even with the inevitable bumps in the road. I received a free copy of the book as a member of the book club. I'll happily pass it along to anyone else who'd like it.