The realities of going on holiday with a baby...

Ok I have to say I was nervous about going on holiday with Henry while he was still so little. I was panicking about his ears hurting on the plane and him screaming the place down. I worried about it being too hot and him burning. What he'd eat, would the nappies be the same as over here? Would dairy and eggs be clearly labelled so we could avoid them easily? What we'd do all day if he hated the pool....the list is endless.

What I didn't expect to happen was that I would love every second of the holiday. Nothing was stressful, Henry adapted beautifully to the Spanish way of life and we all really enjoyed yourselves.

Yes, I was a little keen in downloading 3 whole books onto my Kindle. I read about 9 pages all week. I'm not entirely sure when I thought I'd get round to reading but I'll blame baby brain for that one! Instead of sunbathing and reading, I filled the days by the pool throwing my little boy around, his little toes splashing in the water. I sat in the shade with him and played with his toys, read him stories and helped him with his snacks. I loved seeing his little face light up as he experienced things for the first time; sand between his toes and the freezing waves splashing at his feet, going on the swings in the park, eating new foods, swimming in the pool. It really was magical.

Whereas I'm usually obsessed with getting a nice even tan, I honestly didn't care. I was more concerned that Henry was protected in factor 50 to stop him burning and I now love that his arms and legs are slightly tanned, with little white lines in his creases. So bloody gorgeous.

We didn't really have to change our holiday routine at all. We ate in the same places as we've always eaten, we bought the same food in the supermarket, we all had a siesta every day, we visited all the same places. Our conversations were undoubtedly different and we sang more rounds of Nellie the Elephant than ever before but I loved every second of my baby's first ever holiday and I'm so looking forward to many more.

I think the bottom line is I've embraced motherhood and I don't care that our lives are different to how they were before. I don't look back at photos of the Maldives and wish we could be there again, spending our days drinking cocktails and lying on the beach without a baby. That holiday was bliss, it was perfect, but we are a family now and I love the changes that that's brought. I don't mind that I didn't have time to worry about what I looked like on an evening when we went out for dinner, I got so much pleasure in seeing my baby all clean after his bath and wearing his beautiful new holiday clothes. I don't care that I didn't get to read my books or sleep in every morning. Holidays with babies are different and if you're not expecting that you will get a shock. 

I'm not counting down the years till my babies are all grown up and have flown the nest so we can go on exciting holidays again, just the two of us*. I'm so excited for holidays with a brood of little bees, dinners out, bat and ball in the pool, lilo races, noise and laughter. Who needs lie ins, cocktails and an even tan anyway?!

*Just for the record, if any of you little Bees are reading this in years to come, Mummy and Daddy are going to Argentina and Brazil when you are grown up, and no, you and your new girlfriend/boyfriend are absolutely not coming. You can stay at home and mind the dog.