I was sitting in a tiny airplane seat having serious doubts about leaving on my first trip away from my son. I had never been gone from him for even one night and here I was leaving for four days on a debauched weekend getaway to Las Vegas. It seemed so wrong, so unsavory.
To make things worse, I had seen loads of babies and families at the airport, reminding me of the family I was leaving behind. Plus, MTV’s “Teen Mom” happened to be showing on the airplane TV in front of me. Even a reality show featuring troubled teens struggling at parenthood managed to pull at my heartstrings, making me doubt my decision to fly halfway across the country for a break from full-time mommyhood.
Granted, the trip was well deserved. My son was almost two and I’d barely left his side since he was born. In those early days when I was nursing him every two hours and co-sleeping, I told myself that once I made it through this all-consuming phase I would treat myself to a trip away. As soon as I weaned my son and was “free,” I called my good girlfriend, also a mom, and we booked a long weekend in Vegas.
We chose Vegas in part to reclaim some of our lost youth: trips like this were something I used to love pre-baby. But I wondered, could I still have as much fun now that I was a mom?
The trip did not get off to a good start. My feelings of guilt were exacerbated when, upon arriving in Las Vegas, we lunched at Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant at the MGM Grand–only to see the man himself eating with his wife and two sons. Of course that made me think of my own family sitting back home. Then, that night my girlfriend started to not feel well. The thought of getting on a plane and going back to Brooklyn ran through my head–I was supposed to be having fun, not trapped in a hotel room with a sick friend and missing my family!
But I stuck it out, and day two dawned a new day. I had gotten a deal through Spaweek.com, and our three-night stay at the Las Vegas Hotel was just $150. (This was no five-star palace, but I found it to be totally satisfactory.) Our inexpensive hotel rate, combined with a $28 monorail pass in place of taxis, meant we could spend most of our budget on shopping, food, and of course, spa treatments.
Our first stop was Qua Baths and Spa at Caesar’s Palace. We luxuriated in whirlpools, a steam room, sauna and deep tissue massages–all the while drinking teas and eating lovely snacks. While we were spa-ing it up, I received reassuring texts from my hubby saying how great they were doing without me, at which point I was able to completely relax. In fact, it occurred to me that I hadn’t been this relaxed in a long, long time. Thoughts of my son floated through my head, but I wasn’t worried about a thing.
That evening we saw Cirque du Soliel’s show, “O,” which was sublime. I sat there mesmerized, wondering how they came up with all the amazing feats they performed on stage. As a new mom, I sometimes feel starved for art and culture.
After that, it was still early (for Vegas, not for two tired Mommas) so we attempted going to a club. The crowd was young and rowdy…and basically made us feel old. While deciding what to do next, we were approached by a pack of boys in their early twenties–two of whom were ironically dressed in baby costumes and tried to pick us up.“We have babies!” I told them. And after another day of shopping, eating, and spa treatments, I was ready to go home to mine.
The main highlight of my trip, more than all the spa-ing, etc., was just knowing that my son and husband can survive without me (and even have a blast together and bond). When I arrived at our Brooklyn apartment the following evening, I felt refreshed and revitalized and ready to go back to being mommy. My son was already in bed, but I couldn’t wait until the morning to see him and snuggle him. The next time I want to go away, I know I will feel better about my decision to take some time for myself–my family is that much sweeter for it when I do.
