Good morning! I am checking in today after a whirlwind weekend in my former hometown. I made a quick surprise trip to Orlando for my best friend Laurel’s birthday!
(Screenshot pic from my Snapchat video because I was the worst about taking pics this weekend! Oops.)
It was so wonderful to see her and spend quality time with my best friend, former college roommate and all-around wonderful person.
A month or so ago, Laurel’s husband John reached out to me with the idea of flying me to Orlando to surprise Laurel for her birthday. I was immediately excited but also a little terrified because Chase was smack-dab in the middle of a bottle strike and I am still breastfeeding. Seeing Laurel was really, really important to me, so I was determined to make it work. Though John told me I could bring Chase, a part of me thought it was time that I spend my first night away from him, even though I felt my heart contract at the very thought. (<—Ridiculous, I know, but I can’t help it!) The last time I got together with my girlfriends and had Chase with me, I felt like I was only half experiencing the excitement around me because my mind was always, always on Chase. I wanted to spend this past weekend with Laurel and feel fully present.
My flight for Orlando left bright and early on Saturday morning and after nursing Chase at 5 a.m., Ryan and I headed off to the airport. (Ryan’s dad arrived in town on Thursday and we had a great day together on Friday! He was kind enough to take over baby monitor duty in the morning while Ryan dropped me off.) I texted Ryan and my mom to tell them that I felt like I was noticing every single baby in the airport and I was totally that mom who told other parents it was my first time away from my baby. It felt like a big milestone and I went into the weekend feeling an odd mix of emotional and excited to step outside of “mom mode” for a couple of days.
When I arrived in Orlando, I immediately texted John who set the big birthday plan into motion. John then told Laurel she could leave the cell phone lot where she was waiting at the airport and look for someone familiar along the curbside at the arrivals pick-up. That’s where I stood, jumping up and down with a ridiculous HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAUREL sign!
Laurel and I exchanged excited, tearful hugs and John’s birthday plan was set into motion. Laurel was instructed to open an envelope upon my arrival which instructed her to drive to Tampa for lunch. I confirmed her suspicions that we were meeting up with our friends Leah and Ashley at J.Alexander’s!
We chatted up a storm and before I knew it, I was sipping wine and sharing grilled artichokes with three of my best friends.
I missed them all so much and it was such a treat to be able to spend quality time together while celebrating Laurel’s special day. Since John’s big birthday plans for Laurel didn’t require us back in Orlando until 6:30, we were able to spend the afternoon at Leah’s house in Clearwater and see her adorable son Theo.
I haven’t seen Theo since his first birthday and he is just the sweetest little boy. He’s getting so big and is such a love bug. Oh how I wish we lived closer so Chase and Theo could have regular play dates!
Most of Saturday afternoon was spent in Leah’s backyard, swinging Theo on the swing and playing with him and his toys and before we knew it, Laurel and I had to hit the road back to Orlando to be ready for John’s final surprise of the evening. We hugged everyone goodbye and made the drive home, inhaling our fair share of peanut butter pretzels and jumbo M&Ms along the way. I didn’t even know they made jumbo M&Ms but I must say, I am a fan!
We arrived at Laurel and John’s house with just enough time to freshen up a bit before driving to Cocina 214 in Winter Park where John surprised Laurel by arranging a big group dinner with her family. To say Laurel’s family is fun is a huge understatement, so a big group dinner was a great way to conclude Laurel’s birthday celebration before capping off the night with drinks at 310 Park South.
In true Julie and Laurel fashion, we stayed up late talking once we got home, but I crashed hard once I climbed into bed and slept like a rock until 6 a.m. when I dozed on and off until close to 8 a.m. Sunday passed by in a blur of quality time with Laurel in the morning and an afternoon of travel before I finally arrived home to hug Ryan, love on Sadie and scoop my baby up in my arms and smother him in kisses.
I checked in with Ryan and Chase a lot during my time in Orlando and felt a little stressed during my visit because Chase wasn’t taking the bottle well when I was away. Ryan seemed to be handling everything well and offered him a lot of real food, pouches and nut butter while I was away, but knowing Chase was basically refusing breastmilk from a bottle made me feel a little helpless and concerned. I tried to compartmentalize my mind during my visit and really did feel present and focused on my time with my girlfriends but my flight back to Charlotte felt like it took forever as I anxiously awaited seeing my little man again and getting some quality milk in his belly!
My visit to Orlando was a short one but left me feeling so grateful for friendships I’ve had with three of my favorite women in the world for 13 years. Spending time with friends is the best but always makes me a little sad whenever I have to pack up and leave. I hope Laurel had the best birthday and I kept telling her husband I felt like it was my birthday all weekend because it was all so wonderful and he did such a great job with the planning.
Though I was sad to hug Laurel goodbye, thankfully I had Ryan, Chase and Sadie to come home to and I really did miss my little family like crazy! There’s no place like home and I’m officially back in “mom mode” which is exactly where I want to be!
I hope you all had a great weekend, too!
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Three cheers for amazing men who take care of babies and arrange parties! What a fun weekend!
What a fun trip! I’m sure Chase was as excited to see you as you were him!
What a thoughtful husband and wonderful surprise!
I met Laurel a few months ago when they were in London, she was so sweet and was nice to have an American with an English husband to relate to!
Hi Pam! I told Julie about you during our visit!
🙂
That’s so adorable of her husband to plan such a special birthday! I can only imagine how difficult it would be to leave your baby for a few days but I’m glad you got a special weekend away 🙂
Looks like you had a great time! I bet it must’ve been hard to be away from your family but I’m sure they missed you as much as much as you missed them! I’ll be taking my first trip without my son in a few months but I’m sure my husband will take great care of him while I’m away. 🙂
That is so awesome of you! I tried to do that this year for my best friends birthday too, but I had a lack of funds! I’m sure one of these years it will happen though!
Awe congrats on having a great time and now being back in mom mode!
Yay for a fun weekend! I think having a night away is needed sometimes, but I am sure you were worried and had to still pump often. Anyway, my second daughter is about the same age as Chase. I know every child is different, but I am going to offer some unsolicited advice. (sorry or you’re welcome) Have you tried giving your milk in a sippy cup? We have a straw sippy and a tip up one. She guzzles the milk or water from them. Just a thought for the future.
We did! Ryan tried milk in a sippy cup and he refused… Water he sucked down, but breastmilk was a firm NO! Definitely frustrating!
Ah, smart cookie he is. He got what he wanted…his mama home 🙂
My daughter is the exact same way Julie. So frustrating! I went away for the night and told my mom before I left I didn’t want to know how it was going because I wanted to enjoy myself and not be too worried. Thankfully we have two more months before another overnight trip is planned.
I left my daughter for one night and she refused the bottle for seven hours!!! And screamed … I was so stressed and could not enjoy myself. It sucked. Eventually she gave in and drank the bottle and I could relax a little bit … but ya, I hear you. It’s tough thinking about what’s going on at home.
I’m sure you’re relieved that being away from Chase is behind you! Those firsts are always hard, but in the end I think it’s good for us mamas to have some “us time.”
I know how hard it was for you to leave that little peanut for the first time. Your visit meant more to me than you know. I’m the luckiest girl. I look forward to years in the future when the kids are older and we can leave them with our husbands and go on boozy carnival cruises and dress up like goons 🙂 xox Love you.
I would not have missed this weekend for the world!!! I am just sad it wasn’t longer! Loved EVERY second with you!!!!! (And heck yes to future boozy cruises in the future… I’m ready 😉 )
Hi! I was catching up on reading a ton of blogs that I haven’t read in ages (sorry, PBF, haha!) and came across this one! So sweet of you to surprise her. I actually used to read her blog for a bit and then she stopped blogging/posting 🙁 Hope everything is well!
Sounds like such a fun weekend, and what a cute surprise birthday idea! How special that you were able to go. I’m sure it was far from easy to leave Chase for the first time, but I’m sure it will get easier in the future. Have a great week, Julie!
Such a nice treat for you to see her on her birthday, and it also seems like a good first “away” experience – not too long of a time and not too far away!
Good for you for going away!! When I went on my first business trip post baby a couple months ago my now 9 month old started to refuse a bottle — it’s like they know!!! It’s very stressful but we since learned that he’ll eat something and always manages to get enough — it’s just the parents that suffer. Of course now, I went away again for a day and he’s refusing to breastfeed.
One trick we use when he won’t use a bottle or breastfeed is to squirt a syringe of milk into his mouth (like the ones that come with baby tylenol) — he loves them and it always works even if it is a pain in the butt!!!
Ooooh! Interesting tip!! I’ll definitely keep that one in mind!!
Sounds like you guys had fun even though you were away from Chase for the first time. Laurel must have been so surprised to have seen you at the airport. Good friends that you’ve known forever are the best. No matter how much time you’ve spent away from each other they’re always there when you need them.
Glad you have fun! I have a 9 month old baby boy and I’ve never been away from him for more than a few hours. I breastfeed him and he doesn’t take a bottle well either, he hasn’t had one since he was 4 months old or so. I would be nervous to leave him too, but it also sounds like HEAVEN in some ways!
Had*
This is so sweet and you look fantastic! Where are your skirt and top from?
Thank you!! The top is Free People (via Nordstrom Rack) — here’s a direct link: http://bit.ly/29rt0yi — and the skirt is Romeo & Juliet (via HauteLook — but I got it a few years ago). 🙂
Looks like such a fun trip! I’m sure that was a strange feeling being away from Chase for the first time. Happy Monday Julie!
Such a sweet surprise!! My father-in-law flew my mother-in-law’s 2 best friends to the lake for the 4th of July weekend for her birthday last week. It was sooo fun!!
Aww I loved reading this! I can’t even imagine how hard it was to leave Chase (even just for a few days) but I think you definitely deserved/needed the time with your girlfriends!
Congrats on leaving chase! That must have been so weird! Sounds like a great surprise! What a thoughtful idea!
I’m glad you had a great time with your girlfriends!! I haven’t taken that first step yet of being away from Adeline for a weekend or overnight trip, but I know it will be someday soon! Hooray for Ryan being a trooper and being an awesome (even more so!) dad all weekend! I know that is so stressful thinking about Chase not taking his bottle…A has done that a few times at daycare and I just have to remind myself that if they really get THAT hungry, they’ll eat 😉
Soon to be mom here! I travel a bit for work and am curious how you handled (if you did) pumping while you were away and how you got it back home. Thanks!
Soon to be mom here also – I’m wondering the same 🙂
Congrats to you, Victoria!! I answered this question below and another reader weighed in with some great tips as well and I just didn’t want you to miss it! 🙂
I’ve got a 4-month-old son at home, and can speak to my experiences a little bit – but I too would welcome hearing about Julie’s approach! I’ve been on two weekend trips away now and both times I pumped and brought milk home. For me, storage was incredibly easy. I got a car adapter so that I could pump while driving (pulling over to set myself up, of course), and I found it helpful to purchase a whole extra set of pump parts and storage bottles. I also brought a cooler and a couple of ice packs. I used the freezer-safe storage bags in 4 and 5 oz increments, and then stashed them in the freezer of the place I was staying. Both were air bnbs/rental homes, which made storage super easy. On my drive back, I bought ice, put the milk in the cooler with the ice, and then transferred it to the freezer at home when I got there. Both drives were 6 hours or under, so I felt pretty safe having the milk frozen on ice for that amount of time.
PUMPING, on the other hand, was kind of rough. It is time-consuming to do while away and the pump, at least for me, does not do the most optimal job of emptying all the milk necessary. Even though I pumped every 3-4 hours (that’s what I do at work so that’s what my body was used to), I still felt pretty “full” and didn’t experience relief from that sensation until I got home and could nurse. One of my trips was a bachelorette party and another was for a weekend-long yoga workshop, so figuring out the timing of pumping also kind of sucks. I often ended up pumping in a bedroom while everyone else in my group was off doing something else, which can be a little lonesome. For me, I had to pump at least 30 minutes. For example, one night we were out to dinner but it had been 5 hours since I last pumped, so I had to go back early. Worth it? Of course. Annoying? Hell yeah.
My best advice: have a plan, use all the ice/freezer packs you want to, and don’t be embarrassed or ashamed of needing to prioritize pumping. I got used to telling people, “Sorry, I have to go pump.” You’d be surprised how many women don’t really know anything about pumping, so both of my weekends away ended up being quite educational for everyone involved 😉
Sorry for the long comment, but I hope it is helpful! I have two more trips this year, both flights (and one international) and am trying to figure out the pumping/milk storage situation. Mommin’ ain’t easy, and neither is breastfeeding, but you can do it!
Hi Jenn! I pumped and stored the breastmilk in Laurel’s freezer! I brought a cooler bag and ice packs to keep it cold and transferred evgerything to our freezer when I got home. I don’t have a car adapter, so I just pumped at Leah’s house and Laurel’s house when I had a moment (I didn’t mind pumping around my girlfriends, so I just wore an XL t-shirt and pumped underneath it) and poured the milk into the storage bags to bring home. You’re allowed to carry breastmilk onto the plane so I didn’t have any issues bringing it back with me! Oh! I also pumped in the airport bathroom and just set up camp close to an outlet.
Good to know! Thanks for the tip about the airport!
What a thoughtful husband to plan such a surprise! It was definitely a treat for the both of you!
That said, I’m glad you’re back to mom mode 🙂
Sounds like a fabulous trip. Great pics.
Julie, you are such a great mommy! So glad you got to enjoy a little girl time. <3
Strikes are the worst! My son went through a nursing strike at about 5-6 weeks and it was so hard! So many tears! After a lot of prayers, tears, and work we are back to normal!
Hi! I have been reading your blog for a while now. A few moths ago (maybe around Christmas) my MOPS group at church in Tampa prayed for and made a quilt for a little boy named Theo….same Theo?? Small world!
Hi Ashley,
I’m Theo’s mom. Same Theo. <3 Thank you so very much for praying for him.
Absolutely! I will continue to pray for strength and healing! I have a boy around the same age. XO
Thank you so much for praying for Theo. We pray hard for him every day. He is an incredible baby with incredible parents. <3
Sounds like a great weekend with your friends – and I’m sure Chase is not scarred for life 😉
Seriously though, it was tough leaving my son the first time – and it was just overnight and he was with my parents! Have a great week, Julie!
Small world… But I live in Tampa now (moved here from Denver two months ago) and J. Alexander’s is one of our favorites. But on Saturday, we happened to be coming back from Cocoa Beach and ate an early dinner in Winter Park at a place less than two miles from where you guys ate! Sounds like you had a wonderful time!!!
What happened to Laurel’s blog!? I loved it and am so sad she decided to stop :/
I miss it, too!! She said it just started to feel more like a burden than a fun hobby and it just wasn’t for her.
This was a really fun post, glad you had such a renewing, refueling, fun-filled time with some of your favorite people! Getting together with old and close friends brings us back to ourselves, doesn’t it? Reminds us of who we are at the core. Glad you had such a good experience. And Happy belated birthday to Laurel!
Nice job making it through the first night away! My son is 7 months old and Saturday night will be my first night away from him. I definitely understand the heart contracting thing, and my husband keeps saying I need to be okay with being away from our son for a night. Easier said than done, it seems to me, but reading your post is encouraging!!
Thinking of you!! <3 I hope your night away goes well -- You will love scooping your son up in your arms the minute you get home! xo