Week 25: Back to reality

It is so hard to come back from vacation! When my alarm sounded this morning, I closed my eyes and remembered a few days ago, waking up to the sound of crashing waves, early sunlight streaming through the window and a wild rooster crowing outside. The contrast is so great, it makes Hawaii seem like a dream.
I flew home with my family on the redeye flight Sunday night, arriving in Salt Lake Monday morning. I thankfully got to sleep on the plane, with my two little boys snuggled up on either side of me, but it was still an uncomfortable journey. My feet and ankles were so swollen; I had to take my shoes off! In my past pregnancies, I’ve had some major cankle swelling, but it was strange to have it come up so early in this pregnancy. Fortunately, it did go back down the next day. Getting back to my healthy diet will help with overall inflammation, too. I pretty much ate whatever I wanted in Hawaii, and it was soooo good. Shaved ice with ice cream, shrimp scampi swimming in butter, sweet drinks, chocolate-covered macadamias, Portuguese doughnuts. … (If you’ve been to Oahu, have you had Leonard’s malasadas? Ridiculous.)
Our arrival back in Utah was comical. Our kind next-door neighbor was coming to pick us up at the airport (we live about 15 minutes away), but he couldn’t get our car out of the garage because our keypad had frozen over. He eventually came in his own car. We dropped him off at work downtown and then drove home, only to find that the keypad was still frozen and the hidden key we thought we’d left outside was mysteriously gone. In below-freezing weather with snow on the ground, Shawn had to run around the house in shorts and flip-flops, trying to break into a window. That didn’t work, but he finally borrowed a screwdriver and batteries and got the garage keypad functioning. The battery connection was just too cold. So we did get in, and everyone took solid naps after a rough night and rougher morning. Clearly, vacation was over! In the days since, we’re still trying to readjust to our normal schedule and sleep habits.
If you’re thinking about a babymoon or family getaway, I do think traveling during the second trimester is a good idea. Nausea is down, energy is up, and delivery is (most likely) still far away. Wait too long, and you’re dealing with major discomfort and a higher risk of going into labor. I definitely wouldn’t chance a long-distance flight late in pregnancy—maybe a road trip if you weren’t going too far. But if you can get away, it is so nice and totally worth it! I’ve been trying to explain to my 9-year-old why we aren’t going on the cousin beach trip to Florida this summer—visiting family with a newborn is one thing, but battling heat and sun and sand with a tiny infant just isn’t fun (or safe, honestly).