A Babymoon in Chicago

As I mentioned in my "I'm Back" post, I'm currently pregnant with our first child! Now that I'm not constantly affected with nausea and wanting to throw up and the mere mention of food, my husband and I decided we wanted a quick getaway.

Originally, we had planned to take a London/Paris vacation this summer, but once we realized I was pregnant, the idea of a 14-some hour flight and walking around London and Paris for a few days (not to mention the price tag), just didn't seem like the best idea. Plus, I wouldn't get to eat all the food and drink all the wine I wanted. Luckily, the only thing lost was the hours I had spent planning said trip.

Once we made the decision to no longer travel to Europe this summer, our planning stalled. We knew we wanted to go somewhere, but where? Joe was thinking a cabin somewhere - but they he made me watch Hush on Netflix. I don't think he thought that through. Let's plan a weekend in a cabin right after watching a movie about a masked killer who shows up at a cabin in the woods and starts murdering people. No. Pass.

Two weekends ago we decided on Chicago. Neither us has had been there and it wasn't an awful drive from our house to the city. That Monday, after firmly deciding on Chicago, we looked at the calendar and realized between now and "too late," the only weekend we could go was that weekend.

After ensuring the stars aligned (Joe's parents could watch Bentley, getting time off work, hotel at a reasonable price, etc.) we booked our trip! Luckily, we knew a few people who used to live in Chicago and got a few tips on where to stay and what to do.

We dropped Bentley off Friday afternoon at Joe's parents and after feeling like an awful person as he watched us pull away from the window, we set off  for our long weekend getaway!

Babymoon Pros

• It's the "last time" you and your significant other will get to vacation on your own. Don't get me wrong, we are thrilled to become parents, but aren't delusional to all that comes with it. Chicago is filled with vacationing families and we weren't spared the sight of tantrums and maneuvering strollers through the crowded streets.
• When you get tired and cranky due to walking around in the high 80-degree heat, your husband doesn't mind heading back to the hotel so you can shower and nap. Any other point in my life this would have granted me an eye roll. Of course, any other point in my life this wouldn't have been a big deal.
• If you go to a place (like Chicago) with great shopping you can buy your little one a few

  

  www.disneystore.com

  goodies. Our hotel was right on the Magnificent Mile so as well as wandering and doing some shopping, we stopped at the Disney Store and may or may not have bought an outfit for our daughter's one year birthday. Look, I love Disney and I couldn't pass it up! They had the cutest baby section and I could have easily bought one of every outfit they had for sale. Note: When grabbing this picture from DisneyStore.com, I saw that they have matching shoes! Why didn't I see those in the store?!
• Going to the crowded jazz club on Saturday night ensures you get a seat at the bar. A good friend of ours told us we had to go to Green Mill Cocktail Lounge, a former speakeasy that Al Capone owned. By the time we got the lounge it was packed, but while waiting for our drinks (mine was a water, calm yourselves), a man seated at the bar offered me his seat so I didn't have to stand.
• If you time it right, while on your Babymoon, you can also celebrate your seventh anniversary. I didn't realize this until making dinner reservations for Saturday night, but it happened to be the same day as our (dating) anniversary, so that made the day and trip a bit more special.

Babymoon Cons

• Depending on when you go during your pregnancy, you easily get tired. I'm in the middle of my second trimester, so I'm feeling pretty good. Not first trimester nausea and extreme tiredness, not third trimester exhaustion and "get this thing out of me." However, walking around Chicago in the heat makes one tired and cranky. We didn't get to do all we had wanted to do due to the heat and my pregnancy, but that just means we have to go back one day.  :)
• If you're a wine/beer/alcohol drinker, you can't indulge in a drink with dinner or after walking around in the heat. I'm not a huge drinker, but when we go out to dinner I like to have a glass of wine. Can't do that while pregnant, so I just stared wistfully at Joe's beers while drinking my water.
• Same goes for food. We went to Tanta for dinner one night and they have some intriguing things on the menu, but I couldn't partake in all of it because some food is off-limits. Same goes for the sushi at Shaw's.  :(

Overall

While you may not get to do everything you want, it's still a special vacation that you share with your significant other before becoming a family of three (or four if you count your furbaby). We had an amazing time in Chicago and I'm so glad that we got to go.

Have you ever gone on a Babymoon, where did you go, what did you do? Or is that something you'd want to do when the time comes?