Originally Posted By tink2680 So my husband just started a new job here in Utah at a company that is based in New York. Every year they have a company party in July, in New York. They pay for all the employees here in Utah to fly out and stay for a couple of days. He is welcome to bring his family but has to pay for it. We have enough sky miles on Delta that I could fly for free so I am thinking about going. It would be great fun, we would leave on a wednesday afternoon, my husband would work a bit on Thursday while I hung out with some of the other wives. Then we would go on a dinner cruise around the Statue of Liberty and then dance all night in a rooftop ballroom. We were going to stay on Friday to possibly see a show or two and maybe take a bus tour of the city. My only reservation is that I have a son who will be just over 5 months old. My mother is willing to watch him and he does know her since we go to dinner at their house every Sunday. I do breastfeed but I will have pumped and frozen enough milk for him to eat while I am away. I could always go next year but he will be 17 months then and I think it would be a bad time to go since that is right in the middle of separation anxiety. I also don't think that bringing him would be a good idea, it's a long flight and I think that it's not fair to make them fly if they don't have too. I am just worried that he will have a hard time while I am gone and I am just curious what you would do if you were me. Or have any of you ever left a 5 month old and gone away for a few days? If you have gone was it really hard? I mean just thinking about going makes me start to tear up because I would be away from him for so long. Also for those of you who have been to NY are the half price ticket shacks worth it? And what shows have you seen that you recommend. Thanks!
Originally Posted By trekkeruss IMO, it's the same thing with having a dog for a pet. If you feel anxiety, you'll likely transfer those emotions to your dog... or in this case, baby. Don't make a big deal out of leaving, or coming back. Because it's not, really.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip I would go to NYC. We started leaving our kids at daycare once they were 6 months old and at that age there really is no separation anxiety. It is hard on the moms, but that is going to be hard no matter how old your baby is when you first leave it. Happy parents make good parents and happy babies. You need to take a little time for yourself every once and a while.
Originally Posted By LuLu If you would stay home b/c of the baby, then go. You'll have a much harder time than baby! If your hubby would like you to go, then go! Since it isn't til July, maybe you could start "practicing" on taking some time away from baby. I really think the only reason not to go is if you think *you* can't be away from baby that long. I, for one, wouldn't blame you! But in the scheme of things, it will be over quickly, and it's probably a good break for you and hubby. Altho I've worked at home since before my daughter was born, when she was an infant, I frequently flew to SF for meetings. I literally could get from home to my meetings and back in 8 hours. I really missed her, AND I felt like I was gonna explode! ;-) Good luck and have fun!
Originally Posted By DlandJB Go. Your hormones will tell you not to, but go. The baby will be fine, gradma will be thrilled to have the time alone with the baby and all will be right with the world. Second choice -- bring Grandma and the baby too. When I had a 5 month old, I probably would have felt I shouldn't go. Looking back I know I would have regretted that. Go. Have fun. The only real separation anxiety is yours.
Originally Posted By TiggerPooh1973 I say go. It will be hard, but like someone else said, it will be harder on you than the baby. It will be nice for you and your husband to have some alone time. I know us moms sometimes have a hard time leaving babies behind, but you really should take the opportunity. Just remember to take your breast pump with you on the trip!
Originally Posted By MomofPrincess My first inclination, now that my kids are older, is to say definitely GO! But then I clearly remember how hard it would've been for me to leave a 5-mo-old, and I'm not sure I could've relaxed enough to enjoy myself. So, that's a really tough one...
Originally Posted By Mickey4President I would go if I were you. It sounds like an amazing trip. My DS's are 8&9 now. My DS8 was born in January 1999 and May of the same year, my DH and I went to Las Vegas for the weekend. At the time we went they were about 4 months and 18 months. Just like you, I pumped into bottles and had enough to feed the 4 month old for the duration of the trip. I agree with TiggerPooh1973, don’t forget your pump. They stayed with my in laws, and my mother in law is a nurse. It helped my anxiety to know that she knew infant CPR. It might help you if you ask your mom to get her infant CPR certification. Also, I made a list of all the numbers that we might be at, so that she would have another number other than my cell. Other than our hotel number, I gave them the number to all the casinos on the strip. As long as we stayed busy, I was fine. I was able to catch up on some sleep and have a great time. My DH and I try to get away for the weekend without the kids at least once a year when we can afford it. 2 yrs ago we went back to Las Vegas to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary, and left the DS’s with my mom. The DS’s were not happy when we came home. I just think it is good to take small trip like that when they are smaller and as they grow up. As they got older, I told them they were going on vacation to the grandparent’s house and poor mommy and daddy were going to be stuck in boring meetings. Both sets of grandparents love when we do this, because they get time with the grandkids where all the attention is all on the grandparents.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Hmmm, this is always a hard one. We do virtually everything with our kids. However, when Mikey was 13 months old, I was asked to attend a conference/golf tournement at a 7 star hotel for work in Dubai, and the wives were invited all expenses paid (incluing 1st Class travel). It was too great an opportunity to pass up. We really did feel guilty about it, but my folks told us to go and they took Mikey. We missed him, but it was the first time we had been a couple in 13 months. When we felt guilty, we met another couple who were in the same boat as us, and it really helped. When we got home, although Mikey was happy to see us and missed us, it was clear we missed him far more. And he had a great time with Granny and Grandad. So I do recommend you take up this opportunity. It was almost 3 years between leaving them, but we did it again to go to a Professor's retirement party at my old University. Again, we missed them while away, but we had a great time, and they loved their time with their grandparents. What ever you decide, I hope everything goes well.
Originally Posted By sun-n-fun You should do whatever you are comfortable with. But, you will have harder time being away than the baby!!
Originally Posted By DyGDisney I agree, it's you that will have the hard time, the baby will be fine at this age. It will definately be harder for the baby next year. My husband's brother and wife left their 6 month old son with us for a week and went to Mexico. The baby was fine.
Originally Posted By sun-n-fun I took 33 seniors to NYC a couple weekends ago and we had a great time. We did the dinner cruise around the statue of Liberty. They have a DJ on the boat and the kids ate, then danced for 2 hours. Everyone went up on the deck as we got close to lady liberty -it was truly gorgeous!!! I think it's the best way to see her. We also did 2 mornings of bus tours. I don't think there is another way to see as much as we did. You could never walk and see everything we saw. I would do a bus tour again. We saw double decker buses with open tops that would also be cool to do. Empire State building at night was also fabulous!!!
Originally Posted By tink2680 Well I decided to go. I kinda knew that everybody would say that I should go but I just had to have a lot of people tell me that I should so that I wouldn't feel so guilty. I know he will be fine, I will cry like a baby on the other hand. Thanks for helping me see that it will be great and that he will be fine. Thanks for the info sun...it does sound fabulous...I am excited. Sun did you see any shows when you were there?
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo If I were to go to NYC now, I would totally want to go and see Tarzan to make up my own mind about it! Also I could highly recommend Mary Poppins!
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Oh, and BTW - glad you decided to go. Have a great time, and then it's a great excuse to go to FAO Schwartz or the World of Disney and spend a fortune on the baby to compensate ;-)
Originally Posted By DVC_dad NOTE: The question posed is NOT "What should I do?" The question is <<<what you would do if you were me?>>> I would not leave a 5 month old. but if I had done this... <<<I will have pumped and frozen enough milk for him to eat while I am away>>> If I DID GO, I would be sure and certain that he will take a bottle of breast milk from my mom with this in it, BEFORE I go. and finally... <<<I could always go next year but he will be 17 months then and I think it would be a bad time to go since that is right in the middle of separation anxiety. >>> Again, I would not leave my 17 month and go on vacation without him/her. Final comments: I have 6 kids, 12 yr, 8 yr, 6 yr, 4 yr, 2.5 yr., and 1 yr. And no, we are probably not "done yet" and yes we do "know what causes it" and yes we DO "have a television," and no we are NOT "Catholic," and no we are NOT "Mormon," but we are weird Religious Right people that (while NEVER telling someone else they are wrong if they believe differently than we do) we do not believe in birth control as well as some other related issues. Having said all that, it's easy to discount my personal feelings on the original question as getting an answer from a complete "nut case," but you asked so I answered what I would do, not what YOU should do. Now weigh all of what I said with this: We have never been on vacation without any of our kids. My wife has nursed every one of our kids for at least one year each, no formula. We have done the pump thing many thousands of times, as she works full time and I stay home. It works well once your child is used to it. As for vacations, I have gone several times me alone taking one other child with me for a weekend, and we keep track of who's turn it is, but we do everything as a family. I guess that's why we only go to Disney Parks on vacation...it's an easy place to go with a large family, together, the way Walt offered vacationing at his parks.
Originally Posted By DVC_dad And another thing, which you didn't ask...this one is free... I never feel like I need a break from my kids, I never long for time off, I never get worn out or need to recharge my batteries. My wife feels the same way. It certainly isn't WRONG to feel like that you need a break, or need time off or whatever, but so far we seem to be a rare breed of parent. I think we are the ones that are overboard and outside of the "norm."
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo I never want a break from the kids, but I know I have enjoyed the difference too.
Originally Posted By TiggerPooh1973 Are you planning on seeing any of the Disney Broadway shows? We saw Beauty and the Beast while we were there last month, it was great! I recommend checking mousesavers.com for discount codes. We saved $35 per ticket with a code I found there.
