Vacation Jail

Having a baby means never getting to go anywhere new again.

Ok, not really. My brother's family is really good about planning road trips that utilize our nation's extensive and marvelous National Park System, and I hear tell that there are families who even plan trips abroad. But if you are of limited means, whether that is in vacation hours or money, and you have extended family out-of-state, it's really difficult to go anywhere other than holiday visiting once you have spawned. Once you have a little angel, you are obliged to cart it around so it can be adored.

After this past Holiday Tour, which saw us again driving to Massachusetts, driving to Pennsylvania, and driving home, I am inches from declaring a travel moratorium: if you want to see the kid, you have to come here. We are staying put for the next two years unless we choose to travel, and when we do, we are going to the mountains or the Northwest or Alaska. If I had my way, it would be Ireland or New Zealand, but I am not made of magic any more than I am made of mom.