Abbot Kinney's not so secret accessory

It was bound to happen. Finally, after 9 months and one week of being Mommy and Daddy 24 hours a day, 7 days a week- it was time for us to be ALONE. My husbands mother was in town for a visit and we though 'Perfect', we will book a hotel- not too far away, but far enough away that we felt like we were somewhere else than home. Venice Beach it was, only 40 minutes away, and I had been hearing lots of good things about the Abbot Kinney scene; lots of cute little shops, restaurants, bars and of course the beach was right there too.

We woke up Sunday morning giddy with excitement of our impending adventure, spent as much time as we could that morning with the baby, giving him an extra amount of love to tide him over for any separation anxiety he may encounter... Who am I kidding- it was me that was all ready having the anxiety. I couldn't imagine not being there for my little dude when he woke up in the middle of the night, nor for that matter when he awoke happy and playful in the morning- I would not be there. Oh lord, my husband saw me dragging my feet and he packed my ass up and threw me in the car. I swallowed hard and waved bye to the baby and Grandma, who by the way is far more capable than I, to care for a child so I knew he was in loving, kind hands which, as we drove mile after mile, I kept reminding myself of this fact so I gently unclenched my fists and began to finally relax and enjoy myself.

I looked over at my husband and he gave me a wink and smiled. It was then that I had a flash of memory of this person who I had fallen in love with, this man who stood by my side for years, who sang straight to my heart... Wow, how I had forgotten him this way? That little baby had come into my life and wiped my mind of so much, but it felt so good to remember the man that had started it all.

Our quick escape was going well when we decided to take a walk down Abbot Kinney and check out what everyone was talking about. As we drove around trying to find a parking spot I noticed a woman walking with a stroller, and I smiled to myself- you never notice those things until you become a parent, and it brought just a slight pang to my heart as I thought of my little boy. No! I was going to enjoy myself so I quickly looked away and noticed a parking spot.

As we began to walk down the colorful street lovingly hand in hand, we passed another family, with a stroller built for two, and we smiled warmly at the couple, who in turn gave us a dirty glare and walked away quickly. We shrugged our shoulders and laughed saying 'yeah they hate us because they think we are just single and carefree', and this made us laugh a bit harder. Then we passed a noisy bar packed full of beautiful, carefree, single and tan beach people who were spilling onto the street from all the open window seats. It was then that I almost fell over noticing on every open window seat there were babies strapped to their mothers or lazily lounging in their car seats, while the parents drank beer and shot the shit with their friends on a Sunday afternoon.

I turned to my husband who's lower jaw was on the floor, and I said 'Am I crazy, or is there babies EVERYWHERE?' This made us turn our heads and look down the street and sure enough, on every corner were groups of strollers, toddlers toddeling, babies Bjorning, and happy families socializing with each other.
My stomach was now turning and I wanted to scream 'But I have one of those too!' Only... I didn't at the moment, and to these parents I looked like that creepy lady who is eyeballing their children with lustful eyes.

We suffered though our stay in Babies Ab' Kinney with frequent phone calls to Grandma, and lots of wine. I would love to say I had the best sleep of my life, but I was awake most of the night thinking of my little boy, and as soon as the continental breakfast was over, we were on our way home.

As we pulled into the driveway, we see our little boy happily watering the plants with Grandma, and I run to him to squeeze him and he looks at me like 'Oh hey, hi Mom, now put me back down, I'm playing here.' But he cannot get out of the family hug since now my husband is hugging him too with all his might.

It's tough being a parent, but it is also the greatest thing in the world. We were a couple for so long, and we did so many fun and carefree things whenever we wanted. Now that our life is so different it is important to remember each other and to have your own private time together, and don't get me wrong-we did have a lot of fun. We will do it again I'm sure, but you had better believe if we ever go to Venice and Abbot Kinney again we are bringing our son, our very own most treasured and precious accessory.