Back in August, I went on a trip with my friends without Nora. Yep – without my baby. And it was amazing.

I know what some of you may be thinking: How can she go on a trip by herself without her baby? And it’s funny, I thought the same thing too. But when my friend sent the invite via text, I remember exhaling with relief. People without kids still wanted to be my friend. They still saw me as me and not just a mom to Nora.

Before Nora, I was a traveler. (Before the pandemic, notably). My husband and I loved checking out new cities, and we even stamped a few countries on our passports. Before Nora, I was a performer. A writer. A gardener. A cyclist. I loved all those parts of me, and I was having trouble blending “before” Kass and “new mama” Kass. So, getting this text from a close friend really meant something to me.

What I also found so amazing about her text was that she said, “I know it might be a lot for you to leave Nora but wanted to extend the invitation!” I remember tearing up at this. It would be a lot for me to leave Nora. But, at that point, I was burnt out. I was a month and a half in from returning to work, I was inundated with work tasks and home tasks, and mom tasks. My cup was empty. If there’s anything I learned from postpartum is that I have to fill my cup in order to be the best mom to Nora.

So, I shared the text with my husband, who gave me a very enthusiastic, “YES! GO!” So off I went.

If you’re wondering how I did postpartum anxiety-wise, the night before was … rough. Like, picture me lying on my bed with my head in my hands as my husband rubs my back, rough. But, I tried to remind myself it was only for one night, two full days, and Nora would be JUST fine with my husband.

And she was! And I was fine too.

The drive up was about 4ish hours, but when you have two friends in the car and lots of jams, the time goes by fast. I brought my Baby Buddha portable pump and packed my entire bottle collection and a big cooler to put the bottles in. I pump every 3.5-4 hours, so I only had to pump once on the way up. During the trip, my friends were amazing, and we made plans around my pumping schedule so that my supply would stay up. We made sure to bring the cooler with us for bottles and had an Airbnb with a fridge to keep the bottles cold overnight.

But enough about the bottles; let’s talk about these views.

I am excited for more adventures to come – and even more excited to bring my daughter along.