When I was in my early twenties, I was a jet setter. I went to school in Europe on scholarship. I studied abroad. All of my friends went to school somewhere else, different states, different countries, and I was happy to hop on a plane and visit them. I loved seeing new places and spending time with my old pals.

When I had a baby, at first I told people that we would visit them, because I'm a people pleaser, and that is what I do. My family lives in Denver, Florida, and Illinois respectively, and I live up in the woods of New Hampshire, next to a little airport that is a bit harder to get to than most. As time went on and I kept delaying my trips, I realized one very important thing.

I don't want to.

I didn't want to travel with a baby. My child hates being away from home for longer than an hour. She's a homebody, just like her dad. She won't sleep anywhere but her crib, ever, not even a car seat (and believe me, I hear about how strange that is ALL the time). I realized at some point that I was going to have to let people know that if they wanted to see us, until she can travel for longer than an hour locally, we won't be getting on a plane.

Some people understood. Others were removed from my social media feeds so I didn't have to keep listening to the guilt trips, while they refused to put in effort on their end. For now the best thing for my child is staying put, and while I miss many people, and many places, that's ok. It's not forever, and we're going to travel the world together, when she can appreciate and understand the journey better than she can now, as an angry emo toddler.

Be ok with saying no, parents. If the people in your life love you, they'll understand, and they'll be ready for your visit when you are ready. That's what matters most. Do what's comfortable for you and your little nuggies.

Enjoy the image that has nothing to do with the theme of this post. It's just what our life looks like right now. :)