It’s probably neither. But it can definitely be both. My husband and I never went on a babymoon when we were having our first baby because quite frankly, everyday was like a babymoon before kids! We were free to go wherever and do whatever we wanted, as we had no kids to care for yet. He did join me for a work trip to Las Vegas, but that was part work/part play. When we were having our second baby, we never went away just us two, but he did send me off to a weekend getaway with just my girlfriends to a beautiful resort in Whistler. This was a really nice way to get in “me time” and reconnect with old friends. However, I did feel like it would have been nice to just get away with my husband at some point. So this third time around, we found a window of opportunity to get away just for a quick jaunt to the Niagara area (1.5 hours from home), and I am so glad we did. I would even call this trip a necessary one as we prepare for baby number three.

Anyone with multiple kids will tell you that it’s busy and loud in their home. Even if they’re not yelling, there’s just a lot of chattering and noises coming from your kids. It’s sometimes hard to get a moment of quiet to chat with my husband if the kids are around (which is pretty much always). Once they’re in school, the sound levels normalize, but typically when the kids are at school, my husband is working, so it’s not like we have ample opportunity to just enjoy time with each other. So, when my mom offered to watch the kids overnight this past weekend, my husband and I jumped on the chance to get away. Call it what you want: babymoon, date weekend, or a getaway. The only thing I wanted was some quiet time to connect with my husband.

We started with lunch at a local hotspot, Langdon Hall. If you’ve never been, it’s a beautiful, large estate that exudes peace and quiet luxury. We only stayed for lunch, but the couple hours we were there, we felt relaxed and like we were the only two people there in the dining room. Contrast it to the dinner we had at a steakhouse later that night, where hockey was on the TV and talk of the Superbowl was all around us, we were happy to start the trip off at such a peaceful place. We will most definitely be back to Langdon Hall for an actual night’s stay and couple’s massage in the future!

We arrived to our boutique hotel in Niagara Falls around 3pm and relaxed in our room until dinner time. We were hoping to get in some pool time, but alas it was being renovated. Instead we took a leisurely walk to the falls and enjoyed the warmth of the night (relatively speaking: it was above freezing, whereas a few days before, it was close to minus 30 degrees!) After dinner and a walk, we were invited to watch a Mind Trix show at our hotel. It claimed to be a magic show with psychological illusions. I have to say, I walked into the show somewhat skeptical as I don’t believe in magic, nor like the idea of hypnotism, but it was pretty entertaining. I haven’t seen a person under hypnosis live before, and it was pretty crazy to see it happen. I left amused and slightly less skeptical.

The next morning, we leisurely woke up and had breakfast on the top of the Skylon tower, which is the tallest building/tower in the region. It overlooked the falls, which were slowly melting from the recent polar vortex. It was quite a sight to see. And I agree with general consensus that the Canadian side is far more of a spectacle than the American side. But anywhere along the falls truly is a beautiful and wondrous piece of creation. I feel blessed that we live so close to such a beautiful piece of the world. And although there are parts of Niagara that feel a bit run-down or overly focused on gambling, there is still lots to see and do (eat) if you’re not into casinos.

So do I think babymoons are necessary? No, but I do think having regular date nights or getaways (if you can swing it) with your spouse definitely are. While we love our kids with all our hearts, we always want to make our marriage a priority, even above our kid’s desires at times. They may not want us to go away, but we think it’s important for them to know mom and dad love each other very much and need time just for themselves too. So whatever you want to call it, just book a weekend and start planning your next couple’s getaway! We certainly are, even if it may not be for a while, as expected with life with newborns 😉