We’ve been back from our jaunt in Cancun for a few days now, and life is getting back to normal (except for the massive pile of laundry). First I have to say that getting completely and utterly away from my computer and cell phone for several days was AWESOME, and I totally recommend it. And now, on to the recap.

Our flight out was completely uneventful, which was a blessing given the extremely tense passport situation of the day before. (For those not up on that story, the short version is Dan’s passport was expired and he had to get a new one less than 24 hours from our departure time, but it all worked out in the end).

I think the only black mark on the trip down there was the hour long line at customs. Seriously, Mexico, not the way to make a good first impression. I had been warned by my midwife that I would likely swell up like a balloon after travel, but thanks to copious amounts of water and lots of walking that didn’t happen.

The resort was, in a word, perfect. They met us with cool scented towels, smoothies, and a flower for me, and then upgraded our room for free. We also discovered that our 4-night stay entitled us to a $750 credit toward spa treatments, day trips, and several items not suitable for pregos (zip line) or vegetarians (lobster dinner on the beach).

Given our restrictions we chose a short trip to the Mayan ruins at Tulum, a couples massage, and a manicure/pedicure package for me.

Our first day at the resort (Friday) we took full advantage of the opportunities for doing absolutely nothing. We slept in, had breakfast overlooking the ocean, and then snagged prime seats by the lagoon to watch the surf, read, and snorkel/swim. We stayed under our thatched awning when we weren’t in the water, as there were many, many, many walking examples of what happens when you stay out in the sun too long.

A side note: anyone who hasn’t yet read Tina Fey’s “Bossypants,” go and get it now. I was laughing out loud and nearly snorting virgin pina colada out my nose all weekend while reading it.

Saturday was our excursion day, so we loaded onto a bus with 39 other vacationers and motored about 30 miles down the road to Tulum. The ruins were amazing and right on the ocean, but they were also unfortunately completely unshaded. Our tour guide did his best to talk in the shade, but it was super hot and our water ran out quickly.

After the official tour we had some time to wander around, but we just went down to the beach to frolic in the water and try to cool off. Unfortunately between the heat, the epic stairs and my increased girth we were slow getting back and almost got left behind. Important lesson: heat + walking + 5.5 months pregnant = bad.

The bus then took us to a “real Mayan market,” a.k.a. the place where they want you to buy souvenirs. Being savvy travelers who have seen this trick before, we declined.

After the forced shopping time they took us to Xpu-Ha (pronounced ish poo ha) Palace, another in the chain of 7 or so Palace Resorts that was associated with ours. It was mostly destroyed in the last hurricane (2004 I think) and rebuilt as an eco-resort.

Basically this meant animals in a zoo-like setting, no air conditioning, lengthy walks between everything and very little shade by the pool. As someone who was already overheated I didn’t really appreciate the lack of shade/AC or the walking, and I was very happy to get back to our “real” resort.

Sunday was our spa day, and we started it off with some early morning yoga. It turned out that the yoga was not in the air conditioned gym as we thought but in a hut by the ocean; this was cool because you could hear the surf while you did downward dog, but uncool because of the ridiculous humidity and sweatiness.

After yoga (and second breakfast for those of us on two-hour feedings) we headed to the spa. First stop was hydrotherapy, also known as “a room full of things pregnant women aren’t allowed to do.” Dan however thoroughly enjoyed the sauna, steam room, hot tub, and cold immersion tub before meeting up with me once more for our massage.

I admit I was skeptical about the prenatal massage capabilities of the resort, but the lady was very knowledgeable and I was very comfortable the whole time. After lunch I had my mani/pedi treatment, leaving me more relaxed and well-groomed than I have been in a very long time (especially since I can’t easily reach my feet).

Monday meant more travel, but this time not the uneventful kind. It started off with our plane having to turn around as we left Cancun because they forgot to load something that only our giant plane could carry, which turned out to be the nose piece for a smaller plane.

Then we landed in DFW only to find that inclement weather, also known as “rain,” had caused them to cancel several flights earlier that day. This meant the terminal was super crowded, and that our flight was ultimately delayed an hour and a half. All this combined with the fact that we had to leave our resort 4 hours before our flight took off (“just in case” according to the staff), and we had a very long day.

I like to think I’m a pretty good sport about this whole pregnancy thing most of the time, but I was ready to kill people with my bare hands if they came between me and food or my bed by the time we got home. Fortunately there was no need for violence.

And so, now we’re back to work and reality. For us this means all the pregnancy/baby stuff we’ve been putting off, like registering for gifts and finding a pediatrician. I’m actually excited and ready to get going (I know, it’s shocking that I want to plan and prepare!)

We didn’t do much in the way of photography, but I’ll get Dan to download what we did take and add them soon.