Cabo, Mexico Part 2

Wednesday
MJ gets up early again for golf. He kisses me good bye. I still feel bad for being the equivalent to Medusa the day before. Even my crisp bacon at breakfast that I love so much doesn't seem to snap me out of my funk. Then, the most wonderful thought drifts through my head. The spa...

The spa beckons me from the 2nd floor of The Hilton. The intoxifying scents pull me towards the two glass doors. I walk in and open the spa menu. I think about the hot stone massage, but then realize that's not such a great idea. I scorched my gleaming white skin on Sunday when I had my little margarita nap by the pool. Instead, I request the "solar exposure" wrap.

I undress and step foot into the most decadent whirlpool I've ever experienced. The Hilton spared no expense here. The room was beautifully tiled with aromatherapy candles lit all around the hot tub. I enter the tub and wince at the pain. I now know how a lobster feels as it enters the boiling water. My body soon adjusts to the temperature and I zone out. My mind instantly drifts to thoughts of Baby Girl and how much I miss her. I quickly change my thought pattern and think of MJ, which in turn makes me think of the night before. Damn it, why can't I just enjoy myself today? Right as I'm about to start crying, Rosa comes and gets me for my wrap.

Rosa is a Mexican angel. She rubs the aloe mixture up and down my sun damaged skin. The smell alone instantly relaxes me. She then wraps me up in a foil-like blanket. As I lay there marinating like chicken, I start to feel insecure for the first time this trip. I'm wishing I hadn't eaten so much bacon. I'm wishing I would have worked out the past the few months. I'm wishing my tankini didn't make my boobs look like a circus side show. My spa treatment ends. Paranoid that she was repulsed by my Jaba the Hut physique, I feel compelled to tell Rosa that "I'm not normally this fat...I just had a baby, you see." She nods and smiles humoring me when I realize she doesn't speak English. Oh, well.

MJ comes back tired and worn from golfing and I tell him I have a surprise. I booked us a couple's massage at the spa for tomorrow. He seems genuinely excited and I hope this puts an end to our spat. He lets me know that the group wants to go downtown Cabo tonight and I should start getting ready.

Standing there in a pool of rejected clothes, I finally pick a sundress. We meet our friends and go to a fabulous place called The Office. It's a restaurant on the beach right in the heart of the city. We have a great time being serenaded by mariachi bands, receiving balloons from Mexican clowns (odd, but intriguing), and by a man trying to pour tequila down our throats (I intelligently declined that one). The food is to die for, which is apparent by the fact that I quickly consume about 2 cups of guacamole on my own. We follow up dinner by a quick trek to Sammy Hagar's bar called Cabo Wabo. It's a fun but overrated place. MJ and I have a great evening which makes up for the night before. I'm willing to bet that it's because no tequila is being consumed.

Thursday

We wake up and have approx. 3 tons worth of bacon at breakfast and head off to our couple's massage. I drift off into a semi conscious state as my new masseuse jabs her elbows into my flesh. I start to count down the days until I see Baby Girl. I picture playing with her, tickling her feet, and snuggling in bed. I'm jolted awake at the sound of MJ snoring at the adjacent table. I chuckle, then begin to fear that the girls are leaking all over the table. Thinking of Baby Girl often gets them flowing like the Nile. How do I explain that to some one who only speaks Spanish? Umm...mi los boobios are spilling la leche? F me. Luckily, it is just sweat that I'm feeling. Still gross, but I'm relieved. I think I'm done with the spa.

We take a dip in the pool and life seems to be much better between us. MJ is back to his chipper self which puts me back to my normal crazy self. We enjoy our few (non-tequila) drinks by the pool and snuggle in a private cabana. All is well in the world again, until I see someone playing with their 1 year old baby in the pool. I tell MJ I need to go Skype before I start hitting the tequila bottle. That gets his ass out of the pool in a heartbeat.

I see Baby Girl's delicious face on my screen. I don't cry this time. Instead, I tell her that we'll be home in 2 days. She just laughs and babbles and I can tell she thinks Grandma is the best thing since milk. I feel much better saying good-bye to her this time, since I'm not so upset myself. We blow her kisses and then get ready for the "White Party" (sans P. Diddy).

I squeeze myself into the ugly white dress I begrudgingly bought. When one is carrying around 40 lbs of post baby weight, wearing white is about as flattering as Roseanne wearing a spandex unitard. We end up sitting at a table of strangers and I feel them all staring at my girls, which are about to pop out at any moment. I tuck the girls in, grab some dessert, and head back to the room. Nothing like watching some old episodes of 90210 in Spanish to put you to sleep.

Friday

I'm excited because this is our snorkel adventure day. We take a bus into downtown Cabo and reach the marina. I look in front of me and I hear the hallelujah choir as the Heaven's gates open. I see Cartier, Coach, Chanel, and many more shops. I start to veer towards the stores when MJ pulls me towards the dock. Damn it! Why did I have to find the 5th Ave of Cabo on my last friggin' day? Sigh.

We board the boat and set sail. It's an amazing morning. We are cruising along, listening to music, and drinking some Dos Equis. I'm actually feeling brave enough to lay out in my bathing suit. I'm starting to feel a tad less insecure. I turn to say something to MJ when my new found self confidence comes to a screeching halt. There she is. Miss Perfect. There is a girl behind Mark who is in an electric blue bikini with a Victoria's Secret model body. She has bronzed skin, a rocking stomach, and an overall body to die for. Ugh. I instantly crawl back in my shell and feel compelled to cover up with my towel.

We reach our cove and start to snorkel. We see some fish, but they are not nearly as vivid as the fish were in St. Lucia on our honeymoon. We come back to the boat and eat some lunch that the crew prepared. I'm a little weary about eating tuna that's been baking in the sun all day, so I go for the chips and salsa. I end up talking with the rockin' body girl after a few drinks. She tells me she's had two kids of her own and she knows that I can get back into my pre-baby shape soon enough. I leave the boat feeling a little more inspired than I did before.

We quickly shower and change and meet up with friends to go back to The Office for one more hoorah in Cabo. This time we are sitting at a table that is right near the line on the sand where the panhandlers come begging. We do a good job ignoring them for the bulk of our dinner. Suddenly I feel a tug on my skirt and hear a tiny little voice say "Amiga, Amiga!" I turn and see the most precious little 4 year old boy trying to sell me some hand painted fish. My heart melts. All I can think of is little Baby Girl having to do that to earn money to eat. I buy $5 worth of cheesy little fish and then have a friend for the rest of dinner. Who knows where that money is going, but I feel like I did the right thing.

We head back to The Hilton and pack our bags for our checkout tomorrow.

Saturday

The alarm goes off and I'm flooded with mixed emotions. What a roller coaster ride of a trip this has been. I'm so glad to be going home to Baby Girl yet I'm so sad to be leaving the beautiful sights surrounding me. We get dressed and I say good-bye to my new found bacon addiction at breakfast. Thank God for my ass's sake that I'll be leaving that behind. We take in a final view of the ocean, smile, and board the shuttle to the airport. After a nightmare line in customs in both Cabo and Houston, we are finally on the flight to Cleveland.

We land and make our way home. We walk in the door and Baby Girl melts down crying. She remembers us! My parents look as though the just got off the battlefield at Gettysburg. We hug and thank them and send them on their way. After nursing her, we take Baby Girl into our room and let her snuggle with us in our bed.

I look at my beautiful family and feel so thankful. I've learned how hard it is to be away from something you love so very much. I've learned that even after a blow out argument, MJ is always there for me no matter what. And I've learned that no matter how good it tastes, I will never drink tequila again.