Beachy Feet

I think I forgot how long the drive to San Diego was- and I think it's that way on purpose. If you forget, it makes it easier to go back again and again... I was so ready to move there after our 1st day. The condo was fabulous- a direct view of the ocean from our living room, kitchen and bedroom. It was a bit messy, but after some cleaning, we were ready to enjoy the week.

We immediately ran down the stairs to the beach and kicked off our shoes.

Unfortunately, mom stepped on a bee and we thought she might have an allergic reaction. Luckily the lifeguard was on duty and helped her out- he wasn't bad looking either!

After getting Grace wet, and her diaper soaked, we headed back up for dinner. The stairs are DEADLY! The LONGEST, STEEPEST flight of stairs I had ever seen! And there were people running up and down them for exercise every day- I think they were gluttons for punishment, or at least they enjoyed pain. We grabbed a quick seafood dinner and headed back for sleep. Sleeping with the windows open and listening to the waves crash was wonderful- I think I got the best night's sleep ever.

The next morning we woke up early, grabbed bagels and coffee, packed up Grace's stuff and headed out to meet some family at Sea World.

10 minutes after we got there, we realized that we had forgotten Grace's food, and Felix had to make the 30 minute each way drive, back. Poor dad! Fortunately, we spent most of the time visiting with my Aunt & Uncle, and Cousins & Niece.

By the time Felix had come back, we were just settling in for the sea lion show.

Grace was HOT! I left mid-show to find a hat for her tiny head. We almost had to buy a doll hat, her head was that tiny! We had a fabulous day at Sea World, and Grace enjoyed meeting her cousin, Serenidee.

Serenidee thought Grace's name was "Aunt Joyce" and so she kept saying she wanted to see Aunt Joyce get her diaper changed. Of course we laughed hysterically each time, as that is my mom, and she would be horrified to think of herself as needing a diaper!

We walked around the park, visiting the various sea creatures.

Grace fell asleep for a much needed afternoon nap, while we rested.

Grace was able to touch a sting-ray, and even feed it some worms. It was pretty amazing to watch my baby do this- I felt like she was growing up right in front of my eyes!

We moved on to see Shamu, eventually. Grace and Daddy even did the Shamu Splash Dance- Sha-Mu, Sha-Mu!

After Shamu, the family took a photo, ate some dinner and bid each other farewell. What a great mini-reunion!

The weather got bad the next few days- windy and overcast. We tried to do city things- looking @ the various shops, especially in the Cedros District, and also in Del Mar. We ventured to Sea Port Village for a few hours also.

We played games, read our books and relaxed. We took walks, swam in the pool and had a genuinely good time.

We had one good sunny beach day @ Coronado Island. The weather was perfect, and Grace loved being a beach bum baby.

When we got back to the condo, Felix prepared a crab feast.

Grace got bathed and then zonked out for the night- I think the fun in the sun did her some good!

We finally made the venture to the San Diego Zoo. What a BIG zoo!! I can't believe we walked all that way, and uphill most of it to boot! As a souvenir, we made a couple of pressed pennies, a dog tag with a koala, and bought a DVD: Baby Genius' San Diego Zoo Trip. I had no idea that it would become the video that she watches non-stop, and that the DVD would become the only thing that can bring you out of a full-fledged meltdown. Thank God for the San Diego Zoo! :)

My Aunt Denise drove down to have one final family day with us- we toured Ocean Beach, almost got a contact high @ the local Starbucks, and then hit lunch in Del Mar. We took a quick walk out to the beach and then headed back for some relaxation @ the condo.

We hated leaving, but it was a drizzly, icky day when we packed up the car and pulled out. A few hours later we were in the desert, surrounded by cacti and suffering in the 100+ degree weather. Ah, to be home!

Viva Las Vegas- Wynn Big!

Las Vegas was a blast! It was painful, but so nice to get away for a few days. We took a nap every day, and we spent almost 8 hours a day at the pool. The Wynn pool rocks!

Seriously good music, mellow adult crowd, and good bar service. Our goal was to do 2-3 shows, and after seeing Mystere, we decided that would be our only. We really weren't impressed- Corteo & La Reve were far more impressive. We gambled very little, but mostly just relaxed. We did one really nice dinner at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill. I wasn't too excited about it, but the food was AMAZING! I'm excited that I was adventurous enough to try some new things. Yummy!

We tried to catch an early plane home, but we missed the gate by 10 minutes. :( Oh well! It was great to get back to Grace- being away was awful, but so necessary for my rejuvenation. Plus, Grace pulled her feeding tube out of her nose 10 minutes before our plane left Las Vegas.... I swear she knew we were on our way home, silly kid.