Nothing comes close to the Golden Coast!

Nate and I had the chance to visit my family out in California in October. It was such a great trip! It seemed like the beginning of the trip went a little slower, even though we had more going on, but the second half just flew by even though we weren't really doing much! Isn't that how it always goes though? Here's a quick rundown of what we were able to do.

Friday night: Flew in late and grabbed a hotel in Irvine. Nate did not sleep one wink on the plane and didn't go to sleep until midnight (3am Eastern). He was a pretty good trooper.

Saturday: Reid family get-together with my mom's side of the family. Lots of love and great food!

Nate digging in!

Sarah at 30 weeks and Katie at 24 weeks (approx)

Sunday: Museum of Natural History in Balboa Park (my favorite SD locale) so Nate could see some dinosaurs, then La Jolla Shores (my favorite SD beach) for some sandy fun. Nate kind of got freaked out by the in and out of the waves, but he at least got to put his feet in and had a ton of fun digging in the sand. Then I got to have dinner with my good friend Megan and meet her boyfriend.

Nate and Katarina doing the penguin waddle

Monday: Sea World! He loved the whale show, but I think a lot of the rest will probably be better for him in a few years. We then headed up to Bakersfield.

Tuesday: NOTHING! We, well mainly I, needed a break so all we did was hang out at my mom's house. We got to eat some Reid Tacos (my all-time favorite food) and homemade ice cream. That's the great thing about coming to CA... getting all my favorite foods, and introducing them to Nate (and Cranberry).

Wednesday: Pretty much nothing... did a little shopping, but otherwise just hung around my mom's house, went to have some Chinese food, then went to see my dad for awhile.

Thursday: Again, not much of anything. We did a little browsing for strollers, had dinner, then I went to my sister's to sort through 3 HUGE tubs of clothes that her daughter, Katarina, is donating to Cranberry.

Friday: Hung out with my dad, had Basque food, then headed out for some frozen yogurt. FINALLY got my peanut butter, and it was better than I remembered it.

Saturday: Met my brother, sister in law and niece in Calabasas for their annual pumpkin festival, then hung out with them for the rest of the night, which included some yummy Italian food (with a Malibu ocean view) then more frozen yogurt! This time Chocolate Coconut.

Nate and his cousin Lindsay

Sunday: Had breakfast then had to head out to the airport. Again, Nate did not sleep a wink, but was a pretty good trooper.

Of course every time I get to go home I don't want to come back, and definitely miss the people I get to see when I'm there. But I know, no matter how long I'm away, I will ALWAYS be a California girl at heart.

Sleep... Oh, precious sleep!

So, I'm on my own this week from Saturday night until Wednesday while Peter is out helping his dad with a book signing in Colorado. Last night I took full advantage and took over the bed - me, my belly and 4 pillows! I have really not been sleeping very well the past week or so. A fun mix of pain, belly, the need to pee and heat. Luckily the last couple of nights have gotten down into the 50's, we've turned off the air, opened the windows and been a lot more cozy. I have a pregnancy pillow. It's shaped a little like a comma with a big part for between your legs then a little curl that's supposed to fit under your belly. It works alright, but it's a pain (literally) to try to roll over and I usually end up on my back which wakes me up (pregnancy no-no). So last night I took advantage of my empty bed to add a belly behind my back and another between my legs, and let me just say... I slept great! I still had to get up to use the restroom, but the rest of the time I was as comfy as can be. Now, the problem is that I pretty much took up 2/3 of the bed, so once Peter gets home I will have to come up with some other plan. (Or just hope that his skinny little bod will fit on the last third!) Of course I imagine that pretty soon no amount of pillows will make sleep comfortable. Until then I'll do what I can to enjoy my cool, comfy, roomy, soft, cozy relatively pain-free sleep!

Time to transition...

Nate and I went to visit my friend Jacque in Florida this weekend. Yes, I drove 10 hours with a toddler by myself! People kept telling me how brave I was. Luckily I was able to pick up a portable DVD player from Jack and Dianne at the last minute. He loved being able to watch Bambi and "DIggers" while riding in the car. This is definitely not something I think is necessary for short rides, but for that length - and especially by myself - it came in very handy. The main reason we were going to visit her was because she is due in just over a month and was having her baby shower on Saturday. Nate had a great time making all the ladies fall in love with him and, of course, helping Jacque open all her gifts. I'm not really sure he understood that all of the stuff wasn't for him. Luckily G-Baby was willing to share all of his awesome stuff with Nate - even his crib! 

Nate worming his way into a family photo 

Cranberry and G-Baby - their first picture together!

Preggers together!
Sarah @ 24.5 weeks and Jacque @ 34.5 weeks

Most of the trip was a great time, but Nate kept saying he wanted his daddy and wanted to go home. This made Peter feel good, but definitely made for some frustrating moments for me. I think it might have been a little too close for him to leave home again after just getting back from the long trip with his grandparents. This brings me to my next point: we are officially in transition mode. Over the next few months we have to work on the following projects with Nate: potty training, getting rid of binky, switching to a big boy bed and become a big brother. Of course, ideally, we would like the first three to be done before the fourth happens, but there's always something going on to make us wait. But it is time to get serious! First up - potty training. I have purchased a book and hope to start this weekend. Wish us luck!