Trip to California

We all drove to Kansas City airport.  It was the first time Jamie had traveled with Avery and he was surprised and pleased at what a good traveler she was.  I was glad to have the extra help this time, that's for sure. 

We arrived late Friday night, and my meeting started Saturday moring.  Avery and Jamie and Donny hung out at the hotel while I was in the workshop.  It was hard because I'm still nursing full time and I didn't have much milk to leave Jamie.  I tried to pump mid-morning but something about sitting on a public toilet while it flushes periodically had me a little too stressed to pump more than a couple drops.  That of course made me panic.  Since I didn't get breakfast that morning I was hungry and panicked, and by the time I met Jamie et al for lunch I was in a horrible mood.  We went to Johnny Rockets and had rocket burgers.  That was one of the best burgers I've ever had, partly because I was so hungry... I wolfed it down (although Donny had a double rocket burger and ate it faster than I did, which bordered on gross). 

That evening we met the entire workshop for dinner, which was interesting.  Not a lot of people knew I had a baby, and Jamie got to meet Michelle and Neal and some amphibian folks.  The next day we went to the San Francisco zoo with Neal and Michelle.  Jamie tried to find his gorilla Pogo and was saddened to learn that she'd just died.  He was even sadder to learn that he never actually knew Pogo!  When he and the zoo lady bantered back and forth about when Pogo was given to the zoo (she said 1961, but Jamie- who has a picture of him wish Pogo- said he wasn't even born til 65) he asked his mom.  She told him that it wasn't Pogo in the pictures with Jamie, but ChaCha the chimp.  I'm still laughing!  The zoo was fun, and Avery was a really good girl (of course!).

The next day we went to Sonora to visit Jamie's aunt Colleen and uncle Bill.  His mom and sister Leone were there and we got to see them, and they met Avery.   They were all duly impressed with her brilliance and beauty!  We had a nice dinner there, then went later that evening for pie.  Jamie and I stayed in a hotel, the Christmas Tree.  Avery woke me up crying, and when I went to the bed she was laying on to put my hand on her belly, she was face down.  That was the first time she'd rolled from front to back!  I was surprised!

The next day we took off after breakfast and drove to Monterey.  It was a long drive, but it was pretty.  We ended up at Fisherman's Wharf and walked around looking at starfish and watching the sea otters.  We ate crab and shimp and bought a mug and headed back to San Jose.  We left the following day for home.... a very long drive from the airport in Kansas City.