On New Years Day, I traveled down to San Diego with Brittany to meet up with Shawn, Gio, and the Brookshire crew. Kristen, Daniel, and little Rosalee were there for a New Year's Eve wedding, and Shawn was still there after Christmas with his family.
The first day it was just Shawn, Brittany, and me, and we spent it walking around the newly bustling Little Italy, stopping by a couple coffee stops and of course a gelateria.
Gelato time
While we were walking down by the harbor, we passed the Claim Jumper and launched into an ongoing conversation about the restaurant and all the childhood memories both Shawn and Brittany had there. Shawn was completely obsessed with the seven-layer chocolate cake, and insisted that once I had seen a picture of this confection, I would remember it. Here's the thing though: not only have I never been to a Claim Jumper, but I always thought the chain was called the Clam Jumper. So much so that I just had to edit the beginning of this paragraph because I had once again assumed the restaurant's hypothetical mascot was a man in waders, and not a digger of gold. Upon further investigation, I realized I inherited this misconception from my mother, who confessed she also thought it was a seafood restaurant. I will surely maintain this thought for the rest of my days.
We stayed in the East Village by booking an apartment through Sonder. It was super convenient because Shawn was staying with his parents, who live in the same complex. The rooftop pool and jacuzzi situation certainly didn't hurt!
Morning baby cuddles and giggles were probably the highlight of the whole trip. Rosalee would make sure we put on some music, and then we'd build pillow forts, or cut wooden vegetables, or keep an eye out for planes coming in to land.
Tickles!
Glamour shot with Odete and Mousey
The quintessential mom gaze
A break in playing chiropractor
FaceTime with Auntie Amanda!
Note to Apple: Consider redubbing it "ButtTime"
We spent one day chillin' by the pool, and Rosalee really took to her California Girl roots.
Hollywood bombshell!
Always Be Snacking
Reading and snuggle time
Hella spicy tacos at Lola 55 during Rosalee's nap
That evening we headed to Old Town on the light rail. Rosalee wasn't quite as thrilled as we were but she was a trooper. Things really turned around when Daniel bought her a little cube that sings "Baby Shark" on repeat. We danced to live music, walked around to see the beautiful lights and stores, and ended up at Cafe Creole, an old favorite of ours right next to the haunted Whaley House.
Whenever the tram would stop,
Rosalee would sign and say, "More!"
Kelly the constant baby hog
No time to smile for the camera when there's
macaroni and cheese on your plate!
We got an early start the next morning for brunch and a trip to Balboa Park, while Shawn worked from home.
Miss having this sturdy nugget wrapped around me!
Rosalee was pretty ambivalent about this so-called "park" until her daddy redirected us to the playground, which was a huge hit.
One of our favorite games over the trip was for us to say a name and Rosalee to point to the right person. She got really good at it by the end!
Just had to feel the sand between her toes
Seriously: Always. Be. Snacking.
After nap time, we headed to the Coronado Ferry for Rosalee's first boat ride! I was trying to prepare her for our exciting journey, so in the car ride over we got the point where she'd fill in "boat" and "wa-wa" in the sentence, "We're going to the water and we're going to get on a boat." She would focus on me hard while she was getting the words-it was so cute!
Boat selfie!
So much to see!
The whole gang on the ferry
Coronado Ferry Landing, with the San Diego skyline
Family giggles!
Our last morning was dedicated to Auntie Brittany's imagination! She built forts around Rosalee for her to tear down, and as Rosalee constantly tapped her fingers together for more, Brittany came up with bigger and grander architectural schemes. She loved it!
Baby goodbyes are so emotional! You know you'll never see them like that again. But we do manage to fit in a great deal of quality time on our special weekend trips. Can't wait for our next Rosalee/Brookshire visit!
