Back to the Midwest

We've returned from my beautiful home town of San Diego and are getting back to the slower (and colder) pace of life in the Midwest. We had a wonderful Christmas together. Kellan was a joy and certainly didn't disappoint his grandparents or aunt Amanda in the adorable department. He was well spoiled of course with more presents than the rest of us combined! He caught a nasty cold on the way out (airplane germs) and by the time we came home, due to a nicely suppressed immune system, he had a painful throat infection, blisters and all. He's nursing every couple of hours because he doesn't want to eat and his meals consist of yogurt and ice cream (doctor's orders!). He should be fully recovered in another couple of days.

Illness aside, we had a fabulous trip. It was sunny and mid-80s upon our arrival and continued along the same lines for the following 10 days. We spent lots of time at Coronado, our favourite beach. Kellan had his first dip in the ocean and play in the sand.

We spent a fun day at Seaport Village. Kellan rode the carousel and enjoyed a trip across the bay on a ferry.

We went to Disneyland of course. As a native Californian, I found my British husband's aversion to Disney on his first visit a very foreign trait indeed. Too 1950s? Too retro? Too silly? Never, not my Disneyland! Too expensive? Ok, I'll give him that. At least Kellan was free. He enjoyed a couple of rides, but was still suffering from the nasty cold, so spent a lot of time just hanging out. His favourite part of the day was meeting a character from Tarzan, the young gorilla, Terk.


Had a nice day at Balboa Park where Kellan rode another carousel. His first time on an up-and-down horse. Well, ok, it was a rooster, but you get the idea.

Spent our last day touring around downtown, a shopping trip to Horton Plaza, and then a lovely family meal at our favourite downtown San Diego restaurant, The Old Spaghetti Factory. I'm sorry to say that this will be our last visit to the restaurant that we've loved for 25 years, a place that we've celebrated birthdays, weddings, pregnancies, and everything in between. Our local Old Spaghetti Factory closes its doors forever this week. We will miss you old friend!

We did lots more, visited friends all over the area, relaxed by the pool, and generally enjoyed our 10 days away. I'm back at work today, though only briefly. I came in for a few hours yesterday as well. Kellan needs to nurse frequently, so I can't be gone long. Luckily, there's nobody here and I'm all caught up for the New Year, so there's no stress in missing a few days. I honestly only came in today to have a few minutes on my own for catching up on email, the blog, and other personal stuff. Plus, it looks good to be at work on a holiday!

I hope that everybody had a wonderful Christmas (and/or other seasonal holiday) and that you enjoy the New Years festivities. Me, I've got a bad case of mastitis, again, so I'll probably be heading to bed early tonight. I'm looking forward to another new year full of new and wonderful experiences. Motherhood is fabulous. I hope that 30 will be too! Happy New Year and best wishes for a wonderful 2005.