Our Micro Babymoon

Pete and I used the opportunity of a conference he had in Long Beach last week for a little pre-baby getaway. It was really wonderful--to spend time with him, to be away from work, to eat amazing food (and be able to comp his portion of every meal), to drive a rental car, to see new sights, etc. I only had three complaints from the trip:

1. It was too short.
2. Spending extended periods of time in a car is occasionally uncomfortable when you have a strong little baby who decides to explore new corners of your uterus by forcing his whole 2-pound weight into them at once
3. The crappy hotel we stayed in the first night--to justify the very nice hotel we spent the next two nights in--happened to be across the street from a nightclub that kept us up until midnight, when we were able to talk the front desk clerk into switching us into a room as far as possible from the noise.

Other than that, it was pure bliss.

Pete had to actually attend his conference on the first day, so I took our rental car and drove up to the Getty Museum in Bel Aire. It was a spectacular day, and the museum's architecture and gardens--and the views of LA from the museum--were incredible. I also enjoyed the art, of course, though I didn't have the stamina to spend too long being an art spectator. But 

We drove down to San Diego for the next two nights. My parents gave us a whale watching tour as part of our Christmas gift this year, so we enjoyed more fabulous weather from the top deck of a little boat. And unlike the last time I went whale watching (in 6th grade, on the East Coast), we definitely didn't have any trouble finding and watching whales. You may not be able to tell in the picture, but I had a lovely dark spot appear on my forehead after being in the sun the day before (and I did wear sunscreen). I kept trying to rub it off before I realized it was there to stay. Thankfully, it has faded now. It does make me glad I'm not spending the much of my pregnancy in the summer. I can't imagine what else would appear on my skin.

This is my delicious creme fraiche and pea custard at Cafe Chloe in downtown San Diego. Sorry, I can't resist the food pics sometimes.

And more food...this is at the Oceanaire Seafood Restaurant, where we had some of the best seafood I've ever enjoyed--and that's saying a lot, considering the fact that I spent ten years of my life in a tropical country. I was a bit sad I couldn't partake in the oysters from the oyster bar, but Pete very much enjoyed his (and didn't rub it in my face too much).