Babymoon in California

"Leaving San Francisco is like saying goodbye to an old sweetheart. You want to linger as long as possible. " - Walter Cronkite

During late June, John and I made a last-minute decision to take one final get-a-way before baby comes along in a couple of months. John had to be in the bay area of California for work, and on a whim we decided it would be fun for me to come too. Leaving Ella was hard, though. Excruciating.

My parents had come in to stay with her the week of our trip, and the plan was to leave for the airport early in the morning before everyone was awake. We had already told Ella goodbye the night prior. However, before we left I heard her bedroom door open and footfalls on the carpet. Ella was in her jammies with her puppy in her arms. The sight alone broke my heart, and that was before she started crying and asking me not to go. She finally told me to open her blinds in her room so that she could watch and wave as we drove away. Can we have a more pitiful departure? John and I gave her one last hug and told her how much we loved her. We got in the car and started pulling out of the driveway. I saw Ella wave from her bedroom window, and then she put her head in her hands and broke down crying. And then I started crying and wondering if the whole trip was a horrible idea. A couple of minutes later I looked at John and told him that I just couldn't leave her like that. By that point we were in danger of being late for our flight. Thankfully, my mom called and said that Ella was okay and doing better. She had initially found Ella in our bed under the covers with her puppy, crying. So instead of being excited on the way to the airport, I felt guilty and depressed.

Twenty minutes later I called back to talk to Ella, and she seemed to be happy and content. What a relief. I could finally (tentatively) look forward to our trip.

Even though our hotel was located in Fremont, we were able to go into San Fransisco a few times when John got off work.

Fisherman's Wharf:

On Pier 39 with Alcatraz in the background:

I really hate this next picture of me, but I wanted to post it to document my 19th week of pregnancy:

Another pic of Fisherman's Wharf near Pier 46:

Golden Gate Bridge at sunset:

On our last night we just enjoyed driving the sloped streets, dodging the cable cars, and pretending that we lived in one of these charming Victorian row houses: We had an incredible week together in one of the most romantic cities I have ever visited. Of course John and I got carried away and looked at the real estate for some of the houses. We were no longer in la-la land when we saw the prices for these cute homes.

As much as we loved the west coast, we were so ready to see our baby girl and be back in Colorado. The hug we got upon our return was the best part of the whole week.