Lesson #22 "Family Moments and Turkey Legs"

Traveling to San Francisco with a 9 month old is different than traveling with a 3 month old. 

The Wednesday morning before Thanksgiving, Ryan and I boarded the plane with a footie-pajamaed Liam and began the nearly 4 hour flight to San Fran.  Thankfully, we also had Mimi and Papa with us.  We couldn't wait to get to Aunt Amy and Uncle Michael's house to be with them, knowing that their house was the perfect place to be to celebrate a holiday based around food (more on their culinary genius later).  But first, we had to survive the plane ride.  We were well prepared, thanks to lots of advice from friends and a last minute Google search from Grandma Becky on "traveling with a 9 month old."  Everyone pretty much said/wrote the same thing... bring lots of things to distract!  Several toys, lots of plastic "links" (that made a lovely necklace for Mimi), and so much food to snack on that no one was going hungry, and we were off!

Liam's nap schedule was a little off and so he only slept for 2, 30 minute periods.  Yes, math whizzes, that left 3 hours of time to "play."  Play, by the way, includes walking up and down the aisles, making funny faces until it feels frozen in a "peek a boo" face, and lifting Liam over our heads to wave at Papa!  Needless to say we were all a little worse for wear when we arrived, but then we met Aunt Amy at a great little Mexican food place.  Uncle Michael had to babysit the turkey.  Liam was so excited to see Amy again... they really are two peas in a pod!

After lunch we headed to Amy and Michael's apartment so that we could check in with the chef and, of course, see Liam's canine cousin Cali.  When we walked into the house, the smell of Thanksgiving was already in the air.  Michael was working on the turkey legs "con fit"- a wonderful cooking process involving tremendous amounts of duck fat!  I don't know if it was the duck fat, the turkey legs, or the combination, but it smelled heavenly! 

As we put our luggage in the guest room, we were greeted by a cute, framed note and a little San Franciscan weekend wardrobe for Liam.  It was themed as what Uncle Michael likes to wear, complete with a waffled tee, dark jeans, and a flannel hoodie.  Adorable! 

And, of course, Cali was wonderful with our little guy- she was patient as he tugged on her ear, calm as he "high fived" her nose, and she was even gracious enough to show us her neighborhood on our walk that evening.  Sometimes I think my "niece" Cali is more human than most people.

That evening, while Mimi, Papa, Amy and Michael went out to dinner, Ryan and I cuddled up with some Thai food delivery and were very contented to hear not a peep out of Liam, especially because of the 2 hour time difference.  Not a peep.  Not a peep, that is, until 2:50 am. Then we heard a few peeps followed by a wail.  And another wail.  So Ryan did something that we have NEVER done- he brought Liam back to bed with us.  It made sense- God knows the chefs in the other room didn't need to get up THAT early to cook Thanksgiving!  It was pretty funny actually because Liam had no idea what he was doing in there.  After I explained that it was actually the middle of the night and he should stop playing and go to sleep, he gave in.  For an hour or two.  Then he convinced us it was simply time to get up for the day, so we did.  We played on the floor in the living room as quietly as possible, but it felt as if I brought the loudest toys ever created- of course everything seems pretty loud at 5 in the morning!

Besides the time change, one of the other things that Ryan and I were a little worried about was Liam sleeping and napping in the pack n' play.  He was a trooper- the kid is a killer sleeper (at least for now, knock on wood). Still, naptime is served best in cuddly arms at home, but we didn't want to be stuck in the back office while all the fun was happening in the rest of the house, so we put him down for naps.  This was an excellent lesson for me because he cried for 30 minutes the first time we put him down to nap in the pack n' play.  The next time, it was 25 minutes.  The third time, it was 20 minutes.  With time, it got easier on all of us and I also learned that good music turned up to a higher volume drowns out the crying very well :) 

Thanksgiving Day began with a walk down to one of our favorite breakfast spots, The Grove on Fillmore.  Liam was wearing his turkey shirt that Mimi and Jenny got for him at the Holiday Boutique.  He was very happy representin'.

After breakfast, we did what every smart person does on Thanksgiving- we enjoyed some champagne, turned on some football, changed into festive clothing and watched others cook :)  Michael broke open the bubbly and he and Amy created a feast! 

I was so happy to see Amy and Michael's good friends, Carla and Maurice, arrive just in time to see the beautiful Thanksgiving table set, complete with lit candles, fresh flowers, and a personal guard.

Okay, I have found the new Baby Whisperer.  His name is Maurice and Liam could not get enough of him.  I think it was his husky, accented voice, or maybe his great moustache, or maybe it was his general good nature.  But Liam loved this guy.

Soon, it was time to put Liam down (30 minutes crying, but nice loud music too), sit down at the table and enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving together.  Amy and Michael were the quintessential hosts and made everyone feel relaxed and welcome (and eventually stuffed and a little tipsy!).  The meal began with a butternut squash soup that I loved.  Toasted pumpkin seeds on top.  There was a wonderful cranberry deliciousness, two types of turkey, two types of potatoes, sausage dressing, mushroom stuffing "muffin" (my favorite), and of course, wine.  And more wine.  And some more wine.  We toasted, and laughed, and had the best time. 

Liam woke up just in time to join the tail end of the meal and then we played for awhile.  Everyone sat around, tummies full and exhausted.  Eventually, it was bath time for Liam, which was fun to give him in the kitchen while everyone laughed.  Aunt Amy took about a million bath photos, and it reminded me that she was our photographer for his very first bath at home when he was four days old. 

The next day was your typical day-after-Thanksgiving but without the obnoxious Black Friday sales.  Ryan and Liam took off late morning for a hike all the way down to the beach at Chrissie Field.  Michael took a well-deserved bubble bath and snooze while the rest of us headed down to meet them.  Time for the understatement of the century... Cali loves the beach!  And I mean, LOVES, the beach!  She goes frequently with Amy and Michael or Tessa, the dog walker (who is really more like part of the family).  So let's just say, Cali is a pro at the beach.  She runs, she plays fetch, she swims!

It was so fun to just stand back and watch Amy throw her the ball again and again.  They are both (and all three when Michael goes) so happy there with their fellow dog-lovin' peeps.  And to see Liam on a beach for the first time in his life was really special too. 

And I realize that it is these tiny moments that make up a good life.  Just being out in San Francisco with Amy and Michael, doing their "every day" stuff was the best part of the whole trip.  Well, that and the turkey legs.  Lesson well learned.