Dear Scarlett,
I’m having some major problems with my wordpress photo uploader. It’s taken me an hour to upload ONE photo! And this is just the pit stop we took on the way to Monterey!
So, when we woke up on Sunday – Chris’ first Father’s Day! – Scarlett treated us both by falling back asleep after she had a bottle at 6:30 am, and we got to sleep until after 8 AM! Yay! That doesn’t always happen. After a quick breakfast, we went down and enjoyed the hotel pool. It was really warm over the weekend – especially considering Monterey usually has a mild climate even in the summer – so, the pool was a perfect choice. Scarlett loved playing in the pool with both me and Chris.
After the pool, we attempted to get Scarlett to sleep in the hotel room while we packed up and got ready. In reality she stood up in the pack ‘n play and laughed at us. Oh well, that works too! As long as she’s not crying.
After we packed up and checked out, we went back to Fisherman’s Wharf for seafood lunch on the wharf, take two. It was delicious! We had a fisherman’s trio of peel & eat shrimp, smoked salmon, and seared ahi along with a shrimp, scallop, & mango ceviche, and a half dozen oysters on the half shell. So good, and perfect for Father’s Day!
Then we headed back to the aquarium! Insider’s Tip: If you’re staying at a hotel in Monterey, buy your aquarium tickets from the hotel! Their tickets are the same price as the ones at the aquarium, but they’re good for two consecutive days, which is great when traveling with a baby who may not allow you to spend a whole day, or even more than 2 hours, at the aquarium at any one time. Since Scarlett didn’t really take a morning nap, and stayed awake (eating Cheerio’s in her highchair) during lunch, she was all tuckered out, and slept in her stroller almost the whole time we were at the aquarium on Sunday. Although we initially fantasized about showing Scarlett all the cool stuff at the aquarium, after she was so fussy on the first day – and threw up on Chris’ head! – we were happy for the quiet time to enjoy the aquarium ourselves while pushing a sleeping baby in a stroller.
Scarlett woke up at the perfect time: just as we were heading into the area with the touch tanks. Scarlett didn’t really care for sticking her hand in the water (it was cold!), but she did like it when we handed her starfish. She would put them straight into her mouth. We said, “No, Scarlett, that’s not sushi.”
After we finished at the aquarium, we walked back to the hotel (stopping off for a drink at the Trailside Cafe again since we enjoyed it so much the first day!), and then got in the car to get back home. We stopped about halfway home to eat the famous clam chowder in Pismo Beach.
All in all, it was a great weekend! Although there were some challenging elements (especially for Chris), it was a great first trip with Scarlett and us in a hotel together, and a fun way to celebrate what a wonderful husband and father Chris is on his first Father’s Day.
You would think that after all that seafood over the weekend, we would be sick of it, but no! Last night we had a vegetarian dinner, and tonight – it was back to fish! This time, fish tacos with some rockfish Chris caught a few weeks ago and squirreled away in the refrigerator.
Maybe tomorrow I can post more pics from our weekend in Monterey. Maybe. If WordPress will let me.
Love, Mom (Shelley)
