SD Day #1

We arrived in SD with no real problems. James was wonderful on the plane. No issues! I was so glad because I imagined problems with his ears, crying, boredom. He only really had a few miserable minutes at the beginning with the special seatbelt that we bought for him. He hated it. Jim ended up holding James on his lap for the takeoff, and as soon as we had the all clear, James sat in his own seat with the regular seatbelt. He watched his Elmo DVDs until the battery ran out on the laptop, and then we had fun with stickers (see pictures :) and lots of food. I feel badly that we made such a mess of stickers and crackers on the floor, but hey, we kept James a happy, entertained baby for the good of the whole plane!

Grandpa Frank and Grandma Julie greeted us at the airport and James was in good spirits. We went to get our rental car and headed to our hotel. It is great! Our hotel room is a suite and we have a separate bedroom area from the living/dining/kitchen area. The bedroom alone is bigger than a normal hotel room! We unloaded our stuff and went in search of FOOD! We found a Chinese restaurant down the street. James still was in a good mood despite the time. It was 10:30 Minnesota time by the time we got back to our hotel room! We could not believe how well he did ALL DAY with just an hour nap (because we woke him up early to get to the airport in Mpls.)

We set up the pack n play that the hotel provided and James slept well until about 4:30 SD time (6:30 MN) At 4:30 he was chatting away, laughing. We ignored him and he did fall back asleep until 6am. We got up for breakfast and to get ready for our day on Grandpa Frank's boat!

We met Grandpa Frank at Great Grandma Rachel and Great Grandpa Frank's house. It was so nice to see/meet them! It was a short visit because we headed out with Grandpa Frank to the Marina/Harbor. We had worried that the weather would be cold but it was just cool and windy. It became hot later and Dada Jim suffered the worst of this. We were prepared with James' sunscreen but we neglected to tend to Dada. Jim now has a RED RED sunburn on his face and tops of his knees. He is in a little pain but he will be brown soon enough :)

We had a great time on Grandpa Frank's boat. We rode out for about 1 1/2 hours and saw Downtown SD, where Grandpa works at NASSCO, and the Coronado bridge and island. James really enjoyed walking around the boat (safely with either Mama/Dada watching him like hawks!) and we enjoyed the relaxation of sitting back, enjoying the view, and spending time with Grandpa Frank.

James became cranky (franky) and I held him in my arms until he fell asleep. He fell asleep upright because it was awkward in any other position with the bulky life jacket. I took care to hold him still and so that he was comfortable- ignoring the ache in my back and arms :) He slept for about 35 minutes, until we ended our pontoon adventure.

Lunch followed-

(note from Jim: Jack in the Box sucks. They screwed up our order, we waited 15 minutes for FAST FOOD. Argh. )

and then a trip to the grocery store for supplies (cereal, crackers, applesauce, diapers, dish soap, etc.)

We met Grandpa Frank and Grandma Julie at the Great Grandparents house for dinner. Great Grandma Rachel is a great cook but James' short naps for the last two days and the time change soon caught up with him and he was crabby throughout dinner. We left early and came back to the hotel.

We were glad to have such a great day with Grandpa Frank, and then a nice dinner with Grandma Julie, Great Grandma Rachel, and Great Grandpa Frank. James was mostly on his best behavior and we are proud parents!

Tomorrow's plans: LegoLand!!!!! And maybe some relaxation time at the hotel/neighborhood (there are some great shops, restaurants around the hotel).