The Gilchrist's: Charlies first trip

We went on our first big trip with Charlie a couple weeks ago. We visited our favorite state, California, and went to San Fransisco and Napa Valley/Sonoma area. The main reason for our trip was for Brent to run a half marathon from Napa Valley to Sonoma. I was so proud of him- he ran the whole thing and finished with a great time! I'm jealous- he didn't even have to train that hard for the race and still was able to finish with a great time...I would have to be very dedicated to run 13.1 miles and even then I don't know if I could do it!! Brent ran the race with a few of his co-workers. It was fun to be able to spend part of the vacation with friends. Charlie, Daryl, and I were very good cheerleaders and cheered Brent and Becky to the finish line.

We had such a great time! It was a much needed vacation for us. Here's what we did on our trip:

We left on Saturday morning (July 17). We had a 2 flights with a very short layover in Denver. The flights went well and Charlie didn't cry at all. I think he was surprised that he was actually able to take his naps in my arms. He flirted with all of the people around us and blew his spit bubbles for most of the flights. :) We spent a lot of the day getting our rental car and driving out of the awful traffic in San Fransisco. It took us 2 hrs to get to the Golden Gate Bridge from the airport (about 8 miles!! aagh) We got to the hotel in Santa Rosa just in time for Brent to join the group for the pasta party the night before the race.

Sunday- Race Day! Brent had to get up at 4am to get to the start of the race/get registered, etc. Charlie didn't sleep well the first night so Brent was going on a few hours of sleep... The weather was gorgeous! Foggy in the am during the majority of the race and then it was clear blue skies as they finished. Charlie was in charge of using the cow bell and he made a huge ruckus! He loved how loud it was :) He was napping when Brent crossed the finish line...he wasn't too impressed with the race :) We spent the rest of the day with Daryl and Becky exploring the area and touring the beautiful countryside. We ate at a yummy Mexican restaurant that night in Sonoma.

Monday- We got up and went to the BEST omelette breakfast place! It was soo yummy! Brent, Charlie and I went out exploring for the day. We drove along the Russian River and down the Pacific Coast to Bodega Bay, a cute town on the ocean. We stopped at a few places along the highway and hiked down to some private beaches to have a picnic. It was beatiful! It was all rocky with some cliffs and just watched the waves crash against the rocks. We loved it! It was too chilly to put Charlie in the water for a swim, but we still had a great time. We ate dinner at a seafood restaurant in Bodega Bay and then headed back to our hotel in Santa Rosa for some pool and hot tub time before bed.

Tuesday- We left in the morning to check out San Fransisco for the day. We stopped at Muir Woods to look at the Redwood trees. That was a cool place. It was really foggy and cold which gave it a mysterious and magical feeling to the woods. If you are ever in the area, I highly suggest going there for an hour or so. They had paved paths that worked well to bring a stroller in and walk around the trails. We drove down Lombard Street, "The crookedest street in the world", went to Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, and Ghiradelli Square. I had an amazing hot chocolate at Ghiradelli Square...such yummy chocolate!!! There were a lot of street acts to watch, kind of fun. My favorite place was Boudin Bakery at Fisherman's Wharf. It is a yummy sourdough bakery that has the best clam chowder bread bowls! I even bought some to take home with us on the airplane :) By the end of the afternoon, Charlie was tired of napping in his stroller so we decided to check into the hotel and hang out. We all took a nap and then went swimming in the hotel pool. We ordered chinese food to the hotel room and lounged around. Brent and I decided that it was probably the best chinese food we have ever had! Too bad it's in San Fran and we can't get it again :(

Wednesday- Our flight left at 6:20am to go back home. I don't think I've ever been so close to missing a flight in my life! We were running through the terminal...oops! But all was fine, we made our flight and made it home safe and sound. We got home wednesday afternoon and were ready to relax after our fun vacation. Charlie and I got a cold from the last day of the trip. Luckily he didn't get as sick as I did.

It was a great trip overall! It went by very fast but was a good amount of time to be gone with a 5 month old baby. I don't think Charlie could have done any better during the trip. He napped in the stroller if we were out and about or else in the car seat during our drives. He was very flexible with having a chaotic schedule. I think that 5 months is a great age to take a trip since they aren't mobile yet. The day after we got back home Charlie started rolling like crazy from his back to his tummy. He doesn't want to sit still at all anymore. :)

Here are pictures from our trip:

Us on our first flight as a family!