View from Living Room
Not bad digs at all. They had so many toys for Abby to play with because they have five grandchildren, so Abby was in heaven from the moment she arrived. She just loves exploring new things, and she had a great time sauntering up and down their hallways as well. We went down to the Ferry Building in the Embarcadero area for dinner the first night we arrived. We walked around some of the shops and saw Howard Dean in a bookstore. Abby wasn't too interested (although I am sure she will be a Democrat. Of course, it will be her choice. I am just sayin').
We spent the next day mostly in Oakland and Orinda visiting with the rest of the family. Abby, my Uncle Bob and I spent a few hours at the Oakland Zoo. I am not a big fan of zoos, but when you have an almost 2 year old, you do whatcha got to do. I would not recommend this zoo unless your mission in life is to see the zoos of the world, and you just want to check it off your list. Abby did really enjoys the giraffes and the petting zoo though.
Abby and Papa Bob
Sleeping Alligator
It was just nice to get a little one-on-one time with my uncle (sorta. you never really get one-on-one time with a 2 yr old around) and just walk around in beautiful 70 degree weather since we are used to 100+ degree temperatures in Texas at this time of year. We spent the rest of the day and dinner with our cousins and Abby's uncles at my cousins' beautiful home in Orinda. They have three young boys ages 4-9 who had every conceivable type of sports equipment and car under the sun stored outside in a sports shed. They had an amazing sport court installed in an breathtakingly beautiful backyard.
View of Back of House
Sport Court Hidden in Back
Abby immediately ran outside to the sports shed without asking for directions and proceeded to get into every toy riding car and golf cart in the shed. She had a blast playing playing some combination of tether ball and tennis while all the old folks were inside chatting and preparing food.
The Next Olympic Sport? Tether Tennis Anyone?
Abby's First Pit Stop in the Sport Shed
Abby wasn't into socializing or chit chatting when all the fun stuff was outside. Our cousins, Brett, Kyle, and Drew showed us their amazing little house designed to resemble a tree house (without the tree) placed at the top of their terraced back yard. It was the perfect little hideaway for little boys to play with their bugs and other crawly things. 
It was really nice to see my brothers who I hadn't seen in about a year and a half and who had never met Abby.
Abby and Her Youngest Uncle Jess
Abby and Her Second Youngest Uncle Josh
One of my brothers recently started his own flower business. He grows a special type of flowering plant that has, among other things, therapeutic powers. He has a great business model having worked in this industry for a number of years. It is not legal to grow this type of flower in all states, but it is legal where my brother lives. He has a lot of good business connections and really knows what he is doing. He has traveled the world since he was in high school and is interested in settling down in Northern California, and this business affords him that opportunity. My youngest brother was just back from a stint in Latin America and was taking classes at a local university to teach English As A Second Language to students and businessmen in the Far East, so we were really lucky that he was in California while we were visiting. We spent some time at my brother's workplace (and temporary home) the following day. The space was perfect for his flowers, and I was thoroughly impressed by all the work that my brother has put into his new business. He has a three story space, and they were using the street level portion of it as temporary living quarters. This part of the space reminded me of a fraternity house that hadn't been cleaned in, well, forever. I could not even put Abby down on the floor. Abby and I are both neat freaks, so this really was a shock to my senses. No big deal because it was just a short term living situation for both of my brothers. The happy ending massage parlor next door and the porn shop across the street really was the icing on the cake :)
The eleven of us had a picnic in the park on Sunday, and that was really a great time for me personally because I got to catch up quite a bit with my cousins and my brothers while still being able to watch Abby and make sure she didn't fall of the playground equipment.
Aunt Ellen and Uncle Bob
Monique and Brett
Kyle
Drew
David
It was a very relaxing time for everyone. Weather was perfect, and conversation was great. This was one of those moments where I really wished I lived closer to these family members. I decided that I would come back and visit at least once a year with Abby especially now that two of my brothers are kind of establishing roots there as well.We just had a wonderful trip, and Abby really blossomed around so many new people. She was engaging, charming and very talkative with everyone especially her great aunt and uncle (Lala and Papa Bob) who were wonderful hosts for our visit. We spent our last night eating out at a place in the City that Abby really enjoyed. She took her first cable car ride, and I am hoping she doesn't remember a thing. It was so crowded, and the conductor told us I had to sit down with Abby or at least sit Abby down by herself. Unfortunately, there was no room to even move, and Abby freaked out bit. Even with her crying, the young man nearest us (maybe about 30) refused to give up his seat for two blocks. My aunt read him the riot act. Then, possibly the largest woman on the cable car close to 300 lbs who was in her 60s offered to get up, but there was just no where for her to go. It was 5 minutes of anguish for Abby and I. Next time, we will take a cab.
We headed back home on Monday. Our flight was delayed, and I was feeling a little deja vu again that we might encounter another travel nightmare because her nap was scheduled perfectly with the original departure time. We strolled around the airport, and just as Abby was going to finally fall asleep, out of the blue, we run into one of her classmates, Lola, with her dad. They were on the same flight we were, and of course, as soon as Abby saw someone from home she recognized, she bolted out of her stroller, and she and Lola started running and skipping through the airport. It was great that they were having fun killing time, but we paid for it. Well, actually all the passengers on our flight paid for it. We were seated in the middle of the plane, and Abby was so overtired at this point that she literally cried almost non-stop for 1 hour of the 3+ hour flight. No exaggerations. This was simply the worst. I tried everything I could to get her to stop crying, but she wasn't having any of it. About 40 minutes into the crying, a man sitting a few rows behind me tapped me on the shoulder and said "excuse me, is your baby sick?". Not words you want to hear at a time like that. When I said no, he said "CAN YOU PLEASE DO SOMETHING?" I kept my cool and explained that if there was something I could do, I would be doing it. I suggested he use the complimentary headphones that were handed out for the movie. He didn't like my suggestion. This is something many of us have thought before when a baby cries, but I was kind of surprised that he confronted me about it. After he left, and once Abby stopped crying, the man in front of me leaned back and told me Abby 's crying didn't bother him one bit, he has 3 kids of his own, etc. Then, after we landed a short time later, Abby was asleep, and I waited until everyone deplaned before we got off. At least 6 or 7 people stopped by my seat and said "we have all been there", "you're my hero", or words to that effect. I actually felt more like a parent in that moment than ever before for some reason. Unlike my last trip, I didn't melt down or lose my patience. I just endured it and loved on Abby more and more the harder she cried. Abby is a very strong willed little girl. This is bound to serve her well later in her life. Just not on long flight from the West Coast.
5 states now visited by Abby. Next up, Florida.
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