Hi everyone, this is Abigail, you know, Little Miss Sunshine? I am almost 11 months old. I had the most wonderful adventure this past weekend when Mommy and Daddy went on a trip to wine country in a place called Napa Valley in California. I think this is another state and I heard that it is on an ocean, but not the one I saw or Daddy flew over on his trip to Europe. I wonder how many oceans there are. This ocean is called the “Pacific” and since it sounds a lot like “pacifier” I wonder if it is very soothing. Anyway, Daddy and Mommy and Trekker wrote me stories from their trip, I just love to hear them. Grandma and Grandpa came to stay with me and Fancy and Bella for the weekend. Boy did we have fun! The day Daddy and Mommy left, we immediately went out and about. I like to get out as you know (otherwise, my blog would not be called “the amazing adventures…”). We were all over the place, going to stores, touring fancy neighborhoods and going for ice cream. I even got to taste ice cream and I sure did like it. Grandpa and Grandma bought a swing for me too! It took two trips to find Toys-R-Us, a store I can imagine I will love to visit many times in my childhood, we found the right one. They put it up on the patio when Mommy and Daddy got home and I got to swing right there. Now I don’t even need to go to the park to swing! Back to the story. Grandma and Grandpa were impressed with my “good nature,” great sleeping and “bottle chugging” (I am a very good eater!). I did miss Mommy and Daddy but there was little time to think about it because I was having such a good time. We laughed and played and read lots of books, including my favorite, “Brown Bear Brown Bear.” I climbed over Grandpa’s legs, pretending he was a mountain. I would go really fast when Grandma called my name because I just love her so much and wanted her to hold me. They helped me practice saying “mommy” which I am getting much better as saying.

Mommy and Daddy called on the phone while they were away. I don’t know why they do this because I find it to be very confusing. I hear familiar voices but I can’t see anyone. Don’t they understand what a complicated concept this is? They talk at me and try to get me to say something back but I am not sure who I am talking to because it just looks like a toy that I would rather eat than talk to. So I smell it and stare, waiting for it to make noise again. Sometimes I press the buttons and they make different noises. Then I try to eat it again because it does look like a toy and that is what I do with my toys. I hope they learn! It’s almost as confusing as seeing and hearing Grandpa and Grandma on the computer but not being able to touch them. I was so glad that they were here with me so they could hold me and talk to me and laugh and play. I am glad that Daddy and Mommy spent time away, I am so lucky to have such a great Grandma and Grandpa!

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Dear Abigail,

Mommy and Daddy left you today in the caring hands of Grandma and Grandpa to take care of you. While we know they will take care of you, it is very hard for us to leave you this very first time. We are sure it is harder on us than it is on you. Our adventure started almost immediately as we heard there was an accident in Dayton that was slowing traffic and was going to keep us from getting to the airport. Immediately, Mommy went into action and got out the maps and developed an action plan to get around the accident. We made it to the airport with time to spare! We flew on a jet plane from Dayton to Dallas-Fort-Worth (this is in the state of Texas, you have not been there yet but you will someday on our quest to visit every state). It was really nice flying with Mommy, Daddy loves her so much. When we arrived in Dallas, Mommy pumped. I am so proud that your Mommy does this for you, the two of you are a great team. It was hot in Dallas, almost 90 degrees. Fortunately, we were not there very long before we piled into the next cattle car, I mean airplane and headed to San Francisco. Mommy watched a movie called “27 dresses” and Daddy slept for 2 hours. I dreamed about you, Mommy and me traveling together. Pretty soon we are going to be taking you on an airplane for the first time. We are so excited! Mommy and I talked about how hard it is to be without you. Fortunately, you are in the good hands of Grandma and Grandpa. We love you so much.

We arrived in San Francisco, California no problem (this is another state that you will visit!). The only problem was that is was 40 degrees colder than Dallas. Fortunately, your parents had jackets to keep us warm (unlike many other travelers who did not plan ahead and were very chilly waiting for the hotel shuttle). We stayed at a hotel by the airport and your Mommy pumped again before we went to sleep. We thought about you at home sleeping soundly.

Friday, May 23, 2008
We got up in the morning and got ready for our day. Of course Mommy pumped for you because she is such a good mommy and loves you very much. We drove over the Golden Gate bridge on our way to Healdsburg, California. The Golden Gate is an amazing bridge across the bay that is an engineering marvel. I look forward to walking across it with you some day, I know we will! We went to Healdsburg, a beautiful little town, and had lunch on the square. After lunch, Mommy pumped (in the back of the car!) and we visited our first winery in town. We visited Rosenblum’s tasting room on the square. We talked to a nice man named Steve who told us about the wines. Once we left Rosenblum’s, we looked at some cute shops and then went to Seghesio. This winery was very cool. Of course we took pictures to show you. After Seghesio, we went to Ridge. Of course your mommy found a back way that was incredibly scenic and beautiful to drive. We really enjoyed Ridge. I know this winery talk may be boring to you so I will not talk about the last two places we stopped and tasted. On the way to the bed and breakfast we called to talk to you. You were having such a good time with Grandma and Grandpa. I don’t think you missed us, but Grandma tried to make us feel like you did.
The bed and breakfast we stayed at was called Brannan Cottage in Calistoga, California. It is a quaint little B&B, just off the main street in the town. We checked in and your Mommy pumped again (the “machine” has to keep working!). We had another tasting at the B&B with Markham. It was very nice and we met a couple from Atlanta, Georgia, and one from Washington DC (two more places that we will visit together). They were both nice and your mom and I were the “mature older couple.” It was fun talking to them while we tasted some good wine! I was impressed and somewhat surprised that your mom did not find out their names and ask them to dinner. We went off to dinner (by ourselves) at a Mexican restaurant called Puerto Vallarta. It was really good. We then took a walk through the town. Daddy bought a shirt and Mommy bought a decaf espresso to warm herself up (it was still quite chilly). Now we are off to bed to rest up for our big day tomorrow. We love you sweetheart.

Saturday, May 24, 2008
Good morning Abigail! We hope you slept well again last night. There is a 3 hour time difference between California and Ohio, so Mommy and I go to bed long after you and get up after you have already had breakfast and are thinking about your morning nap. With the time change it takes our bodies a little while to adjust. We slept pretty well, but Mommy got up early and could not get back to sleep. I think it was because the guy snoring in the next room. He was really loud, so Mommy read her “Jack Reacher” novel and Daddy continued to rest. We are thinking about going for a jog before breakfast. We are looking forward to breakfast because there are going to be blueberry pancakes and Canadian bacon. Don’t ask me why they call it Canadian bacon, maybe it comes from a pig that lived in Canada. Canada is the country north of the United States (where we live). We will go there someday. I wonder if they call our bacon “American” bacon. Today is going to be a big day as we are going to go “tasting” with our friends. I hope the weather is nice there today so you can go to the park. You can show Grandma and Grandpa how much you love to swing and slide. Have a great day Abigail. Your Mommy and Daddy love you very much.

Hi Honey! Mommy and Daddy are waiting for our friends to arrive. We got up this morning, went for a run, had breakfast and are now ready for another day. We talked to you and Grandma and it sounds like you are doing very well. It is not very nice weather here today, it is very rainy and chilly. It sounds like you have good weather. I bet you will go for a fun walk today. We will call later. Bye!

Dear Abigail,
Mommy and I met our friends today and spent the whole day visiting wineries in the Napa Valley (the area in California where we stayed and toured). There were 11 of us, including Terra, Mike, Julie, Kelly, Anisha, Eric, Ron, Bea and Lara. We were being toured by Gordon (Gordy) Larum. Other than the weather which was cold and rainy, it was a fun day. We hit several small wineries with a great tour of the Schramsberg sparkling wine caves and a trip up Diamond Creek Mountain to taste Andrew Geoffrey Cabernet Sauvigon. Mommy and I splurged on some wines today! It was great to see our friends, but I have to say it is hard being away from you. We just love you so much. After a fun day of tasting, your Mommy and I came back to our B&B where we relaxed for awhile before going to dinner at another place in Calistoga called Checkers. Dinner was good but the service was marginal. The waitress asked us if we were interested in dessert before we had received our meals. I thought you might think this was a trick Mommy was playing because she loves dessert, but no it was just poor service. Now we are getting ready for bed. You are sleeping soundly right now. We will be home to see you in less than two days. We love you very much, we can’t wait to see you.

Hi Abigail, it’s Trekker. I am with Mommy and Daddy on their trip to “wine country.” On the day we left (Thursday), Mommy and Daddy planned ahead (because that’s what they do) and took the scenic path through D-town (otherwise known as Dayton) where Mommy and Daddy met and lived. They wound through the streets to avoid the traffic delay and talked about the life they used to have there. It sounds like it was a ton of fun, with a little house in a more “urban” neighborhood. I am not sure what “urban” means but Daddy always talks about the small yard that was easy to maintain, so it must have something to do with that. Anyway, Mommy loves to navigate (find her way) using maps, so it was a fun adventure weaving through the little town. And, they went by the Dayton Dragon’s field and talked about you. The talked about how much fun it was taking you to the game and they wondered if you were having a good time with Grandma and Grandpa.

Mommy and Daddy are very funny because they were very excited and proud of themselves for parking in the economy lot at the airport which is just across a barrier from the much more expensive credit card lot! They laughed at the people who pay so much more for the same spot. You will learn this in your life that Daddy and Mommy get excited by the silliest things. They got checked in no problem and made it through security in minutes. Again they were talking about how great their old town (Dayton) was because the airport was so easy to get through.
As you know, Mommy especially, but Daddy too loves to eat. As soon as they sat at the gate, they ate their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (with cheez-its on them of course). They were again proud of themselves for packing food and snacks and not paying for expensive food at the airport. They made some excuse to eat about how it would be hard to eat on the plane, but they just like to eat.

They were able to sit just the two of them on the plane which was nice. As Daddy already told you, the next plane was full and cramped and Mommy had to sit in the middle with a flap broken on the seat in front of her. You will also learn that some of the smallest things drive Mommy crazy, especially stuff touching her or irritating noises. Please keep this in mind! Anyway, I forgot that they made their first calls to you before they boarded the plane. You were having a great time, had been out for a walk and Grandpa was getting out the ice cream for dessert. Mommy had her first “mommy time” (a.k.a. pumping session) just as Daddy said, in the “family bathroom” in the airport. Mommy does not really like pumping, especially while traveling, but she knows it’s the best for you. It went pretty well until she had to stop in the middle for a disabled woman who thought it was the only handicapped bathroom in the terminal (it was not). After that blip, Mommy finished and joined Daddy as he was trying to explain to Grandpa how to use the TV’s. As I am sure you know because you were there, the TV can be very challenging, especially if you accidentally hit the wrong button. Mommy had to call in reinforcements (Papaw) to help Grandpa because somehow the big TV and the kitchen TV were not working and Grandpa and Grandma were watching TV from the floor in the exercise room. This would not work all weekend! Once they got into the cattle car, Mommy settled in to watch the movie while Daddy slept (as he already told you). Mommy hopes that you like movies as much as she does. Maybe you will even go into “the biz” and work at a movie theatre some day. Then you and Mommy can go to movies for free. Maybe Nana or “Aunt JJ” will come to the movies like they did when you were very little and you and Mommy went to movies every Tuesday morning. Daddy slept during the flight and Mommy raided the snacks. No, she was not hungry but this is just something she does. She hopes that you do not have the same problem with raiding snacks, it’s a very difficult habit to break.

On Friday, Mommy and Daddy had such a good time together! Sometimes mommies and daddies don’t have lots to talk about after they have kids, but we enjoyed the day (they include me in the fun, you know). Mommy just loves to see Daddy so happy because he is enjoying something he loves (wine). Mommy likes wine too, but Daddy reads about it and makes lists and remembers so much that Mommy can’t imagine it. Daddy is so smart! We also talked about you a lot and wondered how you were doing.

On Saturday night after our day of tasting with our friends and our “ok” dinner in town, Daddy and Mommy were to sleep early (after Mommy pumped, of course). They were awakened at 12:39 am (3:39 am in Ohio) by a very loud person in the next room. We think he might have had too much to drink and his volume control was broken. He was also very upset with his wife/girlfriend (Kirsten) who could not seem to calm him down. We all know many things about their relationship and are sad for them. Daddy and Mommy could not imagine saying some of the things he said to her in the way he said them. Daddy called the owner (Doug) about the noise because we were afraid that this person was going to hurt Kirsten. Doug had to get out of bed and come over 4 blocks and ask them to quiet down. We hope that we can guide you enough so that you are in relationships where you are treated with love and respect. Mommy appreciates Daddy even more after situations like that, because he is an excellent husband and a great role model for how a man should treat a woman.

Sunday morning, after the yelling man woke Mommy up snoring, Mommy decided not to worry about how loud the pump was or what time she needed to pump. It did not matter, though, she would get no revenge and would never see the yelling people in the night. Mommy and Daddy had already eaten, dressed, packed up and been to two wineries before the couple got out of bed. The owners were actually a little worried that he had done something to Kirsten!
Mommy was pretty tired on Sunday. She and Daddy visited three wineries, had lunch at a good BBQ place, walked the cute town of Calistoga again and drove into the city (San Francisco). We will let Daddy tell you about the first winery that day; Arroyo, but just know that it was really, really cool! It was a sunny day, much better than Saturday, but still a little chilly. They met Daddy’s friends (Chris and Kelly) for dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant and ventured to the tourist part of town called Fisherman’s Warf for drinks with the rest of the group. It was fun to hear about their adventures on the van right back to the city after wine tasting on Saturday night. We went to a bar that had 68 beers on tap! You will learn more about beer in a few decades (no sooner!) and this will mean more to you. Daddy and Mommy saw many little kids and wished you were there with us and talked about how they can’t wait to show you all of the great places in this country and world. Oh the places we will go! After drinks, Daddy and Mommy were off to return the car and catch the 12:40 am (red eye) flight. They call these “red eye” flights because you fly through the night and lose hours on the trip (because you are traveling from a place like California to a place like Ohio, where we live). Mommy sure does know that, her eyes were really red the next day. Besides being tired, the flights home were great. We arrived home by 1:30 (as you know) and were so excited to see you! We think you had such a good time with Grandma and Grandpa that you were not sure what to do when we got home. And you love them so much that you cried when they left. Although we don’t like to see you cry, we were really glad that you had such a good time.