Weeks 28 & 29- California Dreamin'

Word of caution, this post has a TON of pictures.

This last week was a whirlwind of excitement as we headed back to California for the first time! What a joy and blessing to be able to be back home with family and friends and introduce Karis to so many people who love her!

When deciding not to return to Cali for Christmas, we wanted to take advantage of cheap airfare and head home in February, when Greg would have accrued enough time off to take a week off. However, SW ran a great deal on airfare in January, so an eager Grandpa and Grandma decided to gift us with a trip home! Unfortunately, this meant that Greg couldn't join us and I'd be flying solo with baby, but it was well worth the anxiety! 

Flying High-

I was completely nervous about the whole trip, especially the flight home as well as dealing with the three hour time change (a 6:30 am wake up time is bad enough, but 3:30 am is just killer!). Thankfully I got some helpful tips from some globe trotting moms that helped prepare me for the craziness of flying with a baby. Here was our intense process:

I tried to pack light, but of course there are always the "what if's" so of course I ended up with two checked suitcases full of things like her baby monitor, high chair, medicines, clothes and lots of bibs. I made sure, however, that my carry on was as light as possible since the last thing I wanted was to juggle Karis and a bulky carry-on so I packed just the essentials in the diaper bag. Greg parked and I got to check-in (Karis flies free until age 2!) and then we said our fond farewells at the security point. I was on my own and we faced the dreaded security craziness with the stroller, stroller bag, carseat, Karis in my ergo and my diaper bag. They tested my hands, the stroller and her sippy cup and we finally made it through. Whew! The rest of the process went smoothly and thankfully there was room on the plane for her carseat (I gate checked her stroller) which was a huge blessing! Karis ended up napping for 2 hours on the trip to Cali and again on the way back and didn't have any huge meltdowns or earache due to air pressure! We even got a whole row to ourselves on a couple of the legs so I got to nap with Karis. Praise God!
Waiting to board

Window seats are the best! (we tended to sit in the back, row 17 or so because it tended to be less crowded and we would have to wait for our stroller at the gate anyways)

Naptime! (Covering her carseat really helped to keep things dark so she wasn't tempted to stir, look around and be up. When we was sleepy I sang her naptime song then put the cover on her and within a few minutes she was lulled to sleep!)

YAY! We made it alive and happy!

Arrival
Meeting Auntie Lauren for the first time. Love at first sight!

After landing we took a detour to get some delicious boba that I have been craving since we moved to KY. Too bad by that time Karis was sick of the carseat and was wailing like I've never heard her cry before. Thankfully, out of the car seat she was fine to play with Grandpa while we enjoyed our boba.

Before heading home, we took one final stop; a surprise visit to Grandma at work (my old alma mater, Carlsbad High).
Lancer Pride!

We snuck in to her office window and I poked Karis' head above the filing cabinets. We took my mom so off guard that she though Karis was just a tall high schooler with a really small head! After a few seconds she realized it was her grandbaby and came running!

Morning Fun
Karis did surprisingly well adjusting to the time change. I put her down a little later each night (I think the first night was 5:30 pm which would be 8:30 EST, an hour and a half past her normal bedtime). I ended up feeding her around 3ish, but thankfully she would go back down right away and sleep in later and later each day. One of the sweet parts of the early mornings was spending time with family.

Stranger Danger
Karis at first took awhile to warm up to my family because she has started in her stranger danger phase where new faces are a little scary. She took to Lauren really well, I think because we are so alike. And she seemed to be ok with men like my Dad and Chase which is another testament to my argument that she is a daddy's girl. For awhile she kept making this concerned face at my mom, unsure of what to think of the excited lady with her crazy antics....she must have learned it from me!

Thankfully by the end of the second day she was ok with anybody as long as I was nearby and by the end of the trip I was able to leave her completely.

Grandparents x2
We also were able to see Greg's parents and brother who came down for dinner and breakfast the next day just to see their granddaughter and niece!

She met Uncle Jonathan for the first time!

The Ginns (just missing Daddy and Charissa!)

Grandparents unite!

Grammie and Bachan

Grandpas

They just adored her and we are so thankful that Karis has such a wonderful set of loving grandparents!

Beach Babe

One of my bucket list items while we were in Cali was to visit the beach, of course! It was a beautiful sunny day and we were able to get some sushi, walk around beautiful downtown Carlsbad, walk along the seawall and do a mini-photo shoot!

Bath Time!
One of my parent's favorite activities was to give Karis a bath in their sink. She was enjoying playing with the bubbles and her bath toy!

Party On!
My parents graciously hosted a huge family party for Karis the Saturday we were there. So many of our relatives and close family friends all came to meet Karis for the first time. It was such a huge blessing to see loved ones that I haven't seen since being out in Kentucky and to see their love for Karis!

I thought that Karis would freak out with all the attention and busyness, but she was amazing! She happily got passed from person to person and endured much cuddling and picture taking.

Karis and Grandma

Generational picture, so precious and priceless!

Grandpa!

Karis meets baby Kiko for the first time

Of course I couldn't resist making some simple cupcakes :)

Our 6 days came to an end quickly, but it was nice to know we would be back in a month! One of the best parts about our visit was just seeing how happy my parents were to just be around their baby. What a blessing, we are so thankful to God for the opportunity to go home!

Until next time!