What a week.  After 7 months of giving Irene just some of my attention, I decided it was time to make her the focus and take her away for a night.  This of course meant leaving Sam for the first time and having to pump again- if just for one day.  It all seemed worth it just to see the smile on Irene's face when I told her we were going to have a mommy/daughter adventure in San Francisco.

Our day started with the 1:45 ferry from Oakland to SF.  Irene loved being on a boat.  She kept telling me how it felt like we were going slow but to look at how fast we were moving.  It was really sweet.  We arrived in SF just as the farmer's market was ending.  A quick note to anyone thinking of doing something like this... avoid the ferry building at all costs on a Saturday at 2 pm.  Oh my god was it crowded!  We pushed our way through the throngs, picked up some bread at Acme, sampled and bought  cheese at cowgirl creamery, and selected two tasty cupcakes at Miele.  From there we headed to the Hotel Vitale for our night of fun.

The first room they gave us might have been the worst in the hotel- 2nd floor, right next to a huge bus stop and above a hotel generator.  A quick call to the front desk and we were on our way to a new room- with a much better view.  The rules of our adventure were simple: put on bathrobes, give each other a facial, eat all out meals in bed, and hang out.  It was perfect!  Irene loved dinner in bed almost as much as she loved the facial.  I think the highlight for me was at 6 am when Irene rolled over, snuggled up to me and told me this was the best night of her life!  A quick breakfast in bed and our adventure ended with a BART train back to reality.

A few pics of the adventure:

Saying goodby to Sam before leaving for SF

Mom and Irene on the ferry

Irene on the ferry

Not that we were enjoying ourselves

Irene does love to pose for the camera

Breakfast in bed (this is my oatmeal Irene is eating)

On BART on the way home after a great night

On the Sam front, he had a pretty good week.  He had his 7 month (3 month) well baby check up at the doctor's office.  Aside from his continuing pooping issues, he is the picture of health.  What can we say, we have the anti-preemie preemie.  He is just thriving, growing perfectly, and developing like a champ.  In fact, this week, Sam mastered the art of rolling over from his tummy to his back.  He is tipping the scales at 14 lbs 5 ozs.  For those wondering, on the preemie boy growth chart, that puts him in the 95%.  On the term baby growth chart, he is in the 1% for his actual age and the 75% for his corrected age. Such a little stud!

Happiest baby ever

And how we got that smile:

The rest of the week was fun and family focused.  Here are the rest of the images from the week.

Peter and his kids

Yayo and Sam

That smile can light up a room

Irene entertaining us with her music

Irene and Sam playing together

Sibling love

Sam and mommy

Irene getting her hearing test at her yearly check-up. She passed.

(Coming up next, a review of a week without Irene as my parents - the greatest people in the world - take her to Tahoe for a week)