Back to California

We're finally here.  When Clayton was born we assumed he would have his Fontan completion surgery sometime between ages 2 and 4.  Now that he's nearly 6, it's finally time.  Clayton's pre-op date is Thursday, and his surgery is scheduled for Friday, so we have a few days to enjoy some one-on-one time with our little man before we get going with things.

We flew out Sunday afternoon.  For the first time in almost six years I boarded an airplane without a single diaper, wipe, or sippy cup.  It was glorious.  I also read and read and read while Clayton watched a movie and colored.  Again, glorious.  No one cried.  No one demanded to get off the plane in mid air.

We arrived in San Jose, picked up our rental car, and headed up to Palo Alto.  If you've ever been here, you'll know it's a very pricey place.  Our somewhat affordable hotel left much to be desired, but it was clean and in a good neighborhood.  We were on the waiting list for the Ronald McDonald House, so we headed over there this morning to peek in and let them know how much we would appreciate a room.  Lucky for us, one of our old house friends was working this morning, and somehow, magically, we could check into a room at 3pm. 

We celebrated by heading up to San Francisco to visit a few of the sites.  It was pretty cold and rainy today, but we braved the weather and strolled through Golden Gate Park, an old favorite place of mine.  Then we stopped at the beach for lunch before taking a little scenic drive along the city's coastline, around to the Golden Gate, and through the Presidio.  I loved being back in the city and showing Clayton some of the places I love.

We headed back to Palo Alto to check into our room and almost immediately turned around and headed back into the city.  We have way too much to see in a short few days.  We spent the evening at Pier 39, had dinner at Bubba Gumps, and then headed over to Ghirardelli Square for dessert.  Yummy!

There will be pictures tomorrow, hopefully, because I left my camera in the car, and I'm too settled to go down and get it tonight.  Thanks for all your prayers.  We're having a great time enjoying our little man for these few days.  He knows he has a surgery in a few days, and he's nervous about it, but he doesn't fully comprehend what it really means, so he hasn't let it damper his mood in any way.  For now, he's just enjoying life as an only child.