Lancer and I decided to take off for one last pre-Mini hurrah for some rest, relaxation, and amazing food. That could only be one place--Napa Valley! We stayed at Dr. Wilkinson's, which is our go-to place for nice accommodations, spa treatments, and natural mineral pools. We took full advantage of all three.
After checking into the hotel, we made our way over to the
CIA at Greystone for dinner. As always, the food was amazing.
We started our dinner with fresh heirloom tomatoes topped off with a basil drizzle and fleur de sel. I have been craving this dish ever since.
Next up was our fresh white corn soup with an herb emulsion. To die for.
Our main dishes. Lancer went for the special--the rib-eye steak with veggies and smoked black eyed peas. I opted for the halibut atop heirloom squash and marbled chips with a fresh tomato verde.
Somebody at the table spoiled their appetite by eating 5 pieces of bread. Then that person tried to convince me to smuggle the leftover bread home in my purse. And, lastly, when the waiter came over to snatch up the leftover bread before I could stash it, somebody made them pack it up instead with instructions to "feel free to smear a bunch of butter on it" before it was packaged. Classy.
We were so stuffed, we shared a dessert--behold, our delish creme brulee with fresh berries.
After dinner, we enjoyed the warm sun, cool breeze, and the beautiful grounds of the CIA. That's my new go-to sweater. Expect to be seeing a lot of it down the line. I love it. And, yes, I know I've 'popped' since the last time I posted belly shots.
After dinner, we went back to the hotel to relax, read, and listen to our iPods. Lancer surprised me with a new one, since mine somehow disappeared last Christmas. It's the only thing that has gone missing that I have never found again. I feel like Lance and his stupid missing argyle sweaters--I'm tortured by my original iPod's whereabouts!
Rocking The Block for Mini
I have to put my feet up to alleviate my cankles. See--CANKLES! No discernable ankle. There's no 2 ways around it. Oh well.
The next day, we waddled around Calistoga. Lance is now in the waddling category with me because I am a slow mover these days. My bum leg is SO much better thanks to an amazing chiropractor, but I am still on the slow side of things.
Next up--Brannan's Grill in Calistoga. Delish. I got the bunless pulled pork sandwich, and Lancer got the french dip. His dish was served with the best french fries I have ever eaten--even in Holland!
After that, we went back to the hotel to relax and swim. I swear I ran 2 miles underwater as I did my dorky no-impact water jogging. I can get away with it--everyone loves a pregnant lady. Especially women and gay men. Straight men pay me no attention. I'm going to go peddle my wares in the Castro so I can receive lots of compliments and attention from hot, well-dressed men who tell me I'm gorgeous.
The next day, we hit up St. Helena and Napa proper. It was relaxing and delightful.
Lancer--maxin and relaxin
Had to stop in at Woodhouse chocolate for their salted carmels, salted turtles, and ganache white chocolate seashells. We like salt.
Stopped in a D & D for some gourmet treaties to bring back. We got an artichoke salsa and a chipotle mustard. We cooked up some dogs the other night on the grill--we added some pepper jack cheese and smeared on the mustard, and it was the best gourmet dog I have ever eaten.
Stopped in at the Old Faithful Geyser. May I suggest you never do the same? Boring. And not worth $20.
Underwhelming to say the least
They try to make it more exciting by adding in some fainting goats, but it didn't work. None of them fainted--they just smelled.
In summary--here is what I think of Old Faithful
Lunched at Bouchon--always a tasty French delight!
Once home, we put the finishing touches on Mini's room and accessories. Since we now have a name, I suppose we can stop calling her Mini, and call her by her name: Miss Blakely Jacobs. Middle name still under construction.
Boiling all of B's bottles, pacifiers, and toys. I am only doing this crap once.
And....the finished nursery! This is from the doorway. Please ignore the stonewashed denim covers on the glider--still waiting for my charcoal gray babies to arrive.
The finished crib--raindrop bumper, pink sheets, and umbrella skirt. I am in love. Miranda did an AMAZING job on the set. It makes me so happy when I see it.
I went with the dark green umbrella. I love it.
Close-up shot
The little corner with her bookcase, vintage framed prints, and vintage french poster
I bought these vintage storybook pages in Wisconsin. They're from a 1940's children's book on counting. Love them, especially they gray colors in them.
Mini's cute pink curtains and bright green changing table
The shelf and armoire---full of adorable clothes all washed and ready to go!
Here's Mini's pegboard all assembled and hung. I threw some cute jackets and hooded towels on so she will be ready to go on arrival.
Her room also has the new doors--they were installed on Thursday, and we love them! We still need to paint them white, and the door to her room needs some framing and drywall work, but the doors are in, they work, and I'm good enough with that!
Her bookcase and vegetable bin combo in the living room
Here are the new doors in the hall. We went with hollow, 3 panel sliders, and it was definitely the right choice. It makes our house look 100% better.
And, of course, I had to pull out my fall decorations. I went very light this year--a few scarecrows, a few gourds, and my fall wreath. That's about all I can manage this year. It pains me, but it is what it is.
And now...we wait! I'm 36 weeks today, and have been having some contractions off and on for the last 2-3 weeks. I have really slowed down, and I hope she stays put for the next 3 weeks. We'll see. She certainly seems to be a music loving, food-appreciating, slightly spastic night-owl unable to stay still longer than 20 minutes.
She must get it from Lance.
Room to make your beloved Dabba Dabba dolls a nice, comfy bed!
Beezie hopped on a chair, and made herself at home. We decided she knew what "vacation" was, and was digging it. It meant more pouch food, more TV, more sleeping in, and lots of pool time.
We got a two room suite. That is THE WAY TO GO. The kitchenette was also a bonus.
Two shower heads!! This was amazing. I showered twice a day just to take advantage of it.
We were right next to Oxbow, which houses a ton of tiny food stands that have gourmet food.
Lancer got the special sandwich--an Asian inspired beef sandwich, and I stuck with the fish tacos. Naturally, we got the sweet potato fries. Their dipping sauce takes the cake.
We went for a walk, and took in downtown Napa, which is cute and charming.
One of the standout meals was at this little hole in the wall named Buster's. Our valet told us about it, and he was right--this was some of the best BBQ we've ever had, and I lived in the south!
This is where it all started to go downhill. We spent the afternoon at Dr. Wilkinson's, and each got massages while the other one played in the pool with Beezer. That part was great. Beezie was a natural in the water.
The weather outside was rainy and freezy, so we sought refuge in the indoor pool. It was hot and steamy, and I started to feel the effects of heat exhaustion. We headed over to one of our favorite haunts, and I was feeling better.
I have no idea what I ate, but it laid me out. We ate there on Wednesday, and I'm still sick on Sunday. I've barely eaten anything since then. I'm almost positive I accidentally ingested gluten--I feel like I ate 50 loaves of wheat bread. Ugh. Not the greatest way to end a fabulous and relaxing week, but in writing this post, I'm able to see the good times we had.
