UCSF Halloween Party!

Morgan and I left early Saturday morning to make it to the Halloween event at UCSF in San Francisco by 11 am.

I really had no idea what to expect from this party but I wanted to go regardless. It turned out to be more than I anticipated. Even pulling into the parking garage caught me by surprise. All the memories of my mom and I pulling into that garage flooded me and I got knots in my stomach thinking back to that day nearly 2 years ago. My eyes teared up and I knew I was in for an emotional ride!

Morgan's costume was a huge hit! Everyone kept stopping us and commenting on it. People kept asking if I made it which is funny because I started to make Morgan's costume this year. It wasn't working out though so I was glad when my sister-n-law told me about this one. As soon as I saw it, I knew it would be perfect for Morgan.

The crew who drove the babies to the hospital in an ambulance were at the party. It was neat to talk to them and take a look at what Morgan rode in. Part of the reason we had so many hospital bills is because there was a team of ambulances (4 actually) who drove Morgan, Daniel, and the plane crew to the airstrip in Fresno. The plane company flew Morgan to San Francisco and then this ambulance crew drove Morgan to UCSF. It was quite a complicated ordeal!

Morgan checked out the inside of the ambulance.

They gave her this teddy bear and she loves it!

There were lots of activities. We were provided lunch and then Morgan decorated a pumpkin that she got to take with her. Here are some of the kids' pumpkins with a shot of the hospital behind them.

Morgan seemed to know what she was doing and especially enjoyed the glitter!

She got her face painted for the first time too. She sat there still and let the lady paint a pretty butterfly. The lady seemed surprised that Morgan was able to sit so still but it didn't surprise me. That's my Morgan!

She wasn't so still waiting for her turn though.

Running around the courtyard.

Bowling!

She got a strike!

Both Morgan and I really needed this weekend together and really had a great time but it wasn't always easy. I changed Morgan in the car more than once and even used the trunk once.

After leaving the parking garage from the hospital on our way to our hotel, my GPS couldn't locate satellites. I had to drive with one hand holding the GPS unit up, one hand on the wheel all while Morgan cried in the backseat. I aimlessly drove around waiting for the GPS to start working. The city is so packed that there is literally no where to pull over so I had to just keep driving with Morgan crying in the back and me trying to stay calm. Driving in San Francisco is intimidating but we made it.

After the party we checked into our hotel and took a nap.

I loved that it was just her and I because we got lots of cuddle and one on one time.

Morgan seemed to really enjoy hanging out in the room and had fun pushing buttons and exploring her new surroundings.

We went to dinner at Mel's Drive In. It was literally right below our hotel room. I think this is the same exact place I've eaten with my family when I was little.

I tried to get a picture of us at our dinner together.

We had to make dinner short because Morgan was exhausted.

After dinner we walked a few blocks to a Walgreens to grab some stuff I forgot. It was interesting being in the city while the Giants game was going on. We walked by bars that were packed and you could hear people screaming as they watched the game. Looks like the Giants are going to the World Series this year.

Later that night, I was really thirsty so we went on a mission to by me a soda. Of course I only had dollar bills and none of the machines would take my cash so we went down to the front desk to get change. After that it still took us walking all over the premises to find a machine that would even take the coins. We kept going up and down elevators and through many halls. Morgan had a blast running through the halls and she really got the hang of the elevator. She's becoming quite the little traveler!

The above picture was taken before our second adventure Sunday morning back to Walgreens. Pushing a stroller and holding an umbrella in pouring rain is no easy task. Just having a stroller in San Francisco is difficult. There are a million people who live in that 47 square miles so things like strollers and cars are a big deal.

We stopped at Starbucks for apple juice and a banana.

Morgan was such a trooper! Even though she was soaked, she seemed to love it. She loudly sang the tune to Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star during most of our rain soaked walks.

This was the view from our hotel.

San Francisco is the only city I've ever stayed in that will let you open the windows in the hotel room. I kept them shut because Morgan could have easily climbed out and fallen from the third floor. It made me nervous but it's a great way to experience the city. Stay tuned for pictures of our second day in San Francisco!