Babymoon day 2

Hello! We did indeed eat at Montrio last night, and had a delicious dinner. Sweetie's been teasing me because I can't finish my meals lately, but I've got a person taking up the space where my stomach used to be! It's like a human lap band. We came back to the Jabberwock and ate chocolate chip cookies, and then read in bed.

Today we got up and had breakfast here (a fruit plate and a very rich bread pudding, plus "Jabber Juice" -- yes, I fully intend to give myself gestational diabetes), then walked to the aquarium. It was the most crowded I have ever seen it. Must be Christmas break! We couldn't even get near the kelp forest display when the diver was in it. We did, however, spend some time in the new "Wild About Otters" exhibit. They're damn cute, and they're so playful. They were wrestling and goofing off while we watched. We spent a couple hours there, then walked down Cannery Row a bit (which is mostly populated by shit-peddlers, but whatever). Then we came back to the Inn. Neither of us was hungry, although it was lunch time, so we read and rested for a while, then walked down to Lighthouse Avenue, where we stopped into Olio Vintage Fun. It was a very small antique store that looked like it had gone to some trouble to find "fun" items, like toys and games and cheesy old cookbooks. Naturally, there were several things I liked but couldn't justify purchasing. We then walked down the other way down Lighthouse in search of food, and settled on Persian Grill. I just wanted something small, so I had a kookoo (like a quiche or frittata) appetizer with a side of rice and mast-o-khiar (sort of tzaziki-like). I also had a mint tea, which they served with cardamom rock candy, which was cool. Sweetie had fesenjon, which he said was better than his mom's (don't tell her).

Now we're chilling again. We both are more full than we expected, so dinner may be light (and may even consist of the appetizers they serve here). We also haven't decided what to do with our time -- we could go into Pacific Grove, into Carmel, back to the old part of Monterey, to the butterfly grove, to the beach... There are so many options! It's also really pleasant here -- quiet and confortable. So who knows? Anyway, I'll keep you updated.

Oh! But I don't want to forget the cute thing that happened yesterday. Whilst standing in line at Pea Soup Andersen's, I saw a little girl (about 6) come in with her grandmother. She looked at me, sort of up and down. I smiled at her, and as her eyes came to rest on my belly, they widened and her jaw dropped. She looked at me in wonder, as though I were a Disney Princess come to life. She did that thing kids do; she stopped dead in her tracks and only resumed forward motion when nudged by her grandmother, but she never took her eyes off me until they went around the corner. A few minutes later, she and the grandma came back, and she was still fixated on me. Just before they reached the door, I saw her screw up the courage to say something: "I hope your baby is beautiful!" I smiled beatifically, feeling like the Pope, as I thanked her. And then the door closed behind her and she was gone. Isn't that sweet, though?