New Orleans

Happy Tuesday! Last week we were in New Orleans for a conference, and I did not touch a computer once! It was a nice break to enjoy time with my family, and my parents also joined to help out with Leah. I was 36 weeks pregnant during the trip, and luckily baby girl decided to stay in! For the first time ever, at both LAX and MSY airports, we were able to go through security through a separate family line. We flew Southwest airlines, which allows pregnant women to fly up to 38 weeks. I brought a doctor's note just in case I needed it, but was never asked any questions. I did receive a disability card since I was pregnant, and I was able to board first. Sitting in the bulkhead on our return flight was very helpful to stretch my legs out and give Leah space to play without bothering other passengers. 

Wednesday, I took Leah to the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas. She enjoyed seeing all the fish, touching sting rays, watching the penguin feeding, and talking to the sea otters. It's big enough to spend a couple hours there, but not too overwhelming. 

Leah was so excited when I told her po-po and gung-gung (grandma and grandpa) were coming to New Orleans too. She jumped into their arms the minute she saw them arrive at the hotel. We then headed out to explore a little while Matt was in meetings. The street cars in New Orleans are a really convenient and affordable mode of transportation. $1.25 a ride, and the best part is that Leah loved riding on them! We checked out Bourbon St. in the early evening to try to avoid the crazy party scene later in the night. The street definitely makes for some good people watching, but it also has plenty of yummy restaurants. We had a delicious dinner at Ralph Brennan's Red Fish Grill. I highly recommend it!

Bananas Foster French Toast. Mmmmm

The Superdome building is massive!

Thursday, Matt spent the day with us, and we started out by checking out the French Market and Jackson Square. We had breakfast at Stanley which was the perfect way to fill our bellies first thing in the morning. Afterwards, we took the Hop On, Hop Off bus to take a tour of the city. I love taking these buses! It's a really easy way to get a general feel of the city, and you can get off and explore different areas for as long as you want, and then just hop back on the bus and continue on your way! I wish I could have taken more photos while on the bus. The Garden District is really beautiful! If we ever go back, I'm definitely going to check that area out more! Leah fell asleep half way into the tour, so we just stayed on for the whole loop, which took about 2 hours total. 

After we finished the loop, we were right next to Cafe Du Monde. At first we saw the line, and it totally intimidated us! We found out that the line is for take out, and there was no wait if you wanted to sit down! Score! The beignets had the perfect amount of doughiness, and our bellies were all happy. 

Friday, we took Leah to the Louisiana Children's Museum. I love these types of museums which is similar to Pretend City and Zimmer Museum in California. They have a lot of make-believe sections like a grocery store, restaurant, and kitchen, a story time area, train tables, etc. My parents and I had just as much fun as Leah did.

While people often think of New Orleans as a party town, they also have so many kid friendly activities to enjoy, and we only covered a couple of them. This is our last trip before we officially become a family of 4! Getting a little nervous now... eek!

Hope everyone is having a great week!