Seattle: Day 3

Wednesday in Seattle we headed back downtown to see more things that we didn't get to see the day before. We started out in the market again and strolled around a few different areas of the market. We had found out about the "gum wall" from our tour guide the day before. We just happened to stumble upon it...ICK!

That is right...behind us...a wall COVERED in layers and layers of chewed gum. You're only seeing about half the wall!

Some had taken the time to form letters and words with their gum before sticking it to the wall. Others had made it looks stringy as if it was dripping off.

Some had made alternative additions to the wall...such as pennies, trash, or as you see in this picture...a bullet!

I thought this was a clever sign in the market.
Random muscian. They are everywhere in Seattle! I just thought this guy was kinda cute.

After strolling around a bit, we stopped into Piroshky Piroshky, a Russian bakery. It was good, but different. We again headed down to the waterfront to hop on the ferry to take the 35 minute ride over to Bainbridge Island. We kept telling Charlotte about the boat, but I don't think she every understood that she was on a boat, because she just kept pointing to all the other boats.

A beautiful view of Mt. Ranier. Typically this time of year you can't see if from Seattle. But we were able to see several glimpses on our trip.

View of Seattle from the ferry.

The only family picture from the whole trip.

Once we got to Bainbridge Island it was lunch time. We headed down to a waterfront restaraunt. I ordered oysters and ended up not being a big fan of them. I've had them before, but these just weren't quite the same. After lunch we stepped next door to Pegasus Coffee. George said we drank so much coffee on our trip we may not need an airplane to fly home. We strolled around downtown Bainbridge stopping before we left at Mora for some wonderful ice cream. Seriously, probably some of the best ice cream I've ever had. It was so rich and creamy. George and I both had to throw some away because we just couldn't eat any more. We then waddled around downtown for a bit more and headed back to catch the ferry.

Once we were back downtown we walked up to Pioneer Square and tried to go to the Klondike Gold Rush Museum. They were about ready to close, so we had to walk through quickly, and didn't get to enjoy it as much as we would have liked. We got back to the car and headed back to the hotel. We were pretty exhausted so we decided to order in dinner from a local italian place and call it a night.

Seattle: Day 1 and Day 2

There are some benefits of having a husband that has to travel occassionally for business. FREE REWARDS! With a fairly active hurricane and storm season the last few years, George has had to travel a fair amount. He had earned several rewards through his recent travels including hotel points, TWO free flights, and two days of a rental car. Next month one of his free flights was scheduled to expire, which we weren't about to let happen. So it was time for a vacation!!

My sophomore year in college I was given an opportunity to travel with an aunt to Seattle for a long weekend. I have always wanted to go back. Two summers ago, George and I talked about making the trip, but ended up buying a house instead. So we decided to use our free flights to head to the northwest while both girls were "lap" children.

This was Charlotte's second time to fly (the first being to Austin when she was 9 months old) and Jocelyn's first flight. Our flight left shortly after 5pm on Monday evening. Although Charlotte has been timid regarding loud and unfamiliar things lately, she LOVED flying. She was entertained by opening and closing the window shade, kicking the seats in front of us (sorry poor woman who had the misfortune of choosing that seat), eating crackers, playing with the seatbelt, and playing with mommy's iPod Touch. The flight went very well, partly thanks to an open seat next to us. Toward the end of the flight, Charlotte took a short nap, but we woke her as we started the decent to avoid ear pain. At one point you could tell her ears were really bothering her...but fruit snacks seems to keep her swallowing often enough to relieve the pressure. Jocelyn also managed the flight like a trooper! OH the blessings of breastfeeding!! We didn't have to worry about bottles, clean water, formula, etc. Jocelyn was content to sleep, nurse, and coo throughout the flight.

After a 3 1/2 hour flight, we landed successfully in Seattle. It was chilly compared to KC, but wonderful! Again, an advantage of George's work is his Hertz Gold card membership. After picking up our luggage from the baggage claim we were able to go out to the parking garage where our name was posted on the board with a parking space number. We walked to that space where a car was waiting for us with the keys and carseat in it and trunk popped awaiting our stuff! I was super impressed! We headed to the hotel and got settled in for the night.

The next morning, Charlotte woke up at 4:30, which would have been her normal wake up time at home. She crawled in our bed and dozed in and out until about 6:30. We decided to get up and make our way to the city. We found a place to park and abondoned the car for the day.

We started with the famous Pike's Place Market. Hundreds of bouquets of flowers for just $5-$10 a piece. Gorgeous rows and rows of flowers. I was so tempted to buy one just to enjoy at our hotel for the week...but I resisted. There were also many talented artists, jewelry makers, fancy textiles, fruits and veggies galore, and of course...SEAFOOD! I am not a big seafood eater, but LOVE seafood in the northwest---It is so fresh!! We then headed for the the french bakery, Le Panier, which is located right outside the market, just a few steps from the original Starbucks.

Throughout our trip we would often use bakeries, cafes, and coffee shops as breaks to stop and nurse Jocelyn. It gave us a lot of opportunity to sample various places. We enjoyed our quick bite and coffee and headed out to the pier to finish feeding Jocelyn. I sat on the bench while Charlotte ran around looking at the water and "attempted" to feed the pigeons. At first when I gave her a bit of bread to feed to the pigeons she ran towards them full speed ahead, attempting to "hand feed" it to them. They of course all flew off to the other side of the pier and she repeated her actions. Eventually, after a demonstration by George, she figured out how to feed the birds, and loved it! She giggled and laughed while they would all fight over her offerings.

Next we were off to stroll through downtown. There were a few shops that I read about in Eat Shop Seattle that I wanted to check out. All of them were too expensive for our budget, but I love admiring others' talent and creativity. One of my favorites was Schmancy they had cute, funky plush toys and cute prints of birds, owl, and other eclectic drawings. We continued down town as Charlotte drifted off for a nap in the stroller. We walked along the waterfront and made a tentative plan for the day. As Charlotte woke we stopped into Anthony's for some classic fish and chips. We were able to sit on the patio and watch the activity in Puget Sound.

Next we walked back to the Seattle Aquarium. We thought this would be enjoyable to Charlotte, but unfortunately it ended up probably being the most disappointing of the trip. It was overpriced, and Charlotte was too tired to enjoy it. She was afraid to get too close to some of the exhibits and needed constant reassurance. George and I were occupied with the girls and didn't get to read/learn as much as we would have liked. Maybe once they get older it would be worth the high ticket cost.

From there we hoped on the Gray Line Tour Bus. I had scored inexpensive tickets for Gray Line from Groupon. We were able to hop on the double decker tour bus at numerous points throughout downtown to get from Point A to Point B, or to ride awhile and learn more about the city. We rode in the back of the upper deck for just over an hour getting a full scoop on the city. Our guide was a riot and we learned a lot. By the way...Did you know Seattle's Best Coffee is owned by Starbucks?

Reflection of the Space Needle

Smith Tower is straight ahead

We then got off the tour bus in Pioneer Square, grabbed some more coffee, and headed up to Smith's Tower (another Groupon deal). There we headed up to the 35th floor and were able to get a 365 degree view of the city. It was beautiful! Mt. Ranier was even making an appearance, even though it is typically hiding behind the clouds. (We are bad tourists and didn't go to the Space Needle, but did the Smith Tower instead...less money and less touristy!)

The faint cloud in the middle of the picture is actually not a cloud, it is Mt. Ranier.

On most days, it isn't visable from Seattle.

The ceiling inside the Smith Tower was carved ... and was BEAUTIFUL!!

We then headed back to the Gray Line bus stop and got a lift back to the car...we were definitely worn out and had very wearly legs. We were disappointed we had left our pedometers at home. You should see some of the hills we went up!! We stopped at Crossroads Grill for dinner (yep! another Groupon deal) and headed back to the hotel for the night...we were all exhausted, but had a great day!

Charlotte 19 months & Jocelyn 2 months

The summer is coming to a close with kids back to school and me officially not working. My last paycheck comes next week, then without a doubt it will fully sink in that I am at home full time.

Jocelyn went to the doctor on Thursday for her two month well-visit. The doctor said everything looked good. Jocelyn has much more sensitive skin than Charlotte did. She has a lot of baby acne and "cradle cap" on her ears and starting on her scalp. I hope it all clears up soon, but I am glad those little things don't seem to bother her. She continues to be a happy baby and sleeps well. She has had several 10 hours stretches at night, but typically stays closer to 8 hour stretches, which is of course nothing to complain about.

I still don't see much of a routine with her, but that is probably because we always have something going and don't spend too many days at home in row. Jocelyn loves to coo, smile, and talk to you when she is awake. Some how I was blessed with very easy babies.

Here are her stats from her 2 month visit on August 19th.

Weight: 10lbs 15oz (50th percentile)

Height: 23 inches (75th percentile)

Head: 15 3/4 inches (80th percentile)

Charlotte just keep growing up and getting more and more independent. She likes to do all adult things. She helps me empty the dishwasher on a daily basis, will pick up her toys with help, retrieve things when asked, follow basic directions, draws, and helps set the table for dinner. One of her new favorite things is to dress up. She tries to put on any clothes she can get her hands on, even if they are Jocelyn's. She also loves putting on our shoes and walking around.

As far as language skills, those keep building as well: New animal sounds include: monkey, snake, gorilla, penguin, and owl. For some reason we cannot get her to master cat. Verbally she says book, milk, juice, drink, outside, all gone/done, please, and I am sure some others that I am not remembering right now. She has added a few signs as well, cheese, cracker, and cookie.

Here are some pictures from the last few weeks...sorry, most of them are of Charlotte...Jocelyn is already suffering from second child syndrome with fewer pictures...as she interacts more, we'll get more pictures.

Coloring on a dry erase board (pardon the nudity...they markers weren't washable)

The Zimmerman family came for a visit. Noah is just a few weeks younger than Charlotte. Here they were playing at Kaleidoscope.

Proudly changing her baby's diaper.

Play time on the bed.

Getting into Mama's closet

Stylin'! Only a toddler could look that cute in that ensemble.

That is what her hair looks like most of the time...it is a struggle to keep a bow or rubberband in...she constantly pulls them out. After we're done with the paper, it is Charlotte's turn to "read" it.

Jocelyn's Birth Announcement

Charlotte (18 1/2 months) and Jocelyn (6 weeks)

The summer is flying by!! We are pretty well settled into being a family of four. Life is some what normal now and I go out several times a week with the girls.

Charlotte's vocabulary is growing quickly. She has added a few more signs this month (music and cracker). She has started talking more as well: "heryago" (here you go, as she hands you something), 1-2-3, mama, thank you, shoe, trash, good girl, burr (when something is cold), uh-oh, ouch, and help.

Over the last month Charlotte has become afraid of many things that haven't been a problem before. She is afraid of cars and walking in parking lots. I think this is due to a car starting near her that she wasn't expecting and startled her. She use to love baths and would not mind her hair being washed. Now, while she will take a bath without a problem, hair washing is a fight. I end up soaked by the end of the ordeal and she ends in tears. It isn't fun. We have also started seeing some fits when she doesn't get her way, so we have started some short time outs. She is showing more food preferences as well. She LOVES fruit and corn on the cob, but does not like cottage cheese. She doesn't eat much meat but is getting better. This week she ate a sloppy joe and some chicken, and as always, is still a big fan of turkey dogs.

Jocelyn is growing like a weed. We don't remember Charlotte growing so fast and changing so quickly. She weighs 9lbs 15oz according to her weigh in at the last breastfeeding group (8/2/2010), which was an 11 oz weight gain in a week! I couldn't believe it! She continues to be a very content baby, but spits up more than Charlotte did, but still not so much that I'm concerned. When she is awake she loves being in her swing and will coo and smile at the mobile and mirror above her. She usually goes down for the night around 10 and wakes up between 4 and 5:30 to eat, then sleeps again until 7:30. We are definitely getting more sleep than we did when Charlotte was this age.

We are anxious for the heat to subside a bit so we can spend more time outside. Charlotte loves our daily walks to the mailbox, but hates when we have to come back in. 105+ index just isn't good playing weather.

Jocelyn smiling at Charlotte. Charlotte usually gets her to smile better than we can. It is so sweet to see the sister bond already.

I found this large metal tub at Target on clearance and picked it up for a toy bin. Charlotte loves playing in it. The other day we joked as she crawled in it and asked, "are you going to take a a nap." Hours later when I told her it was nap time, she immediately went to the tub with a blanket and crawled in. Nice try!

Charlotte loves "shushing" Jocelyn, unfortunately, she usually sticks her finger in her mouth in the process.

Smiles. :)