Our flight would depart at 6:00 PM, so when we disembarked from the ship at 8:30 in the morning, we took a shuttle to the airport and checked in all of our luggage. Then, we hopped on a bus to downtown Seattle and visited the Waterfront once again. We wanted to take Abigail to the aquarium.

Abby was so delighted by all the animals she saw there. It was a joy to see her so excited.

After the aquarium, we met up with SiJen and Bryan again. They had to attend a Birthing Class earlier that day, so were not able to pick us up from the ship. However, that afternoon we met up at the Pike Place Market and were able to grab some food at the Pike Place Brewery with them. Being able to see Olthofs again before we left Seattle really made for the best finish to our perfect vacation.

Before we reached Victoria, the Narges', Oberlanders, and Newells all participated in Holland America's "On Deck for the Cure" fundraiser for the Susan G. Komen foundation. All of us walked in honor of Barbara Narges, Eric's mom, who's strength and determination recently helped her beat breast cancer. Originally, Eric's parents were both booked to join us all on this cruise, but late last year, Barbara was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. The treatment was going to leave her too weak for the trip, so Mike and Barbara had to cancel their vacation. We all missed them on the trip.

We only got to spend one short evening in Victoria. A shame because this city is really beautiful and charming. Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia. Located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, Victoria is a major tourism destination seeing more than 3.65 million visitors a year who inject more than one billion dollars into the local economy.

The Butchart Gardens, where we decided to spend our short time in Victoria, is located 21 km from Victoria and covers 55 acres. The Gardens began as an idea by Jennie Butchart to beautify a worked-out limestone quarry which had supplied her husband Robert Pim Butchart's nearby Portland cement plant.

The mixture of rare and exotic shrubs, trees, and flowers which the Butcharts had collected over the course of their worldly travels, created the famous Sunken Garden . The gardens, started as a hobby, spilled into the Japanese, followed by the Rose, and Italian Gardens. In 2004, in bloom for 100 years, the Gardens was designated a National Historic Site of Canada.

This garden was captivating and getting to stroll on the grounds of this magnificent place with my family and friends was really a perfect end to the cruise.

Pictures from today can be found on Fotki.

From our Daily Program Newsletter: “The city of Ketchikan stretches along the southwestern shore of Revillagigedo Island for several miles, facing Tongass Narrows. With 14,000 inhabitants, this fourth largest community in the 49th state is known as “Alaska’s First City” because it is the first town travelers reach when ferrying north. Ketchikan was established in 1887 when a salmon cannery was built at the mouth of Ketchikan Creek. Today, fishermen and loggers still contribute to a colorful atmosphere in the cafes and bars around the waterfront. Situated at the conjunction of three cultures - Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshan, the community proudly features the Totem Heritage Cultural Center, the Totem Bight State Park and the Saxman Totem Park. Ketchikan is also the gateway to Misty Fjords National Monument, the settlements on Prince of WalesIsland, and Metlakatla on Annette Island, the only Alaskan Native American reservation. Tourists will also want to see Creek Street Historic District, formerly known as “The Line,” Alaska’s most notorious red-light district from 1902 to 1954. This zigzagging boardwalk on pilings above Ketchikan Creek supported at least 30 “sporting houses” in its heyday. Today, the old houses are being spruced up and converted into small shops and businesses. Dolly’s House, where colorful Madam Dolly Copeland Arthur lived from 1919 to 1970, is now a period museum.”

Today we had our shortest day at port. We had originally planned to take a floatplane tour of the Magnificent Misty Fjords, but we didn’t think Abby would take to the flight well, so we cancelled it and spent the day walking through downtown, visiting all the colorful and charming shops.

Of most significant note is the stop at Treasures of Alaska, a jeweler selling Mark Henry Alexandrites. Paul bought me an exquisite Alexandrite pendant with the most amazing color change.

We learned of Alexandrites during our Caribbean Cruise. It first caught Paul’s attention because it is the original June birthstone, which people are not typically aware of. June’s birthstone is generally considered to be the pearl because Alexandrites are so rare!! As I have never been particularly fond of pearls, I was ecstatic to learn more about the Alexandrite stone and Paul and I have been entranced by this gem ever since. Known as “an emerald by day and ruby by night” due to its color change in natural light vs incandescent light.

We had to return to the ship before 12:30 PM and was underway for Victoria by 1:30. I attended the “Art of Towel Folding” presentation by a few of our room stewards. Every night, our turn-down service included a towel animal (stingray, swan, peacock, lobster, and puppy dog) on our bed. Abby has loved the different animals we got every night. Our room steward, Yudi, was one of the demonstrators. I ended up purchasing the Art of Towel Folding book so that I may recreate some of these adorable creations when I get the inclination!

Later in the afternoon, Paul and I indulged in a Couple’s Massage at the Greenhouse Spa while the Narges’ watched Abby. A very relaxing experience, though not quite as sweet as the one we had before.

Dinner was formal dress, so we donned our suits and evening dresses. The Vista Dining Room was even more formal than normal, with linen covered chairs and 12-piece silverware table settings. Food ordered at our table consisted of a starter (escargots and shrimp cocktails), appetizer (chilled tart cherry soup), main entree (6 oz. filet mignon and lobster tail with jasmine risotto rice and vegetables), and dessert (poire flambee, chocolate heaven, mango mouse, baked Alaska). Most of us were saving room for the Dessert Extravaganza from 10PM to 11:30PM tonight, featuring Dutch chocolate.....Yummmm!

Ketchikan photos can be found on Fotki.

The game is called “Boom” - or as Abby likes to say, “Buh-aye!”

While on a rocking ship, pull yourself up, stand without support on a large bed and let the rocking of the ship knock you down. As you fall, say, “Boom!!” If the ship is pretty steady and you remain standing after a few seconds, bend over and fall on your bottom, saying “Boom!”

We had so much fun playing this game with Abby over and over and over again. Her balance improved dramatically just over the few minutes we played this game! :)

From our Daily Program Newsletter: “For centuries before the Russians came at the end of the 18th century, Sitka was the ancestral home of the Tlingit Indian nation. Unfortunately for the Tlingits, Russian territorial Governor Alexander Baranov came to covet the Sitka site for its beauty, mild climate, and economic potential. In 1799 Baranov negotiated with the local chief to build a wooden fort and trading post some six miles south of the present town. He called the outpost St. Archangel Michael and shortly after moved a large number of his Russian and Aleut fur hunters there from their former base on Kodiak Island. The Indians soon took exception to the ambitions of their new neighbors, and attacked Baranov’s people, burning his buildings. Fortunately for Baranov, he was away at Kodiak at the time. He returned in 1804 with a formidable force ad attacked the Indians at their fort near Indian River (site of the present-day 105 acre Sitka National Historical Park), and drove them to the other side of the island. When Russia sold Alaska to the USA for $7.2 million in gold, the transfer was formalized here on October 18, 1867, and it was Sitka that eh American flag was raised for the first time over Alaskan soil. From 1867 until 1912, Sitka was the capitol of Alaska.”

We LOVED Sitka. This was a gorgeous city. So quaint, so beautiful, so much like a mountain resort. Paul, Abigail, and I went on a 3 hour hike through the Tongass Temperate Rain Forest and it was an amazing experience!

And we saw bears! Coastal Brown bears - bigger than the Grizzly, but smaller than the Klondike. A sow and her 2 twin cubs were wandering around the area and we got a peek at them when our bus was heading to the Mosquito Cove Trail head. We had the bus driver drop us off at the Estuary to get a good look at the rare bear sighting. After several photos, we headed to the 1.5 mile hike, taking a loop around Mosquito Cove. The Estuary was the second part of our hike, but because of the bear sighting, we had to skip it and move on to the Muskeg Trail. A few hundred yards up the trail, our guide shouted, “Stop! Don’t move! Look big! Bear!” We gathered slowly into a group and backed away from the Mama bear we had seen earlier, but now it was directly on our trail, roughly 20 feet away!!! Paul, Abby, and I were in the middle of the pack and didn’t actually see the bear, but the realization of how close we were to her was more than enough for our bear encounter experience. Someone in our group actually managed to snap a photo and we were indeed so close that you could see the individual hairs on the bear’s butt!

The excitement of our morning hike with bear sightings on two of the three trails also meant that the afternoon hikers were going to have an extremely short excursion!

Sitka photos can be found on Fotki.

Our second day at sea. The ship headed to the Hubbard Glacier National Park, situated 30 nautical miles in the Northern part of Yakutat Bay.

From our Daily Program Newsletter: “From its source on Mount Logan in the Yukon Territory, Hubbard Glacier stretches 76 miles to the sea at Yakutat and Disenchantment Bays. It is the longest tidewater glacier in Alaska, with an open calving face over six miles wide. Before it reaches the sea, Hubbard is joined by the Valerie Glacier to the west, which, through forward surges of its own ice, has contributed to the advance of the ice flow that experts believe will eventually dam the Russell Fiord from Disenchantment Bay waters. Hubbard is one of a type of glacier found in the United States only in Alaska - a tidewater glacier. These glaciers calve when giant pieces of ice crack off the head of the glacier and fall into the sea. Hubbard’s calving has produced a slurry of ice as well as the growing mass of icebergs collecting behind the constriction at the head of Russell Fiord/Lake.”

We had a very relaxing morning sticking our heads out over the balcony and watching chunks of ice floating across the water, seeing some of the bluest blue streaks among the glacier pieces passing by. We listened to thunderous roars as the glaciers calve and then the splash of the pieces hitting the water. Towards the end of our turn around the national park, Paul decided he wanted to participate in the Polar Bear Swim at Hubbard Glacier! This involved going to the open pool on board ship, stripping down to swim trunks and jumping into the pool. He swears the the experience was not at all bad and that the water felt warm. The whole adventure earned him 3 Dam Dollars to be spent on the ship towards “Dam” merchandise, i.e., ship gear since the Holland America line of ships are something-dam, such as Oosterdam or Zuiderdam.

Hubbard Glacier photos can be found on Fotki.

Our first port call - Juneau, the Capital of Alaska!

From our Daily Program newsletter: “In the late 19th century, a Tlingit Chief named Kowee led two prospectors to a creek that emptied into the Gastineau Channel. After a few hours of panning, the prospectors, Richard Harris and Joe Juneau, found gold. That discovery changed not only their lives, but the course of history and the face of Alaska itself. On October 4, 1880, Harris and Juneau laid claim to the area, which they called Gold Creek. Their discovery produced one of the largest finds in the history of the Alaska Gold Rush Era. Juneau is nestled between Mt Juneau (3,576 ft.) and Mt Roberts (3,819 ft.) which gives the town not only a beautiful scenic setting but also a natural protection against the cold winds and permafrost which are so much a part of Alaska. Glaciers like Mendenhall, Taku, and Herbert help contribute to the mild climate in Juneau, but also to Juneau’s isolation from the rest of Alaska. in 1900, the capital of Alaska was moved from Sitka to Juneau, where it has remained ever since.”

We docked at 11:30 AM. When we arrived on board ship, we found that the Narges’ had given me a birthday gift of $50 shipboard credit, so I decided to sign up for a spa package called the Unwinder - one and a half hours of pampering consisting of a facial, neck and shoulder massage, and a pedicure.


My appointment was at 9:15 AM, THREE HOURS later, I was finally able to join Paul and Abby to go visit Juneau. While waiting for me, Paul was teaching Abby to play chess! I had a grand time at the spa chatting with the ladies and hearing all about their travels working on cruise ships. I also enjoyed an excellent neck and shoulder massage that turned into a full back deep-tissue massage at no extra charge because my therapist couldn’t believe how tight I was. No wonder the treatment was 3 hours long!

Juneau is a city of only 30,000 people, however, it is the largest city in America because Mendenhall Glacier is considered a part of it. Downtown was tiny and we walked from one end to the other in about 20 minutes. Main Street was lined with a lot of touristy shops, my favorite by far was the House of Russia. I have always been entranced by the Russian nesting dolls, so I was in heaven seeing some of the most lavish and delicate Matreshka dolls. Sadly, the ones I fell in love with - containing beautifully decorated drawings depicting fairy tales - start at around $275 each and the ones I picked up to examine were roughly $650!!!

We had originally booked two shore excursions on Juneau - a photo safari by land and sea plus an Alaskan Salmon bake. When we arrived on Saturday and checked in at the Shore Excursions desk, we found out that they couldn’t get Abby on board the boat because there were strict restrictions regarding the number of boat passengers and even though Abby was a lap guest, the boats had already reached max occupancy and could not accommodate her. We received a full refund, thank goodness.

The canceled shore excursion meant that we got to spend a leisurely time strolling through Juneau. It was cloudy and rained off and on throughout the day. Had lunch at the Hangar on the Wharf restaurant. Food was only ok, as was the service. Abby fell asleep then and Paul and I spent a long time shopping around Del Sol - a really neat shop we found during our Caribbean Cruise that sold unique, color-changing clothing and various other merchandise, such as nail polish and toys. We picked up shirts and a bear-bear for Abby after she latched on and wouldn’t let the animal go.

We returned to the Oosterdam for a brief spell before heading out for the Salmon Bake.

Abby made friends with port security because she insists on carrying her own stateroom card to show the security men as we reboard our ship and she likes holding it out to and waving it at them, which the men found highly amusing.

The Salmon Bake was awesome. A beautiful location about 10 minutes from downtown Juneau that contained a gorgeous waterfall 100 yards from where we ate under heated torches and covered tables. There was a local musician playing original, live music throughout dinner. The salmon was grilled over alder wood and served with a maple glaze. After eating, we went to see the exquisite waterfall. It was located next to an old gold mine and some mining equipment were still kept around to enhance the scenery. Salmon was spawning and we saw several in the river as we approached the waterfall.


Shortly thereafter, the rain began to fall heavier and the roads became too muddy for Abby’s stroller, so we got on the bus to head back to the ship. About 20 people from the Oosterdam attended the Salmon Bake and everyone was so pleasant and we got to meet a group of very friendly people.

Overall impression of Juneau is that it is old, hilly, very touristy, industrial, laid-back, but pretty enough. The locals boast about their Wal-Mart and Fred Meyer....’nuff said!

Juneau photos can be found on Fotki.

It is very tough traveling with an infant. Abby has been really good, actually. However, there are so many more restraints when we have to accommodate her naps and feedings, so we end up finding ourselves hanging around the stateroom more rather than exploring the ship as we did on our first cruise.

Having been on a Holland America cruise before and on a boat identical to the MS Oosterdam makes it easier to sit back and just chill vs trying to see everything and do everything on board ship. After all, we’ve seen the after dinner shows, been to champagne with the Captain, explored the dance clubs, played bingo, and so forth.

During our first At Sea Day, we allowed Abby to get adjusted to her new environment and let her explore at her own pace. Her naps were sporadic, so Paul and I went exploring on our own a few times. I got to attend Afternoon Tea at the Vista Dining Room with Kristin and Lisa. We met several very pleasant people and devoured some delicious scones. Kristin even flagged down the Scone Guy to acquire a few extras. We learned that Afternoon Tea was served every day on the ship, so we’ll definitely be back - probably on Tuesday when we’re staying on the boat as we cruise around the Hubbard Glacier.

Dinner was Formal so we all got dolled up at 5:45 for our seating. Yesterday, we realized that our party was split into 2 dining tables of 4 each and that Lisa was separated from her family and seated with Paul, Abby and me. Lisa had talked to the Assistant Maitre D’ to see if there was any way we could be reseated together and they came through for us tonight! We were relocated to a round table - slightly crowded, especially with the high chair - but sufficient. The key note of the night were the DIVINE Alaskan King Crab legs for our main entree. Even Abby got to gnaw on a claw. Paul ordered the Lamb with mint jelly and even that I must say was melt-in-the-mouth succulent and I don’t like lamb at all!

Abby was a trooper, but we did have to visit the Ocean Bar a couple of times to dance. She did this last night as well. She absolutely loves the live band there and Ronald, the waiter, who runs around the atrium’s spiral staircase and lets Abby chase him. :) A waiter at the Vista Dining Room brought her a balloon after Abby made her crinkle-nosed face at him and that entertained her for a long time. She also grabbed on to one of the King Crab claws and enjoyed sucking on it, which was very entertaining for the adults at the table.

After dinner, we all piled into the Narges’ stateroom and watched the new Die Hard movie. Very good! Part way through the movie, Lisa, Kristin and I went up to the 10th Deck and had a drink at the Crow’s Nest. We listened to a pleasant pianist, chatted, and enjoyed our Spanish coffee (Lisa), grapefruit and vodka (Kristin), and mojito (me). We stopped at the Lido Restaurant on the 9th Deck to grab cookies and drinks for Paul and Eric before heading back to the Narges’ stateroom on Deck 8.

Probably due to the mojito, but Abby finally slept like a baby through the night for the first time since we started our vacation.

This morning, the Olthofs took us for an excellent walk and tour of the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, often called the Ballard Locks, which link salty Puget Sound with the fresh waters of Salmon Bay, Lake Union, Portage Bay and Lake Washington. After a pleasant - but hilly - 10-minute walk from SiJen and Bryan’s house we arrived at a park with what appeared to be narrow gangplanks and large doors up and down several docking points for boats. The gangplanks rode on top of these hydraulic doors which opened and closed to allow water levels to adjust and boats to go from the very low and salty waters of Puget Sound to the high fresh waters. We watched several boats coming in from Puget Sound. When they entered the Locks, doors approximately 100 yards apart would close. Two or three boats lined up side-by-side and tied themselves together and then to the docks several feet above, with the largest boat closest to the dock to provide maximum stability. The water level filled until the boats were level with the docks and the doors to the Lake would open, allowing the boats to enter.




The Locks were really, really neat! While the Locks facilitated the boats coming and leaving, fish ladders were also built to facilitate the salmon spawning which occurred at the Lake. Fish ladders allowed the salmon to make gradual, 1-2 feet leaps upstream to get to the Lake and to allow them to gradually adjust to the transition from salt to fresh water. Once the baby fish hatched, a port allowed the fish to be tossed tail-first back into the lower waters and not hold back migration because of the Locks. A small, underwater observatory allowed us to see several large sockeye salmon making their trip upstream to the Lake.




Around 2PM, the Olthofs dropped us off at the Holland America Terminal to check in and board our ship. As we drove up to the Terminals, we saw a Norwegian Cruise Line ship, a Princess Cruises ship, and our HAL ship, the MS Oosterdam. The Oosterdam actually appeared to be one of the smaller ships. Nonetheless, it was still a magnificent and beautiful sight.

Abby had been running a small fever over the last few days due to the chicken pox and MMR vaccines she received last week. Holland America’s standard process for anyone who has signs of illness is for the party to talk to a ship medical personnel before being allowed to board. We had a brief, 3-minute chat with a doctor and was all cleared to board the boat.

We were able to go directly to our stateroom as we waited for our luggage to be brought to us. Our luggage arrived fairly promptly and we met our pleasant room steward, Yudi.

SiJen and Bryan had to work today, so last night they helped us plan our activities for today. We were going to visit the Space Needle then take the monorail from the Space Needle to the Pike Place Public Market and walk the Waterfront. The Olthofs let us borrow their Jeep and carseat so that we would have the option of taking the bus downtown or driving. We wanted to meet up with the Narges’ and Oberlanders (N & O) today since we had planned on seeing some of the same Seattle sites.

Abby had a rough night - probably due to a few nightmares involving the Olthof’s extremely friendly, but BIG doggies. She took a morning nap that lasted 3-4 hours, so our tour of downtown did not begin until noon. We called Eric to see where the N & O group is and they were finishing up at the Space Needle and heading to Pike Place. Paul and I were getting hungry and Abby had not eaten since she got up, so we decided to go down to the Public Market to find a place to eat and meet up with N & O.

Pike Place was much more crowded than I had expected on a Friday. It was very difficult to navigate the vendor stands dotted along the street with Abby’s stroller, but we managed to plow from one end to the other, seeing the most beautiful flower bouquets sold for the cheapest prices, drool-worthy fruit stands, crafts ranging from silk-screened t-shirts to hand-made jewelry and exotic woodworking. The noises of the crowds and smell of lavender, then cinnamon roasted nuts, then fresh seafood, fruit, flowers, and buskers contributed to an experience that met all expectations for this touristy hot-spot. Definitely a worthy place to visit when in Seattle. Of course, we saw the Fish Market, but I missed the fish tossing. Paul got to see one, but I was too busy maneuvering the stroller and missed the show. It was odd seeing people standing around anticipating fish to be tossed, with cameras at the ready, not realizing that someone actually needed to purchase a fish to see a fish being tossed!


When we finally met up with N & O, we collectively decided to head down to the Waterfront to look for a restaurant to get lunch. We ended up at the Fisherman’s Restaurant overlooking the waters. Food was ok, atmosphere was ok, price was high. Definitely not as good as Chinook’s from last night. It was great catching up with Eric, Lisa, Kristin, Bob, and Judy, though.

After lunch, the groups split up, promising more bonding when we got on board the cruise ship. Paul, Abby, and I continued to wander around the waterfront and had an immensely good time. The view of downtown if you look up on one side and the mass expanse of water when you look on the other side was so tranquil! We enjoyed some huckleberry ice cream (Abby especially) on a deck, watching sailboats passing by, then popped into several odds and ends shops, such as ‘Ye Olde Curiosity Shop’ that sold everything from 3-D puzzles (Paul got a dragon/phoenix puzzle) to shrunken heads and bongs! We picked up some fudge to share with our friends and casually strolled back to the Public Market and start heading home. On the way back through the market, though, we did find the most beautifully made exotic wood cribbage boards. We had to pick one up!

We debated about visiting the Space Needle, but after having paid $17 for parking at the Public Markets and then running into difficulty finding parking at the Space Needle park, we decided to skip it and headed back to the Olthof’s house.

That evening, Bryan and SiJen suggested that we go to the Seattle Center (place for the performing arts) and experience the Bite of Seattle event being held there where local restaurants were selling tastes of their specialty foods and live bands were performing on stages throughout this large venue. Dinner consisted of lamb gyros, chicken pita sandwiches, these beef Piroshkies, curly fries, Brown Cow yogurt, and chocolate-covered strawberries. Lots of fun!

After dinner the Olthofs took us to an Overlook site that gave us a fantastic view of downtown Seattle - an exceptional spot to see the Space Needle at the center of attention among the downtown skyline - plus the water, and the Olympic mountains in the distance.


Abby went to bed and slept extremely well tonight. SiJen, Bryan, Paul, and I got to play a game of Settlers. Reminiscing about the days when they lived in DC and we got together to play regularly, and realizing that with their baby due next month that this may be their last chance to play for a very long time. SiJen slaughtered us in the game and we all headed to bed around midnight.

More Seattle pictures on Fotki.

Wake up call at 3:30 AM.

Gathered last minute items like toiletries and snack for Abby on the airplane.

Paul managed to shove 4 suitcases, 2 backpacks, and a stroller into the Maxima while I woke Abby up and got her ready to go.

Left the house at 4:30 AM.

As Paul turned onto Brink Rd., I sleepily remarked, "Oh, we're going to BWI?" I had never checked our flight itinerary to verify, so I was surprised; I had only flown out of BWI once before.

"Yes."

A minute later...."Can you check the itineraries? Now I'm doubting myself."

I reached over the sleeping Abby to grab our paperwork and found out we were actually flying out of Dulles (IAD)!!! Good thing we checked.

The rest of our day was as good as we could have hoped. Ticketing and check-in to Virgin America was easy, fast, and friendly. Going through security took about 5 minutes and we were riding the mobile lounge to our concourse by 6:00 AM.

Our flight would be boarding at 7:20, so we grabbed breakfast at a little cafe. Abby ate her breakfast while she made faces at everyone sitting around us. She was in a very good mood by the time we left to wait by the gate.

Virgin America offers an entertainment unit on the back of every seat, which provides tv, music, movies, and games...all but a few movies were totally free.



Paul played Doom for awhile, but listened to his ipod most of the time. I listened to my ipod while Abby slept and also played Anagramarama (very similar to Word Worm) for most of the flights.



Abby was extremely well behaved. She slept well and when she was awake, she rarely fussed and she loved pressing the buttons on the monitor and the remote controls to see the picture change on the screens. She was also very entertained by our fellow passengers, many of whom were little kids who made faces with Abby for long periods of time.



The flight from IAD to LAX took 6 hours. The flight from LAX to SEA was 2 hours. For almost the entire LAX to SEA flight, Abby slept. We had just bought a JBL On Stage Micro speaker for the ipod so we could play music for Abby. (We tried putting headphones on her, but she quickly ripped those off her head and threw them.) So, for as long as we had her music playing, she slept.



As we pulled into SEA, we got an amazing view of Mt. Rainier.

Baggage was waiting for us when we showed up at baggage claim. The stewards and stewardesses on both flights were entertaining, friendly, and attentive. For anyone needing to fly with small children, we would HIGHLY recommend flying Virgin America.

SiJen met us at Passenger Pick-Up and we got a great, scenic tour of Seattle on our way back to their house.

When Bryan came home from work, we took a walk around Discovery Park then went to the Fisherman's Terminal and had dinner at Chinook's. The Fisherman's Terminal is where all the work boats are docked. We got to see the boat that was actually on the Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch, the Sea Star. Chinook's had a great view of the boat docks and the food was spectacular. The calamari and spinach salad were divine!

Tomorrow, we have a day to spend wandering around Seattle, so we plan on seeing the Pike Place Public Market and the Space Needle, but it all depends on how well our Munchkin sleeps tonight.

On Abby's birthday, Grandma and Grandpa Newell, Aunt Linn and Aunt Libby, plus Paul, Abby, and I went to a portrait studio to get some pictures taken. This is my favorite shot of Abby. She is wearing a cute dress covered in little, red cherries that Grandma and Grandpa Newell got for her.

The next day, we took Abby to Bethesda for her one year well-baby checkup. She is very healthy, hitting all of the developmental milestones, and any concerns we had with her limited milk intake, outward-turned left foot, and preference for the 'W' sitting position are all pretty normal! Her pediatrician had no concerns of her aversion to milk since she is taking solids (and various dairy products) well. Her left foot is perfectly normal as her foot starts to reposition itself while she learns to walk and should self-correct by the time she's 15 months old. The sitting preference is very common and most kids will stop as they advance past crawling; it will not be a concern unless she continues to prefer sitting in that position well after she walks.

Poor Abby received 4 immunization shots at this visit.

Ahhhhh....one week from today we will have left port in Seattle and be sailing north to begin our 7-Day Alaskan cruise. We have been planning this trip for over a year and we are finalizing details in these last few days. On Thursday (7/17), we will be flying in to Seattle and staying with our good friends, SiJen and Bryan Olthof. It has been a very long time since we have seen the Olthofs and we're excited to have the opportunity to visit with them during this vacation. They are expecting a baby in September, otherwise they would have considered coming on the cruise with us. :) Abby will give them a preview of life with baby!


This is the route we will be taking on the cruise. We depart from Seattle, WA and head to Juneau, then sail through the Hubbard Glaciers, hitting Sitka, Ketchikan, and finally landing in Victoria, Canada for a few hours before returning to Seattle. This is an "Inner Passage" tour and takes us through the more temperate regions of Alaska, so we will not likely have to fear the sub-zero climate of many Alaskan tours. The summer-time temperatures are around 50-60 degrees farenheit, but possibly very rainy.


Despite cool temperatures, we plan on taking advantage of the indoor, heated pools aboard the cruise ship. Today, we bought Abby a couple of swimsuits - one is a bikini! :)

In the next few days, I will share with you the stress of packing for our first family cruise....Although, the real stress is probably the fear of flying across country (4.5 hours!) with a lap infant, who's extremely mobile.

Abigail turns the big Oh-One today and I have been reflecting on the developmental milestones she hit between 6 months and a year.