My 6-Month-Old Jetsetter!

As we approached the tarmac flying in to Anchorage last night, I couldn't help but think, Wow, Ruby has been on so many trips lately! She's quite the jetsetter. My little girl is growing up so fast - perhaps too fast - as I reflect on these past six months of life. She's traveled from Alaska to Washington twice now, and in just a few weeks, we'll be back on a plane headed to Maui, to visit my family, and then relocating to Eastern Washington after that. The actual traveling part is not glamorous to me - flying with a young child, packing and unpacking lots of baby equipment, sleepless nights when said baby is off her schedule - but getting to explore new places and fellowship with friends has been a distinct blessing (and privilege) and I'm thankful that we've been able to broaden Ruby's horizons in these few short months. Also, this trip went much, much better overall than the last one (read about it here), which felt like a sort of hazing experience, if you recall.

Baby girl’s latest developments include:
- Eating rice cereal for the first time. She loves it! 

Exhibit A: 

- Chewing on anything and everything she can get her hands on (newspapers, books, napkins, water bottles, the kitchen table – you name it.) Mama and Daddy can almost never look away. 

- Saying words that sound like “Hi” and “Da-da”, along with her typical bubble-blowing, razzing, and high-pitched pterodactyl call. 

- Making music on her lap piano. She loves pressing keys and making sounds!
- Focusing her gaze on moving objects, like fans, and fixating on bright lights.
- She can almost crawl and is able to maneuver her body to reach toys and blankets that are close by.
- She sits up so well!
- She’s super sociable and is a real crowd-pleaser on airplanes and in group settings. For instance, Ruby won the hearts of the rows surrounding us on the plane yesterday. By the end of our 3+ hour flight, folks all around us were trying to play games that would grab Ruby’s attention. She's a real heart-stealer. One couple even gave us a brand-new baby teething toy, which was part of a 2-pack, that they were bringing to Anchorage for their granddaughter. I was blown-away by this random act of kindness. 

Here are some photos from our recent house-hunting trip to Eastern Washington! We surprised my cousin Kristina by showing up on her 29th birthday, and it was so much fun hanging out with her and my cousin Isaac in Spokane and in the neighboring towns. We also found a super cute 4-bedroom house with a stunning view in a small town outside of Spokane, which we're praying will become our new home! We'll see what happens, as we still need to sell our house in Anchorage to make that work. 

Details, details. 

All that to say, somehow my beautiful baby girl turned 6 months old a couple weeks ago. She helps keep me grounded in this season of transition, and I praise God for her every day. 

Hope you enjoy these snapshots of our little family trip!

Baby on Board: Our Seattle Adventures!

 

Last week, we flew from Anchorage to Seattle to visit our dear friends and family who live in the area. This was baby girl's first plane ride and after scouring the internet for all traveling-with-baby checklists, I felt ready to take on this trip. Ruby did great on the flight over (it was a red-eye) and she slept the bulk of it. Our flight home, on the other hand, was pretty challenging. Ruby scream-cried multiple times, and I almost cried, as I couldn't figure out how to console her. Ken and I alternated between circuits of bouncing her up and down, nursing, coddling, and encouraging naps. Thankfully, the passengers around us had children of varying ages, and seemed to understand. Honestly, this first big trip with baby felt sort of like a hazing experience. Traveling with a newborn is not glamorous but I can now say with confidence that I learned valuable lessons. One of which, is that taking a baby out of their routine can result in loss of sleep for one or more parents and/or children. It is best to know this going in to things, and I hope to be more realistic about expectations in the future.

All that to say, we had a wonderful time seeing my cousin Isaac and his wife, Kristina, my Aunt Linda and Aunt Joy, along with our close friends who live in Seattle. As we were flying over the city, preparing to land, I caught myself breathing out the words, "I'm home" and experienced a moment of intense joy and nostalgia, realizing quickly that Seattle still holds a special place in my heart. This is the city where Ken and I lived when we were dating. We shared our first apartment together on Capitol Hill after we got married, and then moved to the U-District when Ken got into the University of Washington. He and I biked all around the city, hiked and camped in the surrounding wilderness, and enjoyed so many great meals at local eateries. We built intentional community with our neighbors, friends, and church through weekly gatherings, game nights, dinner parties, and rendezvous at the park. Jumping off the dock at Lake Washington, playing late-night boardgames with friends, taking long walks through downtown - these are some of my best memories from our time living there. I feel so blessed to have spent a good part of my twenties in Seattle.

Perhaps this trip to Seattle instigated the conversation that Ken and I now find ourselves pursuing: Do we want to move back to the Pacific Northwest? And if so, would it be a year from now? Two years, or more? Ken has always had such a heart for building relationship and living close to dear friends. This is a vision that I've shared with him, but I never thought that it would potentially look like a move to Spokane, Washington, where my cousins live. Until now, that is. As we prayerfully consider if this might become a reality for us in the coming year(s), both of us want to take our time in landing on a decision. It gets us excited, though, at the thought of living near Isaac and Kristina and raising our children together, and also being close to Seattle and all our friends there. Also, flights from Seattle are much cheaper than flights from Anchorage, and that is another plus as we consider how we might continue to visit family in Alaska and Hawaii on a regular basis.

Alaska is still our home for now, and we are thankful for this gift of being near Ken's family. We look forward to continuing to share our adventures as we live in this grand state, and travel outside of it from time to time. Here are some photos of our recent trip to Seattle. Thank you so much to our friends and family who hosted and hung out with us!