Our 2013 summer family vacation was to Seattle.
I had visited Seattle when I was about 12, but Jason had never been.
He's always 'admired' the city since he was a kid and a wanna be goth/punk.
Even though the weather was supposed to be in the 70's & 80's, he still packed his Doc Martins and flannel shirts (and he packed while listening to Alice In Chains and Pearl Jam - no joke).
We figured (or at least hoped) it would be a manageable trip with a 10 month old.
Only a 2 hour flight from CA and a realistic sight-seeing agenda with a baby in tow.
Here is a summary of our trip by day:
{Thursday}
Our flight landed around 11, and we got downtown around noon.
We hit up Pioneer Square for lunch and exploring
That evening we went to Kerry Park in Queen Anne for some awesome views of the city.
{Friday}
Pike's Place Market
First Starbucks
Seattle's Waterfront
Jason had to see the Kurt Cobain memorial, so we headed there before heading to Ballard for Mexican food.
{Saturday}
We took the ferry over to Bainbridge Island
Gorgeous views of Seattle from this side of the water
When we got back to Seattle that evening we headed to Fremont for Thai food.
{Sunday}
Mariner's Game
Only in Seattle.
So, if I had to nurse a baby at a baseball game, why not do it in front of the fire.
Not bad Safeco Field, not bad.
My high school mentor and her husband live outside of Seattle, so we were able to meet up with them at their house for dinner that evening.
Probably one of the highlights of the trip for me.
I hadn't seen them in over 8 years!
Jack with their twin girls, Katie & Sarah.
{Monday}
Alki Beach in West Seattle
Our last stop was a quick tour of the University of Washington.
And then we headed home!
Some thoughts on traveling with a 10 month old:
I was super nervous for Jack's first flight, but he did great going both ways.
He handled each flight exactly the same:
He fell asleep while nursing during the take off and slept the first hour.
The rest of the flight he kept busy by eating snacks, looking out the
window, and standing on our laps and looking at everyone.
On both flights, the decent was no good on his ears though, despite my attempt to nurse him or give him a bottle.
He screamed and arched for about 10 minutes during the decent, but was always better by the time the plan landed.
Thankfully we sat next to AWESOME men on both flights, who totally didn't care.
Jack wakes up super early (around 6) and usually goes down for his morning nap around 8.
So, we didn't start our days until after he woke from his morning nap, around 11 or so.
We figured if he could get one good nap in, he would last longer into the day and be in a better mood while doing so.
We rented a car so we didn't have to deal with public transportation with him and so we could cover more ground at a faster pace (since our days were already shorter due to our late starts).
Jack's afternoon nap was usually in the car while we were driving somewhere.
Most times we got to our next destination within 20-30 minutes, but would drive around a little longer so he could get at least a 45 minute nap in.
We also took at least one break during the day so Jack could crawl around. He definitely didn't like being strapped down in the stroller or ergo all day. That was probably the hardest part of traveling with him at this age: he wants to move, but can't walk yet, so we could just let him free wherever we wanted.
All in all, Jack did great though! We kept him up way past his bedtime (until 8 or 9), but he adjusted and went to sleep great each night (even though we had his pack n' play in the closet. Sorry dude).
While 'vacationing' with a baby is so different than without, we are so glad we went for it.
It was no romantic get-away for us, but we were still able to have a great time exploring Seattle.
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