Icons of Seattle Tourism

We took advantage of today's lack of rain and got out to visit two of Seattle's more touristy spots: The Pike Place Market and the Space Needle. Both were fun, and neither gave off that annoying tourist trap vibe.

We went to the Market after breakfast; it's only a few blocks down the street from our hotel. There was more to it than I expected; it's not just the guys throwing the fish (though we did see the guys, and, yes, they threw the fish). There are also beautiful fruit and vegetable stands, vendors selling fresh flowers, and a whole bunch of tiny places that sell amazing-looking food from all around the world. We sighed at the freshly-made bao and promised Wynn we'd go back later to get cinnamon twists at the bakery. Wynn picked out some lovely raspberries and strawberries at one of the fruit stands, and we all snacked on them as we continued our tour.

We paused briefly to visit Starbuck's #1 (or, as we call it "The Mother Ship Calling Us Home"). Scott has been snapping a picture every time we pass a Starbuck's, and it's starting to get a bit ridiculous. Seriously, we've passed about ten of them within a mile of our hotel.

Starbuck's One

The way to the Space Needle is via the Monorail, so we got to ride on that this morning. Wynn thought it was pretty cool that we were riding on a train through the trees, but she did pitch a bit of a fit when we sat in the "wrong" seats. We made it up to her by letting her choose our seats for the return ride. The Monorail itself is, shall we say, of a certain vintage, so it has old vinyl seats and feels a bit like riding a city bus in Eau Claire; still, it was a quick, fun ride and a way to see a bit more of the city.

No Idea Who That Guy Behind Us Is,

But He Sure Seems Friendly

Speaking of seeing the city - the Space Needle rocks! Sure, it's a big ol' tourist site, but it's also really nice. The whole "architecture of the future" thing is subtle enough to be fun - not tacky, and the view from the top is gorgeous. I can't think of many other postcard places I've been to and bought the t-shirt that were so calm and beautiful. We have a deal with the City Pass we bought where we can go back to the Needle again tomorrow for free, and I'm thinking we may end up doing that in the evening to see the city lights.

Looking Up

Here We Are, Seattle!

As we drove to the airport this morning, Wynn called from the back seat, "Here we come, airport! Here we come, airplane!" She's been excited about this trip for several weeks - both the prospect of riding on a plane and getting to visit Seattle (mostly because we told her they have an octopus at the Seattle Aquarium).

She was her usual contented self on the plane ride; though, she did have one of those moments of pre-schooler perfect timing when we hit a really rough patch of turbulence, the captain said that everyone was to stay strapped in - even the flight crew, and she immediately chimed in with, "I need to go potty." I told her that the captain was the boss, so we'd all have to wait until he said we could go. She gave the response she always gives when told she'll have to wait: "But I don't know how." But wait she did. And she used the goofy silver airplane toilet with no complaint when the time came.

It was pouring out and rather windy when we arrived, which felt kinda refreshing after all that dry airplane air. Wynn saw it and started singing "Rain, Rain, Go Away", but we figured, eh, it's Seattle. It's supposed to rain.

The ride in from the airport was very nice. Our driver and fellow passenger were outgoing and friendly, immediately striking up a conversation with us that lasted the whole way to the hotel. They recommended restaurants and sights to see and pointed out interesting stuff along the route as well. (Wow, Boeing HQ is huge!)

Our hotel is lovely. We have a full-sized kitchen, a free breakfast buffet, and a balcony we can hang out on and admire the city. We found a great grocery store - Kress IGA - just six blocks from our hotel. It's in the basement of a historic building, stocks mostly organic produce, and has an amazing deli and salad bar. We stocked up on a few necessities and walked back up the hill to, as Wynn calls it, "our home". (Our initial impression of Seattle-ites as friendly was confirmed as we struck up a conversation with another couple carrying a little girl in a backpack, just like Wynn riding on Baba's back.)

We've had our baths - it's a whirlpool tub, but I don't think Wynn's up to the turbo jets yet - eaten a snack, and lounged on the bed looking at the Seattle skyline out the window. We haven't decided what we're going to do tomorrow, but, so far, we're glad we're here.

If You Give a Tot a Camera ...

We went on a little weekend getaway to Duluth. Wynn, who is drawn to all gizmos with buttons to push, took some pictures of our trip for everyone to see. Here they are -

Still Life with Sandal on Hotel Carpeting

Deck with Parking Lot: First in a Series

Mom's Suitcase

Growling with the Grizzly Bear

(Okay, I took the last one.)

The Face

Obviously, much has happened since our return from Japan.

We've been so busy that I just got around to looking at many of the pictures from the trip.

Here's a new-found favorite; it's Wynn on the bus to Narita, doing her Great Norma Desmond face.

Travels with Toddler

This morning we toured the gardens at the Imperial Palace - another serene and beautiful place. As it's Saturday, there were quite a few people there strolling around to admire the meticulously-maintained gardens. Amid all the peace and contemplation, one voice rang out - the voice of a toddler singing ...

"You can't catch me! You can't catch me!"

Don't worry.

We caught her.

It's her favorite part of the game.

Mother's Day = Girls' Day

(Mother's Day morning, at home)

Me: Wynn, should we go to the zoo today and see the animals?

Wynn: Oh, yeah.

Me: Should we invite Baba?

Wynn: No. Just you and me. Girls' day.

Me: But, what will Baba do while we're at the zoo?

Wynn: Um ... play with Shadow!

(at the zoo, looking at the lowland gorillas, surrounded by noisy, chaotic crowd of stroller-wielding families)

Me: Look how big that gorilla is!

Wynn: Oh, yeah. He bigger than Baba. 

Me: You're right. 

Wynn: And Baba real BIIIGG. (accompanied with arm gestures for emphasis)

Me: There's another gorilla over there, see? Oh, she has a baby on her back.

Wynn: Mom and baby. That like me and you. (big hug)

Cute pictures, completely unrelated to the story ...

Mystery Date

Today Wynn had a mystery date with Grandma and Grandpa. She knew she was going to spend the day with them, but she didn't know where they'd be taking her.  

Lunch at the Asian all-you-can-eat buffet was a promising start. We hear she enjoyed eating the fried skin off the chicken instead of the meat, and that the ice cream dessert was very much to her liking. Her announcement, "That's from China!" on seeing the decor earned her instant adoration from the staff.

After lunch, the big surprise came. Grandma and Grandpa had made arrangements with some friends of theirs for Wynn to visit their horse today. (She had met a horse with Grandma last spring and still talks about it, so this was a BIG deal.) Grandpa said Wynn's jaw literally dropped when she saw the beautiful saddlebred go by pulling a cart. 

Wynn got to feed her some grass ...

And she even got to go for a ride in the cart ...

(Click on the pictures to get a closer look.)

Her day of adventure was rounded out with some kite flying with Uncle Paul, who brought dinner (complete with cupcakes!) over to Grandma and Grandpa's house.

She came home really tired - but really happy too.

Holiday Preparations

Wynn wanted to make sure the Easter Bunny 

felt welcomed and appreciated.

The carrots are "bait". 

She claims the part that she wrote (behind her) says 

"Easter Bunny hop".

Imperfection

This weekend we went to the Children's Home Society China Reunion, which was lots of fun. Scott and I both commented on how nice it was to be at a gathering filled with families that look like ours and to know that everyone in that room had made their own personal journey through "the process". We saw a few familes we'd seen in China back in June, lots of the CHSFS people we've worked with along the way, Molly - our amazing representative from Guangzhou, and a former student of mine - one of my absolute favorites ever - and her family. We took the long way home, so Wynn got her daily nap while riding in the car, and my parents came over to visit at dinner time. It was a good day.

Recently, a comment that an acquaintance who reads our blog made got me thinking. She said, "You're such a perfect family." I know that she meant that we fit so well together and things do seem to be moving along swimmingly, but I got a little hung up on the word perfect. Scott and I talked a lot before we left for China, and we came up with our mantra as new parents: "Mistakes will be made."

I think our experiences may come across to people as having been relatively easy because we have both approached the adoption process and our first fumbling steps as parents with a sense of humor and the attitude that we're going to try our best not to sweat the small stuff. Sure, there are days when Scott comes home worn out from work and just wants to eat a nice meal and watch "The Daily Show", while I've been taking care of Wynn all day and feel ready to just hand her over and say, "She's all yours, Buddy." Yes, we do get frustrated when Wynn doesn't understand the concept of Saturday and wakes us up at 6 AM. And the stains... a LOT of things have gotten stained since she showed up. We acknowledge the fatigue and frustrations to one another, but we also know that they're so insignificant compared to seeing Wynn smile when she wakes up in the morning, hearing her squeal with delight when she sees a moth flying around in the yard, or trying to keep track of every time she learns something new.

In honor of imperfections everywhere, I present to you our own blooper reel of pictures of Wynn. They may not be perfect pictures, but, when you're working with a toddler, perfection isn't a realistic goal now, is it? :-)