A Perfect 10! (months, that is:)

Micah's 10 months today! I know I say this every month, but I can't believe how fast time is going and how big my baby boy is getting. We have had quite a busy 2 weeks, traveling to Atlanta, Seattle, and Vancouver (and next weekend we head to St.Louis) and I'm sure Micah will be happy to finally be back home and settled for a bit, before the summer traveling starts up!

I have no doctor stats as we don't go again until he's one year (which is only 2 months away...yikes!!) but I do feel that he's grown in both height and weight and I'm sure is past the 20 pound mark now. Funny though, while we were in Vancouver...or actually Whistler...in line for a gondola ride up the mountain, the woman behind me asked how old he was, and then said what a small 10 months he was! She said she had an 8 month old at home who was way bigger than Micah. It was just so funny to hear, because ever since Micah's been born all I've heard is how big he is, so to actually hear the words "small" come out of someone's mouth took me by surprise. He was, however, in the 38% for weight last month, so that's definitely not as big as he started out (aka 93%:)).

"Hey Momma."

"I remember this thing that you do. Okay...I'll play with Mickey, just for a picture for you."

"You got the picture, now I'm outta here!"

"Seriously Mom, I'm done."

"Fine, one more, but I'm not happy about it!"

"See ya!"

Things to remember this month:

• how you just continue to talk up a storm, and the word of the month has been "momma" and "ba...ba..." (pointing at lights or fans, etc)
  
• how social you are becoming, especially when we are out to eat...you love to grab the attention of any stranger who will give it to you and start pulling out all your tricks
• speaking of tricks, you have quite the plethora to choose from and have used them numerous times this month...blowing kisses, clapping, waving, catching kisses, playing peek-a-boo, smiling and playing shy, mimicking facial gestures (smacking lips and tongue on lips)
• how you have begun to learn the art of flirting (smiling and laughing at those strangers)...boy, do we have to worry when you grow up
• how you got sick for the first time, throwing up and all:(
  
• how you have become very steady on your feet and pulling up and walking with toys
• how you have even stood by yourself for a few seconds here and there
• how we noticed the dare devil inside of you - no matter if you get hurt in the process, you'll be right back at whatever you were doing...hmmm, maybe there's a little bit of stubbornness/strong willed in there too:)
• how you love to use your momma as a playground
• how you love to grab your daddy's glasses off his face
• how much you love to be read to
• how you like to drop things and watch them fall, constantly:)
  

We love you Micah! You are the sweetest boy we know and are so glad you are ours...

Seattle - rain or shine...or rain...or rain...

The first part of our trip was quite memorable. It started off with a rather uneventful flight and transit to the condo we were renting (thankfully!) and although Micah slept a mere 50 minutes on the flight, he went out for 3 hours once we arrived at our destination. This made for a well-rested boy who was ready to do some exploring. Christian and I decided to try vacation rentals rather than hotels this trip due to the inconvenience of sleeping with a 10 month old in a hotel. Our Seattle location had received great reviews and seemed to be a great location, so we decided take a risk and go for it, and we were sure glad we did! Aside from the fact that it wasn't a closed off 1 bedroom and rather a studio, we couldn't have been happier. Micah ended up sleeping in the bathroom, which posed a bit of a problem, but we made it work and overall had a wonderful time. He has been a wonderful little boy and is traveling beautifully, all things considered, as mom and dad take him cross country.

The weather, on the other hand, has been quite a handful! We knew in booking our trip that we would have rain to contend with, but we were told by even the locals that the weather has been more rainy than usual. The weather , as well as dealing with a baby's nap schedules (or ignoring them and paying the price later) has certainly made this a trip to remember:) That being said, we have absolutely enjoyed Seattle and really like what we've seen of the city. Our favorite part has probably been the market, which is amazing!, as well as the beautiful landscape of the city with the hilliness and the background with the mountains.

One slightly frightening moment came early Monday morning, which Christian realized we had not brought our passports with us and we would therefore be unable to complete the second part of our trip to Vancouver, BC. Oops!!!!! Thankfully we have amazing friends that we can call on in a very needed time of trouble to help us out! We tried Christian's parents, but they wouldn't have been able to get to our place 'til late that night and for peace of mind (as well as travel time on their part) I called upon my friend Carrington to help out. Thankfully she embraced our problem with kindness and sincerity and went traipsing around town for a couple hours on our behalf, her triplets in tow. She was able to overnight our passports to a friend's house here in Seattle (who was coming over on Tuesday to babysit Micah so that Christian and I could enjoy a date night out!) and we were stress free from about 10:30am Tuesday morning. In that scary, stressful moment, I was thankful for friends who show God's love in our lives, helping out those in times of need.

With that said, below are some - okay, many :) - pictures from our time in Seattle...part 1 of our spring break trip. Believe it or not (and I'm sure you do!) we had many more pictures to choose from:) Enjoy!

Christian having some fun with Micah's hair:)

Micah and me enjoying the pool at 5:30am, since Micah's wake-up time has been 4:45am...ughh!!

The Original Starbucks

Pike Place Market - FISH!

Space Needle - or part of the Jetson's home...

A very cheesy picture taken on our way up the Needle.

Beautiful city!

Kisses from Micah

The wind was a bit much...this boy has never handled the wind very well:)

Experience Music Museum - designed by an architect Christian studied in school.

A tired little boy who refuses to sleep in his stroller.

Micah's sleeping quarters (and consequently playing quarters at 4:45am, to try and let mom and dad get just a few more minutes of precious sleep!)

The below sequence of pictures are my fave! Micah was in pure laughter mode while I let a bowl fall from my head. I wish we had captured it on video instead, but oh well.

Hanging out at the Seattle Aquarium - not quite the Shedd, but fun nonetheless.

Notice the octopus in the picture above! Crazy!!

The picture above is the Seattle Aquarium, right on the water...so pretty!

One night picture - taken while we were able to go on a date night. My friend Rachael from college lives just outside Seattle and offered to babysit Micah so that we could enjoy a kid-free night and we were so, so grateful!

Another rainy day in Seattle...c'est la vie.

Chillin' on the floor, playing with his toys. Check out that belly:) Next up? Vancouver. Micah's going international!