Stop 3: Seattle

"A Laugh & Learn Puppy!" She actually has one at home in Maryland, and I think she thought she was being reunited with it.

Helping Grandpa open his gift. No amount of me whining "But it's not Dad's turn!" could stop her. My dad encouraged her, though. He clearly did not want to wait his turn either. "I'm your best Christmas gift ever. The bow on my head proves it." View of the city from our room at the Edgewater. (Our real view was of the water.)

Finally, our last stop—Seattle! On Christmas morning, we packed up once again and went to the airport once again and checked in once again and went through security once again. Our flight was delayed due to the previous flight getting in late, followed by lots of elderly folks needing extra assistance getting on the plane. Meanwhile, Charlotte decided that she had to be held. She had to—no, the stroller simply would not do. So I crankily paced the Reno airport with my equally cranky girl in my arms, back and forth past slot machines shouting “Wheel. Of. FORTUNE!!!” Finally, we boarded and we were off. Here’s a cool Horizon Air fact: free booze. Here’s another fun fact: Charlotte actually slept! The flight is less than 2 hours, and in that time Chris and I managed to recover from the stressful packing frenzy of the morning and the cranky airport pacing with surprisingly tasty red wine from some Washington State winery. Oh yes, by the time we landed in Seattle, our stress had melted and we happily welcomed Christmas celebration #2! Amazing what a little vino can do. As we pulled into the driveway of the house I grew up in, Dad met us in the driveway, probably more anxious to see Charlotte than Chris or me. But he put on a good show anyway. My mom, brother, sister-in-law, Grandma Eunie and her husband, and Grandma Belle greeted us inside. Mums made a Christmas ham and her yummy homemade rolls, and we had a lovely dinner. Next, Charlotte opened even more gifts (read: discovered even more paper to play with) and the rest of us did too. Next? Shopping. The day following Christmas is my favorite shopping day of the year. Last year, I was too pregnant to add to my wardrobe (it’s not like a pencil skirt would fit me, you know), so I had bought only household items like wrapping paper and pillows for 80% off or whatever. And, of course, baby clothes. This year, I was armed with Christmas cash and gift cards, ready for retail war. Mums, Grandma Belle, and I were out the door by 7:00 a.m., and I could write a ridiculously long post on all the insane deals I got—but I’ll spare you, dear reader. The next day was date night! For the first time since Charlotte’s birth 11 months prior, Chris and I went on our first real date. My parents took care of Charlotte, and we stayed at the Edgewater Hotel (which we LOVE) and went to The Brooklyn for a kid-free dinner. It was glorious. It was needed. It was unreal, sleeping until 8:00 a.m. the next morning and having breakfast together by a window overlooking the Puget Sound. We dinked around in the city for awhile, hitting Nordstrom and Pike Place, but eventually we decided to return home to our kid. That night, we went over to Tyler and Christine’s new house in Kirkland for dinner, which was oodles of fun and a little surreal. I mean, my brother now cooks. AND DOES DISHES. And the staples of his youth—bottle cap collections, baseball cards, rocks—were nowhere to be seen. Christine, it seems, has domesticated him. The next day, we went over to Chris’s brother’s house and had dinner with his family. The nieces—so tall!—were there, fascinated by Charlotte, although Maggie had a small meltdown when her cousin wrinkled up the picture she had drawn her. (Charlotte really loves paper.) Kylie, on the other hand, sat with Charlotte and read a book to her. It was adorable. It’s always fun to see Chris’s brother and sister-in-law, and with two girls ages 4 and 7, they’re a priceless source of information for us. The next day, I shopped with Mums and Charlotte while Chris hung out with his brother. We had one more family dinner at home, then we were off to the airport. Literally on the way there, I met up with my old friend Julie (who got engaged the next day!), and then we tackled the airport/security/flight thing one final time. Charlotte didn’t sleep much on the plane ride home, but she kept her fussing at a minimum. It also helped that this flight was stuffed with small children—who else would fly on New Year’s Eve? We family folk have nowhere cool to be, trust me. So when Charlotte squawked or fussed, it was pretty hard to for people to be able to tell from which kid the screech had come. We got home just before midnight, watched the ball fall in Times Square on TV, gave each other a New Year’s kiss, and then we came at Charlotte on from both sides and planted two big kiss on her chubby cheeks. She instantly burst into tears. Happy New Year!