Hi from Alaska!

We are currently on our 2nd official family vacation enjoying a trip on an Alaskan cruise. It is my first cruise experience and obviously M's as well and it's been great so far! First off, I just want to say that cruises are really great for couples with young children (esp if your parents are also onboard and ready and willing to help-- thanks mom and dad!). Babies get so much attention from all the older guests who enjoy watching the little ones running around. It is also fairly safe. Aside from making sure M doesn't get trampled by people or trip a waiter, we do not have to worry about cars. M is enjoying the glass elevators, elevator buttons, hand sanitizers, showers, beds, and ocean view. I don't think she enjoys all the attention she's getting but she is definitely having fun with the free toys she gets just by being cute (more on that later).

After spending the first two days at sea, we docked at Juneau this afternoon. Eric and I were both excited and nervous about the stop. On the one hand, we've been cooped up in a ship for 2 days so obviously we welcomed the fresh air and change of scenery. On the other hand, we weren't sure how to navigate a foreign area with a toddler who loves her freedom and hates sitting in strollers. It actually went surprisingly well. We made sure M got a nice nap and full tummy before disembarking. Once we walked down the ramp, we were greeted by a moose, a person dressed in a moose outfit that is. M loved the moose and all the bystanders loved watching M interact with the moose. We then put her in the stroller, no fight. What?! Yup, not a single sign of protest. Eric and I had decided earlier not to sign up for excursions. We wanted to enjoy the scenery and relax a bit without any added stress. So we walked along the streets visiting the shops. Though M wasn't too fussy, we decided she needed to be tired out a little, so we let her out of the stroller. Nervously following her closely from one shop to the other, we were so relieved to find a toy shop. M was immediately attracted to the train table on display. After playing with the trains for at least 15 minutes, the friendly cashier gave M a Chuggington train. I guess they must get samples from the vendor that they're not allowed to sell so M was the lucky recipient of a nice new green train. She was overjoyed! Seriously, these little trains retail for $10-15.

We later walked into a random tshirt shop. After walking in and out of the shop, M decided she walked to go back... 3 more times, every time saying hi and bye to the shop owner. On the third time, the shop owner offered her a rhino beanie baby telling me that he couldn't sell it because it didn't say Alaska on it! How odd, but cool! So I guess it does pay to be cute.

Afterwards, we headed over to the famous Tracy's Crab Shack where we devoured crab cakes, crab legs and crab bisque. Omg totally lived up to the hype! After that we decided M had had enough for one day. We were so surprised how pleasant she was in Juneau and ecstatic to have not spent a single penny on her two new souvenirs.

We didn't see much in Juneau but that's ok. We wanted this trip to be as stress free as possible and most of all, about celebrating M.. Enjoying her quirky behaviors, laughing at her cute statements, finding joy in all the things that bring her joy, watching her sleeping so peacefully.. Just making sure to treasure every moment while it lasts.