Day 2: Wednesday, 8/18/10, Anchorage

Wednesday started with a bang. And by bang, we mean Paul throwing up. Luckily, he had only eaten some fruit loops and drank some water, so his vomitus was both colorful and easy to clean up.

He felt better immediately, as evidenced by bouncing around on the bed and his brother.


Good morning, Joss!


We decided to proceed with out plans to visit the Zoo while Safta and Joss had a lazy day back at the hotel.
We saw otters and seals. . .




. . .a polar bear, who "washed" his paws before eating. . .


. . .a moose scratching his own tushie with his antlers. . .

. . .and another moose embarrassed by his friend and hiding in the tall grass.


Paul sang them "The Moose" song.


We saw a lady bug. . .


. . .funky mushrooms. . .


. . .a yak. . .


. . .and porcupines, which are absolutely adorable.


We saw a caribou, who did not offer us coffee, much to Mommy's dismay. . .

. . .and a reindeer. Reindeer are domesticated caribou, and caribou are wild reindeer.


After lunch at the cafe, Paul was getting a little tired.


Still, we pressed on; we had to see the bears!




And then it seemed to be naptime at the zoo.
Snow Leopard, sleeping.


Wolf, sleeping.


Paul, sleeping.


Tiger, just waking up.

Stalking through his habitat, silent and majestic. . .

. . .to play with a red rubber ball like a house kitty!


We watched an artic fox teasing the heck out of a sleeping red fox. . .



We found this very funny.


The best thing about this zoo is that almost all the animals are rescues - abandoned pups, birds with damaged wings, etc. We had a wonderful time.

Day 1: Tuesday, 8/17/10, Anchorage

We started at the Anchorage Visitor's Centre, where Paul received his very own "Seymore Anchorage" moose.


We took a trolley tour all over the city.


We saw the railroad station. . .


. . .and a "moose gooser."


We even saw where people park their personal airplanes - often the only way to travel to and from parts of Alaska.


Paul was very impressed.



We had lunch - and some great beer - at a local joint.


Then, we hit the Imaginarium Discovery Center at the Anchorage Museum. Paul was enthralled by the kinetic sculpture.


He also played with boats. . .


. . .put a polar bear in it's den. . .


. . .learned about pulleys with a hoist chair. . .


. . .and experimented with giant bubbles. . .


Even Joss sat up to play with a toy. . .


We had dinner at a lovely Thai restaurant. Paul loved his chicken satay. . .


. . .and Mommy loves Paul's lovely face.

We're in Alaska!!

We made it!

We left the house at 4:30am on Monday, and arrived at the hotel in Anchorage around 9pm local time - that's about 20 hours of travel. No thanks to United for changing our reservation and adding a leg to the trip, eliminating pre-boarding for families with young children, and for not having infant changing tables in the lavatories (just lay your baby on the toilet seat lid, the helpful flight attendant suggested).

The kids were amazingly good for the grueling slog we put them through. Joss nursed nearly nonstop and was unfazed by the time changes, but poor Paul was so tired by the end he just started screaming in his sleep. He perked up with the help of a single cherry lifesaver, and bounced through the hotel into a bath and bed.

So far, we took a trolley tour around the city, and today went to the zoo. Pictures to follow!

Bath time!

Since we discovered how much the boys love taking a bath together, it's become part of the nightly routine. Joss loves the water and kicks, which makes Paul crack up, which makes Joss kick more. It's a very giggly cycle that we're pleased to perpetuate.



We use less water so it's nice and shallow for Joss. When we take Joss out to dry up, we run more water so Paul can have a proper play in the bath. The other evening, Paul was begging for "more water! More water!" and scooted down to the faucet end of the tub, where Mommy was just about to lift Joss out of the bath. Just as Paul was about to ask again for more water, Joss releases a golden arc of pee right into the tub. Mommy begins to giggle, and says, "I guess Joss wanted to put more water in the tub for you, Paul!" Paul thinks a moment, and begins laughing too. *whew*

Joss' 6 month Doctor Visit

On August 10, 2010, Joss had his 6-month check up, and he is doing very well. He behaves in some aspects as a 6 month old, and in other ways like a 4.5 month old, which is is corrected age. This is most evident with his reaction to solid foods - interested, but his system is just not quite mature enough to digest it well yet. His height and weight is 10th percentile uncorrected, but quite wonderfully average when corrected. His head is still large (not in any way a concern, just on the larger side of the bell curve. Like an orange on a toothpick.)



He was playful and cheerful throughout the appointment, until his vaccinations. Even then, he recovered very quickly and was very sweet until later at night, when the shots caught up with him, and Tylenol was administered as needed.