Adventures with Baby

Last weekend we took a family trip to southern California and since we took Owen with us, it was definitely a bigger adventure than just a normal vacation! We had so much fun staying with the Laings, visiting with people in Ventura, going to Disneyland and a baseball game and eating lots of wonderful SoCal In-N-Out and Chik-Fil-A (yummm!). It was a busy weekend even excluding the baby, but with Owen in the middle of it all, it was even more of an adventure!

It was fascinating watching how Owen dealt with change, new circumstances and being passed around from person to person all day. We are learning more and more just how social this little boy is! He loved being held by all sorts of new people, but he's very particular about how he wants to be held. His favorite position is to be held with his back against your chest in a sitting position - just like the big people! I think he already wants to be considered to be a big boy and he wishes he could do all the things that we can. He also loves people and is happiest when he's looking at someone's face and figuring it out. It's so fun to watch him learn!

There were many highlights to the trip, but one of my favorites was when we went to Disneyland. We spent half the day there and by the end of it, Owen did not want anything to do with our Ergo carry pack (it faces toward the chest so he couldn't see much while he was in it) so we ended up carrying him in our arms through Disneyland. It was like carrying a little puppy around. Every person that walked by would see him and their face would melt and say "Aww! He's so little!". Finally he fell asleep in my arms while we were waiting for the World of Color to start and we figured we could sneak him back in the pack while he was out... no luck. He woke up as we arranged him in the Ergo and started crying again so Nick took him out just as the show started. Owen was fully awake during the entire World of Color and he was really watching it. It was so amazing to see his little face study the color and be fascinated by all the sounds. It was an amazing show and it was so fun that all three of us enjoyed it! Though Owen will not remember that moment, I know I always will.

When we got home on Monday, we were all a little worse for wear considering how little sleep we got on the trip, how far off Owen's schedule was and the fact that Nick's car had gotten towed four days ago without us knowing. It was definitely a different experience traveling with an infant, but in my opinion, it was totally worth it. Plus, now that we've done it, I know we can do it again!

The Laings & The Walkers
(minus Jeremiah... he was napping in the van)

Thank you Laing family for hosting us! Thank you friends for being around to say hello! Thank you Jesus for keeping us safe and healthy during the trip! And thank goodness... we made it home all in one piece!