As many readers know, Max was what many people would consider late to use the potty. We had various reasons for not pushing it, but we did tell him that you have to use the potty to visit Daddy’s office and ride the train home–two things he really wanted to do. A few weeks ago we made the leap to underwear and he has done so amazingly well–no accidents, in underwear at night too, just really doing a great job with it, so waiting was definitely worth it. Once it was clear that he was diaper-free, we planned our day in Seattle. Anna stayed home with Grandma so Maxwell got to have a special day with both of us. Jeff worked a half day, Max and I rode the bus downtown midmorning. We visited Jeff’s office and then went to lunch on the waterfront. After that we rode Seattle’s “Great Wheel.” We have a song on one of our children’s music CDs called “The Wonder Wheel.” We never paid too much attention to it, but when we were talking about riding the big Ferris wheel, Max thought of that song. He thought it would be really cool if we could listen to the song while we were riding the wheel, so Jeff put it on his phone. I’ll hold that memory for a long time: A beautiful sunny Seattle day, a ride on the Great Wheel with my two beloved boys, listening to the “Wonder Wheel” song. Perfection.

After our ride on the wheel, we got ice cream and Max spotted a carousel which he had to ride. Then we walked to Magic Mouse Toys, a very cool two-story toy store downtown. We had told Max he could pick a toy while we were there. He narrowed it down to three stuffed animals and then decided on a fawn he dubbed “Sasa.” We spent quite a while there playing with and admiring all the cool toys. We capped off our trip with a train ride home. The train runs along the waterfront almost the whole way, it’s a beautiful trip and this was Maxwell’s first train ride. Such a special day together, it was a wonderful way to celebrate Max’s accomplishment!

We caught the bus at a local station that has really cool architecture. We were a little early, so we went in to explore. I love this picture of Max on the stairs:

Riding the bus!

Walking to Daddy’s office:

Max had a ball exploring Jeff’s office. He met lots of people, helped Dad send an email, checked out the kitchen, and climbed a flight of stairs that looked interesting.

Then we were off for more fun in the city! Such a wonderful day.