Pump It Up

Today I went back to work. I thought I'd miss Wyatt but it turns out a little space in our relationship is not a bad thing. While I was on maternity leave, my employer, Creative Mediation, moved offices so over the weekend Garett helped me get my new workspace ready for my return. This is a photo of Garett standing in front of the curtains he meticulously hung to hide me from the busy street beyond. When friends and coworkers ask me about feeling ready to get back to work I nearly always mention my anxiety about pumping breast milk for Wyatt on the job. Of course my new office has windows with no window coverings on two of the four walls. I not only had to figure out a plan for cheap window coverings but also am determined to get over the mental block I have about pumping milk like a cow while trying to maintain some modicum of professionalism. I feel weird enough pumping at home so envisioning someone using the intercom feature to ask me a mediation related question with the hum of the Medela double pump in the background seems like a bit more than I can handle.

I'm pleased to report that all went well on this first day back to work. Our dear friend Nana Nancy spent the morning with Wyatt and Garett was home by one for an afternoon of parenting. I put aside my anxiety about the pumping, closed the door to my office and felt smugly pleased to get to take two 10-minute breaks during the day. We'll see how long I can hang.

Uncle Josh

We had a fantastic weekend highlighted by a visit from Uncle Josh who is spending the summer on the west coast (!!!) working for a law firm in San Francisco. As you can see, Wyatt is smitten with his uncle and who wouldn't be? The weather here was unbelievably warm on Saturday so we spent some time on the beach. Ruby kept a close eye on Wyatt while we played in the ocean.And here are a couple more photos from the weekend.

Wyatt's been asking when he'll get to see Uncle Josh again. He's pretty advanced linguistically.

Wyatt This Week

Scope and Soak

I'd say we had a pretty good day but I suspect that Garett may not agree with me. The Cayucos pool opened Tuesday and Wyatt and I spent about 15 minutes this afternoon taking his first ever dip. He didn't cry a bit and only had a slightly scared look on his face. Being in the water with a baby reminded me of my favorite job ever, a mommy'n'me swim class instructor. Sadly, I was 18 during that employment period and it's been downhill since.

The pool was the highlight of the day. The other part of the day included a routine colonoscopy for Garett. The worst part was the fasting and prep but he was back to his lucid self by three, just in time for a trip to the pool. Here are the first (of many, I hope) pictures of summer pool adventures

Bucktooth

Wyatt found his thumb and my dental hygienist mom is sure we're going to be stuck with either enormous orthodontia bills or a bucktooth son. I'm just glad he sucks his thumb with flair.

Three strollers? We're on our way.

Garett and I spent my entire pregnancy in complete denial on the topic of baby related items and what exactly we would need. We were convinced that Wyatt would be just fine with diapers, a couple of onesies and a car seat. When some members of our family encouraged us to consider an SUV when we were looking for a new car for Garett, we thought they were crazy and went ahead and bought him a pick-up truck. When my mom said she'd love to give us a video monitor, we nearly talked her out of it, instead trying to urge her to buy the cheapest one without a video camera. When our friends told us that it's pretty common to have three strollers, we rolled our eyes and emphatically stated that we would be just fine with one.

Now, just 13 weeks into being parents, we own two strollers and I have a feeling we'll have a third within the year. Why do we need so many things to raise such little people? Does Wyatt really need a crib bumper and an extra waterproof pad on the already waterproof changing pad? Did you know that there is such a thing as a wipee warmer? I'm proud to say we do not own one. Can you imagine the transition from a warm, moisturizing wipe to cold, harsh toilet paper? I will not allow Wyatt to face such a hardship.

On the stroller front, I just found a

Bob jogger-style stroller on our local craigslist.

It's in nearly new condition and makes going up and down the hills on our evening walks a breeze. Wyatt seems to like it too.

A few photos

A few photos from the last week:

The Happiest Place on Earth

No, it's not Disneyland. It's the drive-in movie theatre in San Luis Obispo.


Last night we took a family trip to the drive-in. Well, it was almost a family trip. We left Ruby home because we weren't quite sure we could bring her and didn't know if we'd have room in the back of the truck for her and Wyatt.

The drive-in is up there on my list of favorite experiences of all time. I haven't always been such a huge drive-in fan. I went maybe three or four times during my childhood and, while we usually had a good time, it wasn't particularly memorable. I did have one awkward drive-in experience in high school that involved a first date with a kind of geeky boy named Mark and an almost-hand-holding over the gear shift in the center console. Let's just say he was hoping for a sweet moment and I was searching for a reason to need both hands to roll down the window. In case you're wondering, there was no second date.

I think part of my new found love of the drive-in is the way that Garett really knows how to do it up. He never complains while we load up the truck with way too many pillows, blankets and sleeping bags and never forgets to bring the batteries to run the pump for the blow-up mattress which significantly increases the overall comfort factor of laying in the back of his truck. He also doesn't call me crazy when I dress in my pajamas, bring three pairs of socks and wear both a beanie and a hoodie pulled tight over my head. When we get there, he goes to work transforming the bed of his truck from flat metal discomfort to a heaping mound of cozy and billowing pleasure. In a matter of minutes, I get to crawl in under at least two sleeping bags, lean my head back on the perfectly placed down pillows and peer up to the screen ready to watch the movie. It really doesn't get better than this.

Last night, we experimented a bit with our tried and true drive-in formula. First, we added Wyatt to the mix. I'm thankful to report that he seemed to like it. I fed him right when we got there (while Garett was doing the aforementioned set up) and then bundled him up (don't worry, Mom, he did not get a chill) with several blankets and a hat. He curled up right between the two of us and slept through the entire showing of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. On the drive home I swear he was humming the melody, dun du dun dun, dun du dun.

Second, we stopped at our favorite Mexican restaurant, Chapala, on our way and picked up burritos and horchata. The horchata was especially a treat and I think we may hit up Chapala again the next time we go to the drive-in.

Sometimes I feel a little silly loving the drive-in the way I do. I tell Garett that it's as close to camping as I like to get (and I'm only half joking). I think it's just my ideal combination of being with the one(s) I love, laying under the stars and enjoying a good movie.