Moving Is A Fun Adventure

That's what I'm telling myself often this week. The fantastic news is that it looks like the sale of our house is going through. It's been a very speedy process with just a 21 day escrow. The upside is less time to worry about moving. The downside is having less time to put all of our things in boxes and find a new place to call home.

We started packing on Saturday and accomplished more than we expected over the weekend. Our brilliant realtor suggested that we check out craigslist for boxes and we ended up meeting the coolest people new to Cambria from Minnesota, she a woodworker, he a software engineer. They gave us loads of perfectly respectable boxes and even some specialty ones for dishes, glasses and framed items. Since Garett is fundamentally opposed to purchasing boxes, it's a good thing we can return to U-haul the ones we bought in desperation on Saturday morning before the former Minnesotans called.

Another beautiful thing in all of this is that we're going to be moving into a home in Morro Bay that my parents are in the process of buying. We've thoroughly searched for rentals but have not yet found the right thing. We'll be able to stay in their home until we do find the right thing, and, in the meantime, have a park within walking distance, a huge yard with grass for Wyatt to play on and very, very reasonable rent.

Wyatt hasn't been a huge help with the packing but he loves to sit in his director's chair and guide us with grunts and squeals, all the while sucking his thumb.

We Love Anna

Wyatt's sitter, Anna, is spending her last official week at our house and we're feeling sad about that. She has been watching Wyatt three half days a week for the past eight weeks and has been nothing short of fantastic. She is a friend of Wyatt's regular sitter, Rachel, who has been away from San Luis Obispo for the summer. When Wyatt first hears Anna's voice on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings, he gets a huge grin on his face and cranes his neck to try to make eye contact with her as soon as possible.

There are several things that I've especially appreciated about Anna. First, she has been completely commited to this summer job, only missing one day of work and she asked me about that day with several weeks notice. I've been able to thoroughly rely on her and that has made all the difference in my transition back to work. Second, and probably even more important than the first, Anna has been a warm, kind and trustworthy caretaker for Wyatt. Knowing that he's content and at ease in her care means a lot. Anna daily writes in the "All That I Do, By Wyatt" journal to share the highs and the lows of each day from Wyatt's perspective and I pore over it as soon as I get home. Finally, Anna has gone way above and beyond every day by noticing what needs doing around the house and taking the initiative to do it while Wyatt is napping. For example, today I came home from work to find the sink dish-free (not a common sight these days) and the dishwasher unloaded.

The good news is that Anna still has two more years at Cal Poly so I doubt this is the last we'll see of her. The other good news is that Rachel is equally as fantastic and she is going to pick up next week right where Anna left off. Thank you, Anna!

What I Love About the Central Coast

Today I was reminded why I love living in Cayucos.


I splurged and took a trip to Morro Nails for a pedicure. I've gone to this friendly shop at least every couple of months for the past several years. I tried to time it so that Wyatt would be moderately hungry but not so starving that he'd be crying when we arrived. It was a sleepy Monday morning with only one woman in one of the massage chairs and three available pedicurists. I asked my usual, "Does any one mind that I'm bringing a baby in here?" question and was pleased to see the pedicurists smile with approval. I held Wyatt in my arms, hiding his bottle behind my back and talking with him about all of the new colors and sounds and smells around him. Once the pedicurist started her process, another technician, Mandy, came up and offered to hold Wyatt and feed him. I enthusiastically agreed and she ended up holding him for the remainder of the pedicure. While she fed him, she observed his eating style (voracious) and spoke about him in Vietnamese with her colleagues. I could see his eyes looking up at her inquisitively, wondering what she was saying and noticing it was different than the English language he hears at home. Mandy kindly held him and played with him while I received an extra long foot massage. I learned that Mandy's only daughter is now fifteen, a sophomore in high school, so she took great joy holding an infant.


What I love about this area and what I think is unique compared to other geographic areas is how genuinely kind people tend to be. Mandy saw that she could hold my little boy and give me the gift of a peaceful moment. I could see that holding and feeding Wyatt would be a welcome break in her otherwise quite industrious morning. We also know each other well enough for there to be trust and sense of comfort and familiarity in her offer and my acceptance. As I sat there watching Wyatt eat and then giggle with joy at Mandy and the others in the shop, I was deeply moved. It is a gift to live in a spot surrounded by people like Mandy who choose to extend kindness.

Wyatt's Six Month Birthday

In honor of Wyatt's six month birthday and my dad's 57th birthday, my parents gave us our first night away from Wyatt. Wyatt got the royal grandparent treatment and my dad got a 17lb, 10oz birthday present - a night alone with his grandson. However, it seems like Garett and I were the real winners in the situation, spending a luxurious night at the cozy Sanitarium Spa in San Luis Obispo. Below is our room complete with a Moroccan soaking tub, wood burning stove and private deck. We soaked in every possible moment in this lovely space and only called to see how Wyatt was doing twice.

It turns out Wyatt enjoys the company of his grandparents and really thrives in their care. And I'm not just saying that to get another night away. Really.

So, even though Wyatt made strides developmentally while we were away, our dog, Ruby, has reverted to ear licking and rough housing.

Ladies, Ladies

The Sabbath

We take rest pretty seriously in the Stapp family.