After flying into Seattle on Saturday and spending a few days along the Strait of Juan de Fuca, on Tuesday, we drove to Moclips, Washington, where we stayed at a “resort” on the beach. (Turns out that every place to stay along the Pacific Ocean in that area was called a “resort.”) Our place boasted a two-hundred-step stairway leading down to the sand. Jonah, Xenia, and Justin ran up and down the stairs several times a day. I went once and rested a lot on the many benches that offered respite to the old and weary on the way up. I didn’t mind because I had downloaded the Misborn series on my phone and was always looking for a chance to sit and read.
Tuesday night was a highlight of the trip. We ate dinner at a fancy restaurant with a wall of windows overlooking an amazing ocean view of ocean waves crashing on the beach below us. The waiter was lively. It’s a joy to be served by someone who loves their job! Misha was a little tired but started out okay in his high chair until he tried to lay his head on the table and bumped his forehead on the edge. John Ben took him outside to quiet him. Baby noises are fine, but loud crying would disturb the other guests. Misha hadn’t taken his afternoon nap, and we could tell. When they got back John Ben tried feeding him a baby food packet, but he shook his head and waved his arms in refusal. I told the gang what to order for me and took Misha out.
The little guy wanted to get down, but I didn’t want him crawling on the dirty carpet in the waiting area. I took him outside and walked around a bit with him in my arms until we got cold. The waiting area was empty, so I stood him up at a soft leather bench. He cruised for a minute before squatting down to crawl.
I said, “No, no, no.”
He stood up again and took a couple of steps holding on to the bench. Then he looked toward the tables in the restaurant and again squatted down.
I said, “No, no, no.”
He ignored me this time and dropped down into a crawl. I picked him up and held him until he squirmed to get down. We repeated this interaction a few more times until he got a bright idea.
He turned towards the tables and bent his knees yet again, but this time when I said, “No, no, no,” he stood upright and took a staggering step away from the bench. Then another and another. He had never walked by himself before, so I expected one or two steps, but he kept going. I waved at my family at the table, hopping from one foot to another, and wanted to shout but didn’t so as not to scare Misha or disturb the other customers. Esther came to check on us and saw him walking towards her. As soon as he saw her, Misha dropped down into a power crawl, and she lifted him up and praised his entrance into toddlerhood. He had walked over six feet!
Jonah, Xenia, and Justin were all getting along together better than usual. They get along better when they are outside in nature. It didn’t hurt that Jonah spent a lot of time on his phone with his summer girlfriend too. The million hours we spent in the car, I had to be vigilant to referee their conversations and turn on music or our audiobook. Refereeing is as exhausting as driving, so I jumped at the chance Wednesday morning to drive to the laundromat in the town where my sister Maya and my nephew Xavier live. I brought my laptop and wrote up the story of Misha’s first steps and talked to the locals until I was surprised by my nephew coming to join me and keep me company. We talked about our love for music until Maya joined us and we hung our until the clothes were folded. Maya took Xavier back and then joined me for an afternoon with the family.
I took pictures of Esther, John Ben, and Misha with the ocean view behind them.
Esther said, “Auntie Maya, jump in the picture with the four of us.”
Maya’s excitement on hearing that Esther is pregnant again was priceless!
We played Code Names and sat around getting Misha to walk between people and cheering him on for the next few hours. Babies are so entertaining!
We saw Maya and Xavier the next morning for another round of hugs. I’m so thankful that we had the opportunity to spend a little time together. Then we headed to Oregon.
Stay tuned for the rest of our trip!
Syra's Scribbles 