Weekend in Gualala

We spent last weekend in one of our favorite seaside towns, Gualala. Adam and I had been craving a beach weekend for some time now and we made a spur of the moment decision mid-last week to just pick up and go on Friday! No time like the present, right? Adam was able to take a half day on Friday and we made the peaceful two hour drive during Grayson’s afternoon nap. He woke up right as we pulled in the house — perfect, right?

Gualala is special to us because we spent a fabulous weekend there about five years ago when we were dating. We visited again when we were engaged and were so excited visit as a family of three this time around!

Gualala is a tiny town on the Mendocino Coast. If you blink, you might miss it, but that’s why we love it so much. We have a favorite pizza place there, and there’s a fabulous market and coffee shop/deli. What more do you need, really?

This was Grayson’s second time to the beach and he made a BEELINE for the sand. He immediately dug his toes in and started to try to eat it, which I attempted to put a stop to, but man…the kid is fast. I figure if sand is the worst thing he ever puts in his mouth, it’s not so bad.

I need to write his 8 month post but wow….the boy gets two teeth and a haircut and all of a sudden I feel like I have a toddler on my hands! No, really. Why is he four years old already?!

We rented a little beach cottage through FlipKey and will absolutely be returning. We agreed it was the best vacation rental we have ever stayed at in our lives (here’s a link to the actual home we rented if you’re local and looking for a getaway!). The house had everything — board games, toys, a high chair, cushy robes for the hot tub, a bread machine, an ice cream maker, a whole cabinet of spices…you name it, the house had it. It makes more sense for us to rent a house through flipkey, vrbo or airbnb when we travel now because we like to put Grayson in his own room when possible. Being in a cramped hotel room that’s lights off at 7pm for bedtime doesn’t really feel like vacation in my book. Plus, we enjoy cooking our own meals!

The first night we were there, Adam and I grilled steaks on the deck after Grayson hit the sack. Grilled ribeyes, red wine and a hot tub with the ocean roaring was, quite possibly, my perfect dream evening. The second night we just grabbed pizza from “our” spot in town.

Grayson enjoyed playing with bowls, measuring spoons and tupperware just like at home. Who needs baby toys when you have a tupperware drawer?

It was the most relaxing getaway — maybe even weekend if I’m being honest — we’ve had since Grayson was born last May — partly because of his age and partly because of the gorgeous surroundings and weather.

A few of you have asked about my ring slings because I mentioned how I didn’t like them in the babywearing post I wrote awhile back. Well, I have to report that I finally got used to them and now I use them all the time! Way more often than my wraps, actually, because I can easily and quickly pop Grayson in and out. Slings were the hardest for me to “get” but I’m glad I didn’t give up! I don’t know what I would do without them now…through travel, sickness (they really came in handy when Grayson had an ear infection and wouldn’t sleep laying flat!), and just day to day life, they have proved themselves indispensable.