Sand and Sunshine

So, last week our entire family made the trip to the gulf coast of Florida for some time in the sunshine and the sand. I was particularly excited anxious to see how Ian would do. I was that neurotic mother looking online about what everyone said about taking toddlers to the beach. I read all about the magical powers of baby powder and stocked up. I read about how some parents took little pools for their tots to play in since they did not like the sand or ocean. I was prepared, I had a little inflatable bath tub to take...no problem! I stocked up on sunscreen and knew I was going to come home with my baby boy as pale as he came! I was bound and determined that it was going to be AWESOME despite reading horror stories. There is one thing you learn quickly as a parent...things never go the way you think they will. Good thing for me that I have also learned not to freak out and just take things as they go.

I just knew my brave and adventurous boy who loves to swim in the pool was totally going to LOVE the beach. Instead, I put him down in the sand and he just looked at me like I had placed him on a foreign planet and was leaving him to be eaten by monsters who were sure to emerge from those tiny grains of sand any second. So all my anticipated pictures of my sweet boy playing in the sand with his cousins...yea- those do not exist! This is about all I have. Sticking him in the sand and hurrying to take a picture before he attempted to crawl in my lap.

I took my all weather blanket from Initials Inc because it is great for not collecting sand but still gives you a great spot to sit and relax. I tried letting my little love sit on this blanket with a snack. That was fine...as long as I was within arms reach. Whenever I tried to go to the water or actually enjoy the beach. He would just stand at the edge of the blanket and hold his arms out to come get him. Crazy boy! For the record, he was not that far away. And while it was nice to not have to worry about him making a dash for the water or through the sand- it made our stays down at the beach short.

I eventually decided it was time to try out the whole bath tub idea. So glad I brought it...just in case! I pulled it out of my bag from its folded and crumpled state and prepared to blow it up...only to discover I had brought the wrong thing. (Heart breaking here) You see he has a little sitting pool float that is mostly yellow in color, which JUST so happens to be the same color as the inflatable bath I THOUGHT I had packed. So who knows if that would have worked or not. I have a sneaking suspicion that it would have. Anyhow, I decided I would just hold him and carry him out to the water. He was wary of the waves but doing pretty good- that is until I wasn't paying close enough attention and we both got slammed by a wave. Yea, he was done after that...I have no idea why?!?!?!

I don't know if I have ever mentioned that Ian loves hats. When I say he loves hats, I mean he loves to play with them. He loves to take them on and off and throw them around. He refuses to allow a hat to be worn for more than five seconds on his head. So all those mommy bloggers that tell you to sunscreen them, put a shirt on them, and put a hat on their head...I got two out of three! Needless to say even with reapplication my baby didn't stay pale for long.

Now, with him having a little bit of ginger in him from his dad, he gets rosy when he is outside for a little while anyways but a little more so at the beach. None the less, he had a lot of fun playing with his big cousins and swimming- in the pool of course! It was a good trip and even though we didn't spend the majority of our time on the beach. We did relax and spend a lot of time together and that is the very definition of vacation in my mind! Hoping the next time our feet touches sand that there will be a deeper sense of appreciation from my boy! :)