We took our first official beach trip to Myrtle Beach with Sydney last week (we went to Nags Head for a wedding in April, but it was too windy for her to play on the beach). Our car was filled to the brim…you would think we were staying for a month.
A self-proclaimed beach bum, I could only hope that Sydney would be the same, as I did not want to sit by the pool all week. Of course I would have if that’s what she wanted to do (anything for my baby girl), but luckily, it seems she inherited my beach-loving gene. And watching her explore this new environment was a blast.
After setting up our spot the first day – complete with a canopy for maximum shade, chairs, cooler and sand toys – we plopped Sydney in the sand that was already piquing her curiosity. Before we knew it, sand was in every nook and cranny imaginable on her body (bath time would prove to be a major task later) as she crawled around, picked up seashells and attempted to use her bucket and shovel. She loved it!
The ocean – as well as getting Sydney to keep her beach hat on – was our biggest challenge. Sydney loves baths, so I tried explaining that it was like a giant bathtub. She looked at me like, “Um, Mama, this water is COLD, and my bathtub doesn’t attack me with waves!” It took a couple of days, but she finally decided to stop clinging to me and sit along the shore, allowing the small waves to splash on her legs.
She’s not walking yet (at least not on her own anyway), so I can only imagine next year’s beach trip will be an even bigger adventure full of chasing her around the sand and in the ocean. And I can’t wait!
