Beach Babe

I'm guessing all children love the beach. A sand pit and paddling pool in one perfect package. We headed to Lido Beach this morning, just us and a carload of crap :) In NY we can bring whatever fits in my knapsack - which ain't much. Here, the car's the limit...

It was foggy and cool when we arrived, which made for wonderfully comfortable sand play. P's new buddy down here loaned us a digger and dumptruck, solid suburban sizes both :) His mother had bragged that they occupied her three year old for an entire beach afternoon while she read and rested and she insisted we bring them along for a pleasant beach experience. So sweet - and I admit to High hopes. Ah, well. There are many types of children in the world and mine is apparently highly interactive :)

After burying BB and deciding the large waves were too chilly yet for a swim, we took to castle building. The one thing we had forgotten was a little shovel, and the digger didn't really dig, so we exfoliated our hands and feet on the course sand and dug a couple of moats. It was great fun watching them fill with water and using the dump truck to move sand from one castle to another.

When we water played at Coney Island last October P was still small enough to need my hand to keep from toppling under. When I told him he was probably ok this time he was eager, yet edgy. He'd run, pell mell, towards the waves, his little jaw set in concentration. If a big one surprised him he'd growl at it. It was hilarious to watch him work so hard while trying to act so nonchalant. The day warmed and the beach started to fill. An older boy was doing tricks on a boogie board nearby while 5 and 6 year olds jumped into the waves and swam. P would study them and then rush the waves with a determined look - only to steer to the side as the big ones hit. Despite his inability to dive under he was pretty pleased with himself all day. He'd run back to me with an aloof "you saw that?" Then he wanted BB to say only big kids can do that (run in the waves) :)

Once it was warm I suggested we swim a bit. He loved the idea of going "way out like the big kids" so we tramped through the large waves. P quickly got a face-full of seawater when a wave washed right over him, but after lots of coughing and spitting he wanted to go back - without "dunking." I carried him out after swearing on graves that I would look out for him... only to be knocked down by a wave myself. (Really, they were kinda big!) However, I managed to raise him high when I fell, keeping his face dry. On my knees in the ocean I stupidly turned to him with a look of "see! I'll protect you!" Gazing at my son I forgot all about the oncoming wave and my knee-bent, short stature. Bam! We both got doused. As I laughed and sputtered P turned his sun weary eyes to me and said (after he finished coughing) "I want to go to Gramps' pool."

Ahh, well. It had been 4 hours, so home we went. After loading the car for an hour we were ready to go :) Two minutes from the beach P asked where BB was. Whoops, I had loaded him in the back. We chatted about it and P seemed ok with seeing BB at home, they could talk through the seat. Then I heard P saying "Baby Brother, I'm so, so, So sorry mama forgot you in the back." He was quiet for a minute. Then he said "Mama! I know! You can pull into a parking lot and get out and get Baby Brother and then get back in traffic?" Needless to say, BB road shotgun on the way home.

True to his word, P jumped out of the car and headed for the pool. Being a red head from the winter north, I was a virtual lobster by the time we got to the pool (yes, despite a couple doses of #30) which really helped P understand the importance of sunscreen. Reticent on the issue all day, he eagerly helped me reapply both of us and fake applied cream to BB. We had managed to keep the stuffed doll free of seawater (except for his fingertips - P Insisted we let him Touch the ocean) but apparently he has been relabeled as a pool toy, so in he went. P's confidence had grown again and he swam without my hand the whole time. I had to Greatly encourage our exit 2 hours later. After we showered and had dinner P reiterated his preference for more pool time. Sadly, I was done with water for the day. Thankfully, there is a gate to the pool, because P really disagreed with me. Fortunately, the gate is too high and slippery, even for a very determined child.

It was a long day and I figured he'd zonk Fast tonight. But as he nursed to sleep his brain just kept churning. He'd pause to ask "where do dinosaur muscles go? when we find the skeleton?" Or, "Is Danda a mama kitty?" He wasn't stalling because short answers satisfied him and he'd lay back down. He was just still curious about stuff. Tonight I decided my Xmas list: the endurance of a three year old.