First Day on the Beach {Day 1}

The Sunday morning sun peaked through the curtains of our bedroom.  I know this because we were already up due to Miss Priss waking up in the middle of the night, sleeping the rest in our bed, and waking up early that morning.  Pretty Girl must've been as excited as her Mama was about seeing the beach.  I pulled the curtains open to our ocean view and sat on the balcony per my normal beach routine.  My mom made delicious muffins for breakfast, and Millie Janalee had her normal bottle and oatmeal.

I anxiously began getting ready for us to head down for the day.  Packing a beach bag with a towel, sunscreen, iPhone, and frozen water bottles no longer cut it.  My mom purchased the most AMAZING beach wagon for us to use getting all our beach accessories down.  Russ, Dustin, and Daddy took turns pulling that big heavy thing down to the beach and back up each day.  They are supermen!

This was taken on the last day, and the wagon wasn't nearly as full as it had been previously in the week.

I say this because the wagon was filled with swimming diapers, regular diapers, wipes, sunscreen (baby and Mama kinds), TWO inflatable pools, Millie Janalee's Adirondack chair, Mama's beach chair, 4-5 towels, a beach tote full of sand toys, a cooler filled with Mama and Daddy drinks and apple juice and baby food and lunches, pool floats, sun hats, a big camera, a small camera, phones, and Russ's iPad for studying.  See?  It was full.

But once I worked myself into a tizzy trying to make sure I had loaded everything we might possibly need and getting Millie Janalee lathered in sunscreen, I grabbed my baby girl and headed down to the beach.  With Russ dragging behind us pulling a two ton wagon!

Beach doll!

I couldn't wait to show her the giant bathtub that is the ocean!  The water was as crystal clear as we've ever seen it and the waves were crashing perfectly on the white sand.  Millie Janalee showed NO fear.  She watched and waved her hands and walked right out toward the water.

When the waves crashed up on her feet and higher on her legs, she was unaffected.  She kept on walking toward the ocean.  The girl is my child!  LOVES the beach!  I should add a sidenote that the dry sand wasn't as much of a success.  But, the wet sand and the water...she loves.

My baby Baywatch girl running toward the ocean

Splashing in the waves!

It's surreal to think about our last beach trip.  Russ and I had the best time and soaked up every second of the fun.  However, during the days when I sat in my beach chair with my feet covered with crashing waves...in those days when I stared out toward the neverending ocean...I thought about bringing our child here.  I wondered when that would be. 

And now, she's here.  And she loved it!

"Do you see that, Daddy?"

My sweet family!  Party of THREE!

Millie Janalee and Russ

After all the lovelies of showing our daughter the beach for the first time, we set up her little camp for the week.  Two umbrellas, two baby pools, and toys!  We used one pool filled with fresh water from the water hose.  The other pool was dry...used for playtime when the water got boring.  Which rarely happened, by the way.  Millie Janalee splished and splashed having the best little time!  Pawpaw pulled up a chair to play too.

Beach babe

Pawpaw and Millie Janalee playing on the beach

After an hour or so of delightful giggles and squeals, Millie Janalee showed clear signs of hunger.  [insert squeals that were not so delightful] And who better to feed the baby in the shade than Susu.  My mom and dad were very helpful and eager to take turns helping with Millie Janalee so I could stay in the sun as much as I could.  I love a good sunny beach time.

Lunchtime with Susu and Pawpaw

And you know what comes shortly after lunch?  Naptime!  Millie Janalee knew exactly what was going on.  While she curled up in Susu's arms for a good beach nap, her Mama had other plans.

"Oh, I see.  I have to take baby naps while you enjoy this sunny day?"

Two minutes later

Thanks to Susu's soft arms who held Millie Janalee for a loooonnnng beach nap, I was able to sit with the girls with my feet in the sand and get some sun!  Something about the heat, sun, and water made our girl sleep much more than normal.  Of course, it worked out because she took amazing naps on the beach!

Kristin, me, and Sheila

The girls enjoyed some girl talk, laughs, and soaking up the sun.  Selah Grace joined us for the sun too.  My cousin Clancy is expecting a baby girl...Selah Grace!  It was so fun watching her sweet tummy in those adorable maternity swimsuits.  This time next year, our beach babies will grow in number!  So fun!

Clancy, me, Sheila, and Kristin

Clancy and Jack (and Selah Grace)

When Millie Janalee woke up from her great nap, Russ took her little sweaty head out to the ocean.  They waded in the water and jumped the waves and played with Clancy a little too!  Millie Janalee is such a good beach baby!  And I'm so glad.  I was a bit worried since she started crawling before we left that we would be chasing a sandy baby all over the place.  But, she sat so nicely in her little pool all day playing with her toys...when she wasn't jumping waves or napping.

Millie Janalee, Russ, and Clancy

I'm seriously trying to come up with a plan to get Millie Janalee and me back to the beach this summer.  Any suggestions on how to concoct this plan?  Ha!  We just had the best time, and I was so happy to share my love for a good beach vacation with my baby girl!

I would say our first day on the beach was even better than I imagined it.  We stayed out all day!  We came up around 4 to get Millie Janalee bathed and fed.  And maybe because Pawpaw and I had a little scare that we let her get sunburned.  It turns out that it was just the pink reflection from the baby pool.  I was like a frantic person bringing her in the condo fearing that I had a lobster-legged baby. 

Now I know.

Life is good at the beach.