Nathan And The Shore

So, this post is only about four months too late. I know I should have posted this way earlier, but I think the appropriate phrase here is 'better late than never'. This year we decided to take Nathan to the shore. Ocean City, Maryland, more specifically. It was a fantastic time, even if Nathan wasn't able to walk. While at the shore he made a few pretenses at moving from butt bopping to crawling, but mostly he bopped around on his butt or rode his wheelie bug around the condo (which occasionally led to him falling backwards off of it when he tried to jump over the sliding door grooves).

The first day we were there, we forced him to the sandy beach even though it was slightly chilly. We allowed him to walk with the help of two people and he didn't seem overly fond of the sand or surf.





If you think he looks grumpy in these photos, you should see his face should you actually put him into the ocean water. We did so on our warmest day there, and he acted like we were inviting sharks to eat him simply because we put his toes in the water.

He wore a hat or sunglasses nearly the entire time we were at the shore, even while in the pool. This thrilled many people at the condo center or on the boardwalk. They'd all ooooh and aaaah at him, especially in the pool. We got several comments to the effect of, "Oh, your baby is the one that wears those cute shades!"





We had great breakfasts, and then we went swimming EVERY morning for at least two hours, and most days Nathan would fall asleep in my arms as I walked around the pool with him. After he fell asleep or close enough, we'd bundle him up in the biggest, driest towel, shower him clean, and give him a bottle pre-nap, and then Paul, Nathan, and I would all nap together for several hours. Those were some of the best mornings of my entire life.

After nap, we'd wake up, have a small snack, and prepare to hit the beach again for kite flying, or go to the boardwalk, or go out for a nice dinner.





We made Nathan go on baby friendly rides such as the Ferris Wheel, which my mom thought would lead to his death, or the puppy ride, or the Merry-Go-Round.




Those rides did not thrill him nearly as much as the ice cream we let him sample did. Nathan was pro-ice cream, anti-rides.

It was a good time, and I wish I had blogged it a little more while I was there or right after, because I feel like I've forgotten some of the best moments, such as my mom's attempt to devour all of Ocean City's crab, or Nathan's ewok look, or the way Nathan loved to sit on our balcony and splash himself in the face.

Nathan At The Park

One of my favorite autumn activities with Nathan is the playground or park. We visited several times in the summer, but he still needed to be carried then since I didn't want him crawling on the dirt, and he enjoyed the swings, but swings would only provide him with a few minutes of happiness before he'd simply look bored. Combine that with the dislike I have of being super sweaty hot and my dislike of grass and dirt, we'd simply go home after a very short visit and our visits were few and far between.

In the last months, things have vastly changed. The weather has cooled remarkably, but is still within the 'nice' range. Paul has started to come home earlier due to a change in work location. Nathan's started walking and climbing around the playground sets.

Now, when he sees a tunnel, he's the first to try and crawl through it.


Or he'll rush up the nearest set of stairs, without looking to see if I'm behind him until he's more than halfway up.


That's given me several heart attacks, I assure you. He enjoys playing on the playground stuff like slides and stairs most, and he's figured out how to slide on his own. ("Sit down near the slide and SCOOT SCOOT!" His dad taught him the scoot and he's mastered it well.)

But, where I enjoy him most is the swings.




Sometimes when he swings, he laughs every single time he is heading for me. Today, he kicked his feet all over the place when I went to push him because he was laughing hard. I laughed just as hard, which is pretty hard. Both Nathan and I have loud voices and laughs. I'm lucky, though. Now that I got him with me, the rest of the world seems to love to hear us laugh.