A Day At The Beach

When is a day at the beach, NOT a day at the beach?
When you bring a baby!
Today, Steve, Elizabeth, Ella and I went to the Cape Cod Canal state park for a relaxing day by the ocean. The day started with timing that would make any NASA flight director jealous!

Everyone up and fed by 9:00am. Steve shaves and dresses (of course after exercising and watching Trafton while Elizabeth caught a few more Z's).

Elizabeth into the shower while I watch Ella.

I'm in the shower while Elizabeth dresses then feeds Ella.

While this is going on, Steve starts packing up the car. We drive a mini van, and people wonder why. Well, after we remove Perry's car seat and re-install Ella's, we lay down the 3rd row of seats in order to accept the items required for our day of fun. These include:

Two beach chairs (one of which is broken, so we are required to stop by Ocean State Job Lot by the rotary in Wareham to purchase a new one)

A cooler of drinks and chicken salad

A picnic basket full of rolls, munchies and other dining essentials.

A diaper bag

Another diaper bag which contains several changes of clothing, the "miracle blanket" (don't leave home without it!!), receiving blankets, extra nooks, extra socks, SPF 50 lotion, sugar water (no need for formula...the benefit of breast feeding!).

A small cooler bag with pumped breast milk.

Reading materials.

Baby tent.

Baby carriage.

My beach bag containing more sun block, beach blanket and everything else for our day at the beach.

A variety of toys.

The Boppy

My neck pillow.

And probably a few more items which I have failed to mention. So, once Ella is fed, we now have a couple of hours to get to our destination between feedings. We all load into the car, including Trafton, who needs to be dropped of at Elizabeth's house while we are gone for the day. After that, we head for 495 South and our day of relaxation (of course, not before we stop for gas and coffee). So now, really, we are on our way. I settle in for a leisurely ride to the cape. With the exception of one slamming on the brakes and swerving into the next lane, followed by the removal of Steve's head at about the shoulders, we continue on our merry way. We arrive at the park around noon where Steve immediately unpacks our car. I set up the chairs, the baby's tent, spread out the blanket, put the coolers and picnic basket in place and finally sit, ready to read and relax. Ella was a doll...she slept most of the way down, and now, I get to play with her and watch the boats float by. Elizabeth makes our sandwiches and we eat, cooled by the ocean breeze, under a rustling maple tree. Ella eats as well, and soon becomes sleepy. Now is the time to pull out the "miracle blanket". Elizabeth rolls her up like a sausage, and off she goes to precious sleep. We have an hour or so to read and rest. Once she awakes again, we decide to take her for a walk, on the pathway by the canal. This, once again, soothes her to sleep. After the walk, we take down the tent (which never got used), fold the blanket, chairs, baskets and bags and Steve once again, loads the car. We stop for a snack of clam strips, and off we go, to 495 north and home. Once back, we go and pick up Trafton, go to my house, unpack the car, settle Trafton down, feed the baby, give her a bath, send Steve out for take out dinner, and crash on the couch.

Though tired, it turned out to be a wonderful day, and we are better prepared for many a beach day ahead of us in the summer of 2006.

Happy Summer!

What a beautiful summer day! I am home again today with a terrible case of vertigo. I haven't had this for a while, and I've forgotten how awful it feels. Couldn't even take care of my little Ella today, which breaks my heart. I look forward to that every week. Elizabeth told me that she has found her feet...can't wait to see it! Perry is crawling like a champ, and my guess he will be walking in another month. I can't believe he will be a year old in a week! What an amazing year this has been. Enjoy the new pictures...

The pictures are: Ella in her Christening gown (which I am proud to say that I made for her!), bathing beauty Ella (you gotta love those legs!), Nana and Nonu down at my Uncle Phil and Aunt Betty's house in Falmouth (Elizabeth had home visits on the cape so we took the opportunity to visit with them. It's too bad that the picture didn't capture the views from the windows,which is a magnificant view of Vineyard Sound and the island), a close up of Ella, Perry on the beach with Grandpa, Perry playing with the twin grandsons of our dear friends Robert and Debby in Onset, Perry in our backyard pool (we spare no expense for him!), Jared and Perry on the beach in Onset and finally, my little Italian Spagetti Boy!