A trip to the beach with my little peach!‏

Back in August (yes, I am that behind), my mom rented a little beach house in Galveston and I was so excited to give the beach another shot with Margo! Last Thanksgiving we went to Florida and to say Margo hated the beach was an understatement! She could not stand to have one grain of sand on her body! This time was much more successful and fun!

First of all, the beach house had a huge covered area with a warm shower, toys, a swing and such, which was great for playing! We had several rain storms and I think playing in the rain was the highlight of her little trip. She would dance, jump around and sing for a solid hour in the rain—her energy is boundless! It tickled me so much and I loved watching her experience something new. I think a rain coat and galoshes will be on the Christmas list, although I think she actually enjoys getting wet!

The first day at the beach was a failure. Once again, Margo hated the sand and while she was fascinated with the water, she refused to get her feet anywhere near the ground. I actually pulled my back trying to wrangle her around and suffered for it the rest of the trip. I was so disappointed. That night, I was brainstorming and thought of water shoes—why not try. We stopped at a little local grocery in Galveston and sure enough they had perfectly sized pink water shoes that she seemed excited about when she tried them on! My mom also realized that we had a Dora book about the beach and she was wearing water shoes, so of course we made a big deal about it.

The next day when we ventured out to the beach, she refused to walk to the water in her shoes. Then, Grannie decided to just take her and sit in the ocean whether she liked it or not and it only took her a few minutes to realize that it was awesome! She loved the waves splashing on her and as time passed got more and more brave. By the end of our beach visit that day, she was running and splashing in the water elated like I had never seen her before. Her innocence and excitement over the magic of the ocean was so heartwarming!

I am so glad Margo was given the experience and gift of the beach—one of my favorite places on earth! We also had fun at the aquarium and another fun day at the beach where Margo was equally as excited to play in the surf until she fell face first into the water. I would call the little trip a true blessing and a breakthrough for our sweet, cautious girl who now asks about the “ocean” every day. She now says, “ocean far away”, which is the explanation we keep giving her. Until next year, my love… we promise to take you back!