Beach Baby

We just got back from our beach vacation a few days ago, and we are getting ready to head out to a mountain vacation tomorrow!  Busy bees lately!

Get ready, this post is gonna be really, really long!

So, it was Addy's first beach vacation, and Daisy's first and LAST beach vacation.  It was just too much having Daisy there too, especially with her bestest bud Holly.  They are both awesome dogs, but together it's nonstop action, and it's exhausting to be around.  And whenever we went to the beach, they spent their time crying for us to return.  Poor Grandma and Grandpa had to listen to crying dogs all week.  And then after one dog peeing on the rug, and the other dog vomiting on the rug and escaping from the porch (yup, that second dog was our gal Daisy), we made the decision to leave the pups at home next year.  Sorry girls.  It was too much...much, much too much.

But on the other hand, Addy was sooo fun at the beach!  (Good thing, because I don't think leaving her at home next year would be an option ;))  It took her a little bit of time to get used to it, but by the end of the week, she loved the beach.  Thank goodness, because you can't be a girl in this family and not be a beach bum!

These little wading pools that creep up with high tide are the perfect spot for little ones.  They can still play in the water, but it's warmer and not as scary as the big bad ocean.  Addy had her little pile of sand toys and she lasted a surprisingly long time there.

Hurricane Irene messed us up a little bit, and we didn't get to the beach until Sunday night, but it could've been soooo much worse.  There was no damage to our beach house, and the house had power, so we were very lucky.

Day one: Monday:

We didn't make it very far out of the house with Addy Marie.  She lasted maybe 15 minutes at the beach.  Here is one of the few pics from that day. 

She didn't tolerate being put down at all, and was only content to be carried around.  I guess I can't blame her.  I can only imagine how scary the ocean must look to a little baby.  So Grandma Hetrick was more than willing to tote Addy around and show her the ropes.  How cute are they in their beach hats? :) 



(Notice the giant log in the ocean?  Yup, its part of a pier that was destroyed in the hurricane.  One of the reasons we decided not to venture into the ocean until later in the week.  Who knows what other debris was floating around.)

Day two: Tuesday:

It was a little bit overcast that day, so we decided to take Addy to the aquarium.  It was a great time, and I can't wait to do more fun things like this with her!

Getting ready to head into the aquarium

Hanging with Pap and Grandma

Addy's favorite part of the aquarium was the tank with the Lion fish in it.  She was mesmerized by them.  So as we were leaving Mike secretly ducked into the gift shop and came out with this....Addy's own stuffed Lion fish.  It was the sweetest thing :)  (And he says he's not wrapped around her little finger... I beg to differ :))

Day 3: Wednesday:

Addy and her new pal Lionfish.  (Note Tina's monogrammed pillowcase in the background.  My sis is high class.)

Went to the beach, but stayed on the blanket under the umbrella to try to ease her in.  She loved that watering can.... not so much that bottle with water in it.  She has zero interest in drinking water.

Then at lunch time we decided to try carrots for the first time!

A little unsure at first, as always.

"Done, done, done, DONE!  No more carrots!"

That evening we headed into Beaufort for some dinner....

where Tina and Mom got the biggest dish of creme brulee ever!

Addy and Grandma at dinner.  It was nice having so many people help with Addy at the restaurant.  The girl has no patience when we are out to eat, and will only tolerate it if you walk around with her.  Which is why the frequency of our little family of three going out to eat is rapidly decreasing...which I suppose is a good thing anyway.  Time for me to get cookin'!

Not the greatest family photo in the world, but there we are.  Ha ha!

Day 4: Thursday:

We finally ventured into the water and it took her a minute, but she ended up loving it!  (As long as she had her watering can of course.)

About to fall over, but Grandma is right there to catch her!

How cute is that little hat that my mom bought Addy in Beaufort the day before?!

Mike and I with our little beach baby!  It was such a gorgeous day!

Day five: Friday:

Get ready for this....I forgot to take Addy's weekly pics on Thursday.  Huge news, I know.  Ha ha!  But it was the first week since she was born that I forgot to take her weekly pics on Thursday, and I'll admit I was slightly annoyed about it.  Yup, I'm that big of a dork.  Anyway, never fear... we took them on Friday.

"Yay for my Ariel bathing suit!"

A girl in motion!

This is seriously the happiest I have ever seen her in the weekly photos.  But why wouldn't she be happy?  It's vacation!

Ariel was a little big on her so we had to tie the straps together in the back with a strap from one of my bathing suits.  Ha ha!

Out to the beach for our last day!

I got a tip from one of my co-workers to buy a cheap shower curtain, dig a little hole for Addy, lay down the curtain, and fill it with ocean water.  It was a great idea, because she didn't get nearly as sandy, and her little pool of water didn't disappear down into the sand.  Brilliant, albeit a little ghetto looking...

The view from afar.  Daddy fishing while Pap and Grandma look on.  Addy played in her little "pool" for honestly about an hour!  I could not believe how content she was in there....

So much so that we decided to try out the ocean....

Bad call.  Ha ha!  But she did get kinda used to it after awhile.

And then all it took was a little bit of Aunt Tina and a break from the beach to make it all better :)

Whew, so that was our beach trip in pictures.  Ridiculously long, but you know I had to capture every moment of Addy's beach adventure.  And in case the pics weren't enough, here are some videos...

Ok, this post is long enough....hope everyone enjoyed watching Addy's first trip to the beach!  We had such an awesome time and we're already looking forward to taking her next year! 

Now it's time to get packing for our mountain trip!