Sawyer meets Surf, Sun, Sand

If somebody had told me a year ago that I would soon have human crap caked under my fingernails and not care about it, I would never have believed them. I probably would have gagged at the mere thought of it. Yet, there I was at the beach last weekend, two-week-old baby half-naked in my lap, poop splattered up his back, in his shorts, on the changing pad and, yes, under my fingernails and I never flinched.
For me, becoming a mom has been a pretty seamless transaction. It feels surprisingly natural. I have a fair bit of baby experience under my belt, but I was never one of those women who fantasized about having my own baby or enjoyed buying baby clothes for my friends' children. I always assumed I would have children someday, but that mental image never included a newborn.
Things have been going so well, however, I find myself waiting for the other shoe to drop.
I did have a moment of panic our first day at the beach. Sawyer was laying on the mat under the umbrella in nothing but his diapers, and I was watching his little chest rise and fall as he panted slightly through an open mouth. It hit me for the first time just how fragile this little life is, and the feeling of responsibility welled up in my throat, overwhelming me. Sand stuck to his skin and his face. I wanted to brush it off but Scott wouldn't let me. I kept shifting bags around, trying to find the perfect balance between cooling breeze and sandstorm protection. I alternately checked his temperature, shifted wind-blockades and stared at him for five straight hours.
The next day, I had my act more together. Going to the beach is all about sand management. My new tactic was to keep the sand off him entirely, which I achieved with some success by converting his car seat into a beach lounger.
I also finally got into dressing him in all the fun baby surfer gear we have been given. He's plumping up nicely and the 0-3 month clothes are finally beginning to fit (see photos).
There was some question as to whether we would be able to make our annual camping trip to the beach at all this year. If Sawyer had been late, it couldn't have happened. As luck had it (and following several en utero mother-son discussions), he came early and we were able to squeeze the trip in prior to Justin's departure. Most of my friends said I was crazy for taking a two-week-old on vacation, and we got a startled look from strangers who stopped to ooh and ahh at the babe when they asked his age.
We said having a baby wouldn't slow us down. It has, however, made us rethink camping in a four-season, three-person mountaineering tent.
This year, we "camped" in the relative luxury of the beach side Comfort Inn.
Sawyer was a trooper. He slept well, never cried at night and – thanks to Sarah Quainton's gift of the "Hush Baby" CD – hardly cried on the 5-hour car ride.
Again, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
To explain the Hush Baby CD: I received this gift in the mail several days before departing on this trip and slipped it into the diaper bag. When we reached the Outer Banks, Scott and Justin ran into Wal-Mart to buy a window shade (the one we had registered for turned out to be worthless). I sat in the back of the car with Sawyer and he started fussing. Remembering the CD, I cracked the packaging and popped it in. Expecting ocean sounds or chirping frogs, I was surprised to hear a static-like vacuum cleaner white noise that is supposed to mimic the sound of the womb. Slightly grating, but it worked like magic. He stopped crying almost immediately.
The boys returned from the store minutes later and both winced when they opened the doors. "What's THAT?" they screeched. Scott turned the CD off immediately.
Our next stop an hour later was at the grocery store. This time I went in and left the boys in the car. When I returned ten minutes later, Scott was now in the back seat with the baby, both boys were staring into the car seat anxiously, and the Hush Baby CD was blasting over the speakers. The baby was staring at the ceiling, almost hypnotized. I just giggled. Scott didn't even look at me.
For the rest of our trip, if Sawyer made so much as a whimper, the boys grabbed the Hush Baby CD and stuck it in. It worked every time.
Thanks auntie Sarah!!! Our trip would never have been the same without your magic gift.
All-in-all the vacation was a success. Justin had a blast playing in the waves. Scott got some surfing in. Even Sawyer got his feet wet in the ocean.