An ocean view

My parents generously invited us to their beach condo for a week, and since I'm still on maternity leave, I jumped at the opportunity. It was Kirby's 2-month birthday, so what better way to celebrate than taking him to the coast for the first time. The beach is absolute therapy for me...there are few places I feel more calm and open and gratefully aware of my life's blessings.

Kirby checks out the ocean

It's too hot and too soon to take Kirby out in the sun, so with the help of willing grandparents, I had time to cruise the shore by myself. What a treat for me after many hours indoors...smelling the salty air, feeling the breeze, seeing and hearing the waves and wildlife, taking step after step in the sand.

It occurred to me that walking on the beach is a lot like motherhood for me. You're never sure if you are stepping on firm ground or if it will shift beneath you. It doesn't seem to get easier to walk on, but you adapt and adjust with each step and keep going. Sometimes you become painfully aware of your lack of balance; sometimes you surprise yourself with your reflexes and stamina. If you are doing it right, you slow down, stop and look around instead of blasting by everything. You might get tired or thirsty or have to go to the bathroom, but you put those things off as long as is possible so you don't miss anything. You will likely experience something special* and wish someone was there to share the moment with you, but you are secretly delighted that the moment is yours alone. This has been my journey so far.

The drive down and back took longer than usual since we stopped for feedings, but overall Kirby adjusted fabulously to everything. And he got to spend lots of time with his Gigi and Poppa as well as with my friends Katie, Pete and Jojo, which was fun. We walked him down the boardwalk a night or two, but I hesitated putting his little feet in the sand and ocean because there is still crude oil washing up in the form of tar balls (Yuck...I'll do a separate post on things related to that). But we got a few sweet photos of Kirby's first ocean visit that I will cherish forever. It will be fun next time to dip his sweet little toes in the sand and surf and experience the beach through his eyes. I hope he loves it as much as I do so that we can share it together. Here are a few photos from the week.

Pete and Katie having fun with Kirby

Relaxing on daddy's knees

Gigi missed Poppa and Kirby's staring contest

My sweet friend Jojo and her boys Jonas and Silas

Heaven packed into one location

*I found tiny, intact sand dollars and baby's ear sea shells (like finding 4-leaf clovers) in the same shell pile; a pod of dolphins escorted me for about a mile on one of my walks; I saw an osprey and new beach birds I've yet to identify; and I saw two stingrays and a needlefish in the surf less than 20 feet away from me. Good stuff.

I managed to catch the end...

of the most wonderful sound in the universe.

Trifecta

My husband loves a good Trifecta. It's one of those words he uses a lot if it's remotely relevant to the three-whatever things that just happened or are lying around. For instance, at night I have a Nightlight Trifecta. These are the three aids that help me keep the diaper change a low-profile event:

I've named them Moony, Smiles and Slugo, respectively. They are my late night pals, and I talk to them as much as I talk to Kirby. Smiles is especially positive when the diaper goes to the dumps. It just so happens I got the Diaper Tinkle Trifecta, and then some.  Somehow with the diaper changes, I'm the one who gets peed on. Jerry gets pood on, so I guess I should be thankful I'm getting the front end. I'm still developing my technique:

1. Lay Kirby down and tell him how fun the next few minutes are going to be. Queue ridiculous song.
2. Have a cloth ready to cover his front goods. 
3. Undo the diaper -- WAIT -- give him a moment to shoot as he feels the full air. 
4. Maintain ridiculous song.
5. Quickly grab ankles, pull diaper back, slide cloth in place over his goods...whew. So far so good.
6. Keep ankles up, one pinky finger on the cloth to keep it in place, slide dirty D off and fold it over underneath his bum.
7. Take care of cleanup with the other hand.
8. Maintain ridiculous song.
9. Pat dry with another cloth to keep diaper rash down.
10. Slide other diaper in place.
11. Quickly remove cloth, aim his goods down, seal the diaper deal.
12. Maintain ridiculous song while kissing his little feet and telling him what a champ he is.

Well, at 3:50 pm on July 23, Kirby had a monster diaper of pee and poo, and my technique had holes. Before I knew it, I was getting peed on from a sneakaround sidestream. Quick, cloth! Not quick enough, but not too bad. So I figure he's already gone, the cloth is soaked, we don't need this anymore. Wrong. A moment later a second stream comes shooting at my chest. WHOA! Quick, another cloth! He got me pretty good that time. At this moment Kirby spits up (blerks) over his left shoulder. Sigh. Allright, we'll definitely be having that bath sooner. And doing laundry, since I'm now out of pee cloths.

I'm finishing up with the backside cleanup when STREAM #3 shoots high and hits him right in the head -- and into his right ear. Ear puddle... AAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!! So now I've not only been peed on twice, now he's got pee in his head. Oh my goggles... How did I let that happen?! I'm frantically tilting his head back to the right to dump the pee, which sends the blerk running down his left cheek. 

At this moment the pediatrician's nurse returns my morning call regarding the green gook that's coming out of his right eye. She's telling me to apply a warm compress and if it's not better in the morning to bring him in. Gook, schmook...I'm no longer concerned about the green gook -- I'm now concerned that he's got pee in his ear. So I tell her my dilemna. She laughs kindly and tells me it's fine, that urine is very sterile, and I just need to sit him up and rub a warm wet washcloth down his ear. And that when I'm done, I need to document the event in his baby book.

This was one of the few times Kirby was fairly content during the diaper change. Just peeing and blerking his little heart out, I suppose, because he was pretty relaxed. Especially since he kept tinkling up the scene in perfect Trifecta form.

And Smiles just grinned at me the whole time. I guess it is pretty funny now. Still, I'll work a little harder on my technique. And next time wear a raincoat, just in case.