NY Day one {Jones Beach}

One of our FAVORITE things on Long Island is Jones Beach State Park. Not only is it clean and beautiful, but the water is warm enough to swim in, and it is only minutes from my Grandma's house.

We had a quiet morning with my grandma eating NY bagels (best bagels ever!) and playing with James. He had a good morning nap in the travel crib and when he woke we headed to the beach.

E and I were a little nervous about how James would like it, he loves the water but isn't a fan of wind, and has never seen the ocean. It can be a little overwhelming, especially for a baby.

We walked around the beach for a bit before changing him into his suit, hoping he'd get used to the sea air and the ocean breeze. We plopped him in front of the 1930s bath house for a photo and he seemed to be taking to the entire experience quite well.

Once we were down near the water we changed him into his swimsuit and rash guard and walked over to where the waves were breaking. He squirmed to get out of our arms.

Ok, here it goes...

We set him down on the wet sand as a little wave quickly approached. The water hit his feet and was chilly at first. He squealed in delight and started stomping the wet sand under his feet. The feeling of the water receding under him seemed to thrill him.

With each new wave he got more and more brave (and E and I did as parents too), until finally we decided to sit him down on the wet sand. The little waves lapped around his swim trunks and he gathered big handfuls of sand so he could squeeze it between his fingers.

At one point he did get a little sand in his mouth before we could stop him and he was not pleased, but overall he loved it. We walked around, played in the water, and E and I took turns with him so we could each have a swim in deeper water.

Soon we were all tired, wet, sticky and sandy and ready to head home. James gathered another big handful of sand and was aiming for his tiny mouth. E stopped him and he got really mad and sad. The big tears told us it was nap time, so we gathered the babe, took a quick shower in the vintage bath house and headed back to Grandma's house.

One there we all took a nap, James impressing us all with a nearly three hour one. Gah, he's amazing.

Jones Beach. Beach #6 is the one we always frequent.
First dip! Oh wow that's chilly!

Beach hair and seaweed.








This last photo was taken only moments before he tried to shovel a big handful of sand into his mouth, E stopped him, and he went crazy. Poor man, he wanted sand. Yum yum.