PAXbaby is celebrating Valentine’s Day with 13 days of Peace & Love leading up to the big HEART day itself! And today is day number 13. It has been fun! I hope you all have a happy and love-filled Valentine’s Day!
PAXbaby loves The Beach
The sand beneath my toes, and in my ears, and caught in crevices where sand should definitely NOT be! The salt water drying white on my legs, crusted in my eyelashes, and burning my nose! The buckets and shovels, rakes and pails, boogie boards and goggles, chairs and umbrellas, snacks and towels that are all handed to me as my children run towards the water with glee! The cuts and scrapes and bruises and worse from tripping over rocks and branches and their own feet.
You may ask why on earth would we go to the beach as often as we do…
The gorgeous white sand singing beneath my tan legs as I carry my baby to the water’s edge where we will frolic and splash. The warm water washing up over us as we sit at the edge, tickling out toes, and bring an interesting collection of seashells to inspect! The colorful toys that only are brought out to join us at the beach, completing our fun with star shaped mounds and drip sand castles. The excitement to be the first one all the way in the water, and then the first one out of the water. Running back up to our bright blanket to telling me all about their adventures, explaining with large hand gestures how big the wave was and how long the ride was, finding something unexpected under a rock, and how much fun they are having.
Why wouldn’t we come back again and again and again!
April of Thrifty Yippie Homemaker blogged along with us and wrote…
With a sick baby in my house, things have kinda gotten backed up. Thus, I am starting my 13 days of what I love with a catch up to Day 3.
Day 1: Breastfeeding.
No matter how many times I do it, it never feels less important. For the first time in my life, my breasts have become as treasured to me as they already were to my husband! With them, I give my daughter everything she needs and she gives me the closeness that I still need from a child that will some day be a completely seperate human being. It is a miraculous gift to give.
It’s also wonderful because it helps her be a good baby and me be a good mommy. She has less stomach aches than any formula fed children that I have taken care of. And I have to spend a lot less time preparing for meals or dealing with loss of sleep. Basically, it is the easiest and best gift that I feel I can give my daughter and I will keep giving it for as long as I can! Oh, and the calories it burns isn’t bad either.
Day 2: Co-sleeping
Co-sleeping is an amazing thing! When babies co-sleep, they breath in more oxygen and spend less energy regulating heat so they are less likely to have some of the health issues of individual sleepers. Thus, I can sleep with less worry. Also, co-sleeping allows me to breastfeed without ever fully waking up. (Unlike other moms, I seem to have more of a problem with sleeping too much.) It also allows me to stay connected to my child while she is in her 4th trimester and I am adapting to her being out of my body. And finally, co-sleeping is wonderful because I get to share my bed with the most important people (…and sometimes puppy) in my world.
Day 3: Taking walks with my kids
Since our daughter was born, our dog, Coltrane, doesn’t get to do as much with either myself or my husband. It always seems like an event to do anything with the two of them. Recently, however, I have begun to attempt to walk both of them (which is quite a challenge). It is the one activity that both Aubrey and Coltrane can be a part of where I don’t feel like I’m losing my mind and it is pretty wonderful. Not only does it give me a little more exercise each day; Aubrey and I get our vitamin D; and Coltrane gets to burn off some energy so he isn’t so crazy. In the end, it keeps the family happy and Coltrane gets a little reminder that we still care about him!
