This post is about our 4th of July trip down to Beaufort to see Tony’s grandparents. Tony was very excited about the beach (he saw us loading up the beach bag). We headed off in the car and Tony remarked “beach” several times along the way.

When we arrived, Tony was excited to see his Mazzie and Papa. I think he’s doing so well with using names appropriately. We played stop and go for awhile outside until it was time to watch the Wiggles. Usually Tony is so overly stimulated due to the change in environment, he runs laps around the house. Today however, we all saw a much more calm Tony. He was happy enough to sit on my lap and watch the Wiggles (dancing along when necessary of course).

After the Wiggles, it was time to go to the beach. He was so excited that he didn’t even mind me applying his sunscreen! Tony, Mazzie and I arrived at the beach, Hunting Island. Tony had fallen asleep on the 20 minute ride, but was quickly alert when we told him he was at the beach. He was ready to get into the water as soon as we hit the sand, dragging me all the way to the shore. Unlike Sullivan’s Island, there was quite a current on Hunting Island. Tony was so excited to see the waves, he was ready to dive right in! I held Tony by his arms over the waves while he kicked and splashed. He loved the sensation of the waves splashing over him. He manded “jump” several times for me to pull him up and down over the waves and also “down” when he wanted to lie on his back. I was slightly hesitant to let him do this because I thought he would get salt water in his eyes or up his nose. A few bigger waves came crashing over and as I pulled him up he manded “down”. I let him down only to be hit right in the face with a wave. I was sure that he would be upset by this but to my surprise, he laughed and shouted “yeahh!” It was so great to see him having so much fun! He really is fearless in the water!

We walked up to his sand toys and spent some time learning a few new words: sea shell, sand and sand castle. We picked up several shells and used them in our sand castle that we had constructed. Tony also enjoyed collecting water in his bucket and bringing it over to our “moat.”

We spent the rest of our time alternating between playing in the sand and playing in the water…not to mention several visits up to Mazzie for a “cookie.” Unlike other visits to the beach, Tony decided when it was time to go. After Tony had a big wave crash all over him (I was certain he was going to cry) Tony looked up at me as he rubbed his eyes and said “bye-bye water” and then “bye-bye beach.” Tony was finally ready for his “car ride” back home.

I was very impressed with Tony’s ability to adapt to the change in environment. He remained very calm and manded frequently for various things while were at the beach. Overall, it was a great trip for Tony!