The Shore

The annual trip to the Ocean City, NJ. Have to say, it consistently ranks at the top of our list of places to visit. Yes, there are the obvious reasons (family, Mack and Manco Pizza, etc.) …But this time, it was different. It was LB’s turn to taste the salt air and splash in the hurricane charged waves. Looking back on the weekend, I can say that I was nervous at first; worrying that she wouldn’t enjoy the beach as much as I do. Well surprise, surprise- the beach gene was successfully inherited!

Whether it was showing off in her new pool (picture above), or parading down the beach in her bikini, she took to the sand and sun like C.J Parker à la Baywatch (please note- this will be the first and last comparison to Pam Anderson). Anyway, the highlight of the beach visits had to be the ocean swims. 70 degree water - no problem. Rip tide- felt like a ripple to LB. If not for naptime and mealtime, our little tadpole would have splashed till the life guards blew the whistle for excessive celebration.

Throw in a ballgame (Gload walk-off), a Philly Fanatic pillow (thanks Yvonne) and a 1 year birthday celebration; you have the makings of not only a great trip for Mom and Dad, but some terrific memories for our liberty Belle.

Traveling

To start, let’s recall those points I made about road trips w/ an infant. Next, let’s convert air time into drive time and then into fussy time. 1 minute of airtime = 120 minutes of drive time= 240 minutes of fussy time. In other words, travel via jet plane is exponentially worse than any event experienced on terra firma. The funny thing about the whole situation is LB is merely expressing what the rest of us are thinking in an airplane- the seats, too small. The trip/taxi/wait time, too long. The service- let’s just say that their drink cups are too big to serve as a tip jar.

You see, LB is really exemplifying her name- liberty bell. She is free, she is independent and when pressed too hard, she is likely to crack. Combine that with 2 lost nap times over the course of 8 hours of travel time…Using the words of Lefty from Mulberry Street “Forgetta Bout It”

The only tricks that worked (if only for a moment):
1. Snacks- feeding is an excellent distraction. Funny how that works even for adults.
2. IPad- hands down the number 1 asset for any parent. Tip- downloading movies instead of streaming via wifi. Thank god Apple doesn’t charge us what we would be willing to pay for that big friendly dinosaur.
3. The passengers behind you- age does not matter. Everyone loves the peek a boo game. Everyone.
4. The restroom- Mirrors on opposite walls creates a reflection abyss. LB couldn’t figure it out, so she just took a nap.
5. Crayons and a blank paper- LB drew a masterpiece that I had to share. Amazing how she captured the moments of pure bliss in my face and rays of sunshine beaming from my head.

Next Blog- The Jersey Shore (LB riding waves)