More on Holden Beach

So I promised to write more about our big trip to Holden Beach, and I'm not letting you down.

We had 19 people (well, 18 and a half) on this particular trip, so we divided ourselves between two houses that were adjacent to each other. We were stationed in the larger house, which was dubbed the "baby house." Mama Dee and Grandaddy Aaron brought along a Pack n Play and bouncy chair to help make William feel more at home. Mama Dee also brought along a slew of new clothes for William to wear. See the blue plaid sunsuit (left) for an example. The sunglasses, however, were a special purchase by David for his son's first trip to the beach. Unfortunately, William is not too impressed by them. He may look like one cool cat, but it's a sham. He doesn't like anything to impede his vision, even if the sunglasses were supposed to protect his little eyes. He worries that he might miss something, I guess.

Anyway, we had a nice long relaxing week. William actually slept very well on the trip, too, much to my shock and pleasure. Usually, I'd take him up to hang out with his grandaddy (and often his uncle Mark) while David and I went down to the beach. He'd get in some time in his bouncy seat and then ride around on his grandfather's shoulder until he decided it was time for lunch. Then it was time for the Wyckoff version of the Bat Signal: Aaron would either call me on my cell phone or wave frantically from the balcony to summon me to the house for a nursing session. Then I'd stay in the house for lunch. Then he'd often get passed around, maybe read a book with Kathleen, maybe grin at Eleanor. You know, entertaining his audience. Some afternoons, I'd even get to head back out to the beach late in the afternoon.

David and I also took William for a couple of walks on the shore at night. I know that I really enjoyed those walks. The sky would be a soft mauve, and the waves would lengthen and stretch out, leaving a wide shallow warm arc on the packed-down sand. We never walked very far, but it was just so relaxing, listening to the steady rushing of the ocean and watching the stars slowly come out. Usually, William would start out craning his neck to take in this scenery, but after a few hundred yards, he would fall asleep in the Baby Bjorn, nestled up against his daddy's chest. There we were, a new little family, together on the beach at sunset. It doesn't get much better than that. I always hated to go back inside afterward, but usually it would be time to give the baby a bath and put him to bed for the evening.

There was also the traditional evening out at Betty's for dinner, a walk to the pier, some souvenir shopping, a wedding shower, and a baby shower. And one rather harrowing encounter with the waves, up close, for William. David sat down in the waves and held William on his lap so he could feel the water. Despite being dresssed to the nines in his new sea turtle bathing suit and his stylish SPF T-shirt and floppy sun hat, William didn't much care for the experience. I think he didn't like being splashed. The waves might have scared him once he was down so close to them like that. Oh well, maybe next year.

But mostly, we just relaxed. I enjoyed seeing people I don't see very often and having people to entertain William. I think he got a kick out of all the extra attention, too. He won't remember this trip, but we'll be able to tell him about it one day. "Remember the first time that we took William to the beach?" one of us will say. And the other will reminisce about how William took long naps with his grandfather in the morning and enjoyed watching the waves from his mommy's lap while they sat together on a rocking chair on the porch.

Here is the man himself with Mama Dee...




And here are the Wyckoff men...