He Swims Like a Fish!

My guys!

Having missed most opportunities to go to the beach all summer (mostly due to rain, and more rain), we tried to go to Asbury Park to the beach today. We redirected to Point Pleasant, only to find there was NO parking unless you wanted teen boys to park your car and keep the keys "safe" for $18. So, we ended up at Bellmar Beach, a little north of Point Pleasant where we found the most convenient of parking meter spots, right on the boardwalk entrance area. You gotta pay $7 for each adult for a "Beach Badge", so we got our Beach Badges and ran thru the sand until we could throw down the chairs and then immediately headed to the water on the colorful beach. You should have seen the umbrellas that went on as far as the eye could see, it was like oversized and random polka-dots in the sand.

And it was all so beautiful! and the water was perfect, and the waves were just the right tolerance and our little guy...swam like a fish! We're gonna have to get an underwater camera for the next time.

He's always been a water baby, since the very first time we got him we found that out. He loved his baths at 6 months old, would even lay back in them and "chill out" on his own. I would find my peaceful quiet time in the garden tub with hot hot bubble bath water, but if he found a way into the bedroom, then off came the clothes and he'd want to take a bath also!

Now he needs to learn how to tread water and to breathe while swimming, but he's got everything else down, and he's so proud of himself. Even in the very salty ocean water, he would put his head in the water and swim away. Today, he spent almost 90 minutes in the water, just swimming and jumping around, and swimming more and more. He was so excited to be there, it made the long trip to find the parking spot worth the wait.

When the waves were coming in, he'd look for the perfect moment and then dive in and let the wave push him in closer to shore and then he'd jump up and spit out the water and come back for more. As for us, Mike enjoyed the opportunity to swim in deeper water, and I had forgotten about how buoyant salt water can make you and every part of you. Let's just say that I may need a newer bathing suit, one that doesn't allow the girls to go on mini-vacations without permission!

Going home was a faster trip, since we didn't have to drive around looking for parking. Next time, we'll be leaving at the crack of dawn instead of around noon. We are fortunate Chris likes to travel, as he is observant and asks questions about what he sees along the way. Almost home, he stopped talking, which was our first clue that must have fallen asleep!

In the words of our dear buddy SpongeBob: It was "the best day ev-er!"
It was definitely a great day!