My soul is still soaring after today. Today was the first day my son saw the coast. Today was the first day he heard the crash of a wave. Today was Hippo’s first day at the beach!
I know a lot of you who know me are wondering how a child of mine has never at least seen the ocean! Well, to be honest, I don’t know! It’s a little crazy! But I guess with my illness taking over after I had him and then moving to Texas, we just never made it down there. He has been very close to the beach, but by the time we would think about heading down to the PCH to get to the water, it was too late, or I didn’t feel well enough or he was sleep! So today, after 2 1/2 years of being on this earth, this little California toddler sat at the end of the west coast.
For weeks Jax has been asking about going down to the beach. I blame NickJr for his obsession! The Gabba Gang, Olivia & The Backyardigans have all visited the beach at some point over the past month. I think part of the reason why he wanted to go is because he believed that he could run into Brobee or Shout building sand castles. Well with the holiday weekend and my cousin being in town, my mom figured today would be a good day to go for a few hours. Jaxon was ridiculously excited about this adventure we were going on. He made up songs and snapped his fingers all the way down Sunset Blvd. When we reached the PCH, a large wave crashed onto the beach in front of us and Jaxon gasped. He whispered, “The Beach!” to himself and a smile took over his entire face. At that moment I realized that my son had never even heard the beautiful sound of the wave crashing onto the shore. I looked at him through the mirror and watched him watch the water from his window. When I looked back at the coast, it looked completely different to me. I had always loved the beach, almost needed to always be near the water. But today, when I looked at it through Jax’s eyes, it was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. His joy lifted everyone’s spirit in that car today. We were all going to the beach for the very first time today!
The day was gorgeous! The sun was bright. The air had a perfect random breeze that cooled off at that 
moment where it just started to feel warm. At 6pm, I was comfortable with a thin cardigan in the shade. After lunch and a quick walk down the promenade, we headed down to the bridge to get to the water. I don’t know if Jaxon’s feet completely touched the ground! It was like he was floating as he skipped toward his destination. The moment he took his first step onto the warm sand it was like his heart exploded with joy. That joy engulfed my cousin and I, as we tried walking him down the beach toward the water so he could see it. His brain was on overload. He didn’t know what to do! He giggled and chuckled! He danced and stood still! He dug and buried! He sent sand flying through the air! He closed his eyes and listened! He stared and questioned. He ran! He ran! He ran! And he ran!
One of the best things about having kids are the moments when they discover something new. When they find complete joy in something that you can feel it when holding their little hands. I never knew just how amazing the beach really is until today. I am eternally grateful to my son for showing me how great it really is!
