Family Life – Snapshot of Cass

Going to the beach before we had Krew was as simple as loading up with our chairs, some sunscreen, and some drinks (and snacks because I always need snacks). We would stay out there all day, soak up the sun, fall asleep sometimes, and had not one care in the world.

Going to the beach with a baby is a whole different ball game. I’m not going to lie, it’s a beast. But it is also so much fun. We love the beach even more than we did before (and we didn’t even think that was possible). Watching Krew play in the sand and seriously live his best life out there brings loads of joy to me and Brandon.

Okay, so I’ve told you how much we love the beach with Krew and how it’s so much better with him, but now let me dive into how the heck we prep for the beast of getting out on the beach with a baby.

Must-have items:

Sunscreen, sunscreen, and more sunscreen (we like to use the face stick for his face)
All the snacks (for you and baby)
Towels
Beach hat for baby
Cooler of drinks (for you) and juice (for baby)
Toys that can be washed off easily (plastic)
Hand/face wipes
Small tent or umbrella for shade
Chairs
Beach bag to hold ALL THE THINGS
Diapers and wipes (because blowouts still happen)

Walking down to the beach used to be a simple one trip task. Now, me and Brandon are either loaded down and struggling to get set up, or Brandon will take a load of things, then come back and we’ll both still be loaded down honestly. But the L.L. Bean camo tote has been more than a lifesaver for carrying a big load. It’s no doubt the best tote we have. Plus, it can be hosed out when we get home if it’s full of sand (which is usually is). Score!

We are mega mega thankful that Krew ~~likes~~ loves the sand, but I will never understand why in the world they want to put in straight to the mouth. Lord help us all. That’s where the hand/face wipes come in to try to keep the sand under control. Try being the keyword here.

We like to sunscreen Krew before we leave because it is so much easier to tackle the sunscreen while we get him dressed instead of trying to tackle it on the beach with sand involved and a baby that is very eager to play his heart out.

As far as snacks go, Krew usually eats a pouch on the beach and then snacks his life away with puffs and lil’ crunchies in between the play. We also keep his juice in the cooler for him to drink on the whole time.

Okay, so as far as the tent goes, Krew doesn’t nap on the beach yet because he’s always way too excited and doesn’t want to miss a beat. But, as he get’s older, our hope is that the tent will give him some shade if he does nap. For now, we try to stick him in there to play and get a break from the sun for a bit. We also use the tent for diaper changes, which has been super nice.

So, the beach before baby may have been more relaxing, but even through all the prep, it is way more fun with a baby. Watching him play cannot be beat. It’s truly priceless. That smile that he gets on the beach, is worth all the lugging of items, trying to keep sand out of his mouth, and fighting him to reapply sunscreen the whole time. It’s worth it a million times over. So even though beach with a baby is a beast to take on, we embrace the crazy and enjoy the memories we’ll hold onto forever.

I’m just a mama who loves watching her baby play in the sand.

**Disclaimer: This was written when Krew was six months old, and Krew is now almost nine months old**

6 months have come and gone since September 27 2018.

SIX. WHOLE. MONTHS.

This time has passed so incredibly fast. Now I’m not gonna lie (because I’m human and I’m a mama) some days have felt long. But looking back, it’s all happened in this beautiful chaotic whirlwind that I long to remember for eternity. Another day has passed, and now we’re all of a sudden here….at your half birthday.

Okay, serious mom life reality coming at ya…I started writing this on Krew’s six months, which was Thursday, March 27th. Today is Tuesday, April 3rd and I’m just now coming back to this to finish writing out my crazy thoughts. But the beauty in all this, in these past few days, where I haven’t had the time to get back to writing this, my family and I have been to the beach twice, had breakfast out together, have went to the playground and watched Krew have so much fun on the swing, had tons of laughs, got to promote Brandon as a family, and just sat back to watch how much Krew is learning and changing every day. That’s the thing about watching our babies do this growing up thing, we have to stop and SOAK IT IN. It goes by in a flash.

Krew has absolutely rocked my world since the day he was born, in the absolute best way. Before he was born, I didn’t know what it was like for my heart to live outside of my body. I didn’t understand what is was like for someone to need and depend on me for literally every little thing. I didn’t know what the heck I was doing as a first time mom, but I did know that I loved this little boy more than anything imaginable and that I would do anything and everything I could to make sure he was always taken care of and given the best life possible.

These past six months have been quite different from any other time in my life. Before Krew was born, I slept more, worked out more, ate more regular, (and probably a little better, honestly) got my hair/nails done more often, you know did more things for myself because I had the extra time. But really, now I sit and wonder what the heck I did with my time before Krew because I can now get fully ready in 20 minutes or less, I do home workouts that take about 30 minutes, I eat whenever I can and sometimes that means eating a sandwich driving down the road or popping a toaster strudel in the toaster oven before I go get him from his nap (and almost forgetting about it), but hey it gets the job done. Now, the cries of hunger or needing comfort in the middle of the night wake me, and I couldn’t be happier that I get to calm them and get the sweetest of snuggles at the same time. I know those snuggles won’t last forever and they’re going to be gone in a blink of an eye, so any time he cries, I will always be there and run to his rescue. So I mentioned that I got my hair/nails done more often, but since Krew has been born, I would rather spend the time I could use for my hair or nails with him, or spend the extra money on him because let’s be real mamas, we want stuff for our babies over ourselves any day. What I’m getting at in all this, is that even though my life looks totally different than it did six months ago, I wouldn’t trade a single moment, bottle, snuggle, diaper change, cry, kiss, or any single bit of my journey through motherhood thus far. Krew has made me a mama and I am extremely blessed to be his mama day in and day out.

These moments are precious. Priceless. Wonderful. Blessings. In these six months of Krew’s life, he has already blown my mind, amazed me more times than I can count, learned so much, moved across the country (and adapted like a champ), and filled our world with so much love. Like I said, I didn’t know this type of love existed. Krew is such a beautiful blessing and I would re-live these six months over and over again if I could, but on the flip side, I’ve enjoyed watching him grow and can’t wait to watch him continue to blossom in his life.