Lily's First Beach Trip!!!

My Mom, Lily and I drove to Newport, NC to visit Devin's mom for the holiday weekend (Devin had to stay home because of prior commitments). Lily had a terrific time and really enjoyed being spoiled by two grandma's at once. Newport is very close to the town of Beaufort and Morehead City, near the outer banks. It was a terrific vacation and Lily's very first trip to the beach.

We spent all day on Saturday pretty much in the car. Road construction and then an accident later on caused the trip to take about 8 hours total. I have to take a moment to brag on my baby. We stopped every few hours for a stretch and diaper change, and she did her share of whining, but she never full-on cried. She was a way better traveler than I was! She spent a lot of time playing with toys and making her favorite squeaking noises, interrupted by a few naps. What a dream baby!

Sunday morning, bright and early, we headed out to Emerald Isle beach. Lily loved looking at the ocean and hearing the waves crashing on the sand. We covered her with an umbrella and let her lay out and enjoy the beach. Once we actually got her wet, it was a different story. She was a little baffled by the ocean!

The Sexy Grandma's show Lily the beach :)

Lily the moviestar...

Naptime for the beach bum

Back up and ready for more fun!

Lily started to get really hot and kind of lethargic, so we took off her bathing suit so she could better enjoy the ocean breeze. You are all probably wondering if all that laying in the sun did anything for my pale complexion. The answer is yes, it did. It burnt me to a crisp :)

Lily really liked the sand. She managed to find the one sandy corner of the blanket and rub her face in it profusely. She even had sand in her ears and up her nose! It took two baths to get all the sand grit out of her hair! The little goofball loved it!

On Sunday night (after a long nap for Lily and me after our beach excursion), we all headed to the seaside town of Beaufort. Beaufort was the site for the Pepsi Sail America, a large festival for tall sailboats. Since Beaufort is also big into Pirate lore (most notably, Blackbeard), the town made sure to have a special pirate exhibit too. Here is Lily "hanging" out with one of the locals:

The festival was really fun and we got to check out all the pretty yachts and walk around the town. We thought about going across town to see the sailboats, but with a hungry baby and a stroller full of spilled milk (oops, bottle leak!), we thought it wiser to return home.

We left Monday morning and made sure to stop at the USS Battleship North Carolina in Wilmington on the way home. We actually stopped there on the way to the beach as well. Its the perfect spot to stretch your legs and inhale some fresh beach air.

On the way home, Lily was equally as pleasant of a travelling companion. She decided around Marshville (45 min away) that she'd had enough and started wailing. Luckily, a handy pacifier and grandmother were able to keep her calm til we could come home. So, now we are home safe and sound and much tanner (read: burnt) than when we left. We're looking forward to relaxing all day Tuesday. Happy 4th of July, Everyone!