Nora’s relationship with the beach is slowly improving, one baby step at a time. Not only is she usually willing to put her feet in the water now, she’s finally really into the sand.
Between the toys Mr. V’s mama left behind when the moved back to Florida and some free yard sale left overs, Nora has a great collection of beach toys with which she loves to dig in the sand. And now that Chris has finagled Sunday’s off and we have a true family day, we’re taking every opportunity to create more positive associations for her. 
Searching for shells,
making shapes in the sand,
and sitting as close to the water as possible are the little tricks we do to make sure she loves the beach. We ask her if she wants to go in the water, but don’t put an pressure on for her to do it…
because, honestly, it’s a little bit more relaxing to have a toddler that’s wary of ocean waves than a toddler who isn’t.