Okay, so I don't really have a new daughter. But, have mercy, if Olivia could have gotten anymore sand on her body I was seriously going to change her name. Okay, maybe not, but STILL.
And to think that her first experience with the sand and ocean started like this...
Before we left, I'd began noticing some reoccurring behaviors with her. Since she used to receive Occupational Therapy (OT) and Physical Therapy (PT) I'm always on the look out for her behaviors and watching her fine and gross motor skills. After talking with my BFF Amanda (who is a Speech Pathologist by profession but spent the last several years as a behavior interventionist, working with kids with disorders of all types) I knew it was time to give Olivia's former OT a call.
Although I think most of her behaviors are certainly learned and personality driven (she's the new, reigning Drama Queen, remember?) I also think there could be some sensory issues going on. I say all of that to say that once Olivia got over her issues with the water and the sounds of the surf and the fact that birds were flying 200 feet above her head and the sand, OHMYWORDTHESAND, she was fine and spent quite a bit of her time doing this....
And to think that her first experience with the sand and ocean started like this...
Before we left, I'd began noticing some reoccurring behaviors with her. Since she used to receive Occupational Therapy (OT) and Physical Therapy (PT) I'm always on the look out for her behaviors and watching her fine and gross motor skills. After talking with my BFF Amanda (who is a Speech Pathologist by profession but spent the last several years as a behavior interventionist, working with kids with disorders of all types) I knew it was time to give Olivia's former OT a call.
Although I think most of her behaviors are certainly learned and personality driven (she's the new, reigning Drama Queen, remember?) I also think there could be some sensory issues going on. I say all of that to say that once Olivia got over her issues with the water and the sounds of the surf and the fact that birds were flying 200 feet above her head and the sand, OHMYWORDTHESAND, she was fine and spent quite a bit of her time doing this....
Of course, what you cannot see is that each and every time my sweet little princess sat in the sand, she felt the need to immediately do this...
What's that? You can't really tell what she's doing? Okay, how's this...
SAND.IN.HER.HAIR. SAND IN HER HAIR! SAND IN HER HAIR. Every.single.time. Do you know how hard it is to get sand out of her hair? I wish I could come up with an adequate analogy but all escape me right now so just know IT'S HARD.
Unless she was helping MeMe carry a fresh bucket of water (where I think MeMe had secretly lured her to the water to rinse the sand out of her hair)...
Or it was the 10 minutes that MeMe convinced her to wear a hat...
my sweet little Drama Queen had sand in her hair.Sandy Olivia loved wearing her shades...
and as her Mommy I loved the afternoon where just the two of us sat in the surf, collecting (and promptly throwing) sea shells and allowing the Atlantic waters to wash awaythe sand our cares. We sat there for at least an hour. And it may have been my most favorite hour all week.
How I love this little girl, sand and all.
What's that? You can't really tell what she's doing? Okay, how's this...
SAND.IN.HER.HAIR. SAND IN HER HAIR! SAND IN HER HAIR. Every.single.time. Do you know how hard it is to get sand out of her hair? I wish I could come up with an adequate analogy but all escape me right now so just know IT'S HARD.
Unless she was helping MeMe carry a fresh bucket of water (where I think MeMe had secretly lured her to the water to rinse the sand out of her hair)...
Or it was the 10 minutes that MeMe convinced her to wear a hat...
my sweet little Drama Queen had sand in her hair.
and as her Mommy I loved the afternoon where just the two of us sat in the surf, collecting (and promptly throwing) sea shells and allowing the Atlantic waters to wash away
How I love this little girl, sand and all.
