Beach 2017

We had an awesome vacation this year at the Beach! We drove down a day early, to try to beat the weekend traffic. This means we had time to kill before we could get into the beach house, so we went mini-golfing.

In the past, this has been disastrous. Elena typically has a lot of trouble tripping over low obstacles, has had difficulty using a putter, and she wilts in the sweltering heat. This year, she rocked it! The only way we helped her was to carry/hand her a crutch as needed, or give her a hand for stability. She was patient and focused. All of us got a hole in one somewhere on the course!



We stayed in two different beach houses this year. One, on the beach, and the other two blocks away. The house with direct access is great for Elena, as she can get to the beach by herself. She has to be careful with her beach crutches going down stairs (typically I hold them, just to be safe, but she can do it without me) and needs to wear her water shoes so she doesn't burn her feet on the hot deep sand. She can go down to the beach without her crutches if the tide is high (or if she has a lot of energy to make it down to low tide). When we stayed in the house off the beach, we rented a golf cart. SO MUCH EASIER than trying to take the car, piggybacking, walking, or trying to use a wagon. If you are wondering if it's worth renting a golf cart, the answer is YES. I know it was only 1-2 blocks for us, but having the golf cart was the difference between a great vacation and one where transporting tired/wet/spastic/heavy kids (and equipment) would have made it much less enjoyable. Honestly, it made staying off the beach and on the beach basically equivalent.

Down the (public) beach access (when we stayed off the beach)

E and Viv playing in the surf. Most of the time she left her crutches just out of the surf or just walked from our chairs.

 

Vivian showing how small she is: "I can fit in a bucket"

We were joined by our friends the S family, who also have a 12-yr old girl. Elena and A had a lot to talk about, including "how mean our moms are". The winner of the "Meanest Mom in the World" award was me. Hmm.

Surfin' J!

Every day we spent a long time on the beach (except maybe one, for a sun break). We played with friends as we relaxed in the shade, or played in the sand, or swam in the water. Elena had a few firsts this year; she was able to walk past the surf, towing a boogie board, and ride in on a wave! Some days she had help, some days she did it on her own. Vivian has been pretty independent on the beach for a few years now--the only thing she has issues with are getting pinched by crabs and doesn't tolerate sea lice, which were around quite a bit this year.

 

Meanest Mom in the World towing kids upcurrent

Towing so they can "ride a wave at the same time". #tiredmom

Bocce!

Both kids love the "whoosh waves", where you just play in the deeper waves. If the mix of water depth (deep enough for Elena to be bouyant to stand), wave height (not too big), and current (not too strong) was just right, Elena could get out and play without help (with an adult close by in the water). Towing and throwing kids around in the waves is easier this year as my knee is almost recovered, but both Elena and Vivian are so much larger and heavier now, I'm not sure how much longer I can do it.

Jumpin' and whooshin'

Supervising (more hands-off this year!)

Strong Waves. Hands on.

Wave riding with Mom. This is my "hope we don't get rolled" face.

Beach Cousins! HOW CUTE!

Elena rode waves best on a raft, rather than a boogie board. She could carry a boogie board if the wind wasn't so hard, but she didn't like it when her legs would drag in shallow sand (and it took a long time to stand up as the waves hit). She couldn't carry the raft into the waves, but had a better time controlling it once she started riding.

Rafting

Rafting, Grandpa edition

Viv loved the inner tube. E, not so much.

What a great time with family and friends! It's so great to see how much progress the kids have made at the beach--especially Elena. Activities on sand, in water, were much more independent this year. The kids tolerated sun, heat, and the occasional sting very well. Aunt Kate won the Sorry! tournament AGAIN, with 12-yr old A coming in as the runner-up. The Best Beach find was a pufferfish, and best Beach Beverage was probably Jason's Mai Tais. Most Successful Surfer was Jason, and Vivian caught the most fish. Both Vivian, Elena, and cousin G made friends on the beach.

Huge thanks to the S family for joining us, and to Grandma and Grandpa for bringing the beach gear!

Family playing "surprise wave"

Summer Recap: Beach!

Summer recap time! We had a great time at the beach again this year. The biggest difference was my mobility; my knee is (not all the way) better, and I can carry and move in the sand and surf (a little).

Elena is taller now, and better able to navigate sand and surf. We rented a beach on the water, which means that Elena can get to and from the beach on her own (if we are off the beach, she needs a ride in a car or wagon).

Elena and Vivian loved "wave jumping", where they launch themselves over/into oncoming shallow waves. Elena did this by herself this year! She typically launches herself off her strong leg (left)--which can make for a very tiring, sore leg after a lot of waves.

Preparing for wave launch

We built sandcastles (the "figure 8 castle didn't quite turn out), hunted for shells (lots of shell crafting this year!), playing in the waves and catching little fish in the surf. Vivian was very interested in catching her own fish (with a little net, as opposed to the cast net the grown-ups were using) and she was hugely successful! Elena even caught a few little fish with the net and one crutch! Elena was almost entirely independent while moving in/on the sand this year (some falls, but no bad ones as there really weren't many shells on the beach).

Wave rider

Beach cuties

Figure 8

Fish pond

Viv is REALLY excited she caught a fish!

The other big event was we decided to go deep-sea fishing (half day trip). I went when I was a little girl with my brother and father, and it was...memorable. We didn't have the best time--big boat, my brother and father we seasick, I didn't catch anything and was really whiny about it. My mother stayed on shore with my very young sister.

This year, we tried something different: a chartered boat. Mom and my sister wanted to go, and then our immediate family. We were all excited about all the fish we were going to catch. Jason kept talking about how great it was going to be...I kept telling him to replace "great" with "memorable". The weather looked good.

The morning of our arrival the weather turned. The captain told us it was still average swells, but he lied; we had to move from our intended fishing spot b/c the sea was too rough, and settled on a different location where the average swell was 8 feet high. 

As a precaution, my sister and mother and I took dramamine. I thought about giving some to the kids, but remembered my last trip I wasn't seasick, and hoped that kids were less susceptible. WRONG. 

Viv was sick on the way out; she is a very well behaved sick person, so she managed to keep it together. Elena was next, once we stopped and the boat started rocking. Jason was next. The Dramamine Ladies kept it together; barely. I felt terrible, my sister didn't feel so great but was catching a lot of fish, and mom just clutched the side of the boat and prayed that we would go home soon. 

We fished for less than half an hour. It was that bad. BUT, we got this gem of a picture (thanks Jason!) which makes me crack up every time I see it. 

Deep Sea Fishing: Memorable edition

Amberjack dinner!

Once we recovered from our fishing expedition, we had a few more days on the beach. Elena moved pretty well, using her old pair of crutches (rusted shut, so I put some PVC pipe extensions on the bottom). We made sure to do lots of stretching and resting after being in the sun/surf all day.

Beach combing

Mermaid! With shell tiara!

Family

 It was so nice to be at the beach with family. We miss all of you!

Beach 2015

This post is overdue...everything takes longer these days!

We headed out over the 4th of July to Litchfield, NC for a beach vacation. I knew this year would be different; Elena hasn't been moving all that well, and neither have I. The week before the beach I had another knee surgery (closed manipulation; they bent my knee all the way under anesthesia), which helped immensely, but riding waves was a non-starter. Sand was harder for me than for Elena, and I managed to do some shin-deep walking in the waves to get knee exercise. In general, Elena and I had the same territory, but she was faster than me.

Everyone had a great time. Great company, wonderful location, gorgeous weather.

So Happy

There were some dangers, though. There had been many shark sightings (more than previous years), and despite the fact that sharks are always around, we didn't spend much time in (deep) water. I also blame my knee, as I wasn't able to venture into the waves to supervise the kids. Still, Elena and Vivian spent a lot of time playing in the shallows. I could wade with them or watch from up higher on the beach. While I was in the shade, I saw Elena get up and walk to our beach chairs-with a pretty mean face.

Determined face and terrible gait

She doesn't typically move like that. I knew something was wrong. She sat in the chair, and started to cry for me--obviously in distress. Turns out she was stung by a good-sized sea nettle (I got a picture of it in case we needed an ID) while she was on her knees in the water.

The girl who saved herself

This is a pretty big deal--in years past, E would have sat there, with the jellyfish still stinging her, until I arrived. In spite of her crouch and difficulty moving, she removed herself from danger. That is HUGE! I was sorry she was stung, but so so proud of her for taking care of herself. We saw to her sting, and within an hour or two she was back playing--albeit with a pretty red and tender leg.

Beach combing

We brought E's tri-foot "rugged" crutches again this year. These are our "spare pair", ones we don't bring indoors. They still had sand from last year, and some rust in places. I'm happy to have these (they were donated to us) so we don't ruin E's main pair of crutches. In general, E used these to navigate to and from the beach house, and if she was going to walk to a nearby shell patch. Otherwise, she walked without them (not well) or was on her knees in the surf.

Cast fishing

Shell hunting

Shell tiara

The wildlife was better than ever--we saw (and held!) sharks, fish, sea urchins, starfish, and snails. We saw dolphins, a stingray, crabs, pelicans and jellyfish. We enjoyed fireworks at night on the beach. We dug holes, rolled in the waves, and enjoyed games and relaxation in the beach house.

Walking in the surf

Handstand

Viv in her "tiny pool" before high tide

Tidepool hopping

Viv caught her own waves!

Blacktip Shark!

The beach time was very different for me this year. I was unable to carry much of anything, since simply walking in the sand was extremely difficult for me. I continue to be extremely thankful for the help and support of our family, making this trip possible and enjoyable for everyone. I was really proud of Elena for getting herself to and from the beach house!

Wave Play

Sand Temple

Beach Sunrise

Thanks to a great crowd this year at the beach--we loved the location, the family meals, watching the USWNT win the World Cup, playing games, and our annual beach puzzle. We loved watching baby G enjoy the beach for the first time! And more than anything, thanks for the wonderful company!

Beach 2014 Recap

We went to Litchfield beach for our family vacation this year.  For two weeks, this time.  Spending that much time away from home sounds great, but given how tight Elena was last year after one week at the beach (it took us 5 weeks to recover), I knew we were going to have to find a way to keep her stretched as best as possible.

Since the beginning of summer, we've been diligent in her wearing her Dynasplint at night.  We started at a very low tension setting, and now we're at 8 (out of 10).  She normally wears it on her right leg at night, but occasionally we put it on her left.  Without a doubt, this brace has made the biggest difference in her range of motion since school ended.  We also brought her new Gecko Stander, with the goal of having her spend time in it daily.

As before, we took driving breaks every two hours and kept Elena's feet supported during the ride.  She was energetic and moved well at every stop.  We broke up the trip to the beach with a night's stay at our friends' house in NC--always good to see K&A!

I had made some Beach Crutches for the trip.  They are made out of PVC, and painted green (Elena's choice).  The most expensive part was the 22 degree angle slip fitting; this is close to the angle of the loft strand crutch.  I also looked for options to make a cuff, but I didn't find a substrate that was strong and flexible to fit her arm.  I do have three sets of extra loft strand crutches (a gift from the children's hospital that just moved to a new space), so I used the cuffs (and brought the rest of them in case the homemade beach set didn't work out).

Beach Crutches, front view

Beach Crutches, side view

Beach Crutches v. Walk Easy

The Beach Crutches didn't really work out; the main reason is the cuff post won't fit in far enough in the 22 degree slip fit, making the shaft of the cuff post too long (so the cuff is too close to her elbow).  I could trim it a little, but I didn't have a saw at the beach.  Elena also wanted her soft crutch covers on the beach crutches, which I did not allow b/c we'd never get out the sand.

Overall I think the crutches would have been a success with a few tweaks.  I'm happy we have a "spare set", as the pins in the crutches we did end up using have rust issues now, and still have sand in them (but not much).

Spare Crutch set worked well at the beach

We went to the beach every day except two.  We typically set out after lunch (except a morning bike ride) and stayed until dinnertime.  No one got a sunburn, and the girls had lots of fun playing in the surf and going deeper with grown-ups.

Viv gets a tow
 

Wave-jumping Elena

 When the kids weren't playing in the surf, they loved playing in a "beach pool".  (I spent a lot of time with a shovel each afternoon).

E waiting in her requested "heart shaped pool" for the tide to come in

Vivian cannonballing

Sand Fortress

One day, we went out on a sailboat.  Elena loved it.  We rode the boat to a small uninhabited island, where the shore was littered with hermit crabs and all kinds of shells.  We took a few back with us, most ended up escaping on the beach.  Big thanks to Captain Dave!

Elena loved riding up front

Viv preferred the stern

Mommy bow shot

We met up with some friends that come to this beach every year at the same time.  Their daughter is Viv's age, and they played together beautifully for the week.

Viv, Cha Cha, and I

Viv and Grandma

E and Nana

We had our annual Sorry! Championship--two of them, actually, since different family members came for different weeks.  This years Champions:  Week one, Aunt Kate, and Week 2, Elena!

Champions

We went to play mini golf; in years past, this has been unsuccessful because it was dreadfully hot and normally too crowded when the sun goes down.  We managed to play a few holes before a Pirate Show on an overcast day--Elena did GREAT maneuvering around the "pens" for each hole.  No trips!  AND Elena made a hole in one!

Putting

We didn't bring the trail-a-bike for the beach this year...because we just brought the kids' bikes instead!  Vivian lost the training wheels earlier this month, and she did a great job on the beach.  E is too big for her frame (as is Viv--they are nearly the same size), but the next size bike is too big for her.  Elena did a great job in sand--she really had to use her muscles to propel the bike.  Both girls had fun, even though E was a little upset that Vivian was far in front of her most of the time.

And they're off!

Fun morning on the beach!

Our favorite thing to do is just hang out on the beach, though.  We saw dolphins (on our bike ride!), I found a starfish, and the girls enjoyed digging for clams, being mermaids in the surf (E did get flipped over with a strong shallow wave--but only once, and I was right there), and playing in the sand. 

Wave Rider

Lounging

Just us girls

"Mount DripCastle"

I had a hard time paring down pictures for this post...there's so many I just love.

Laughing

Standing on a sandhill

Elena was expected to move mostly on her own.  She wasn't responsible for carrying anything but herself and her crutches while we were out there.  A lot of times she wanted a hand (sometimes she got one, especially if very tired or in rough water) but most of the time she walked alone.  Her gait looked better (of course) when using crutches.  The hardest part was always walking back to the beach access pier, with her crutches (she'd be tired, maybe a little cold, and not wanting to do stairs).

Walking, side view

Right foot down

Left foot down

Most of the time she fell in the water or sand right after a picture like this.  But still, she looked better than last year walking on sand, especially if she took her time and thought about it.  And now they can run into the surf together.

Surf Sisters

So Happy

And yes, there was a lot of this.  

Yes, my back hurts

Right knee collapse--but still walking (so far, always without pain)

Wagon ride home (one block away)

We had the best time.  This beach is so family friendly, the access is close (the handicap access is about four blocks down), the house has everything we need, the water is warm, and the company can't be beat.  Thanks always to our whole family for making this trip possible (and so much fun!), and to Dad and Kate for snapping most of these pictures, and for taking our big gear in their truck.

And how long did it take E to recover from so much beach time?  NONE.  We used the stander probably 10 days out of 14, the dynasplint every night, our usual stretches and a few massages in there (for both E and Viv).   Bonus!