A (mostly) successful day at the beach

We took our first family trip to the beach today, meaning we joined the hundreds of other Encinitas families who basically set up small campsites near the water this morning. We set up the canopy we purchased last summer so Isabelle would have permanent shade to play under, and by the time we packed blankets, towels, lunch for ourselves and all of Isabelle's necessities like formula, diapers, and her infant sunscreen, we had enough preparations for a small army.

What didn't work:
The Huggies Little Swimmers ("swim diapers") were a joke. We weren't even at the beach an hour when I noticed she'd wet herself thru her diaper and swimsuit! Also, we learned today that Isabelle is NOT a fan of the ocean (at least not yet). She was fascinated when I held her above the waves, but when I held her in a standing position with her toes in the surf, she screamed and started sobbing when the first (ice cold) wave splashed up and wet her from her feet to her waist. From that point forward, she'd start whimpering or crying the moment she thought I was lowering her to the water again.

What did work:
The canopy was a GREAT investment. We were at the beach for almost four hours and didn't worry at all about needing to reapply Isabelle's sunscreen because we could adjust the canopy to accommodate the sun moving (and therefore shrinking our shade). Definitely two thumbs up! Jason and I just sat our beach chairs on the perimeter of the canopy so we could sit in the sun as desired. And with the exception of the water, Isabelle loved the beach! There was so much for her to watch and she loved crawling around on her blanket with the breeze blowing over her...

Tip for next time:
Bring our own toilet paper. I tried to use the incredibly nasty public restroom and not a single stall had TP!