Ryan's First Beach Trip

This past weekend, I took a mini-vacation to Virginia Beach with Barry, Ryan, and my mom.  Ryan had his first experiences with sand, ocean, and the swimming pool.  I’m so thankful that my mom could be there for that!  She was very energetic the whole time, and got to spend lots of time with Ryan.

I’ve noticed that when Ryan experiences something new, he gets a very serious and thoughtful look on his face.  I can just see the wheels in his head spinning as he takes in all of the new sensations.  Ryan was amazed by the sand as he kept grabbing handfuls then watching it slip through his little fingers.  He didn’t fully understand the function of the beach toys.  He banged them together and put them in his mouth.  At least that was a source of entertainment.  When we put him inside the little raft in the pool, he kept sticking out his tongue and biting his lip.

But, he didn’t cry... not even once!  I think that he actually enjoyed it!  Here's his "serious" face:

We had great weather the whole time, except that it was cold at night.  Somehow, after laying out in the bright sun for two whole days, I did not get any trace of a tan.  I guess pasty skin and the inability to tan are chemo side effects that they don’t bother telling you about.  Maybe next time I shouldn’t slather on sunscreen, but I was afraid of the opposite happening.  I am thankful that I didn’t get a sunburn.

On the drive home, we stopped at the Williamsburg outlets for some shopping.  I was excited to find some stores that I have never seen as outlets before (Janie and Jack, True Religion) and also the usual ones (Coach, Burberry, Banana Republic, Carters).  I mostly bought stuff for Ryan, since that’s so much more fun than picking out things for myself… it’s like dressing up a little doll!

We certainly had an unforgettable vacation, but coming home was a bit of a reality check.  The date of my mastectomy has now been changed to June 23 (a week later than we had originally scheduled) because of a time conflict with one of the surgeons.  The whole week before the surgery will be filled with pre-op appointments, Ryan’s doctor appointments, vet appointments, and any other appointments I need to squeeze in.  At least, getting all of this stuff out of the way beforehand will allow me the time that I need to recover slowly without worrying about it.  We also have tons of fun things on the calendar between now and June 23, so I am ready to make the most of each day and enjoy being active and productive!