I wanted my son to meet the biggest thing I’ve ever seen, and so I took him to the ocean.
It seemed silly, really, to introduce a four and a half month old to the Pacific Ocean. He certainly won’t remember and he sure didn’t understand what it was that he was doing. He could not fathom the hugeness of the ocean from where his 15lb body sat in my arms.
But I wanted to show him anyway. I wanted to give him the chance to see it, even if he would not be able to truly take it all in. OBaby may not have felt like he was staring at the largest body of water on Earth, but he was. He was there in the middle of it, hearing the waves, touching the sand.
Parenting is like this to me. I cannot comprehend it’s magnitude. It simply cannot make sense in my head that I am responsible for raising a person who will make an impact in this world. Most days, touching my toes to wet sand is as close as I get to understanding the ocean of importance that is being a mother.
But then I walk away from a moment like this, from a moment in which I took my son to meet the ocean, and I get a small glimpse. The tiniest of peeks inside the enormity of my calling as OBaby’s mom. And I am blown away.
i LOVE that last picture! even though he won’t remember it, you can tell him all about it, and you’ll have beautiful pictures to show him too!
These pictures will show him how cool it is. No a picture does not show everything but I am sure he will be back again when he is older. The pictures are gorgeous especially the last one.
Wonderful pictures! I think a part of him will remember. I’d like to think so anyway…
I think you just MUST frame that photo of you holding him while his toes go in the ocean. This post is gorgeous!!
Wow! I totally understand – being a mom is wonderful and overwhelming at the same time! I just LOVE the picture of your little one’s toes all covered in grains of sand – SO cute!
Oh. my. word.
The photo of the two of you at the edge of the ocean with his little toes poking in the sand is SO PERFECT! You look absolutely gorgeous and I love it!!
That last picture is absolutely adorable.
I so understand… we live on the East Coast, and every time we go to the beach it turns into a spiritual journey for me – and the best time for the kids :) We all love it so much!
Gorgeous photos!
Beautiful post.Beautiful pictures.Beautiful mama. Beautiful baby.(I guess the “beautiful mama” might have something to do with the “beautiful baby”!)Oh,and beautiful ocean;I love it!
♥
Agreed – that last photo is ADORABLE.
Your baby weighs as much as my dog.
Beautiful. All of it. Your words. The baby. The pictures.
beautiful photos!
With all the beautiful/fun/cute/aww-inducing photos you’ve posted, this is the first time that I’ve noticed what a set of eyebrows your child has. I hope Thanksgiving was lovely for you all.
Love this post. Silly as it may sound, you reinspired this worn out mom. Back to the ocean – with purpose.
I love the pictures. The ones I have of my kids near the ocean are priceless to me, too. They have no idea what those pictures mean to me. And you’re right-this mothering thing is so much bigger than we can comprehend. So, so much bigger.
This is really beautiful, both the words and the photos. I remember when my older son was 4.5 months old, we took him to Lake Michigan. Not quite the ocean, but still, such a big thing that I wanted him to see and experience.
Beautiful post! I love the last picture!
Allison, I am SO not a blog reader but since I heard you had a blog I can’t stop reading it! You are so inspiring and help me to remember what a special job and gift mothering is! This post about introducing your son to the ocean is SO special, THANK YOU FOR SHARING:) Also, I think I have told you before, you seriously have the cutest little guy ever!
[...] like last time, we will be spending time on the coast, but unlike last time, we will be bringing along a baby who [...]
[...] also reflected on this when OBaby was 4 months old and he met the ocean, which is to this day one of my favorite posts. Share and [...]