The "Princess" Of Tides  

I have one of my anchors at the TV station to thank for turning me on to Pat Conroy and "The Prince Of Tides", one of my all-time favorite books. And it's fitting that over the past week, as DH, G, & I enjoyed a langourous vacation to South Carolina Low Country-- Conroy's "home turf" if you will-- our little girl truly proved that she is the princess of tides.

As we arrived at the condo where my parents and I have spent one week every summer for the past 27 years, I couldn't help but think about how this lazy place-- despite it's hazy landscape-- holds some of the most vivid memories of my childhood. It was in this condo that I had my "first kiss" (a peck on the cheek by a friend of my cousin's; I'd been convinced we were destined to be together... but I haven't heard from him in 18 years). It's where I played my first (and last) round of golf. It's where I found my true passion for the water, an all-consuming obsession which took me all across the country competing in swim meets on all levels. Now, it seems, it may be a passion I've passed down to G.

Let me begin by stating this simple fact: G has three swim suits. I have two. That, alone, is proof positive that this little girl can't be kept dry. Over the summer here at home, she's gone swimming once or twice a week, either at a friend's pool, a local water park, or our own backyard "plastic" pool. But during the past week, G set a new standard for the term "water baby". She spent so much time by the beach, at the pool, or ultimately, in the shower getting rid of all that salt, sand, and chlorine, that we went through an entire bottle of baby sunblock.

Of course, every princess has her mythical pea-- the minute details that can be even a baby's downfall. G had quite a few of these veritable "peas". Eating sand, for one. I'd known this was a distinct possibility after watching her play at her friend "I"'s first birthday party a few weeks ago. The salt in the water was also a problem, especially for a baby who seems to have a particularly vulnerable left eye. Seriously, everything gets into this eye, then she inevitably rubs it, it gets red, a little swollen... you get the picture. But her biggest Achilles' Heel were waves. Just when she seemed to have her balance in the water... WOOSH!... a wave would come and knock her down. But my girl handled it like a champ, crawling away from the water's edge in search of more sand for lunch.

There were other firsts for G over the past week, as well. Her first taste of... well, adult food. She feasted on sausage patties (big fan), chocolate milk (no problems), real spaghetti and meatballs (not the Stage 3 Gerber stuff), even a bit of Mommy & Daddy's fudge. She got a chance to "build" her first bear, play with her first puzzle, and even got her first autographed copy of a book (Thanks, Aunt "S"!). She rode on her first carnival ride-- a merry-go-round-- and got up close and personal with ducks (the kind that quack, not her similarly-named dog!).

In a way, stepping into the land of my youthful summers with my own child in tow was like stepping back into time. The lazy, hazy days of a Low Country summer gave me the opportunity to relish these precious moments with G, and reminisce back to my own childhood. I know it hasn't been all that long- but having that much time with G, a whole nine, uninterrupted days, turned this working mom into-- at least temporarily-- just a mom.