Perils of Sunscreen

Evie was so excited this morning about going to the beach. We started our preparations around 9 but by 9:05 it was clear we had a problem on our hands. Evie screamed and cried like she was in so much pain. Her eyes were shut and she kept rubbing them. Sunscreen was in her eyes. I never imagined this would be such a big deal but the drama lasted for two hours. Carl and I tried everything from wet washcloths, pouring water in her eye, distracting with popsicles and even a bath. After an hour so, I decided to google this and found lots of crazy stories about the perils of sunscreen in children. One mom had used saline in her toddler's eyes, I have never been so happy to wear contacts in my life. It helped a lot. Evie cuddled with me and fell asleep because crying is hard work. I put her in the pack and play and she slept four hours. Carl and I were so relieved that she was content that we just left her alone. We did check on her a few times and took turns on the beach. It was really nice to sit on a beach by myself for the first time in three years but I was still worried about my Evie.


Evie was in a jubilant mood after her extended nap and ready to go to the beach. She was not so eager to have sunscreen applied so we used the stick. Evie bounded down to the beach with her bucket in hand ready for some fun. She sat on my lap for 30 minutes snacking on goldfish. Then she was ready for some frisbee fun and played in the sand. She wanted to go to the pool so we headed up the stairs and it was so funny to hear her say farewell to the beach. Evie said, "Bye, beach until next time." Where does she get this stuff?


She had so much fun at the pool with her Daddy. It was way too cold for me. Evie loved jumping in the pool. We bought her a float tonight so tomorrow should be even more fun.


After quick showers, we headed out to dinner although Carl said taking Evie to dinner takes a year off his life. He agreed that the first few minutes are the worst and then she usually does great. Evie loves drawing circles and looking at the other kids. Eating, not so much but she manage a few bites enough to keep her energy for her high activity level.


Carl and I are exhausted. He does way more than his share with Evie but it is just a lot more difficult to take care of your kiddo away from home. It is all worth it to see Evie having a blast at "Evie's beach."