Sean Meets the Ocean

Sean first saw the Atlantic Ocean his first summer, in 2010. But he was only seven months old then, just sitting, and mastering some rather basic skills. The ocean didn’t leave much of an impression. So this year, having just turned 18 months old, Sean really got his first introduction to the ocean. And he is a water boy. (He *is* an Aquarius, after all…) He loved going in the ocean, near it, and on boats across it.

Our first day in South Brooksville was a foggy one, with the thick fog rolling up off the ocean onto the land.

As soon as Sean saw the ocean, he rushed right in, shoes and all. It was all we could do to keep him from going further in. Interestingly, he indicated that he wanted to walk out to the boats. So while he clearly understood that he was standing in water, either he thought 1) the water stayed shallow all the way out to the boats (not unreasonable given our stints in wading pools); or 2 ) that the water further out was solid and could be walked upon (not unreasonable given that the water looks flat and solid when viewed from a distance).

Back on land, Sean enjoyed trying to get as close to the water as possible, while pointing out the boats.

And he enjoyed dropping rocks into the water and hearing them go “plop!”

Every day we’d go out and walk on the docks. Sean liked being near the boats and feeling the slight shifting of the docks with the waves.

The docks made some cool noises when he took “big steps,” too.

Sitting in a wheelbarrow, gazing at the ocean. Look at those curls!

Sean usually had an opinion on what he wanted to do and where he wanted to go. In this case, he wanted to climb up the ramp that attached the dock to the land.