The first day in Hawaii we spent just kicking back at the beach. That’s what you’re supposed to do in Hawaii when you come from a place where beaches have grains of sand the size of your fist and the water is so cold that is could actually cause arthritis with a single touch.

Our hotel was across the road from the beach and Kurt chose it for that reason. That section of the beach also had a wall in the Ocean built to create a large tide pool for kids. During high tide the wall was covered by water but during low tide their was a pool that was no deeper than four feet. I have some cool photos of the waves crashing up against the wall as the tide came up that I’ll share later.

Even though there is once place in all of Washington state that has actual sandy beaches and I took Sophia there a few times over the summer, she was still reluctant to touch the sand or even go in the water until I took off my shirt and she saw my swimsuit. Suddenly she was all about taking off her shoes and getting in her swimsuit. She didn’t mind walking through the sand to the water with me right beside her.

Kurt took her out in the water for a while, then I walked in and out of the water several times with her. After a while I went to sit by Kurt on the beach mats he bought. Sophia was far from done with the water. She kept at it, running in and out. She never went further than knee deep on her own and was never more than five feet from us.

There was a tiny step down just beyond the mini surf where the waves had carved a two-inch step in the sand. Sophia always paused at that spot to step down. On one occasion, the spongy sand caused her to loose her balance and she fell in the six inches of water. No water hit her face. Kurt and I watched intensely waiting for her to stand on her own. She was fine, but sat there on all fours for a minute. A mini wave came in raising the water another inch though the kid pool. Then for no reason at all she rolled over on her back. I didn’t wait for any flailing. I was mommy on the spot – I ran to her and grabbed her arm. Her eyes were wide open with fear. I think in that moment I thoroughly tested her for Marfan syndrome. I yanked on that arm lifting her whole body up and out of the water, and the limb stayed attached with all that weight.

She was scared and had completely scared me. She didn’t cry and wasn’t coughing up water. I don’t think her nose or mouth actually got any water in them. I move at mommy-lightning-speeds. Just don’t test me again. E-V-E-R. Please.

Sophia didn’t go to the water on her own for the rest of the day. She played in the sand for a while after that and then would grab one of our hands if she wanted in the water again.

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