08.21.05 - 11:52 pm

i dont know how many firsts me and ashton had over the last two days, but for us, they were important milestones.

first it was cannon beach. there were tuna fish sandwhiches. kyle was there for whitney, andie for jillian, ashton for me. the weather was perfect and sunny, but i forgot just how cold and windy the beach can be. but the wind soon faded and left us with squinting eyes and warm seaside air. haystack rock is always incredible, but more exciting for ashton was wading through all the waist deep puddles created in between the mini sand dunes. once i showed him where the snails were on top of the barnacles, he was unstoppable at pulling them off and plopping them into the tidepools. he didnt want to observe the life in the puddles from the rim of the water, he wanted to be sitting right in the middle. he wanted to climb. he wants to wade. he didnt want to leave.

except when i mentioned saltwater taffy and it being related to candy. that gave him new motivation.

we walked along the beach for at least two miles to where kyle though the taffy shop was. the whole way ashton pointing out sea gulls, switching between running along side us and me holding him, chasing around whitney or jill or kyle or andie and telling me what animals were represented by the kites. eventually we made it to the roads and streets and had to ask where the taffy shop was, but it was 12 blocks away so those little three wheel bikes were suggested. i was really looking forward to not only peddling around in one of those, but having the basket at the end with ashton tucked inside.
unfortunately there had been a big rush, and no bikes were available for me and ashton. so disappointed, him and i walked the entire length of coast back to the car, while the rest rolled around on beach bikes for the next 90 minutes.
ashton loved the sand. not only would he squat down and tell me he was drawing by dragging his fingers through the moist sand, but he would run and then fall down and lay there, all his limbs outstretched and say, "oh no! hep me! hep meeeeee!" and then id try to pick him up, and his body would go limp, and hed just look at me. so then i would just take this limp little child and start running as fast as i could, his feet dragging in the sand. he loved this. he was flying. he would just look down at the ground whizzing by him and laugh. i ran pretty fast and must admit it was pretty fun, regardless of how awkward it must have looked to bystanders.

it was close to six by the time we left the beach, ashton dropped off to sleep in less than 5 minutes in the car, and soon most everyone else did too. just me and whitney and johnny cash and coffee that took until tigard to get cool enough to drink. i was in bed by eleven that night....exausted.

the following day, ashton and i woke up around ten. we packed up our things and hit the river. my step father, mother, whitney, andie, jillian and ashton and i. it was hot. it was sunny. the water felt terrific. after the ladies took a spin around in the water tubes, ashton and i took a try. just a slow drag down the river, but this little flap kept flicking beads of water all over ashton right into both our eyes. so the entire ride he sat next to me with his eyes closed, enjoying himself, but not so much the water constantly in his eyes.
then came the swimming pool. the entire day ashton had on a lifejacket, the same one my sisters had worn when they were nearly his age. he absolutely detested the device. just wailed and screamed in hysterics. he loathed that jacket. but soon enough we got him to forget it and he just sat like a potato sack not even minding. i held him and slowly dipped into the pool, and his body tensed. his legs wrapped around my waist, his fingers tightened on my shoulders. his eyes got really really big. he screamed. he did not like the feeling of floating. of not having anywhere to put his feet. i dont think it was so much fear, as it was just a new sensation he hadnt really experienced. the more i swam him around and made him laugh and played little games, the more comfortable he got. the more he trusted me. he played around with mom and mike a little bit as well.
then i jumped off the diving board with him.
he came up with the widest eyes and mouth i had ever seen on a person. he had no idea that was coming. and i dont think he cared for it much.
back on the river, the girls and i rode the tubes while mom managed the child and the orange flag, and soon i noticed no child in her arms. apparently he was out very soon after we young adults settled into the inflated doughnuts. under a blanket and under my moms arms he slept, comfortably.
we came home that night sunburned and pink. at least i did. ashton, having been doused heavily with sunscreen was untouched by the sun.

later that night he woke up to tell my mom he had a scary dream about a spider in his mouth that he ate. i have no idea where that came from or what it means.

we went to the beach. he jumped in puddles. played in the sand. we rode on a boat. rode on a little water tube. played in a pool. jumped off a diving board.

he is a fascinating young man.