Will She come out with a Bang? (Or 6 days and counting...)

Happy 4th of July!

I've been procrastinating with updates thinking....hoping...willing...lil' Samantha out of hiding. But once again...we see that we have a strong-willed child on our hands that has her own little time schedule in mind. Meanwhile her mama is getting mighty impatient and Grandma Tina is frustrated that she won't be able to don her red, white and blue romper especially chosen for this day. Samantha that is....not Grandma! Oooh...scary thought!

We did get our beach walk in on Friday...even Mr. SSS (Sand, Sea & Sun) accompanied us. I don't think he liked the idea of not getting in on some fun and the possible "water break" that could occur.

The beach was just what the Doctor ordered! Cool breezes and salt air and we were feeling calmer by the minute. We shared some fish tacos, fish and chips and a salad at Fisherman's Restaurant on the pier and even snuck in a shared glass of Pinot Grigio (with ice and lemon, of course) to toast to our little pregnant princess who's about to become a mom.

The day was bittersweet. We reminisced about all the good times we had shared at this beach. We watched the junior lifeguards playing dodge ball and even got to watch them do their infamous "pier jump" which was a highlight of our children's summer when they were that age.

Every summer when the kids were young we would pack the car with coolers, chairs and plenty of sunscreen and head down to San Clemente. For 5 weeks, the kids would be part of the junior life-guard program every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 1 until 4. That's when my three hours of "wanderings and ponderings" began. I could watch the waves and just be. It's when I discovered a favorite little book, which has now become my summer companion, "The Gift from the Sea." Every Friday, Steve would take off from work and meet us at the beach around 4 as would many of the Dads, and we'd start off the week-end with fun and games. It was our home away from home and a landmark of our summers.

We were also fortunate enough to have friends that had a beach rental in San Clemente while our kids were young that graciously shared it with us on numerous occasions. On our walk, we strode by the house and laughed at the many memories it brought to mind.

We talked about the gift of family and, even with all it's quirks and faults, the precious gift it is to have all these wonderful loving souls to support you through a pregnancy and a birth.

For a few hours, time stood still. We had our daughter to ourselves and we re-lived the past that only we shared.

So maybe...just maybe...God intended us to have one last solo beach walk with our little princess to celebrate her and the many gifts and talents that she has enriched our lives with. We know that we will adore and love our "new" little princess but our first princess will always hold a special place in our hearts.