spring

Oh, thank goodness! It's finally spring. The furnace is occasionally not running. We can leave the house without three extra layers. And M, who has just started using her walking feet, is spending time on the ground, outside, for the very first time. We love watching her discover the world that has been waiting for her.

She love-love-loves flowers. I think it's adorable and am also hoping that it bodes well for my plan to make her a master gardener before she hits kindergarten. Her key interests right now seem to be shredding and eating flowers, but I think I can work with that.

We are lucky to have an amazing playground a short walk from our place. (We also have a sketchy, dingy playground a short walk in the other direction. We will not be playing there often.) When we're not competing for space with the twenty billion kids from the Montessori school down the hill, M has a blast on the swings. Personally, I'm ready to move onto the sandbox and jungle gym, but I think M's going to make me wait a few more months...

A few days ago, M and I took a walk down our block to watch the neighborhood kids tear around. The big kids were all sweet to M, saying hello to her and bringing her dandelions and lemon balm. It's so strange to think that in a few seasons, she'll be racing around, too, running up and down the street, riding a bike, and practicing being away from us. Frankly, the idea paralyzes my brain.

Fortunately for me, that time is still another spring or two away...