Valentine's Day Outing

I figured this post should be illustrated, but since I've taken no pictures of the subject matter, google images gives us this for "gratitude" (which I feel very much today):
I'm not sure where the painted rock craze started and I'm not sure I care, but this immediately reminded me of the rock I was given in my childbirth class, which I wrote on in permanent marker the words "Get into the sweetness," the origin of which is kind of a long story. Anyway this post is sort of aimed at a friend of mine that had her first baby a couple weeks ago and she knows the story, so I think I'll leave it at that. I think it suffices to say I pictured there would be some sort of zen moment during childbirth in which I rose above the pain, but I do not remember that happening those fourteen months ago. I also do not remember ever getting that rock out of my bag. Whatever. I do remember my beautiful baby.

This post is actually about this morning. This morning was one of the great moments I had pictured as being a part of parenting before I ever became a parent. Today is the first spring-like day of the year. Here's "spring thaw":
Little A and I went outside in regular clothes and light jackets to the common area behind our house. She walked on grass for the first time in her life. We've been outside this winter, but never on as nice a day, so she has normally been in the stroller. So, even though she has been walking for over two months, this is the first time on grass. Next year, friend with the two week old baby, this will be you. Then we went to the playground, again for the first time since she could walk. It was almost like the playground had never existed before since now she can explore it in a new way, not just because of the walking but because of her new identity as an outdoor explorer. Later we splashed in a puddle for the first time, which she eventually sat in and got her pants drenched. Kind of gross, but still awesome, yes? It was kind of like this, except messier. I'm sentimental, I know, but her shoes had never been wet and dirty before. As we walked around the whole area, following the drainage ditch to the other side of the neighborhood, I realized she had never walked that far before. She quickly learned how to walk on bumpy ground. We laughed and played, picked up leaves and rocks and things, and magically they were not stuck in her mouth but just examined, twirled. There is so much little girlness and also just general little kidness in her waiting to burst out.

A year ago it was hard to believe I would ever sleep again, or she would learn how to take a nap, sit up, crawl, walk. Newborn boot camp, amazing and wonderful and miraculous as it is, can sometimes feel like it is forever. I think this is especially the case with winter babies because it seems so long before you can even go outside. Today, when we walked in the house from outside and I took off both of our muddy shoes (and Little A's whole outfit) and then saw them sitting on the mat next to each other, I thought "this is perfect." And, "this day will never happen again," so that is why I wrote it down. Happy Valentine's Day and love to all.



p.s., This picture brings up another factoid: Little A planted her first kiss on a little 13-month-old baby boy yesterday. Right on the lips! Sadly, I was not there to see it, but I was told by LCD that it was the cutest thing ever. She's been a little flirt from the beginning, but what a vixen!

p.p.s, Of course LCD is my #1 Valentine but we've had enough gushing about him around here. He'll get his gushing in private.