Warm weather is here. And although I keep having to close the windows and turn the heat on at night I can tell that warm weather is here to stay. And I am so happy.
I don't know how much of it is psychological, physiological or just logical, but winter is depressing. Even as my preggo butt was waddling around sweating while it was 30 degrees outside this past January, I was so looking forward to warm weather. One, because by January I was getting tired of being pregnant. Again. But even while I was grateful that it wasn't 90 degrees (because I've had one summer pregnancy and it sucked), I really wished it were spring. I hate that everything is so dead and brown and depressing in the winter.
I love watching as my day lilies come up and my daffodils. The small tender shoots pushing up through last year's mulch and dead leaves.
Daffodils are just such happy spring flowers.
Warm weather makes life so much better. So much easier. Especially with kids. All winter I was hard-pressed to find ways to entertain Evie. She's a ball of energy and most days the weather just didn't make it feasible to take her outside. Even if she were bundled up in multiple layers. It was just always so icy and icky. And I can't get a one year old to work a puzzle or read a book all morning. That lasts about two minutes. Then she's ripping pages out and chewing on the spine of the book or tossing puzzle pieces at the dog. I don't think there are many toddlers who are big on sedentary activities, but if there are mine is certainly not one of them.
Now that the weather is nice, we are outside every chance we get. And this summer we'll be hitting the parks and pools all the time. As a result, Evie is taking the best naps she's taken since she learned to walk. And is going to bed on time without any argument. She's eating well, has a little color in her cheeks and generally seems to be a happier kid than she has been for the last 6 months.
She loves taking walks down the street. We live in a pretty quiet neighborhood with lots of kids so my husband and I let her just run ahead a short distance and explore.
She is in a "what is that" phase right now so she spends the whole walk pointing and asking "Dat?" and waiting for a response. It can be completely exasperating to tell her over and over "tree," "bird," "car," "truck" etc. But I just take a deep breath and remember that a few months ago I was worried about if she'd ever start talking.
Today Evie got to blow out her first dandelion.
She more patted it than blew on it. But that's okay. It was still adorable. Her daddy loved getting to show her how to do something.
This is Evie's first real spring. I mean last year she was still more of a "squab" as my great grandmother called them. Squab being a baby that isn't able to really do anything yet. Of course last year she could sit up by this time. But she couldn't get around and really see and feel everything. She couldn't crush the dandelions, pick up sticks, stomp the hosta, crunch the leaves or any of the other exciting ways she has to explore and experience the world this year.
She just loves to be outside and getting into stuff. She has been very impressed by flowers and birds and trees and more birds. Birds are one of her new favorites. Especially since Mimi brought one of her domesticated doves inside for Evie to pet the other day. Since then it's gone from enthusiastic interest to fanatic obsession. A little creepy. Pointing out every bird that she spots and even accusing airplanes of being birds.
Some days it sort of feels like I'm taking a bad puppy outside, constantly yelling at her to get away from the road, come back up the hill, stay out of the neighbors yard or to stop chewing on a stick but other days it's like I'm experiencing the great outdoors for the first time myself. She wants to see whats under all the rocks. She wants to feel the azaleas and the bark on the tree. She wants me to label every plant, bird, dog, rock and twig for her. And its awesome! Her enthusiasm is contagious and I love it. Every thing seems even more fresh and new.
It has made this spring even more beautiful and inspiring. I have felt completely renewed over the last couple of weeks. I am loving this spring and I cannot wait for the next pretty day!
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