Two Good Things

1.  I'm feeling much, much better.  Thankfully.  Because I was sick!  And it was no fun.

2.  The weather today was like the wonderful and familiar Pacific Northwest... quietly foggy and drizzly, with some warm and wet but dry spots in the day (that makes sense if you understand that kind of weather, trust me).  A wonderful relief after all of the bitter cold that has kept us cooped up indoors this winter.  Andrea said it felt like a hug, and I agree.  A hug that had Elliot and I smiling all the way to the park.  It felt so good to be healthy and out of the house.  Out in the elements that felt so familiar.  And Elliot loved it.  From the minute his bum left the stroller he was running and climbing and splashing in puddles and going up up up the hills and then down down down the hills.  Amazingly, sometime between when the weather turned frozen and we stopped going to playgrounds and today, Elliot developed the ability to climb up a climber with ease and grace.  Just ran right up to it and climbed up the steps until he was at the top, like he'd done it a million times before.  Although he hadn't.  Before he was uncoordinated and not strong enough to pull his body up and it never worked quite right or safely for him.  But today it looked completely natural.  Speaking of, my favorite parts of the morning were when he was splashing in the water and climbing the hill.  I love feeling free to let him just be in the natural world.  The snow and cold have really kept the out-of-doors feeling off limits to me (and, by default, him).  But I love being out in nature with Elliot.  And, clearly, he loves it, too.  So, here's hoping for a few more of those familiar "hug" kind of days where we can go out and run and splash and leave our big coats and our hats at home and just be outside.