What a day!

It's been a really good week. Maia and I had a quiet Thursday to ourselves this time around, which is a departure from the usual busy Thursday routine. Our toddler playgroup took the week off (because of Ann Arbor Schools' spring break), and Papa Stan, who usually spends much of the daytime hours with us, is in Anchorage for the next month. So it was just Maia and I, and a whole day to ourselves.

We started out the day by choosing to wear a favorite item of clothing: the ridiculous dress! It's a long-sleeved dress with stripes and sunbursts and all the colors of the rainbow, and Maia proudly calls it "The Ridiculous Dress." So, we completed her ensemble with pigtails, tights, and Converse low tops, and we were off!

We went to Zingerman's for coffee for my coffee and Maia's scone, and it was a pleasure to see all of her morning friends at the deli. Most of the morning staff knows her by name, and they all complimented her on her ridiculous dress. They even brought out some stickers from behind the counter to give her because the striped cupcake sticker was a perfect match to her dress.

We stayed there for quite a while and read Arnold Lobel's Mouse Tales and There's a Wocket in my Pocket. Maia's attention span for books is pretty awesome; if I'm remembering accurately back to a few years ago, it feels longer than that of some of my former five- and six-year old students. She has many of her favorite books somewhat memorized (particularly Wocket), and will often refer to real-life events that remind her of things that happen in her favorite stories.

After the deli, we went downtown to see all of the fairy doors again. We even saw a new one this time, at a little home furnishing shop off the beaten path! As we were walking down Main St., we passed the location of the goblin door a couple of times, and Maia is decidedly afraid of it. As we approached its spot between two storefronts, she stopped walking and insisted that I pick her up. She then turned away from it and buried her face in my shoulder. The first time this happened, I wasn't really thinking about where it was and thus I didn't immediately understand why she was upset. She definitely remembers, though!

After naptime, we took a long walk down the main street of our neighboorhood in celebration of the balmy weather. We stopped to look at fire hydrants, piles of snow, puddles, and sticks. We even saw two birds' nests in trees along the way. The entire time, as we were holding hands and strolling along, Maia and I had a full-fledged conversation about melting snow and where the birds go in the wintertime. It was really wonderful, and the perfect way to welcome a warm (ish) day. :)