Free spirit in the city

One thing I'm finding about being home with Elisa during the springtime is that when it's nice outside, it's hard to resist the urge to get out of the apartment. Usually it's just to pop out to the park around the corner or to run an errand in the neighborhood if Nacho is working. But when he's home, it's easy to plan a day around a walk through the city just like we did before Elisa (aka "pre-E"). So Monday, it was lunch at the Jackson Diner in Queens (where I hadn't been in ages), and Tuesday, we went in to Manhattan to stroll through Madison Square Park and then wandered towards Washington Square Park. I try to take some opportunities to let her walk around during these strolls because it's hard to be her age and sit and sit and sit. Her stamina is definitely improving and the other day she actually made it all the way back home walking after a long afternoon out and about. Sometimes she gets back in the stroller without incident and sometimes she needs a little coercing with a bottle and blanket. Yes, the bottle is still around. I'm working on it.

Here is Nacho playing the hip dad near Union Square:

Approaching Washington Square Park, there was still a lot of construction but at least the fountain was on.

As we waded through the crowds of students and onlookers, Elisa ran up to a group of musicians playing some 60s and 70s favorites. One of the older guys handed her a pair of maracas and off she went...

Hanging out at the square with Nacho was a regular after-work treat just a few years ago. And now I have someone else special to share it with which just makes a favorite spot more fun.

Maybe that's why it's so appealing to get out and be with Elisa in the city. Even when she's in a mood or has her crazy spells, she also has those moments of sheer joy and wonder about the world around her. I don't know what it would be like to be a kid growing up in this city, but I have to imagine that it's like stumbling into a movie some days and you can be part of an impromptu music session or splashing in a water fountain in the middle of a beautiful park. And for me as a mom, it's important to remember that this is all waiting for us if we just let it happen. Because it's easy to keep the routines close to home and the nap schedule that makes life so much calmer. But then you miss seeing your daughter dance the afternoon away in the sunshine.