1 Mother 2 Another

We had our first snowfall of the season last night and awoke to the perfect winter morning; with about an inch of snow on the ground, the trees were topped in powdered sugar and the back yard was snug under a lovely white velvet blanket.  Madeleine’s eyes grew as big as saucers when she saw it for the first time, and she turned to me with a smile on her face as if to say, “Did you do this just for me?”

We ran a few errands before church this morning, strolling around the Upper West Side.  Maddie was in her infant car seat / stroller base, so she was seeing everything in reverse.  With her Kangaroo Kuddler tucked up under her chin, she looked like a miniature empress snuggled under a thick blanket on a sleigh ride.  She was clutching the edge of the Kuddler, refusing to keep her hands tucked toastily under the blanket, screaming with glee.

Yep, screaming with glee.  For some reason, Madeleine loves the cold.  We bundle up to go for a walk, and as her nose turns red and the wind causes her to blink rapidly, she chortles with delight.  I don’t know where she gets it; I’m not a cold-weather girl myself, nor is Brian.  But I see her straining forward, eyes half closed as if she’s imagining herself an intrepid explorer in the northern wilderness, feeling the bracing wind on her cheeks.  Today as we donut-ed all over the un-shoveled sidewalks of Broadway, she screamed with delight for the several blocks we walked, every time we went outside.

I can’t figure out where she gets it from, but I hope it goes away before she’s older and asking Mommy to play outside with her for hours.  Maybe Mommy and Daddy will flip a coin to see who goes out with her and who gets to watch from the window.