I have really tried to appreciate seeing things for the first time through Ella's eyes and ears and fingers. On Easter morning, Ella looked at the dew covered grass with hesitant confusion. She slowly lifted her feet and pushed them into the blades of green while the cold dew built up on her toes. She looked at me for direction. I told her it was okay and put my hands out. She took another step. Everything is new and all of those experiences are pouring into her. Later that day, I took Ella onto the sailboat for the first time. She walked around down below and played with the bolts that are used to lift hatch doors from the floor. She was excited when we first set off, but then that turned to a little scared when we first started to raise the sails and heel to one side. She dug her tiny fingers into my arms but she never got really upset. She got tired and then we let her take a nap in her little pop up shade down below on the boat. After a few hours of sailing, she woke up to a nice end to the cruise and even calmed down enough to pose for some photos on the deck.
