Small Miracles

Tonight we went out to eat at a little family restaurant that's a lot like a Denny's. Typically it's not a place we'd choose unless it's to eat dessert or breakfast, but tonight we needed something quick, something close, and something that everyone would eat. Leila is 15-months old and this is the first time for as long as my memory can recall that we made it through dinner: no spills, no tantrums, no obnoxious messes, no accidents requiring a change of clothes, no need for serious apologies to the server, no need to leave an over-the-top tip... Austin and I even started and finished conversations with one another. It's amazing what happens to my mood during these little moments of ease. I mean, we keep trucking along even if we do have a head-strong child or a child with a long, long list of food allergies. We have never given in and become homebodies, but night's like tonight definitely take a load off. I was so extremely proud of Leila's turnaround, even if it doesn't last. It was proof that it can happen and that translates to having a light at the end of the tunnel.