Super Saturday

So far, today has been super! Sprout slept through the night, and we woke up to sunshine and happiness. Between the warm air -- it's in the 50s -- and the sun, we had to get out of the house (and still might do so again). So we stopped by Thayer Street, taking the car so we could proceed to a more distant destination afterward.

First up was the Post Office, where we ran into Arturo, one of Sprout's first visitors. He marveled at her growth (and called her Clover, to my delight).

Second was Chipotle for lunch. Unfortunately, Sprout began melting down before we could finish our burrito and soft tacos, so we sped through our food and took off.

Third, Summer hit up a stand of girl scouts selling cookies while I escorted an unhappy Sprout back to the car for a diaper -- and, as it turned out, outfit -- change. Once Summer had returned and Sprout was changed, it was time for a discreet feeding.

Breastfeeding in a Corolla off a major college strip is glamorous:

Soon enough all was well, and Sprout-signs indicated that we could safely proceed with the remainder of our plan: a hike at Touisset Marsh Wildlife Refuge in Warren. So we did.

And Sprout continued to cooperate.

We introduced Sprout to some of Rhode Island's many historic stone walls!

On such a nice day, even the puddles are pretty:

Unfortunately, when hiking in March, one runs across sections of trail that are blocked by debris. One of these we couldn't clear (despite a friendly golden retriever's efforts to guide us over), and had to make our way through brambles to get by.

We were happy to be past the hurdle.

And our golden retriever friend continued to guide us.

Soon we were done: our first family hike!

So, we loaded up and prepared to make our way home again.

A noteworthy observation: again, on the brief stretch of 195 that passed through Massachusetts, the Sprout treated us to a few of her trademark screams. She calmed considerably once Rhode Island was in view.