Braver than Before

Yesterday, despite the occasional angry outburst, my daughter yet again crossed the boundary of what I thought she could do.  I remain amazed by her, I think it's becoming just my standard state of being these days.

As I commented on Facebook, she first mastered climbing a mesh ladder and going down a slide at McDonald's, something she had never gotten up the chutzpah to do before.  And once she had achieved it, she went over and over, like any kid will do on a slide, giddily enjoying every second.

But the real surprise came at Casa Bonita last night.  If you're not from Colorado and you've never been, it's hard to explain, but Casa Bonita is a restaurant that features a three-story-tall diving area where high schoolers put on a show every half hour or so.  It's cheesy, weird, and really unlike any other restaurant, ever.  The lights are dimmed, sheriffs chase outlaws around the tables, and it's kind of noisy.

But we thought Maeve was just about ready for it, although I was hoping to be seating further away from the performance area, but nope, we were right next to it.  Maeve clung to my neck for about five minutes, then realized there were chicken nuggets, fries, and soda for her on the table and forgot her troubles.

She did not care for the stage show, but by the end of the night, she was just watching the kids dive and making sure they were okay down in the pool.  She adjusted to a whole new situation last night like an absolute pro.  She is making such progress in acclimatizing to new situations, it gives me real hope that she'll enjoy preschool this fall.  She is my brave little bean!