Willow is the king of the world!

Willow and I ventured to the Rivergate mall on Thursday, and she had the time of her life.
I graduated her from the carseat into the stroller seat that had been hiding underneath.
And she loved it.
As I whirled from department store to department store hunting for a particular gift, Willow grabbed the tray and pulled herself as far to the front as she could. From that vantage point, with the mall kiosks and storefronts zooming by, Willow laughed and screamed (her little baby screams of joy). This little 6-month-old girl spread more joy doing this than I have in many years.
I was flying, folks (well, I was walking at a brisk pace), because the faster I went, the more fun Willow was having. As the pretzel-smell wind rushed through Willow's hair, she raised her arms and declared (I'm sure of it, though I'm not an expert baby-scream translator), "I am king of the world!"
This trip to the mall was a blast. Other highlights:
Willow loved zig-zagging through the clothing racks. She didn't pull anything down, but I'm sure that day isn't too far away.
Willow smiled and laughed at everyone who looked at her. Dozens of people stopped to say hello and remark on Willow's otherworldly cuteness, but the highlight was when a man in his 70s scooted over to me in Macy's and said, "You have a cute kid there, bud."
On an earlier trip to Macy's, when Willow was 2 months old, I saleswoman told her, "Do they call you Fatso?" I'm sure the lady didn't intend an insult (and I didn't react as such), but Mommy was none to happy. The same woman saw Willow on Thursday and said, "My, aren't you the most precious baby!" I think I heard Willow harrumph.
Then came the carousel at the end of the trip. Oh, my goodness! Words cannot describe Willow's glee, so I've attached a picture (she'd just had a bottle, so milk is dribbling at the corner of her mouth; she's not frothing, but maybe she is).

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