Hi Friend,

Easter was a good one over here. Our sunrise service got moved inside because of the rain (womp womp), but we came home, made cinnamon rolls, and Jamie opened his Easter basket. My mom and David's parents came over for the day and we did an egg hunt in the house because, again, rain. We dyed eggs two ways: the classic dye cups, which were a hit, and Cool Whip marbling, which Jamie took one look at and said absolutely not. The kid who eats rocks at the playground drew a hard line at food coloring in whipped cream. I think we might be raising a neat freak.

He got Easter baskets from both sets of grandparents, but the biggest hit of the day was a $13 kid-sized watering can from Amazon that happened to get delivered during his nap. Timing is everything. The carrot cake was incredible until it wasn't. We all had stomach aches by 3 p.m. and no one regretted anything. Jamie now knows the word "cake," which feels like a development we can't undo.

Also, can we talk about spring break traffic? Or the complete lack of it? My commute has been a dream this week and I'm not ready to give it back. Enjoy it while it lasts, Charlotte.

Anyway, it's a packed week and I've got a lot for you, so let's get into it.

🌱 What We’re Doing

Your week in Charlotte, planned.

🚨 On Our Radar

Quick hits you'll want to know about.

• New Raffi Tonie just dropped. If your kid's Toniebox is their most-used possession (same), the Raffi one is out now. Baby Beluga on demand. You're welcome.

• NC State Extension Master Gardener Plant Sale is this Saturday. Natives, perennials, annuals, vegetables, herbs, and new this year, houseplants as super low prices. A lot of the plants are grown by the Master Gardener volunteers themselves. They've also got free tool sharpening, free saplings, gardening-themed kids' activities, and a food truck. We went last year and Jamie tried to adopt three succulents last year. Expect to leave with more plants than you planned. Saturday, April 11, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 2415 Lester St. See the Full Plant List

• UPPAbaby is at the Matthews Target. Yes, you can already see it at Nordstrom, but there's something different about being able to test drive a stroller while you're also grabbing diapers and a bag of Goldfish. And for those of you already indoctrinated into the UB cult, they have all the (insanely expensive) accessories (that should have already been included with the stroller). 

• Reid's Fine Foods opened their new Ballantyne location yesterday. If you're on that side of town and have been making the drive to South Park out of principle, you're free now. Their grand opening celebration is this Saturday.

• SipCity added a changing table to their bathroom. This is the kind of update that doesn't make headlines but absolutely makes or breaks whether you can actually go somewhere with a baby. Noted and appreciated. Side note: my friends and I keep a shared note of places in Charlotte that have changing tables in their bathrooms. Is that something you'd want us to share? Let me know.

🌳 Where We're Playing

One place we loved this week.

🍷 For the Grownups

Stuff that has nothing to do with kids.

• The Masters starts today. It runs through Sunday and if you need somewhere to watch that isn't your couch (no judgment if it is), our go-tos are Selwyn Pub and Reid's. Selwyn's transfusions are basically the official drink of Masters weekend. I still miss when they had the blood orange ones (rip). If you're looking for a bigger screen situation, Blinders in South End has the largest sports viewing screen on the East Coast outside of a stadium, or there's Platform Sports in LoSo with a 40-foot TV wall and a rooftop patio. And if you want to watch while pretending you could do it, Topgolf is right there.

• In my ears. Janet Lansbury's Unruffled podcast. I'll get into this more in the What I'm Learning section, but we're deep in the tantrums and big feelings phase right now, and this podcast has been the thing keeping me sane. Each episode is basically someone writing in with the exact problem you're having, and Janet talking you off the ledge. Her book "No Bad Kids" is also great if you want something you can read in short bursts between meltdowns.

• Go eat the salmon belly nigiri at Yama LoSo. We took friends there recently and introduced them to it. One of them called it "special," which is an understatement. They texted us this weekend to say they went back and ordered eight of them. I rest my case.

• Mark your calendars. East Fork is one of my favorite pottery makers (they're out of Asheville) and I'm so excited they're doing another Seconds Pop-up here in Charlotte with Slate Interiors on Saturday, April 18 (10am-4pm, 2025 Thrift Rd). Wirecutter basically said their Everyday Bowls will outlive you, which tracks. Core colors, seasonal surprises, plus coffee from Caffè To and plants from The Plant Man. If you know, you know.

• On my watch list. Patrick Winston's "How to Speak" lecture from MIT. It's on YouTube, it's free, and it's genuinely changed how I think about presenting at work. Whether you're leading a meeting, pitching a client, or just trying to get people to actually listen to your point, it's worth an hour of your time. I watched it on my lunch break and immediately wanted to redo every presentation I've ever given.

📝 What I'm Learning as a Parent

The honest version.

We're in the thick of tantrums right now. And I don't mean the kind where he gets a little upset and moves on. I mean full-body, Hulk-level meltdowns. Screaming at the top of his lungs, flailing, head butting, biting his shirt. The other night David was out, so I tried to do bath on my own and Jamie basically gave himself hives from being so upset. Over a bath.

He's 19 months old and his vocabulary is growing fast, but his pronunciation isn't quite there yet. So he's getting better at communicating, but then he gets incredibly frustrated when he can't get the words out the way he wants. I get it. I'd be mad too. Daycare drop-offs have been a nightmare. Red face, crying, reaching for me, holding onto my legs, collapsing on the floor. 

The hardest part is that when he's in the middle of a meltdown, trying to cuddle him or console him just makes things worse. So I sit down next to him and let him get it out, and I feel horrible doing it. Like I should be doing more. Like there's some combination of words or actions that would fix it. But there isn't. He just has to move through it.

I know it's a phase. I know we're holding boundaries and eventually it'll click. But right now it's tiring and it's sad. You don't like seeing your kid that distressed.

If there's one thing I've learned over these last 19 months, it's that every phase is just that. A phase. Good ones, bad ones, they all come and go. That's the thing nobody tells you: you'll miss some of the hard phases too, because they were wrapped up in a version of your kid you'll never get back.

So if you're going through this too, or you've been through it, just know: solidarity. We're right here with you.

Help The Sprout grow. If one idea made your week easier, please forward this email or tag @thecharlottesprout so more Charlotte parents can find us. 🌱