Firsts

When I think of the "firsts" in my life before kids, I think of things like my first kiss, first car, first time I met my husband, first house, etc.  Once I became a mother, I began to measure everything in firsts - first time rolling over, sitting up, first tooth, first word, etc.  For the first 2 years of Mason's life, I meticulously recorded all of these events with pictures and notes in his baby book.  Putting together baby books for the girls is somewhere on my list of to do's right now.

Today I wittnessed a friend's 1 year old taking her first steps.  We were in the lobby of a 4 & 5 year old gymnastics class, and her youngest of 3 took her very first steps.  It was a very bittersweet moment for the mom, and one I think I'll remember for a long time even though I don't remember when my kids each took their first steps.  Each first for a child represents a step towards growing up.  Charlotte will have her first day of kindergarten in the fall, and Mason just spent the night at a friend's house for the first time.  Next week is spring break and we're taking our first family vacation without any diapers or portable cribs.  That's not such a bad thing.

Todays latte is to celebrate the firsts.  It doesn't have to be as monumentous as a first step, but sometimes it helps to celebrate the little things.  Right now I'm celebrating the fact that I made it through our first week of activities every afternoon - most of them in the rain.  Maybe one day I'll celebrate my first free latte from Starbucks for all of the advertising I give them on my blog.