Three Firsts

#1

Last night as I was fixing dinner (veggie lasagna – mmmm…), Daniel was sitting at the table with Madeline in his lap. All of a sudden he said, “Hey!” I turned around, and he had an excited look of concentration on his face. “Just a second,” he said. I waited patiently until finally he said, “Yep! This is it! Madeline has her first tooth!” And, indeed, she does. A couple of months ago, I was feeling her gums all the time, expecting to feel a hard spot poking through at any time. But I had started to give up. At almost eight months, I thought that possibly she was just never going to have teeth. It has probably been at least a week since I last did a finger check for a tooth. But last night I got an explanation for the fussiness that I had dealt with all day yesterday. (Madeline has learned how to whine in the last week or so, and she has quickly become expert at it.) Suddenly I felt awfully bad that I had been frustrated with her yesterday. The poor baby didn’t feel well! So my girl is growing up. Her first tooth… Wow.



#2

Well, this discovery was followed in quick succession with another first experience. Madeline tried broccoli for the first time! I’ve read and planned and tried to do everything right when it comes to introducing your baby to food. I’ve done everything (well, almost) according to the book. I breastfed exclusively for six months. I have introduced only the recommended foods for each month. I have carefully kept her from anything sweet or salty to “ruin” her tastebuds before she learns to like the healthy stuff. All of this is supposed to guarantee that your baby will love veggies and live happily ever after without ever having cravings for all the junk food that we grownups love. That’s how it’s supposed to work. So far, I will say that she has liked almost every veggie that has come her way. But in the last week she has tried greens for the first time – peas first and now broccoli. Both of her parents love them. But Madeline, not so much. I mean REALLY not at all. However, mommy and daddy had a lot of fun with it. I know it sounds mean, but it was just too funny. And the best part is, we caught it all on the video camera. How many times have I said, “If only I had captured that precious moment on camera!”? Well, last night I did. Madeline made a terrible face, started to dry heave, and then actually threw up. It was great.



#3

M has learned to DANCE in the last few days. It is the cutest thing. She will sway her head and upper body back and forth, back and forth. She sometimes does it when we prompt her by doing it first, and she sometimes does it spontaneously. I love that dancing comes naturally to little ones. We grown ups (at least where I come from) have such baggage associated with the word “dance.” But children naturally know how to dance. It is an expression of joy! What fun to watch her sway with happiness.