First Steps

Life is all about first steps and all kinds of new beginnings. Some are exciting while others are scary.
Exciting first step in my world is that Little Man took his first steps on Saturday. Less than a week after celebrating his first birthday, he took 3 steps to me. Just to make sure, I placed him at arms length from me. Sure enough, he took 3 more steps. I sent a video to my family back in Kansas and to his dad who was working. They were all pretty excited. When Matt got home, I put Lane on the floor and he took 6 steps towards Matt. The look on Matt's face showed how proud he was of Lane taking his first steps.


As a parent, your child's first steps can be so exciting and is also a big milestone for them. But it's a new beginning too. It means your baby is growing up just a little bit more when you just want to keep snuggling them or that they stay small and innocent forever.


I've had the opportunity to be able to stay home with Lane during his first year. Yes, some days have been frustrating. But the laughter, giggles and all the good in between has made it all worth it. I've gotten to experience so many if not all of his firsts. I may not remember the exact date or time that some of these things happen. Does it make me a bad parent? Not at all because I know I was there right where I needed to be. I saw him roll over for the first time. When he started getting his first tooth right about Thanksgiving, I was there in the middle of the night comforting him the best I could.


Being a first time parent is scary. There is no manual that you get to bring home from the hospital. There are nights that you are so sleep deprived that you just want to cry, scream, are so frustrated because you don't know what else to do to get your baby to stop crying. I'm pretty sure every parent has been there.


I know I'm no where near the parent my parents or grandparents are. My mom's house is spotless. Even when I was a kid, I remember the house always being clean. Where in the heck did she find the time? Right now, I have toys scattered all over my small living room floor. Half of the dishes are done. I still have to unload the dishwasher. Before Lane fell asleep for nap time, he took a bunch of bowls out of the cabinets and they are still all over the kitchen floor. He's at the point where he getting clingy. If he sees me leave the room, he'll start whining and follow after me, which at times makes it a little difficult to get things done. In my defense though, I just started my second load of laundry for the day. Maybe that's why I leave my house a mess half the time. But by doing so, it makes me feel guilty that the house isn't clean.


Okay, so what if my house is a mess? I'm there for my son and that's all that matters. I get to experience so many of his first steps in life and I couldn't be more grateful.