"Firsts"

Being an adult, I sometimes forget what it felt like to do something for the first time as a small child. As an adult, we sometimes have to do a "first"; like a new house or a new city but as an adult it's easier to have control over those situations and to know how it will all work out and you know that it won't kill you to do what ever needs done because you can relay on how past experiences worked out.

Olivia had two big "firsts" last week, a trip to the dentist and swimming lessons. I picked a local pediatric dentist and on his website he gave suggestions on how to make the visit easier for kids and the biggest part was don't make a big deal about coming to the dentist. So, I didn't even tell Olivia much, just we are going to the dentist and she was OK. But that all changed when we were called to the back office. Mind you, the office was very kid friendly and very active. Everyone was very sweet and nice. Being put into the big chair transformed my brave, outgoing Olivia to a shy child that I have never seen. The office had sunglasses for the kids to wear and after some princess talk and showing of the tools and how they work and feel, my old Olivia soon emerged and was eating up all the attention. In the end, it was a fabulous experience for Olivia and she can't wait to brush her teeth at home.

Her other first was the swimming lesson and believe it or not went very similar to the dentist trip. Olivia started out a little shy but she loves the water so she was quickly won over. She's been swimming with a swim suit with a built in floater, so I think she had a problem with having to hold on to someone and listen to directions. The water was very cold because it had rained the day before so the lesson only lasted about 20 minutes or so. I was concerned that she wouldn't want to come back because by the time she got out of the pool, she was saying that she wanted to go home, she didn't like it, etc.. but as the days have gone by she has talked about the "superman" swim (arms straight out and hands on top of each other) and how she has to kick her legs in the water.

I look forward to being with Olivia has she has more firsts, especially has she starts taking on the role of big sister.