Journey Of Firsts

Austin is 8 months now.  He is such a happy, content, laid back and easy going baby.  He is not much of a talker like Riley was at his age he is a quite the little mover and shaker.  He is very curious about everything.  He loves to try and stand by pulling himself up on anything and everything he gets his hands on.  He loves to play with all of Riley's toys, especially the ones he is not supposed to have.  He tries so hard to walk but hasn't quite figured out how to do that yet.  I think he will be an early walker.  Riley took his first steps at 10 months.  His first words were mama as Riley's first words were dada.  He has 2 teeth on the bottom middle which he got at 7 months old- Riley's first teeth were in the same spot at 4 months old.  He is a wonderful sleeper and sleeps through the night on a regular basis.  He has been a good sleeper from day one, Riley was a good sleeper too as a baby but didn't start sleeping through the night until at least 4 months old. 

Riley is a wonderful big brother.  He is always saying how he loves his little brother and loves talking and playing with him.  When we first brought Austin home, Riley asked "Is he big enough to play cars with me?"  Austin is already after Riley's cars every chance he gets and now Riley asks "Can you tell Austin to stop drooling on my cars?"  Kind of funny.  These days Riley's favorite things to do are:  Playing basketball, going to the park, going fishing with daddy, playing Wii video games and of course playing on the "little computer" AKA my iPod.  Riley is at such a fun age we enjoy just hanging out with him.  He is quite the conversationalist and is a very social little boy. 

The holidays are already upon us and it is a reminder of how fast time is going.  I thought Riley's first year went fast but Austin's first year seems to be going even faster.  Life is so busy that sometimes we forget to stop and appreciate all the wonderful things going on in life.  It is ironic how your first child is born and you just can't wait for them to grow up.  You celebrate every milestone.  You can't wait for their very first word, their first smile or laugh and of course their first few steps.  With every new first you are looking ahead to the next.  Before you know it you are pregnant again and your baby is now about to become a big brother.  For me, with my second child I find myself holding on to every new first as if it could be my last.  I have been through this once and as exciting as it is to experience every new baby milestone it is a reminder each one will fade away with time and I will miss and long for those precious firsts that I can no longer get back.  The good news is their will be a lifetime of firsts throughout our lives and we can always look forward to more precious memories yet to be made.  Life is a journey of firsts and the precious moments we have already experienced will always stay with us.