Something hit me the other day. I was feeding the baby watching The Alternative on VH1 Classic (it’s like it’s 1990 all over again and you’re watching 120 Minutes on MTV), impressing my child with my knowledge of the lyrics to "Just Like Heaven," and it occurred to me that this was the first time Madame had ever heard The Cure – in her life. And then Morrissey came on and I thought the same thing. Not that she could recognize it, or that she was even aware what was on the TV, but it was kind of cool to think I was exposing this little blank slate to all of these brand new things.
And then last week she got her immunization shots and I had to give her baby Tylenol drops every 4 hours. They’re grape flavored and I thought, damn, that’s the first time she’s tasted anything other than breast milk or formula.
All of this is not exactly a revelation to experienced parents, and maybe I’m just sleep deprived, but it kind of amazed me. It’s not just the big firsts that matter (smiling, walking, talking), but there are also thousands of small firsts that are happening every day.