Celebrating the Special Moments: Favorite Baby Holiday Milestones ...

Posted by Carla Young on November 26, 2012 ? Leave a Comment?

When I dreamed of someday having a child, it was always with the fairytale notion of reliving all my favorite childhood moments with my future son or daughter. My most cherished moments involved dressing up in my fancy dress to visit grandma?s house on Christmas day or playing in piles of wrapping paper with my little brother.

And although the reality of parenthood means a slightly revised version of this idyllic dream (including spit-up on a much beloved Christmas dress) ? those are still my most cherished moments.

Added to this list of favorite holiday milestones are a number of special moments that outshine anything from my own childhood in preciousness and sheer joy. And what makes them truly special is all the quirks and imperfections that make them real.

First Christmas Photos
Complete with the (specially purchased) fancy dress, professional photographer, freshly washed and combed baby curls and of course, a sleeping baby (sorry grandma, no smiles this year).

First Christmas Dress
Which was worn only once (outside of the aforementioned photo session) and likely had spit-up on it before the beaming grandparents arrived.

First Christmas Chocolate
Another new spin on a family Christmas tradition. Picture kids? little palms smothering chocolate into their mouths and the ensuing trail of brown drool; you get the picture.

First Christmas Tree
Helping decorate the Christmas tree (a.k.a flinging ornaments in every direction) was another of my favorite holiday moments. I still remember pulling out the made-by-me popcorn string (and sampling a few stale kernels).

First Christmas Toys
No holiday photo is complete without the baby-cum-toy-destructor crashing a new train set with giggles of delight.

But above all, nothing compares to the wonder and joy at the littlest things, like the empty glass of milk and cookie crumbs that signaled Santa?s visit or the surprise of ?How did Santa know that I like pink??

As my daughter, now 7-and-a-half, nears the age when the magic of Christmas disappears, her now skeptical view marring the wonder, ?Tell me for real, mom, are you Santa?? I look back on all those treasured firsts with bittersweet joy.

But I know my daughter will come to enjoy and appreciate our holiday traditions (even if with slightly less wonder) until she one day has a family of her own to rekindle her sense of awe about her holiday favorites.

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Disclosure: This post was brought to you by Mattel via Glam Media Canada.? The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Mattel.

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About Carla Young
Carla Young, MOMeoMagazine.com Publisher If there?s living proof that women can have it all ? and then some ? it?s Carla Young. Building her multiple businesses on a virtual work-at-home model, Carla is an inspiration to other mothers who want to start a lifestyle business. During her early days as a mom entrepreneur, Carla made every single mistake in the book (and a few new ones for good measure). Realizing that ?doing it all? was unhealthy and unsustainable, Carla started by getting organized to the extreme, developing support systems for both her work and family. After other mothers started asking how they too could enjoy her lifestyle, Carla launched MOMeoMagazine.com to support moms at work, at home and at play (because every mommy deserves a little me-time)!

Source: http://www.momeomagazine.com/celebrating-the-special-moments-favorite-baby-holiday-milestones/

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