For better or worse (or even worse than that), there are always going to be things that don’t quite make the scrapbook. There are millions of these moments, but here are some of the bigger ones.
- The first time you share a cold
Whether it starts with you, with Baby, with your partner, or with any other little rugrats you’ve got running around, illnesses can sweep through a family like nothing else. They can also build in intensity as they jump from family member to family member, so getting to the end of a shared cold is definitely something to celebrate – it’s just something you’d rather celebrate by getting a few hours sleep where you can breathe through your nose again than by scrapbooking about it. Besides, the scratch of the pen on the page could wake Baby, and you know you don’t want that. - Baby first horrible favorite
It might take them a few months to pick their first favorite thing you can’t stand, but when they do, they won’t let it go easily. It might be a favorite song to rival “The Song That Gets On Everybody’s Nerves,” or one of those plastic toys with the buttons that make different but interchangeable squawking sounds, or it could be a hideously ugly piece of clothing you only kept because it was a gift, but Baby adores. It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that if you do finally manage to convince them to part with that horrible favorite, there’s no way you’ll be keeping any record of it around to remind them of it. - The first public tantrum
You know it happens, but maybe you didn’t think it would happen to you. It’ll pass though, and when it does, you won’t particularly want a written record of it – the one in your head is plenty. - Baby’s first non-family babysitter
Whether it’s the caregiver at daycare, who you know is qualified, or a teenager from down the block, or somebody you found on a credible website, handing Baby off to someone you don’t know personally for the first time can be an emotional moment both for you and for them. It’s definitely a rite of passage, but it’s the kind of rite of passage that doesn’t tend to come up until there’s something you need to do baby-free, so when it does happen, you may already have your non-baby time spoken for. - Their first diaper disaster
Again, one of those milestones that it seems like you should be able to avoid, but it seems like it tracks everybody down in the end. The first diaper disaster is one of those things you’ve just got to get through so you can wash up and move past it. It’ll get messy, but will also thicken your parenting skin. - Baby’s first Michelangelo moment
Baby may or may not be a budding artist, but the first time they take to the walls with a crayon, sauce, or something more gross to express themself, their art probably won’t be mural-ready yet. Have fun convincing them to stick to paper for a few years!
