A Tooth Tale

Emmeline erupted her first tooth today! She bit Paul's finger when he was entertaining her in the car and he thought that something felt sharp. When we got home I checked her mouth and sure enough! A purely white! Actually I can't see much there; but I can definitely feel it. It is a very strange feeling to know that your little baby has a tooth. I am just getting used to the idea of being a mom...and now she is getting teeth!!
We also started her on solids on Christmas Day which is another big development in her young life. We have her on about 1 tablespoon of organic rice cereal combined with 3-4 tablespoons of breast milk in the evenings around supper time. We gave her bananas once but she was not thrilled about it. For the most part she eats like a champ! It is fun to watch her get used to the consistency and taste as she rolls it around in her mouth. At times she reaches for the spoon and tries to play with it so we unfortunately have started to tell her "No." I do not like using this word or even being firm with her at all...after all she is just a little baby. But I suppose we have to incorporate a bit of discipline at some point.
These major developments for me are very surreal. The whole experience of being a mom, actually, is very surreal. It was such a very short time ago that I was pregnant and anticipating her arrival. It was such a very very short time ago that we gave birth to her and saw her little face for the first time. It is strange to realize it, but I think in a way I will always be living in that moment...the first moment of her life. She will always be a newborn: small, new and needy. It is difficult to let go, even in the smallest of ways. The first time she took a bottle from Paul at 6 weeks was liberating but also very sad. She didn't need my breast anymore, just the milk from it. What was to become of me as her mother?! Well, I survived that development and I will survive these, too.