There is always a first time for everything. As new parents, we've become a lot more conscious of any and all these 'first time' moments because we realize that it's so easy for them to pass you by unnoticed and equally un-cherished. You never get a chance to redo them or to try again, they just happen in their natural way, the way God intended.
- You're first day of school
- First Kiss, crush, love, break-up etc...
- Getting engaged, then Married
- Buying your first home with your spouse (and feeling oh-so grown up!)
- Having a baby, becoming parents and the roller coaster ride of personal growth that comes with that huge avenue.
As parents there are a lot of new 'first times' that Sasha and I will get to experience. Yesterday was a day where we got to experience two new moments which we savour the memories of. We are often hired to photograph the wedding day of blissful newlyweds. This was one of those days. It was the first wedding that we were scheduled to photograph since Milan's arrival. Usually they are in Kitchener-Waterloo, but this one was in Toronto's famous castle, Casa Loma. This meant leaving our new bundle of joy all day - for more than 12 hours! What a huge first for any parent!
Knowing the wedding date and having been booked for this event quite some time in advance, we had our baby-sitters of choice carefully selected (using a complicated selection process, of course). Grampa & Grandma Herakovic, (or Baba and Deda as we call them in Serbian) were beside themselves with excitement for this day to arrive.
As we anxiously prepared ourselves, leaving a highly detailed list of instructions and emergency phone numbers, Milan slept away peacefully unaware in his bassinet. We gave him our last kisses for the day and reluctantly got in the car - childless - for the first time in almost 6 weeks.
The whole drive to Toronto we couldn't help but feel as though we had forgotten something. It had been 6 weeks since Sasha and I had been alone together without the baby in tow! We made it less than 25 kilometers out of town and made the first call home to check in. All was well. Still sleeping peacefully. Then we spent the remainder of the drive looking at each other asking, "I wonder how things are going at home", and "Do you think we should call home one more time before we get there?".
13 exhausting hours, and 8 (or so) phone calls home later, new mommy and daddy stumble home to discover that our little King was so well behaved and easy to care for that we should promptly have 10 children.
The report from our trusted caregivers stated that Milan ate well all day long, slept very well all day long, smiled and flirted when awake, and successfully made wet and poopy diapers all day long.
Apparently, the first time being separated from his loving mommy and daddy went much smoother for Milan than it did for us.
After having slept on it, I can look back and say that it was a breeze and that Sasha and I have no problem leaving our little prize for a few hours, but that would be a lie. We had a very good day in Toronto, but our hearts were aching to be home every moment. It was SO nice to walk in the door and race to his side to watch him sleep, breathing calmly, and wish we could wake him up to hold, kiss and cuddle him again.
No one tells you that sometimes a couple of those 'First Time' moments can be hard on the heart. We might need to let ours heal a bit before becoming brave enough to venture away from home without our handsome boy again.
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