Perhaps the best part of being a parent is watching your child experience things for the first time.
Sometimes when I'm watching Willa enjoy something, especially if it's something that I enjoy too, I feel like my heart might explode.

Lately we've had a lot of those experiences. There are three that stand out:

1) On Willa's second birthday we took her to The Bronx Zoo for the first time. The highlight, without a doubt, was the Carousel. I was worried when we first got on that the combination of movement and loud music might scare her, but she loved it. She thought it was the greatest thing ever.

She's still talking about it almost 6 weeks later.

2) For Willa's birthday my mother in law gave her a tricycle.

Willa was thrilled. She kept yelling "BICYCLE!"
So, a couple of days after her birthday party we took her for her first official ride. She was so excited to wear her helmet.

She didn't want to get off.

3) Right before Willa was diagnosed with Cold Induced Urticaria I had signed her up for swim classes at the Y. When we found out that people who have Urticaria can become anyphylactic in cold water I got really nervous. I took her for her first class anyway, armed with an epi pen. The water was cooler than I had hoped and after 15 minutes in the pool Willa's legs were covered in hives. Plus, Willa didn't like the LOUD male swim instructor and she clung to me the whole time. We never went back to swim class.
We figured we'd try again in the summer when it was warmer. I spent the whole winter worrying that because we weren't exposing her to swimming that she would be afraid of it. And then, a week after her second birthday it was warm and she was refusing to nap. So, I asked her if she would like to go swimming and she said yes. We headed over to the Y. I didn't even bring a swimsuit because I thought there was no way she was going to spend any amount of time in the pool. Boy was I wrong. SHE LOVED IT.

She kept saying "I swimming in da pool!"

I sat on the sideline watching her swim with her father, my eyes filling with tears.

The minute she was done we stripped her wet bathing suit off and got her into dry clothes. She only got one tiny hive.

She starts swim class next Tuesday.