Friday's 5: Firsts from the Father

Today we bring you a guest post from SpinPhD, also known around our house as "Daddy."

Lately I’ve become acutely aware of firsts -- those milestone events that kick-off a lifetime of activity and life rhythms. In the last post, Convertible Girl wrote about Pippi’s first haircut. We took pictures, celebrated at Chick Fil A, called the grandparents and more. She felt like a celebrity and we couldn't believe how much she looked like a big girl all of a sudden.

I think we make a big deal out of firsts because they are transformative. We are changed after the event. We can never go back. You can’t undo a first, no matter how much you might want to. All that really matters is what happens next.

So today I get to share with you five of Junius’ firsts from the last several weeks:

1. First baseball glove. Having a catch is a time honored father-son tradition and Junius has a major sports bug. We went to the store together, trying on several until he picked out a black leather boy-sized glove. We’ve already had many rounds of catch -- with many more to come. He was even out playing with his PopPop at 7:15 a.m. last week. 
2. First jump off the diving board. Junius has made quantum leaps in his swimming prowess this year, which turned into his first leap off the diving board (see photo). In his excitement, he nearly leaped over me, but splashed down safely and swam to the side with a little help. He was equally delighted and terrified. Then he did it again.
3. First “earned” dollar. This followed his first week of chores – making his bed everyday, helping with the trash twice a week, taking out the recycling and “other duties as assigned.” He was thrilled with his first earned dollar, which included his first lesson in personal finance (also known as Saving for College). Maybe we should frame it and hang it on his wall?
4. First purchase with his own money. Thanks to grandparents and other relatives, he’s saved a few dollars in his piggy bank (but not $21k as he previously thought). His first purchase? A ham biscuit from Biscuitville. Buy one, get one free. I ate the free one.
5. First attempted bike ride without training wheels. He didn’t make it more than a few feet and still needs to remember to hold on to the handle bars all of the time (as opposed to grabbing hold of Dad), but that’s beside the point. He tried. He tried really hard. Although he didn’t ride completely solo, he now knows some things are harder than they look. And that trying means you don’t always succeed. Nonetheless, he’ll be back up again on that bike soon. I just know it…And then he’ll make his first real solo bike ride.

So many more firsts lie ahead. Watch out Neil Armstrong. Here comes Junius T. Bugg….