The Holidays are a time for traditions – gatherings, cooking, baking, family, friends and
being thankful.  Thanksgiving this year was filled with a lot of firsts and family traditions with Emma, now 4 1/2 months.

It was the first time Emma met her cousin Steve, my twin brother who lives in Belgium, and in turn, it was the first time Steve held an infant family member (we were the infant family members for the past 25+ years!). The first few times he held her, his face read excitement with a mix of being utterly scared (how do I hold a baby?!). Once he got the hang of it, Emma was happily bumping and giggling in his lap, as he looked like he mastered the Rubix Cube – he mastered the art of holding his baby cousin!

Firsts make memories

Among other firsts, this year was Emma’s first Thanksgiving – the traveling, the prepping, the family, the food, and the fun.

Like every year, we pile into my aunt’s kitchen to produce batch upon batch of our family’s secret recipe of pumpkin bread the afternoon before Thanksgiving. While Emma is too remember the production that takes place in the kitchen that day, it was so great to have her in the kitchen while we were baking loaf after loaf of the heavy, doughy bread, and it was more exciting to think that in a few years time, her little fingers would be in with the rest of ours, measuring, pouring and tasting the pumpkiny goodness!  

Aside from normal chaos of Thanksgiving at my Aunt’s house, I was cordially invited to “tubby time” with Emma. In case I haven’t articulated it enough, Emma is the most calm, patient and easy-going baby (I think…ever). Throughout bath time, she smiled, laughed and enjoyed her parents singing!

All in all, Emma officially survived her first Thanksgiving!

Throughout December, Emma has been able to enjoy a lot of other milestone ‘firsts’ starting with her first snowfall! Because my cousins, Dawn and Mark, live in New York City, there are more excuses to go ‘walk’ in the snow, and therefore, Emma got to witness and feel her first snowflake. She was also taken on her first trip to cut down her first Christmas tree, decorate it, and in less than two weeks, wake up on Christmas morning to enjoy her first Christmas.

Firsts of the year!

With New Year’s around the corner, it makes me pause, reflect, and not only set goals for myself for the New Year, but for how I’m going to communicate, bond and share more moments with Emma. Living four hours away, I feel like I ‘miss’ a lot of firsts, but it is my goal to proactively ‘be’ there for more moments, whether it be more visits or more Skype chats. I vow to continue to bond with my baby cousin so that we have the foundation for a great relationship like I do with my older cousins Dawn, Mark and Jill.

Do you set New Year’s resolutions about spending more time with your nieces and nephews? What are your plans to do so?

Photo: Auntie Liz's baby cousin 'niece,' Emma Riley