Firsts

There's nothing like your baby's first "firsts" - they bring great joy, excited mommy squeals, and of course, the camera to document this fine moment.

However, not unlike my baby's first, "firsts", there's someone else whose "firsts" bring me great joy, excited squeals, and the camera to document the moment.

It's my mom.

She's been in the United States for over 30 years now and has experienced a lot in the good ole U.S. of A. according to Filipino standards. But there are some pretty basic things she just never got around to doing. Ever since I've been out on my own, I've delighted in initiating these things for my mom - activities that she's just never simply had the opportunity to do.

My mom flew in last week to finally meet Elin and spend some time with her granddaughterS. She was an amazing help & awesome cook (as to be expected)! Charles and I both postponed our post-baby weight loss plans until after her departure, knowing that there would be no resisting her cooking.

When we lived on the East coast, we took her and/or my dad all over D.C. They had never been, so every trip involved a lot of "firsts": the monuments, the museums, the battlefields, sailing, etc. So, now that we live in Seattle, all of her/their visits have included many firsts as well: Pikes Place, the Space Needle, clamming, ferries, more sailing, new mountains, new scenery, and so on.

For this trip, my mom's firsts included:

Her first trip to an inflatable bouncy house!

With the miserable weather that seemed to follow my mom from the Midwest to the Northwest, we had to find indoor activities to get out of the house. Bella's buddy had a birthday party at an inflatable bouncy house and the kids really had a blast. The best part was that adults got to play for free - it truly brought out the kids in us. So, we went to the local Pump-It-Up for the morning. Bella, mom, and I jumped and jumped and jumped some more.

A trip to the Seattle Aquarium
Her FIRST trip to an aquarium EVER.

Her first time really playing in the snow!


Tubing for the first time!

Where was Elin while we were playing in the snow? Well, the initial plan was for us to rotate sitting in the "lodge" with her while the other two adults & Bella went tubing. However, much to our dismay, the "lodge" near the tubing area turned out to be an itsy bitsy little coffee stand that was always WAY too crowded. Not to mention there were two entrances to the tiny coffee hut, so it was always freezing and no place to have a little babe. So, we parked nearby and Elin hung out in the car. She slept for the majority of the entire trip, so don't feel too bad!

Our first picture of the four of us!

Just as we were headed out to drive my mom to the airport, we realized we hadn't taken a picture of the four us at all. So, with a little help from the timer, a stool, and a few well placed books, we were able to snap a few photos of our three generations.

It was a wonderful time and we look forward to the next!