Making a tradition

My husband and I were together for five years before Em, and we had some very predictable patterns. We'd get off work around five. I'd go running. He'd make dinner. We were eating in front of the t.v. every night by 8. At ten we were in bed. On the weekends we'd watch cooking shows and go out to eat.

Life was predictable. To be honest, it was getting a little stale.

Now that we have a daughter, much has changed. We live in a new city, we are re-entering higher education, and we watch much less television. The best part is that we are developing new traditions for our small family of three.

I'd wager that when most people think of tradition, they think of one of two things: Holidays or possibly The Fiddler on the Roof. While holidays are fun and an important part of a family's tradition, I'm thinking more about the day to day traditions families come up with.

My daughter is getting older by the second it seems, and with that she is becoming so much more aware of her world. It is incredibly fun to try new things with her; it's also a joy to have certain, special traditions to share with her.

Here are a few of the traditions we have begun in the two years of having a daughter:

1. Saturday morning carpet picnic: we lay down a towel, set out breakfast, and watch PBS cartoons, usually Maya and Miguel, Curious George, or Word Girl
2. Mommy and Em get pretty together: on the weekends, Em and I spend a little extra time picking out cute outfits, doing our hair, and playing with make up
3. Frozen yogurt after doctor visits: Whenever we have to do something particularly unfun, we get to have a nonfat frozen yogurt
4. Sunny Saturdays are for parks: Occasionally my husband comes along, but typically it's just Em and I who go to the park together. I love being outside and she seems to agree
5. Daddy nighttime cuddle: My husband has a nighttime ritual of cuddling Em to sleep. It's changing a little now that she's bigger, but she definitely wants her Dada right before bed

These are just a few of our new patterns as a family. This is all very new to my husband and me, but it is an incredible time, growing a new family. My husband and daughter are truly the best people I know.