First and Last

As any good parent does - I remember the day Emily was born vividly (and a little painfully to be honest!). It was a beautiful sunny morning, and she finally made an appearance at 10.24am on Friday 09 July 2004.  That was six years ago today.  In those six years I have witnessed her first bath, her first smile, her first word (Mummy), her first tooth, her first step, and her first Xmas.  I remember the first time she went on a plane, her first pair of jeans, her first childcare teacher (Kerry - we love you), her first sleepover, and her first day at school.


I also remember her first birthday like it was yesterday.  But it wasn't yesterday, because today my baby turned six, and it was the last birthday of hers I will celebrate.  It was the last time I will buy her pretty shoes that sparkle like diamonds in the sun.  It was the last time I will make her a birthday cake and blow candles out with her.  It was the last time I will sing her 'Happy Birthday' and watch her beautiful face glow with delight at the gorgeous presents she gets spoiled with.  It was the last time I will get to fuss over party invitations, and design and make home-made 'thank you' cards.   


These past six years have gone fast, and have been filled with so many 'firsts' that it seems wrong to be contemplating a 'last'.  The 'firsts' were too recent, and this 'last' is too soon.  There are still so many firsts that I have yet to experience. Her first crush, her first day at high school, her first driving lesson and her first concert.   Her first job, her first love, her first house, and her first born child.


But I know that despite my immeasurable heartache on this day, she will have something in this world so unique that it will never be able to be defined by 'first' or 'last' - because it is the 'only'.  It is the love that I have for my daughter as her mother.  And like all good things - it was built to last.