"Mom! She's dancing!"
Could it be true? Nah. She's probably just squirming. Or nodding. She does those things already. Yeah, it's probably -- almost definitely -- just one of those things.
I held my breath. I turned. I looked.
It was true. My baby girl was dancing -- and she was wearing a knowing smile that melted my heart. The boys started chanting, "Go Pi-ink! Go Pi-ink! Go, go, go Pi-ink!" The more they encouraged her, the bigger her smile and her bee-bopping got. And while we'd all been madly in love with her since the day she was born, that was the day she was officially initiated into our family.
We're dancers. Not good ones, mind you. But passionate ones. We love to turn the music up, sing along and throw our bodies around.
It started back when my husband and I were first dating (a long, long time ago). One of our first big nights out was my college formal. And while I was already falling for him, after spending the night on the dance floor, I knew he was the one. I couldn't help but laugh out loud the entire night as he showed off his not-so-smooth-but-who-the-heck-cares dance moves. I had the most fun I'd had in years. This was something I could do for the rest of my life.
After college there were weddings -- so many weddings -- and we always welcomed the excuse to get out on the floor and strut our all-too-enthusiastic stuff. Once we had kids, there were fewer nights out, so our living room doubled as trendy night club (where pjs were the hottest look around). We were thrilled to discover that both our boys shared our love of music and moving. It quickly became our family's thing-on good days and not-so-good ones. So it should come as no surprise that Pink's first family dance party was just days after she was born. And, if my memory serves me correctly, she was totally into it.
For months, we've been dancing with her in our arms or with her watching from the sidelines. She's laughed. She's clapped. She's reached for us to hold her. But the day she got her own groove, that was a real turning point. Because now she can express herself in her own adorable way, and be a part of the beautiful chaos that is our family dance parties.
Which of your baby's milestones made your heart burst?
Amy is a Shine Parenting Guru. When she's not shaking her groove thang, she's laughing (or crying) about life with Big (5), Little (3) and Pink (8 months) -- and writing about it at UsingOurWords.com.
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