Duckling's Day

One year ago, my first Mother's Day, we celebrated in the Public Gardens by dressing Emmaline up as a duck.

This would have been a brilliant enough idea if we had thought of it and just decided that babies dressed as adorable animals undergo an exponential increase in cuteness. The fact that it was an actual thing, organized by the Friends of the Public Garden and attended by hoards of other small humans dressed as water fowl made it all the more magnificent. The triplets making their debuts as white feathered swans was an especial favorite and were it not for the general taboo on taking pictures of other people's children I would certainly have documented them as well as we did Em. Sadly, that's creepy, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

The day was filled with firsts for both of us. Emmaline's first ride on the T:

And her first independent pushing of the stroller, now a must for any outdoor adventure:

It started as all good family activities do, by trudging up a long set of stairs while awkwardly struggling with a stroller and a screaming child.

This was followed by a parade across Beacon Hill during which we enjoyed the polite clapping of its residents, at once charmed by and taken aback by the invasion of common middle class ruffians.

Em practiced her duck call:

And then practiced spotting real ducks:

Today we are a year older, perhaps a bit wiser, and oh so much cuter.

Thank you Miss Emmaline for making me a mom.