The magic of having your first (and second) child

This is Chloe and Elissa when they traveled to Paris together in 2018.

I mentioned recently that I'm compiling a book of my favorite posts from this blog that I hope to publish later this summer or sometime in the fall.

It's going well, but I noticed something that hadn't occurred to me before. As I look over the 51 posts in the book, there seems to be more material focused on our younger three kids than there is around our oldest two, Elissa and Chloe.

I don't know why this is, but it certainly wasn't intentional. Chloe, for example, is one of the more impressive people you'll ever meet. She is (fingers crossed) less than a year away from obtaining a hard-earned PhD and excels in everything she does. She is funny, smart, talented, and oh by the way, also beautiful.

Maybe the problem with her is that, when you're so accomplished, people start to expect it and take you somewhat for granted. I hope that's not the case with me when it comes to Chloe, but she really should appear here (and in the book) more than she does.

It's much the same way with Elissa. When you combine the natural force that is Elissa Tennant with her brains, beauty and status as a first child, you would expect to see her prominently featured in almost every post.

In fact, had blogs been a thing when she was born back in 1994, this one would probably have been called AllThingsElissa.com.

Like most new parents, we were smitten with our little one from the moment she was born. I often refer to that time of our lives as having been "magical," and I stand by that assessment. Everything Elissa – and later Chloe – did was, as far as Terry and I were concerned, the most amazing thing any toddler had ever done in the history of the universe.

This is one of the things about rookie parents I love, and in no way do I mean that condescendingly. The obsession you have with your first child or two is both natural and healthy. Your whole life has been irrevocably turned upside down by these new arrivals to your family, and you just can't get enough of them.

It's such a powerful feeling with the first kid that many parents are reluctant to have a second. They can't imagine how they could ever love another child like they love their first one. (You already know this, but as I've also mentioned here before, you don't have to worry about it. Your capacity for love grows proportionately with every child.)

If, when the book comes out, you read it and find yourself wanting to hear more about Elissa and Chloe, please know that they have been loved beyond measure their entire lives, and we're immensely proud of both of them.

Even if only in spirit, their presence can be felt in every post – and, it goes without saying, in our hearts.