Today marks one year since I became a mommy…one year since I first laid eyes on the most precious person I’d ever met and who would forever steal my heart. It still amazes me to look at him and know that he’s not only my son but that my husband and I created this perfect little being. There truly isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not utterly amazed by something he does or how much he knows. He makes us laugh constantly and brings us more happiness than we could ever have imagined. 

I always knew I wanted to be a mom. There was never a question in my mind like there was when people would ask “what do you want to be when you grow up?”. I was meant to be a mom. As I’ve written before my journey to becoming a mom wasn’t a quick or simple one and came with challenges but it was more than worth it. 

This past year has brought learning experiences about life, myself and how to balance everything the world throws at you. It began with having a c-section that was nowhere in my “plan” for how I wanted to welcome my son into the world, but guess what? It happened and it wasn’t what I’d expected. I was lucky to have a great experience and a quick recovery and it didn’t matter how he entered the world…he got here safely and that’s what is important. 

Here are the big things I’ve learned thus far and I know there is still so much more to learn.

Fear…Early on I had a fear of packing him up and going to the grocery store with him. Where do you put the baby since being in the carseat on top of the cart isn’t safe and putting him in the cart meant there was room left for maybe 5 items? I would end up waiting until I could leave him at home with my husband to quickly run to the store. It wasn’t until I was home alone and had no other choice but to take him and use my Ergo (it looks much more intimidating than it really is!) that I discovered this truly wasn’t so bad. We survived and we bought groceries in the process! Now he can sit in the cart and is a superstar at the store! No more fear of leaving the house! 

Tears…With pregnancy and childbirth come hormones and new emotions. I don’t think I’ve ever cried so much for so many different reasons. I could be the happiest person on the planet…and cry about it. With a new baby comes happy times but also times of exhaustion and frustration. You lack sleep in amazing amounts and personally, I think the teething times are worse than the newborn stage. You just want to sleep and you want your baby to sleep….so you cry. As I put my baby to bed last night before he would wake up a toddler, I cried some more. How did a year go by already?

Phases…I quickly learned that everything is simply a phase. Growth spurts, leaps, teething are all phases and they don’t last forever. Thank God! It seemed right when we thought we would never be able to get through a fussy period, it was suddenly gone. I’ve had to remind myself many times that “this too shall pass”…because it’s all just a phase.

Sleep…I know I mentioned lack of sleep brings exhaustion and frustration but I’ve also realized that even though I’m not getting a full 8 hours of sleep (and haven’t in over a year), I’m still functioning and getting things done. It almost feels like a miracle, but it’s true!

Help…I’ve always been a do it myself type of person. I prefer to just get things done on my own and not ask for help because I think that’s the simple way. This year I’ve realized that I have to become more dependent on my best friend and partner, my husband. He’s more than happy to help whenever I need it and I’ve been getting better at telling myself to ask for help. 

Gifts…Now that I’m a mom, I have quickly become more cognizant of what kind of gifts to get other new moms. My baby shower gifts are more about items that a new mom will need and appreciate (wubbanubs, swaddle blankets, muslin blankets etc) and I’ve also realized what my wish list would after just having a baby…a girlfriend or friends coming over with a bottle of wine (or champagne!) to meet the baby and say hi, or a meal (it doesn’t have to be home cooked, call ahead for takeout to be delivered!), or come over and say “go take a shower while I watch your beautiful baby sleep”…those are the type of gifts every new mom will appreciate!