One year old child. One year old Mom.

About a year ago, I was being wheeled into an operating room after hours and hours of trying to push out a very stubborn baby. I’m not surprised he put up such a fight to be born. It was the best fight I have ever fought. Not much has changed in that year, he still doesn’t budge when his mind is made up, but I love every bit of that strong willed child.

Kyler is now 1. Of course he has changed tremendously over the course of the year, but that is to be expected. He grew, he developed, he got cuter with every waking day. The real changes I have been surprised by are the ones in me. 2 years ago I never would have guessed I would have a 1 year old child and LOVING every minute of being his mom (that positive pregnancy test was a big surprise for us–the best surprise). This year has been amazing, and although I am still joyfully reflecting on everything that has happened, here is a little list of the things I have learned over my first year as a mom:

• Family Comes First– I probably used to think nothing could beat a night out with the girls. Even when I was first married, I still coveted those spontaneous outings with our friends. Now, there is nothing I cherish more than being home, or anywhere, with family. It is always what I look forward to most.
• Sleep is Overrated– It didn’t take long those first few days with a newborn to learn how to function on 2 hour increments of sleep. Although he is sleeping a beautiful 12 hours of sleep at night now, we end up staying up so late soaking up that adult time, only to be wakened by the squels on the monitor a few hours too early. And the 3 heaping piles of laundry staring me down always keep me from taking that afternoon nap.
• Lots of Humility– Whether I’m singing off pitch (which is all the time) in front of way too many ears for the sake of getting my baby to sleep, or walking around the grocery store while playing Peek-A-Boo, I have found that there is nothing I wouldn’t do for this little boy’s happiness.
• Get Out– I always knew I would stay home when I had kids, I just didn’t know the time would come so soon. I adjusted to being a stay-at-home mom pretty well, but it didn’t come without its challenges. I learned very quickly that I have to be intentional in getting out, meeting moms, and cultivating friendships with other moms.
• Be Prepared– It always seemed with every new milestone Kyler reached, I had just adjusted to the last one. Things just never seem to stay the same for too long, I guess that’s just the nature of babies. Now I know to never get too comfortable in our current state, but to be flexible and prepared for anything.
• Always leave early– I don’t know why I still refuse to accept this ultimate truth. EVERYTHING always takes longer with kids. I have tried to make it a rule that I always leave at least 30 minutes before I think I should to get somewhere on time. This rarely happens, but at least I know I should, right?
• Pay Attention– Despite how it may seem, those long days are going by fast and that little baby is quickly becoming a child. I am not a scrapbooker or a journaler (unless you count blogs) so I try my best to really soak up all those priceless moments with my son. I’ll lay on the floor as he reads his books and just stare at his every movement for hours. Although there is always work to be done, I make it a priority to spend the majority of my time just marveling at my child and enjoying all the memories we’re making.

This last year has definitely proven that motherhood is absolutely the best adventure ever. Happy Birthday to my precious little boy!