First Year Mom Lessons

I'm a little late (Mia's birthday was 9/18) but that's the first thing I learned as a mom.. I was often late before and now I'm often twice as late. Whoops.. At least I have a legit excuse now, right?

On a serious note, I remember being so scared to become a mom because I felt like I wouldn't know what I was doing. In the past year, one of the biggest lessons I've learned is that you'll figure it out and it truly is like an instinct. Yes, I have days where I question if I'm doing this whole thing right but I feel like we all do and that's okay.

Another thing I've learned is to ignore any mom shaming or worries of mom shaming. It's easy for people to voice their opinions on what's right and what's wrong but you just have to do what works for you. On the same note, I had to learn to go with the flow instead of planning everything out. I had lots of plans for Mia before she was born.. like making her baby food instead of buying, HAHA. I have no idea where I thought I would have the time for that, but it was a cool idea.

I also never listened when people told me how fast kids grow up. I always felt like that was just a small talk comment but it is no joke. I can't believe all of the milestones that happen in just one year of a child's life. Mia went from being so fragile and small to walking across the kitchen and it still blows my mind. Cherish all the moments! Sometimes I just want to take a million pictures of Mia but I have to remind myself to put the phone down and just live in the moment. I want to cherish every single stage she goes through.

For all of you new or future moms out there, I hope this alleviates some of your fears and gets you excited for all the wonderful things to come. At the end of the day, being a mom is the best thing you could ever imagine!

All photos by the wonderful, Maura Jane Photography