Watching My Daughter Grow

My daughter turns one this month. ONE. How? I have no clue – I’m pretty sure it was just yesterday that I was in the midst of the newly postpartum glory of sitting around in an adult diaper with no clue what I was doing. Becoming a mom has changed me in so many ways, taught me so many new things, and challenged me more than I could have imagined. Through the long nights, the sweetest moments, the tough times, and it all, nothing has filled my heart more than watching my daughter grow.

Watching my daughter grow has taught me to appreciate every phase. I will be honest, during those long nights with maybe one to two broken hours of sleep in the first couple of months, I often wished for the newborn phase to pass. Now, my baby girl is standing, talking, singing, and dancing, and I can’t help but wish I had cherished those early moments a little more. The way she learns a new trick or picks up a new skill overnight has made me realize how quickly each phase will pass.

Watching my daughter grow has opened my eyes to the impact a smile or kind gesture can have. My daughter is a silly, smiley, flirt – she gets a ton of attention wherever she goes. There are so many times a stranger stops to say “Hi” and wave and talk with her, and its truly special to be able to see the impact that little girl has on someone that doesn’t even know her! Baby smiles are contagious, y’all!

Watching my daughter grow has changed me in so many ways. I am more confident as a person now that I have this title of “mom”. I have joined a mom group, started sharing me thoughts here on this blog, strike up conversations with other moms I don’t know – all things that pre-baby me would have been too shy and nervous to do. It has given me a new understanding of what it means to love someone – the love for my husband has become so much deeper as I have watched him grow into his role as a dad, and the love for my daughter that I have just makes my heart want to burst.

Watching my daughter grow has filled me with so much love and pride. I feel so blessed to be your mom, sweet girl.