My baby boy turned one last week. I. cannot. believe. it. This was by far, the fastest year of my life. I probably said the exact same thing after my first, and second babies turned one.
The first year is a special season of falling in love with this precious little creation, and thanking God for his life in yours. But the first year is also an exhausting one, filled with emotional ups and downs, physical changes (for both you and baby) and about a billion insecure parenting moments. Your baby achieves new milestones constantly, and before you know it…. whoosh! They’re turning one.
As much as I’m a bit heartbroken that my sweet newborn is already a one year old, there’s another part of me that is taking a big breath, and appreciating that we’re on the other side of newborn-dom.
My sweet boy is an angel, and a fairly easy-going baby. However, up until about a month ago, I had not slept through the night in 11 months. ELEVEN MONTHS.
Thus, as I celebrate his first birthday, I can look back to some of our early challenges and pat myself on the back. We made it to the other side.
Early on, I couldn’t imagine EVER getting him to sleep in his crib instead of with me or in his bouncy chair. But sure enough, we got there. I couldn’t imagine that he would EVER nurse less often than every 2 hours around the clock. I didn’t know how I’d ever get him on a nap schedule or get him to sleep through the night without eating. I really couldn’t imagine that my pre-pregnancy clothes would EVER fit again, but we got there.
And this is my third child! Surely I’ve got it all figured out by now? Nope – every time you have a baby, the first year is this blend of emotionally exhausting, and beautiful, and it’s a new journey each time.
So now we’ve started the second year, and it’s a different set of goals, milestones and challenges. Right now I can’t imagine successfully weaning him from breast milk, minimizing his use of the pacifier, or helping him learn to use a straw and sippy cup. But I know that not long from now I’ll be on the other side of these milestones, and I’ll feel heartbroken that he’s turning 2 already.
The funny thing about being a parent is that all of the tough things…the things we would like to trade for more snuggles instead…actually just deepen our love and bond with the child. Much like marriage, or any relationship, caring for one another through the lovely and the not-so-lovely is what makes our love for one another so precious.
Cheers to us, Moms, for surviving newborn-dom. And here’s to many more special ups and downs as a parent!
Nicole
Aileen (Aileen Cooks says
I love this, Nicole! My baby is now 20 months and that first year (or so) of no-sleep and her refusal to take a bottle was ROUGH. Now that I’m a few months away from it, all I think about is the snuggly newborn on my chest. I think we were engineered that way so we keep having babies. 🙂
Nicole says
Thank you, Aileen, for reading, sharing and supporting Daily Momtivity!! You’re so right about the snuggly newborn thing. God made them cute for a reason! It’s the only way we’ll make it!
Tori says
Newborns… surviving. No one could prepare me for it. We have 4 kids…and still no one can prepare me for it. Yet we do it again and again all for the joy and love of little ones. God is so good!
Nicole says
So true! I was only going to have 2 kids, but the experience was so awesome that I had to go for 3! It really is such a blessing to be their Mom, and a a part of the plans God has for their lives. Thanks for sharing a link – we’ll check it out.
Heather @Arrows and warriors says
I love this. My baby turned 1 in December. My second girl 😉
Nicole says
Aww, thanks for reading! Please consider sharing the article! Congrats to you on surviving the last year! Enjoy year 2 with your new little one. We’ll check out your link!
[email protected] says
I really found encouragement in this because I feel the same way >>> “Every time you have a baby, the first year is this blend of emotionally exhausting, and beautiful, and it’s a new journey each time.”
We just had our second child and he is a totally different personality type, he looks different than his brother, EVERYTHING is different! I was hoping I would “know a little more” by the second baby, but I still have those days where I think “I don’t know how to do this mom thing!!!”.
These baby months are precious but I do look forward to my youngest reaching his 1st birthday 🙂
Nicole says
Well I really found encouragement in this article having brought you encouragement! 🙂 Thank you for sharing your heart with us. I do believe that the newborn stage is just plain tough, whether it’s your first child or a second or third… And YES, I felt like I was failing so many times when we couldn’t seem to bust through certain milestones with ease. But we made it. And you will too!!! You are a great Mom, promise!
Faith says
This was such a great reminder to enjoy the season of newborn-ness because it won’t last forever. This was the top viewed link at Mommy Moments and will be featured in our link up on Sunday so more mamas can be encouraged!
Sarah Kate says
Fabulous words! Congratulations on a beautiful year! Here’s to another amazing year! That 1st year sure is a roller coaster of emotions but filled with such joy and happiness!!!
Nicole says
Thank you so much! You’re right…no matter how sleep deprived or challenging this stage can be, it is still filled with so much joy and happiness!! I am blessed. Thank you for reading!