Being a mom

Being a mother means that your heart
is no longer yours; it wanders
wherever your children do.

I can't begin to describe how I feel when I look back at these pictures.  I can tell you one thing... it seems absolutely impossible that these were taken 1 year ago!!  

She was so little and so delicate.  

I can't believe that my baby girl has grown up so fast!  

Were did the time go?  

Every day I look at her and thank God for giving me the most wonderful gift in the world!!

Who would have thought that in just 1 year, she could already have so many wonderful qualities!

She is Beautiful

Loving

Stubborn

Inquisitive

Happy

Loud

Sweet

Determined

Smart

Kind

Funny

I've been told that having a baby changes you and I expected that change, but I never knew how extreme it would be.  I mean, I knew what love was, I love my husband and I love my family, but this was a different kind of love...  A new love that I didn't even know I was capable of feeling, until that moment in the hospital when the nurse handed me my little girl.  I was consumed with this euphoric feeling, I think there needs to be a new word, something that's stronger than love - because in my opinion, saying I love her just doesn't do her justice.  

People have said that you'll never understand a mother's love until you become one and I think that's completely true.  Becoming a mom has changed me forever, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world - I've got the most amazing husband and the most wonderful daughter. 

BEFORE I WAS A MOM
Before I was a Mom;
I made and ate hot meals,
I had unstained clothing,
I brushed my hair every day,
I had quiet conversations on the phone,
I slept as late as I wanted and I slept all night long.

Before I was a Mom;
I cleaned my house each day,
I never tripped over toys or forgot lullabies,
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous,
I had never been puked on, pooped on, spit on, chewed on, peed on, or
pinched by tiny fingers.

Before I was a Mom;
I never thought about immunizations,
I never held a screaming child so the doctors could give shots,
I never looked into teary eyes and cried,
I never felt my heart break into pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt,
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

Before I was a Mom;
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down,
I never sat up late hours of the night watching a baby sleep,
I never got up in the middle of the night to make sure everything was okay,
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.

Before I was a Mom;
I had complete control of my mind, my thoughts and my body,
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside of my body,
I didn't know that having something so small could make me feel so
important,
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache,
the wonderment, or the satisfaction of being a mom.

Before I was a Mom;
I never knew that something so small could effect my life so much,
I never knew that I could love someone so much,
I never knew I would love being a Mom,
I didn't know the bond between a Mother and her child,
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much.