Michelle, a lovely mom to two adorable babes brought her youngest Isabelle and shares her motherhood journey in this feature. She touches on so much in her response. I admire her reflection on how you truly are never prepared yet somehow you would never change it.
You can paint the nursery, put furniture together, have clothes washed and ready to be worn, read a million pregnancy books- but none of this will prepare you for what it will mean to become a mother.
I vividly remember being discharged from the hospital with our first, Kaleb, and thinking what are they doing? They can’t let us leave! We have no idea what we’re doing! Thus began the roller coaster ride of parenthood- and it has been nothing short of amazing. Just to add to the chaos, we welcomed our newest little human, Isabelle, six months ago. Kaleb is a very busy and animated little boy! His expressions and storytelling keep us all very entertained! We worried about how he would adjust to being a big brother but he made the whole process so easy! Now, I’m not saying I don’t suffer from sleep deprivation or that the seven am meltdowns don’t drive me to drink more coffee; but the adoration he has for his little sister is something that melts my heart on a daily basis. He talks to her, plays with her, reads to her, sings to her and tries to help feed her…all of his own accord! What is more amazing is how much she loves it. She is constantly starring at him, smiling, babbling and reaching out for him. The sibling bond that is unfolding before me is absolutely wonderful. It’s pure love.
The days are a constant battle of toddler attitude, testing boundaries and exploration; the nights are exhausting as she still wakes to nurse and then we do it all over again the next day but I know the years will go by fast. I know that reading books at bedtime and having Kaleb grab my face, kiss me and tell me he loves me will not last forever. I know Isabelle’s phase of yanking my face towards her and giving me some slobbery kisses all while grabbing chunks of my hair will come to an end. And even night wakings, as crazy as it sounds, bring intimate, quiet moments of breastfeeding my baby. So, as cliché as it sounds, even the things I could do without I would not change as taking the good with the bad is what, for me, sums up motherhood.
I am celebrating motherhood this week with daily features of women who answered two powerful questions. Their defining answers are helping me share and define that all though motherhood is full of wonderful experiences, it is also very darn hard. With images along side their little ones, I am gifting a visual that in your child’s eyes, you are enough. Thank you for following along!
FILM STOCK: Kodak Tri-X 400 - captured in natural light
Ottawa Baby Photographer capturing real moments using the classic format of film.
Slowing down, moving with the spirit of the moment, so you can remember the golden years of discovery in the most natural way!
Get in touch, I would love to hear more about your journey as a mother or leave me a comment below.