Happy Mother’s Day! I can hardly believe how quickly the past year has gone. On Mother’s Day one year ago, our dear friend Lauren of Lauren Kirkbride Photography captured our final maternity photos before we welcomed Ollie in June:

Last year, Mother’s Day was such an unexpectedly special day; I hadn’t expected to celebrate, but Ben made the day so wonderful — and we were both filled with so much excitement as Ollie’s due date approached.

Ollie’s delivery didn’t go quite how we expected — and postpartum wasn’t easy either. (As a small business owner, I was unable to go on maternity leave, so I was immersed in an extremely busy schedule consisting of work, new motherhood, breastfeeding, physical therapy — and getting acclimated to balancing all these old and new roles simultaneously.)

Summer went by so quickly — so when Ben’s leave began in fall, we decided to “move” to Florida for a full month. From October to November, we stayed in a condo on the ocean on Marco Island. Though I continued managing my busy schedule, it was really lovely to have beautiful weather and ocean sunsets for a whole month!

About 6 months postpartum, I finally began to gain confidence and feel more capable of balancing everything I needed to. I updated my work schedule, which allowed me to be and feel more present in other areas.

My mother-in-law once told me it takes a person 3-6 months to get used a new job — and I think the same is true of being a new mom; although Ben and I had attended classes and read books, I wish I had given myself more grace as I slowly gained confidence in motherhood. (Here, I wrote in more detail about how transformative motherhood has been for me.)

Through these new and changing seasons, being Ollie’s mom has been such a beautiful blessing. She is such a special person, and at 10 months old, her personality is shining through brighter and bigger than ever. She is silly, smart, and loving. Right now, she loves practicing standing, clapping her hands, and giving high-fives. She waves to everyone we see, loves being waved to in return, and especially loves looking for birds in our backyard. (I bought her one of these to bring the birds to her!) She says ‘mama’ and ‘dada’ and can make a few animal sounds, too. It’s truly wonderful to see her learn and grow!

This year, we celebrated Mother’s Day at Kim’s in Minneapolis — which was absolutely delicious! Ollie won the hearts of everyone who walked by, which was so sweet to see. I will always be proud of Ollie no matter who she becomes, but right now, I love and admire her kind and friendly spirit. She’s simply the best!

Now, as we look toward Ollie’s 1st birthday — a ‘flower and garden’ themed party I am very excitedly planning — I am just so grateful for the role of ‘mama.’ Every day, my heart explodes with pure joy and overwhelming love — and I am so excited for the memories we’ll continue to make as a family of 3!

Someone once told me, “You’ll never feel prepared for motherhood” — and although there was quite a learning curve, I can now look back with peace of mind and know I was as prepared as I knew how to be. Before deciding to grow our family, Ben and I had been married for 10 years and hand-in-hand for 15 years. I had spent 10 years building a business I feel so proud of. I had completed many years of therapy to heal my heart, find peace of mind, and feel prepared for motherhood. Now I know, “successful” motherhood is about patience, kindness, and unconditional love — not only for our babies, but also for ourselves. I am so proud of the mother I am for Ollie, and I feel a profound sense of peace about how motherhood continues to transform me. I truly feel like I am where I’m meant to be — and I am so excited for what’s ahead.

Happy Mother’s Day!