Mother to a one year old? Be prepared for this!

It’s been four months since I celebrated the survival of my one year into motherhood. That one year turned my life upside down, but undeniably it was worth it. I watched her smile for the first time, hold her neck, roll over and sit, crawl and then walk like a pro. Firsts are always special, but today I want to share what you can expect from this second year into motherhood.

1. I do not see myself researching every little detail like I did when she was an infant. I mostly go with my gut and it works.

2. Carrying them in your arms or wearing Is always more convenient. I was eager to watch her take her first steps, but never knew it would be so difficult to match up to her pace. (Sometimes I even wish I could do back to the days when, I made her sit on one spot and that’s exactly where she would stay.)

3. That second nap was never so tough. But be ready for a major change in their sleep game. Atleast this is what happened in our case. My advice would be, make it one nap a day to make the bedtime less difficult.

4. Be prepared for their likes and preferences, and they may even throw a tantrum for the same. And in our case this has only happened after the big ONE. (Today she threw a tamtrum because, the bigger piece of her stacking game would not fit into the smaller one, like seriously?)

5. Expect a daily dose of cuteness when they start speaking words and adorably mispronounce it. In our case cutest is Animal and she adorably calls it aminal. ( My advice here would be inspite of the cuteness these words have, always make it a point to correct their pronunciation, this will help them develop clear speech.)

6. You will be showered with lots of hugs and kisses as they learn to express love and emotions. Be prepared for all the cutesy heart melting moments when they come running to hug you just like that. (My favourite is, Everytime I act as if I am crying, she would love me and hug me to console me. And then call the monkey if I am not quite soon.)

7. Do not expect much help from people around you. In my observation, after the first year of motherhood, people kind of assume you can manage it all. Most of the times it’s understood as you have got the thing down and they might not offer any help.

8. Mommy friends will be your new best friends, you will see yourself more often on a play date than a movie afternoon or a brunch with your girls.

9. By now you will know that 75% is the new 100%. I have learned this over the year that there can never be a perfect moment in life but there are a lot of real ones.

10. Lastly, the neighbourhood aunties and the distant relatives will bombard you with questions about whether or not you want a second child, and advice you with how good it is to have less age gap between your two kids. (My advice would be, you will find the answer within yourself, find a way to politely change the subject and move on in the conversation.

New borns are indeed precious but not as much fun as a toddler. Don’t rush this age, they are growing up fast and will be independent even before we know it. Remember it is your child and all they need is your time and love.

No matter what age your child is, motherhood is always strenuous and blissful at the same time. And nothing can actually prepare us for the reality of being a mother to an infant, a toddler, a teenager or an adult. Because motherhood can only be lived as it comes.

Good luck fellow mommies, you have got this.

Also do not forget to leave us some love on Instagram and follow us to get some daily dose of my motherhood journey with my little munchkin.