35 Triumphs from My First Year of Motherhood

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As my little one approaches his first birthday, I can’t help but reflect on the wild and wonderful journey of motherhood. That first year isn’t just a milestone for the baby—it’s a major victory lap for us parents. It’s a celebration of those countless moments where we thought we might just lose it. Here’s a light-hearted look at the challenges I managed to tackle during this transformative year:

1. I navigated 12 hours of solo time with a newborn and two indifferent cats.
2. I became a pro at texting while breastfeeding (bonus points for doing it in the dark!).
3. By week three, I stopped caring that my nursing habits were the talk of every café in town.
4. I only shed tears for five minutes when I realized I forgot my breast pads and leaked at Old Navy.
5. My son never swallowed anything that landed us in the ER.
6. I successfully kept my late-night Amazon shopping sprees to just twice a week.
7. I learned how to whip up homemade baby food without any mishaps.
8. I skipped organic groceries occasionally and still managed not to poison him.
9. I attended a handful of baby yoga classes purely for the free childcare.
10. I only fell asleep during breastfeeding every other night—thankfully, I never dropped him!
11. My son only managed to pee on me twice.
12. He never once had a blowout in the bathtub.
13. He only face-planted into my iPad once during our binge-watching of “The Crown.”
14. I accepted that laundry and diaper blowouts replaced my wine and cheese girls’ nights.
15. It took me seven tries to master using the baby carrier.
16. We only had one incident of projectile vomiting, which was quite the sight!
17. I only cried once to the cashier at Target while trying to keep it together.
18. I never forgot my baby in a random place.
19. I wore mismatched shoes to work only once.
20. My partner and I survived the year without divorce (I only contemplated it a few times).
21. My son didn’t ingest any cat litter—thankfully!
22. He never dined on dog poop either.
23. I embraced the fact that half my wardrobe might never fit again.
24. I smiled and pretended it was adorable when my son was the only child shrieking in Gymboree class.
25. I only panicked and googled “why isn’t my child crawling” a few times when he didn’t start until 11 months.
26. My son never fell through the bucket swing.
27. He only bit another child once.
28. He managed to cough up whatever got stuck in his throat before it became a real issue.
29. I went to the beach and only burned myself, luckily keeping the baby safe from the sun.
30. I kept my job despite spending the last few weeks planning his birthday party during work hours.
31. I didn’t smother my husband in his sleep, even when he snoozed through our son’s 3 AM cries.
32. I restrained myself from smothering him the next morning when he said, “The baby woke up? I didn’t hear a thing!”
33. I didn’t smack anyone who asked if my son was crawling when he wasn’t.
34. My son never fell off the changing table, buckle-free and all. (Do people actually use those?)
35. I’ve come to terms with my post-baby body—sagging boobs and gray hair are a fair trade for my sweet boy.

Happy first birthday to me!

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In summary, the first year of motherhood is a rollercoaster ride filled with challenges and triumphs, and it’s a time to celebrate our strength and resilience.