Over the past several months I’ve come to understand the insurmountable love and sacrifice required to raise a child, a humbling lesson I’m certain I will continue to appreciate as the years fly by.

I will never forget those first few hours after arriving home from the hospital with our sweet little babe. I could feel the weight of our new immeasurable responsibility as I looked down at this tiny creature who was wholly dependent on me to survive. To say I felt overwhelmed would be an understatement.

I’ve been fortunate enough to negotiate a flexible part-time work schedule so that I can stay at home and not miss a minute of these fleeting giggling, gurgling years. The ability to keep my career while simultaneously raise my children is something many women only dream of. It’s a daily nonstop exertion of every ounce of energy in my body, and I wouldn’t change a thing.

My days start somewhere between 3am and 4am. Some nights I wake every two hours. I reek of poop and spit-up. Even the smallest household chore has become its own song and dance routine. I’ve lost the luxury of showers that last longer than 7 minutes. Yet, I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my entire life.

It’s difficult to put into words the overwhelming ecstasy that is motherhood. Dakota has fundamentally altered every cell of my being in all of the best ways. The second she was born my priorities instantly changed. Each day I search for those goofy giggles that warm my heart. I aspire to see that look of amazed wonder when our sweet babe learns something new. I cherish our nursing snuggles and remember how they won’t last forever. This is unequivocally the best gift life could possibly bestow.

You always hear how becoming a parent makes you truly appreciate your own parents. This couldn’t be more true. To my mother, who kept the craft cabinet stocked and filled our home with music, to my grandmother, who taught me about empathy and the power of imagination, to my mother-in-law, who embodies the ultimate matriarch, and to all the mamas out there – THANK YOU for your resounding dedication to raising the future.

This Mother’s Day was extra special since it was also Alex’s and my first anniversary, and boy did he spoil me. I awoke to breakfast made, a dozen bottles of wine, and this sweet video full of memories.