Who would have ever thought I would be a mother?!

I surely did not. My family was pretty convinced it wouldn't happen. For years I declared that motherhood was not for me, and it wasn't. Mostly because I really loved my life and from what I could see children took up a lot of time and energy. Time and energy I would rather be spending on things that interested me... which did not include children activities, childcare, the diapers, the sleepless nights, and food mess that seems to go hand in hand with children. 

What changed? Having a partner in the true sense of the word definitely helped. Miko and I have been doing this parenting thing as a team from day one. Even before day one while I was pregnant he was fully involved, cooking meals and generally being supportive. (My hat is off to any caregiver who stays at home with the kids all day by themselves. You guys are superhuman and deserve daily medals of achievement). Miko and I also have a business that allows both of us to work from home and be with Bubs on a rotating basis. But that first year was intense! Our baby was born and our business started within weeks of each other. I look back at that first year and am not sure how we did it.

We have more time for reflection, introspection, and joy together now than we did then. We recently spent time in Japan with Miko's family and ended up in some pretty wacky and unexpected places. There were a few mishaps (like when I accidentally left our passports in the hotel safe and we spent an additional 7 unexpected hours in the airport with our one year old), but that can be part of traveling. What I realised is that there were very few moments on our trip when we were stressed or unhappy (even our unexpected day in the airport was okay).

Maybe that is because we are comparing it to the chaos of that first year, but I think mostly it's because we genuinely enjoy being with each other. Somehow we have managed to build a family unit that just enjoys being in each other's company. It seems to make a world of difference.

That's the thing about parenting that no one told me: you can really, truly enjoy your children, life, and partner together. Being a mum is one of the best adventures I have been on. You often hear about the pitfalls of parenting, and our Little Bee is no exception in needing the care and attention that all children do, but he has also helped my already great life become even better. I suppose that's the thing about love. It grows with you and helps life evolve in ways you never expected.

So here's to all the hardworking mothers out there who deserve recognition for all that they do.  LilyBee is so thankful to be a part of your lifelong adventure and even more thankful to have you as a part of our family. Thank you for helping love grow more than I ever thought possible.