Writing this on the eve of my little boy’s first birthday, I am filled with many emotions. Firstly, I can’t believe how quickly the year has gone; it feels like I was in labour and bringing him home yesterday.
I’ve had to pinch myself multiple times this year that he is real, and this is my life now. He is a dream, and I am honoured to be his mum.
I’ve fallen in love with my identity as mum; it’s changed who I am and given me new perspectives. I feel empowered, and I know this is the biggest role I’ll ever have. Azaiah has lit up our lives in every way possible; his smile and laugh are infectious, and his personality is nothing short of endearing.
Watching him reach his little milestones has been so special; my notes in my phone are full of them, from his first attempts to crawl to the first time he pointed at something, his first tooth coming through and of course, his first walk.
The firsts are just so beautiful, and I continue to soak them up. We recently bought his first pair of shoes, and I felt like such a proud mumma watching him walk around in them.
The first year can be so overwhelming, particularly the first few months when you’re recovering from birth and trying to establish your newfound identity not to mention coping with new sleeping patterns. But I am so glad I remained present throughout and I urge every parent to do the same because the year of firsts flies by.
I’ve found myself already drawing on the things my parents did for my brother and I growing up, which included documenting our childhood. My dad used to film us on his video camera, from day-to-day life at home to our birthdays and baptisms.
I love watching these videos because I get to see what little Tayo and Leon were like. Equally, we have loads of photo albums full of amazing memories. I always say that my parents have set the bar so high, and I want to continue so much of what they did with Azaiah.
This started with documenting his first year through videos and images, which of course, are even easier to capture now on phones. I did decide to document on my Polaroid camera too, though, for a bit of nostalgia.
I feel so proud looking back at Azaiah’s first year, and I’ve been so excited to celebrate his first big day. Here’s to being a mummy to a now one-year-old. Happy 1st Birthday to my boy!