Our baby is about to turn One.

 What a difference a year makes.

This time, exactly one year ago, we were a family of two. Me and Mr Kitty. Oh, and the cats. But we were eagerly awaiting the birth of our little one.

I remember on the Friday before she was born going to Yoga and feeling fine. I had lunch with a few friends, and was planning a series of acupuncture appointments the following week to help with the labour. I certainly didn't feel any different to usual. Uncomfortable. Swollen. Over it. But that was completely normal. I had a feeling I would go past my due date so I never considered that in less than 18 hours I would be in Labour.

I'd like to say the Labour was a blur but I remember it quite vividly. And the memories stand the test of time. 34 hours of sporadic, non-progressive Labour tends to take it out of you. The memories stick around.

She didn't have a name until a few hours before she was born. We called her Smudge throughout the pregnancy - that's what she looked like on the ultrasound. But we haven't called her that since she was pulled from me - she has only been Georgina. It's funny how things change in a heartbeat. In a moment. We went from 2 to 3 and all the love in the world surrounded us like a warm blanket. Our little family.

I remembered thinking how it must feel to be a mother before I had her. No amount of imagining or dreaming could have prepared me for the last 12 months. Being a mum is easily the hardest job I have ever done - and the most thankless - but the rewards have been immeasurable. Worth everything.

The first few months are fuzzy. I can't remember much. The exhaustion, sleep deprivation, the heartbreaking battle with breastfeeding.... It's something almost every new mother goes through but there were times when I felt incredibly isolated and alone. I have my wonderful friends and the stalwarts of my Mother's Group to thank for keeping me sane and seeing me through the hardest parts of those early days.

Once we hit 3 months we had a bit more control. Sleeping was better, we had the feeding licked... We were even venturing out quite frequently without too many dramas. That's when the fun started and we haven't looked back.

And how the time has flown since then. Two interstate trips, two big international trips... She has visited four different countries so far - quite an accomplishment for someone so young. And she has taken to travel like a duck to water. She adapts so well to new situations and people. 

I'll celebrate her birthday with another post, telling her most recent achievements, on her actual birthday, but at the moment it feels like Christmas Eve here. Anticipation, excitement, bliss. And like Christmas, she was the best present a girl could ever ask for.

Kitty xx