I can't believe that George is ONE! This past year has been the best and hardest year of my life. From navigating the unknown parts of motherhood to feeling so proud of myself for how much I have grown alongside George. As they say, your baby doesn't come with a manual! To celebrate this year, we had a backyard party for our little man. Seeing everyone show up for us and seeing how loved George is was amazing.

We had an unexpected illness that ended with us in the hospital. Now George is completely fine, but this was something we never thought we'd be dealing with in the middle of the night. All we could think in the moment was, “Poor little man can't seem to catch a break.” This experience was scary, but we did learn some new tricks from this illness.

We have been a bit MIA lately, but there have been a lot of things happening. First, I would like to start where we left off. There were so many questions about what was happening with George, and we have finally gotten our answers. It wasn't smooth sailing getting our diagnosis. We had an unsuccessful appointment which landed us in the hospital again. I had to advocate for George and then got him into another appointment, which led to his diagnosis of FPIES. With this new knowledge, we have our next steps, but we still have to be cautious.

Starting solids isn’t always the exciting milestone it’s made out to be — sometimes it comes with a lot of fear and second-guessing. Solids have been a bit stressful for us lately, and we’ve been pretty unsure of what to do next. After meeting with a paediatrician, we’re finally feeling like we can move forward with more ease and confidence when it comes to George eating solids. We’ve been cautiously trying new things and monitoring closely. With this newfound excitement around giving George solids, we’re exploring more textures and flavours. It’s slowly becoming fun again.

Christmas with a baby is magical… but it’s rarely perfect. Now that we are back into our routine, I wanted to share what George’s first Christmas was like. While most of it was so magical, there were a few small hiccups along the way. I mean, who ever has a perfect Christmas without something going slightly wrong or not going how we planned? That’s okay though — sometimes those moments make the best memories.

Sleep is one of those things parents are constantly talking about when it comes to having a baby. There are so many ideas and suggestions out there that it can be hard to figure out what’s best. I wanted to share what has worked for us and for George so far —but that being said, this may not work for you or your family. It really is a bit of trial and error, and you’ll eventually figure out what works best for you.

Recently, we had a big scare that ended with us in the hospital. We had started solids because George has been showing so much interest in what I’m eating—leaning in, grabbing at my plate, and just eager to try everything. So I began giving him little tastes here and there, and everything was going great… until about a week ago.

Is it just me, or are there other mamas out there dealing with nonstop pee catastrophes, blowouts, and spit-up?Sometimes I wonder if this is a boy thing or if it’s just my little man, because the amount of laundry and stain remover I go through should honestly be illegal. Jokes aside, I wanted to share what has helped me survive these messy moments as I navigate life with a baby who seems to spit up, poop, and pee all day long.

If you’re feeling nervous about moving your baby from the bassinet to the crib, trust me—you’re not alone. Transitioning George from his bassinet to his crib in his own room was something I was really worried about. (Cue heart palpitations.) Having him so far away from me felt like a really big deal, and my mind would race to worst-case scenarios. I loved having him in the bassinet beside my bed—not only for the ease of feeding at night but also because it was comforting to have him right next to me. Sadly, that did have to come to an end, and now that we’ve transitioned him, I’m so glad we finally did it.

I always knew that I wanted to breastfeed my baby, but that didn't mean it was going to be a smooth process. It definitely wasn’t smooth — in fact, it turned out to be a lot more stressful than I had imagined. There were ups and downs filled with tears, pain, and frustration. I’m happy to say that it’s no longer that way and has turned into a wonderful bonding experience with George. I hope that by sharing my story, I can help ease someone else’s worries by showing that we breastfeeding mamas are not alone.

Those early days after birth can feel like a lot — your body has gone through a major change. I want to share my experiences from my postpartum journey and some tips that might help you feel better on your own. I think it’s important to talk about these things because we often forget to share what we’ve learned — sometimes out of embarrassment or simply because it doesn’t cross our minds. If I can help ease the experience for you, then I’m happy to share.

My birth experience as a first-time mom was amazing. It has been a few months since my delivery, but I’ll recount it as best as I can. I’m going to be giving a lot of details here, so if you’re at all worried about childbirth, please do not read any further.