I find it so easy for newborn life to take its toll on me mentally and physically. The late nights and early mornings, the constant tending to others, the feedings and diaper changes--it is exhausting. When Brody was born, I lost myself in motherhood. All of my needs and the things that were important to me fell to the wayside. It took months and months to find myself again. This time I vowed to make sure that did not happen.

The first year of motherhood is filled with wonderful moments and big milestones. Our little ones are changing quickly and it seems like each time we blink they've grown a bit bigger and become a bit less baby. But what I've started to learn in this beautiful journey is that as precious as our time is together, a little time for myself is of equal importance.