A year of firsts for both Baby T & me
My reflections on an intense, beautiful, whirlwind of a year
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Before we jump into today’s post, I wanted to share a recent conversation I had with the Network Capital team where I talk about my personal and professional pivots, the impact that Tennis has had in shaping me, how I decided to do my MBA in Canada and why I write this newsletter.
You can listen to the entire conversation here
A woman gives birth to a child.
A child gives birth to a mother!
Yesterday was a big day for both Baby T and me. She completed her first year on planet Earth and I completed my first year as a mom.
Most people say that the world changes after you become a parent. In my case it certainly did, probably more than I had anticipated. 5 days after Baby T was born the pandemic was declared and things have never felt the same for me since.
In a different world, I would have spent the last couple of weeks planning a big party for the baby and celebrating this milestone in person with family and friends. The fact that there was no big party to plan meant that I had a lot of free mental space to reflect on the year that has gone by.
We do a great job capturing the firsts for the baby - the first time she rolled, smiled, lifted her head, had solids, laughed, crawled, stood up, spoke, and walked. But we don't do such a good job capturing the firsts for another set of humans who have been on this journey with her - the parents. And there is a long list here too - the first time you held the baby and realized that this living being depended on you for her survival, the first time you fed her and understood that you have got what it takes to nurture this baby, the first time you changed a soiled diaper and did not feel kind of gross, the first time you decided to trust your own gut over advice given by family and close friends, the first time you become comfortable realizing that you are not getting your old life back and the first time you truly felt confident that you have got what it takes to be a parent.
To the world, the most different version of you that they see is during your pregnancy but in the grand scheme of things the pregnancy just felt like a blip compared to everything that happened after it. Each day after the day the baby is born you feel the same but slightly different and then when you look back you realize you no longer are the same person you were when this all started.
And this little human is the key catalyst that leads to that transformation. Baby T has taught me how to slow down & appreciate the small beautiful things, how not to constantly run on the treadmill that is modern life, how to embrace a beginner's mindset and jump into new things and how to constantly push myself a little further when I am mastering a new skill.
To anyone who is either about to embark on this journey or is on it, I would urge you to celebrate your firsts too (& not just the baby's). These little humans push us and test us in ways we never knew were possible. We are all capable of doing so much more than we even thought was possible.
If I had to succinctly describe what I was up to in 2020 it would be the following:
I became a parent for the first time in the middle of a pandemic & developed skills that are needed to raise a baby while being cut off from the world. I built additional skill sets related to empathy, time management, patience, trust, & putting the needs of others before my own.
and this captures how I felt during the last one year:
I would love to hear from you, feedback is always welcome!
Disclaimer: All views expressed are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer
A year of firsts for both Baby T & me
I can’t tell you how much I loved reading this post. I could resonate with it so well. Kudos to you and to all the new Parents for being so rock strong and growing on this beautiful journey of parenthood every single day 🌸
Love your posts and stories, keep them going! :)