First and foremost, I am a mother

I am an early childhood educator, I teach toddlers. I am learning American Sign Language as my second language. I love reading fiction novels and laying in the sun. I am a cat person with a soft spot for large dogs.

I am lot of things, but first and foremost, I am a mother.

My daughter is six and a half months. It feels equally like an eternity and a minute that I've known my bundle of love. It is the most challenging and rewarding job I have ever had.

I am exhausted. My 2 and a half month old would have slept all day if I had let her, my now half-a-year-old doesn't like sleeping more than 3 hours in her crib. I am barely a person some days, surviving on caffeine and willpower alone.

I love my sleep, but I am a mother, and you can't be mad at a baby for wanting midnight snuggles.

I miss shopping. These days I don't even go into the gas station if I can avoid it at all. Taking the carseat out of the base, navigating the too-small aisles with it awkwardly balanced on my arm... More trouble than its worth for a candy bar and a bottle of pop.

It may seem like a lot to miss. A lot of things I am sad about, a lot of things that are harder. But through all of the challenges, I have never felt more purpose in my life.

Theres a whole little human who thinks I'm the best, I can feed her from my body, from my breast. She needs me, she loves me, and I need her too. She is the life of the party, she brightens every room.

I am a daughter, a friend. I'm a girlfriend and a partner. But first and foremost, I am a mother. And its the proudest title I have.