Next week we’ll be celebrating a major milestone in our daughter’s life: Alyssa’s 1st birthday.

In honor of surviving our first year of parenthood (curtsey, bow, applause and "thankyouverymuch"!), I decided to reflect back on what this year has brought us, besides lack of sleep. Not only has being a mother to our precious daughter Alyssa been the most rewarding job of my life, it has also been the most challenging. Trying to balance motherhood and a demanding full-time career has been more than difficult. At times it seemed impossible.

But here I am, happy that I am functioning well in all my positions - as a mommy, wife, and career woman.

As I sit on the train heading to work (this is where I do most of my writing), here's what I found myself reflecting on during my first year of parenthood:

1.     Alyssa’s birth. By far one of the most joyous days of our life. I still look back at pictures of the day she was born and feel tears fill my eyes. Nothing can compare to this miracle of life and the joy she has brought us.

2.     The first few weeks at home with baby are the hardest. I was in a lot of pain due to the c-section, and I remember my husband and I feeling absolutely clueless. Why wouldn’t she stop crying? What do we do? Feed her? Rock her? The most valuable lesson I learned in the first few week’s of Alyssa’s life were that if she was crying, she was either hungry or had a dirty diaper. It’s really that simple with newborns – but as first time parents, it took us a while to figure that out.

3.     Lack of sleep does not last forever. I would go days without showering or doing laundry because I was so busy with the baby. My body turned on autopilot and my days were blurred together. Thankfully, Alyssa started sleeping through the night when she was a month and a half old. I don’t have any magic advice for how that happened. We put her in her own room after about a week, and her sleep continued to improve from there.

4.     The woes of breastfeeding. Wow, breastfeeding was SO painful at first. After about two weeks I got the hang of it but wanted to give up so many times along the way. I breastfed Alyssa for about four months. I went back to work after three months, but could only take so much of pumping-at-work. It didn’t fit my work lifestyle or schedule at all, and I was happy to give it up knowing that I gave my best for four months and Alyssa got the nutrition she needed in her first few months of life.

5.     Formula can break your bank account. Baby formula is what obviously replaced my breastmilk, and also put a large dent in our bank account. That's the  price I paid for giving up breastfeeding. It may seem silly that I am reflecting back on this, but really, formula played an enormous role in Alyssa's first year of life.

6.     Pre-made baby food saved my sanity. I tried to make Alyssa’s food at first. (You know, where you cook the veggies, then puree them, then freeze them for later use.) Who was I kidding? I didn’t have time for this. I leave my house at 7:15 AM and don’t get home until after 6 PM every day. I quickly learned that in order to keep the house running, I’d have to prioritize, and if I can feed Alyssa with ready-made baby food, so be it. Thankfully now she is starting to eat what my husband and I eat, and its fun to have us all sit around the table at dinner and watch her eat with us. She is turning into such a big girl!

7.     At-home daycare was a great decision. We are so lucky to have found such a loving and nurturing at-home daycare provider. It was stressful to find the right person – but I used my mommy gut (and background checks) and went with who I felt most comfortable and safe with. I know I made the right decision. Alyssa has more fun at daycare with the other kids than she probably would with me if I were to stay home. I am also pleased knowing she is socially interacting with other children throughout the day.

8.   Life comes to a grinding halt when the baby is sick. Everytime Alyssa is sick I find myself wishing it were me. Isn't it the worst to watch your child in so much pain? I brace myself for these moments, knowing we haven't seen the last of them.

9.     Parents deserve a break. Every parent needs a break and we are lucky enough to have a wonderful family support system who will watch Alyssa when my husband and go out for a date night or have a wedding to attend, etc. We consider ourselves extremely lucky. We just got back from a five day vacation in Mexico (our long-overdue honeymoon!) while Alyssa had her own special vacation at the grandparents!

10.   Milestones make the memories. First tooth. Crawling. Talking. Laughing. These milestones are what makes being a parent so much fun. It is a very bittersweet feeling watching your baby grow into a little person, but I think  I will always see her as my little “baby” no matter what age she is.

I could write all day about first-year reflections. What do you reflect on most from your child’s first year of life?