Dear mama in the thick of it,
With toys scattered across the floor, snacks that never seem to end, and sticky fingers that somehow make their way onto everything… I see you.
I know this season isn’t always easy.
You’re balancing naps and tantrums and diaper bags and meltdowns in Target aisles. You’re answering the same question a hundred times in a row and trying to remember the last time you had a hot cup of coffee or a full night of sleep, let alone a night to yourself in your bed with peace and quiet and your favorite show on in the background
You're tired and exhausted but no one seems to see it because you carry it so well. You show up daily, even when it's hard. I see it, because I feel it too.
You just want to hear you're doing this mom thing right. You want to know you are the best mom and giving your kids the best childhood that will equip them as adults. As you lay down your head, you start thinking about all the things you could have done differently or ways you could have shown your love just one more time to your littles.
Let me take a moment to say, that's how I know you are the mom you desire to be. You are the mom your kids need and want. They wouldn't choose another person in their world to take your place. You give your best, over and over again. That kind of love is what makes you the real superhero in your child’s story. You handle the schedules, tantrums, sacrificing your peace and sleep for theirs, and you devote your life striving to give them the best one. That is the definition of a mom that every kid deserves to have in their corner, and that mom is you.
You might be in a session, but you’re also living in one of the most magical chapters of motherhood:
The season of littles.
It’s a season filled with tiny hands that reach for yours without thinking. You are their safe place and their whole world where they can be fully themselves. Bedtime stories turn into cuddles that turn into deep breaths against your chest. It’s full of belly laughs and big emotions, of muddy shoes (that you just cleaned off from the last time) and twirly dresses and a kind of realness that will make your heart ache one day when it’s gone.
This season is soft and loud, messy and sweet.
It’s ordinary and unforgettable, all at the same time.
In the midst of the exhaustion, overstimulation, and realness of being a mom, don't forget to look around and remind yourself, you are doing a great job.
Smile as you pick up your little one for the hundredth time today.
Smile as your little one comes to you to solve what may seem like a little thing to us, knowing it's huge to them, and they trust you to take care of it for them.
Smile as all the crazy moments have glimpses of sweet, tender memories from little hands, firsts, and laughter.
THIS is what I do what I do. Life can be extremely crazy. Little things can get overlooked so easily. I do the exact same. Sometimes we doubt our choices, and wonder if we are meeting the expectation they set for us. As a photographer in Central Illinois for newborns and families, I see all those little moments that often get overlooked. I capture them for you to hold onto for a lifetime. Then, when your little grows up and gets ready to graduate high school, I get to photograph them again and remind you that you were always the mom they needed.
You got this, mama. You are not alone.
Take in all the big and little moments, and I am here for it.
- Courtney
