Having a baby is often cited as the most life-changing experience we can go through, and I think most parents out there would agree. Karin Joyce, founder of Cafe Bebe, is this week’s DaisychainBaby guest-writer and shares the changes her daughter’s first year has brought about:

One year ago, on this day, I was labouring to bring my adorable, precious Little Miss into this world. The entire birthing experience was nothing like I thought it would be and, thankfully, all the experts are right. You do forget it once you hold your baby in your arms. I look back on our lives before Little Miss and they seem rather hazy; something that was forever ago, not a year ago.

We didn’t have to plan and pack for every eventuality if we were going out. We got ourselves ready without it being a tag-team orchestration and patted the dog on the head and walked out the door. We could stay out as long as we wanted and as long as the animals were accounted for, we could even stay out past midnight! The grocery shopping never involved a trip down the baby aisle and the food items we bought were not scrutinized for salt or sugar content. For that matter, I used to add salt to our food! A lie-in was 9:30 or 10am…not 6am. There were no gates on the doors, no high-chairs in the kitchen, and no toys on the floor. Our pictures and nick-nacks were on the lower shelves and cords to appliances were not necessarily neat and tidy. Remote controls lay on the tables; the tv guide never lost its cover. The curtains hung all the way to the floor and the cat was not afraid to come downstairs during daylight hours.

I didn’t have fears like…what happens if I pass out upstairs and Little Miss is with me? would hubby know what to do with Little Miss’ breakfast if I wasn’t around anymore. Our lives were so very different. But I wouldn’t change one thing for £10,000,000. Our Little Miss has brought so much joy into our lives which are why the times without her are so hazy. She makes me laugh every day and I am constantly amazed at how much she’s grown and learned. To think back to one year ago when I was lying on a hospital bed with this mushy, tiny thing on my chest…it’s so hard to believe. How can so much change in one year? Little Miss is talking, walking, laughing, dancing, eating, smiling, pouting and stropping! She’s a proper Little Miss, she is! We’ve become better people because of her, my hubby and me and I am so grateful for all that we have.

When I was wheeled into the recovery room after a difficult c-section and had had my first cup of tea and toast, I looked at my Little Miss wrapped up in the bassinette next to me and thought, “This is the best thing I have ever done”. And oh, has it been! Happy Birthday my amazing daughter. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Karin Joyce is an American ex-pat who found love with an Englishman, and is now a first-time, stay-at-home mummy to 14 month old Ella. She is also the founder of website/blog combination Cafe Bebe, which offers fantastic product reviews and competitions, as well as Karin sharing her personal trials, tribulations and triumphs through her blog. You can also track Karin down on Twitter.