Holl And Lane Issue 3 | Page 97

Our days often start like this. Alexander and I are the first ones up and he is always anxious to "help" me in some way. We always seem to keep ourselves busy in the kitchen. DIARY OF A MOM words & images by LAURIE FIUMARA Being a mother is one of life’s greatest privileges. While I’ve never taken this opportunity for granted, the desire to become a mother was not immediate for me. I had put a great deal of time and effort into building a successful career and I worked hard to sustain that for the first five years of our marriage. And then suddenly, it all changed. I remember waking up one day just knowing that I was ready to make the transition to motherhood. From that point on, being a mother has become the very center of my life. Today, I have three beautiful children: Andrew (7), Julia (5) and Alexander (17 months). In addition to caring for our children, I work out of our home on a part-time basis. Despite the flexibility that part-time employment affords me, I still find it challenging to balance the demands of motherhood as well as those of a career. I feel strongly that it took my third baby for me to really “get” motherhood. I was too nervous with my first baby. Then I felt too overwhelmed when I had two children just 22 months apart. But now, a few years later, I see it all differently. I now realize that it’s all so fleeting. The days become months, turned to years. Memories are made daily, yet they are so hard to retain. It was this realization that prompted me to capture and document our children on a more regular basis. Their growth and development occurs at an incredible pace. Once you begin looking, you will see this growth in just about everything a child does. And for this, I delight in the precious documentation of the everyday. HollAndLaneMag.com | 97