How motherhood changed me: I had dreams and goals and a vision of what my life would look like, and starting a family was one of them

NJ Torres Jacobson before motherhood

Mom of Savannah Taylor, - Communications officer

Before I became a mom... My life revolved around work, travel, work, friends and more work. I worked hard and I partied harder. I slept really late and woke up really late, too (and I never felt guilty about it). I spent money way more willy-nilly than I do now. I went to concerts and stayed out late dancing. I jumped from planes, drove unsafely and ate everything my heart desired. I weighed less and my clothing sizes were much smaller. I binged on TV series. I traveled with friends on a whim whenever I felt like it.

How motherhood changed me: I had dreams and goals and a vision of what my life would look like, and starting a family was one of them.

That's why I maximized my single life because I knew my life would be different one day. I knew from the start that I wanted to become a mother. I loved my life as it was and wondered if motherhood would really stop me from doing the things I enjoyed. No sugarcoating. My life did change.

The best and hardest job

Motherhood made me make the biggest move of my life: left my home, my career, my whole life to start fresh with my own family in another country. It was indeed the greatest adventure I've ever had. It's still as crazy beautiful, but just a whole lot different. Life is slower, calmer, I am wiser and older.

What I love the most about being a mom: I love having the perfect excuse to be louder. The Filipino mom in me always shouts. But I am more patient, moody but also funnier. I have also mastered the art of multitasking. It's like there's an unstoppable force inside just waiting to be unleashed. I feel like there's more of me, and more that I can do than what I was doing before. I'm a fine cook, I bake, I sew and I learned all those new skills without letting go of parts of my old self. It's not perfect. Some days, I feel I'm just surviving, managing, just getting by. Then I see Savannah Taylor, and I start creating more, getting more, believing in me more. Moms are all works in progress-and we're all worth tending to.