“I noticed this image on my phone when I woke up the other morning.”

I’m currently in the trenches, as it were. That is the newborn trenches. But it was my husband’s turn to get up with the baby that night.

He snuck this picture of me and my daughter after changing, feeding, and putting the baby down (who crawled into bed with us at some point during the night).

When I see a photo of myself that I haven’t ‘posed’ for, I usually don’t upload it. And I’m usually irritated by whoever took it. This time, however, it’s different. This photograph was unique.

Because the last few weeks have been very trying. It’s easy to forget how much work a baby is. How physically, intellectually, and emotionally fatigued you become. When you add two more children to the mix, you’re completely exhausted. Every. Single. Time.

Changing diapers, cradling newborns, wiping tears, cleaning spills, doing laundry, washing dirty dishes, and countless snack times are all part of my daily routine.

I don’t take a shower on a daily basis. Due to a lack of sleep, my eyes are puffy and bags have formed around them. My clothes are almost certainly stained with spit-up or food. My hair is always in a mum bun. My make-up is completely gone.

And this image captures it all. It’s not glamorous, but it depicts one of the most difficult occupations in the world: motherhood.

This is a time in my life that I want to remember. I need this photo to remind me, because sometimes you forget that you’ll miss it eventually when you’re in the trenches.

I won’t miss the restless nights as much as I will miss hugging and rocking my babies to sleep. Feeling their tiny chests inhale and exhale as their tiny fingers wrap around mine.

I won’t miss the crying fits as much as I will miss being able to soothe my children down with simply a hug and a kiss on the forehead.

I won’t miss cleaning up spilt milk as much as I’ll miss being able to clean up their messes with little more than soap and water.

I won’t miss waking up with a hurting neck and back from sleeping in the same bed as my kids. But I’ll miss waking up in the morning with their faces next to mine. I’m going to miss those early cuddles.

This is the time in my life that I want to remember.

I don’t want to forget this stage of parenthood, despite how demanding and overwhelming it can be.

So, don’t forget to remind your husband, wife, or partner. Remind them that they need to snap these photos of you.

“Take pride in these photographs.”