Being a mom came at an unexpected time, but I knew from Day 1 that it was meant to happen. I was 23 when I found out I was pregnant. At that time, I had a promising job with a stable beauty brand, and I had a long list of accomplishments I wanted to do. I was nervous and excited about this journey, and I knew that I had to let go or delay some of the items in my bucket list.

On my fifth month, I found out I was having a boy. I wasn't surprised because I had always felt that I would have a son. Fast forward to today, my baby boy has grown into a feisty five-year-old who thinks he's a rock star. He's almost up to my shoulder (to be fair, I'm a petite lady and he's a huge human). I can't believe how far we've come from the day I was rushed to the hospital to today when he prefers to play with guitars and drums and jump on the trampoline.

Although my son came as a surprise, however, I can say that he came at the right time. I know we have a long way to go, but so far, motherhood has taught me many things. I could go on forever about them, but I narrowed them into my top five picks. Click on the slideshow to see some of them.