While motherhood had a challenging start for Chrissy Teigen, the rewards were tenfold. As the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model has candidly revealed over the last few years, getting pregnant was a challenge she and husband John Legend faced for years before conceiving their daughter, Luna Simone Stephens, in 2015. While the wait was difficult, one of Hollywood’s most famous pairings officially became first-time parents the following April. Though life as they knew it had changed, little Luna swiftly found a sweet spot in their new trio. “We feel like she kind of just came into our life and she’s completely adapted to our lifestyle,” the famous foodie told E! News three months after giving birth. “We still do really fun things and get to travel and she’s just our little sidekick now. She’s our new plus one.” However, as any woman who’s welcomed a child into her life understands, Teigen knew things would never be exactly the same again. “You definitely do have to change. You just have to,” she told Refinery29 of adapting to life as a parent. “You naturally change because there’s something else that consumes your mind at all times and I don’t think you can help that.” However, publicly, the changes seemed only for the better in every way. While Teigen was already winning everyone’s heart on her own with her biting tweets, enviable kitchen skills and carefree wit, living life through the lens of motherhood has brought out the best of Chrissy. To start, she’s experiencing her passions for food all over again thanks to her daughter’s milestones and can relive first bites of her favorite meals through her little one. At just six months old, Luna was already equipped with her first chef’s hat. “I have dreamed of this day,” Teigen wrote proudly of the moment on Instagram. However, the benefits of the baby benchmarks haven’t been limited to food. Whether the infant was sporting her first bow, taking her first steps or simply giggling over something her famous mama said, Teigen has relished life through her daughter’s eyes and that enthusiasm has been infectious for her fans. Toting a toddler around is also the perfect excuse to be all the more playful, something Teigen was already developing an expertise in. Exhibit A: When the model was riding down Splash Mountain, the moment turned viral because of her sudden need to cup her chest. “My milk,” she wrote on Instagram as plenty of moms who have totally been there laughed along. Overall, the mother-daughter duo has been a much-needed reminder to never take life too seriously. However, when the moment called for it, Teigen did get serious about the topics that needed it, like her fertility challenges and postpartum depression diagnosis. In addition to connecting with her fans on a deeper level through their shared experiences, she used her platform to shine an empowering light on the sensitive subjects. “Plenty of people around the world in my situation have no help, no family, no access to medical care,” she told Glamour. “I can’t imagine not being able to go to the doctors that I need. I look around every day and I don’t know how people do it. I’ve never had more respect for mothers, especially mothers with postpartum depression.” Last June, Teigen was asked what she’s most excited to teach her daughter. “No matter what, you will find that job, you will find that point in life where people are going to want you to be exactly the way you are and nothing else,” she replied. “I think I’m excited to teach her to just be yourself and eventually it’s going to pay off.” While Luna is officially one year closer to reaching that point on her first birthday today, this philosophy also couldn’t ring truer for Teigen-except it’s already paying off.