Rumer Willis is taking a moment to reflect as she celebrates her birthday.
On Friday, the daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore shared a photo and an introspective message on Instagram, capturing just how different her life looks as she turns 35.
“This is 35. Ridiculously sunburnt and feeding my Lou,” she began the post, which featured a candid snapshot of her shirtless as she breastfed her 4-month-old daughter, Louetta.
She went on to recount how her special day looked just one year ago. “Last year on my birthday I had just found out I was pregnant with Lou and I was so tired and kinda nauseous and I hadn’t really told anyone,” she wrote. “So many new sensations and changes going on within me. I was nervous and excited and felt so many tiny little butterflies in my belly and in deep wondering of who this little soul may be.”
Now, as she kicks off another year, Willis is happy to have little Lou by her side. “To have her here now in my arms on this next trip around the ☀️ I feel every birthday wish I have ever had has come true tenfold,” she continued, touching on how much becoming a mother has changed her.
“This past year has come with so much growth, so many challenges and fears to overcome but right alongside more joy than I could ever imagine. I truly learned what it is to surrender into the deepest core of myself and find a strength and a primal power I didn’t know I had,” she explained.
Willis said she’s fully embracing “this new version” of herself, and it feels right. “I feel more comfortable in my skin. More confident than I ever imagined,” she noted. “I have known for so many years that being a mother would bring me into alignment with a divine purpose I have always felt and to known that my intuition was right has given me a trust within myself that I am so deeply grateful for.”
The Dancing with the Stars alum concluded her message by sharing her intentions for the year ahead. “As I walk into this 35th year of life as a woman and as a mother, my highest intention is to have the strength and trust to let go of any pattern, any thinking, really ANYTHING that are no longer serving my or my daughters highest good,” she shared. “And surrender into the deepest trust within myself and with the universe 🪐 that the life I have always dreamed of is unfolding.”
She added one final note: “I have never felt more beautiful in my whole life,” she declared, adding the hashtag #hotmomERA.
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In a similar spirit, Willis’ mom posted a touching tribute in honor of her daughter’s birthday on Wednesday, reflecting on how her own life changed when her eldest girl was born in 1988.
“My life changed the day you were born. You brought a depth, meaning, and purpose to my existence along with an understanding of love that I had never known. Now here you are my baby, with your own baby, bringing even greater meaning, magic and love into all of our lives,” Moore wrote, alongside two throwback photos of the pair and two snapshots from Willis’ delivery.
“So proud of you. Happy Birthday Ru! Happy New Year! Happy Celebration of Life! I Love You!” the Ghost star, 60, added.
Willis and her musician-boyfriend Derek Richard Thomas welcomed their daughter on April 18. The couple announced Lou’s arrival via a joint Instagram post at the time.
“✨ Louetta Isley Thomas Willis ✨ You are pure magic 🌱 Born at home on Tuesday April 18th,” they wrote alongside a photo of their tiny newborn sleeping. “You are more than we ever dreamed of ✨.”
In honor of Mother’s Day this year, Willis shared a series of intimate photos from her home birth and penned a sweet letter to her daughter. “You have changed my life in the most profound way… I can’t wait to see who you are, although I feel like I have known you my whole life,” she wrote in part.
“You are the most beautiful creature I have ever met. I still wake up every morning and can’t believe you are mine. Thank you for choosing me to be your mama, thank you for trusting me to guide you through your life.”
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