"Having a baby fills your life in such a way that no matter what you're doing, there's something bigger," says actress Jennifer Garner about 1-year-old Violet. "I've just been in heaven being with her the past year."

Jennifer, 34, talks about motherhood, baby weight and hubby Ben Affleck, 34, in the new issue of PEOPLE.

On motherhood: I call my mom now and say, "You know all the dinners you made that I said 'No' to and went off and ate peanut butter? I'm sorry. I get it. I slaved over roasting this, and (Violet) goes, 'No, no, no!'"

Lessons learned: I was rocking her, and she was fascinated by the light hitting the ceiling. I thought, "God, for the past five years, I haven't stopped to look at light on the ceiling for (one) second." To slow down and go at her pace has been such a gift.

Losing the baby weight: It took me a long, long time. I just wasn't that motivated. I wanted to play with her. Then I got on the treadmill, stopped stuffing my face and lost the weight. I cut out croissants, bagels and muffins – all the good stuff. And went back to having a salad once a day and protein.

Ben Affleck on being a daddy: He does a good job. I mean, okay, maybe I wrote out what he was supposed to make for her (to eat) today while I was gone. But that's just me being paranoid. He's great – he can do it.

On their Mommy-Daddy bond: There's nothing more emotional than seeing your partner – the man you love – with your baby at any time: the first time, the second, yesterday, today. There's nothing more beautiful."

Posted 11:55am EST 01-17-2007