You know you're a mom when...

     Becoming a mom is a transformation that happens fast. And it hits you hard. I mean, you would think that the nine months of incubating would give you time to prepare, but there is nothing in the world to prepare for for motherhood. Not until you are rushing around at five o'clock to prepare dinner with a screaming baby in your arms finally realizing that you never got a chance to shower that day. And then you look at yourself and realize... oh my goodness, I'm a mom (and I have spit up in my hair.) Forever. (Well, not the spit up). And it's one of the best and most rewarding parts of life.

     So just to give you an idea of some of the things that have changed for me since I've become a mom, I wrote up this list of the many ways that helped me know that I had officially become a mom.

I know I've officially become a mom when:

I rock back in forth all the time. Even when I'm not holding a baby. When Owen was littler, he constantly needed to be rocked and bounced, so now I'm the crazy lady waiting in line at the grocery store swaying back and forth like a mental patient.

I know I've officially become a mom when:

I no longer carry a purse. I just tuck my wallet and my cell phone into the top pocket of Owen's diaper bag. That's how I roll nowadays.

I know I've officially become a mom when:

I've had nearly every type of Owen's body fluid on me, and I've never once gagged or thrown up. Seriously, being peed on is so not a big deal anymore. And when it comes from your own kid, it's precious poop. And when it's on his dad and not me, it's HILARIOUS!

I know I've officially become a mom when:

I've cried over spilled milk. Breast milk that is. Because that stuff is like liquid gold. And when what seemed like gallons of it defrosted when my freezer door was left cracked open while we were on vacation, it's seemed perfectly logical to cry like a baby about it. And make my husband clean up the mess because I couldn't bear to look at it. 

I know I've officially become a mom when:

I hear phantom Owen crying when I'm lying in bed at night. 

I know I've officially become a mom when:

I spend more on Owen's wardrobe than on my own. My excuse is that everything fits and looks good on him. Plus, he outgrows it every three months so he needs them more frequently.

I know I've officially become a mom when:

I want to call my mom about twelve times a day to thank her for raising me. And keeping me alive through childhood.

I know I've officially become a mom when:

My cell phone memory is full on a weekly basis because of all the pictures and videos I take of Owen.

I know I've officially become a mom when:

My daily routine is planned around breakfast, lunch, and naps. And a naptime has become a unit of time. So instead of saying, "It took me about an hour to do that," I say, "It took me two naptimes to wash the dishes and finish the laundry."

I know I've officially become a mom when:

I find Cheerios on the floor all over the house, not just in the kitchen. (It's times like this when I wish I had a dog.)

I know I've officially become a mom when:

I find myself humming "Elmo's Song" (We sing it as Owen's song) in the shower...the car...standing in line at the grocery store...in bed while I'm waiting to fall asleep...

I know I've officially become a mom when:

My morning coffee is always cold before I can finish a cup. And while I'm on the subject of coffee, I never really liked the stuff all that much until it became necessary for survival. 

I know I've officially become a mom when:

It's noon and my son has been fed at least twice and has on a clean outfit and I've yet to even have a shower or breakfast. 

I know I've officially become a mom when:

I have at least three running lists of things to remember because of my "mom brain." 

I know I've officially become a mom when:

I've had more conversations about poop in the last ten months than I have in the entirety of my life prior to baby. 

I know I've officially become a mom when:

I can recite Owen's favorite board books from memory. "Help! Help! Help! cried the little blue truck. Beep beep beep! I'm stuck, I'm stuck. Everybody heard that beep beep beep, the cow came running with the pig and the sheep. Up at a gallop ran the big brown horse. Goat jumped over the fence, of course..." That's "Little Blue Truck" by Alice Schertle, by the way.

I know I've officially become a mom when:

99.9 percent of my recommendations on Amazon.com are for baby products. Because I haven't bought anything for myself in a long time. 

I know I've officially become a mom when:

I can no longer go to the bathroom without an audience. 

And that's just a few things. For all you moms out there, what things make you realize, "Oh, my goodness, I'm a mom?"