01127 It's finally happened, even though I said it never would. I've turned into one of those moms. You know what I'm talking about, my mom was one of them, and your mom was probably one of them too. The "Ah Ha" moment for me was the other day when I was out with Kiana. She had a bit of dried up drool on her cheek, so I licked my thumb and wiped away the crusties off her face. She grimaced at me, and that's when I realized I had turned into one of those moms I swore I'd never become.

Every other sentence that leaves my mouth is "Kiana this" and "Kiana that." When people come over I smother them in Kiana's latest photos and video clips. "Look at my baby" has escaped my lips more times than I'd like to admit. I say the word "No" at least 300 times a day. I breastfeed in public places with nothing more than a receiving blanket for coverage. I call her silly names like monkey and peanut. I let her play with my cell phone, keys, ipod…whatever keeps her interested and quiet. I let her sleep in the living room, I don't rush to her every time she cries, and my living room (along with the rest of my house) has been invaded by her toys.

Before I became a mother, I had all sorts of idealistic notions of what mothers should and shouldn't do. I now realize those notions were absurd and would like to apologize to mothers everywhere…and to say that I know what it's like now. Motherhood is hard work, and we do what we do in order to maintain some semblance of order and to stay sane. Kudos to all you moms out there!