When did you know?

Finish this statement:  I knew I was a mom when.....

When/how did you know?  Was it the first moment you peed on the stick?  Or did it take a little bit longer than that?  Was it when you were headfirst in the toilet throwing up your prenatals and orange juice while getting kicked in the ribs? 

The first time your little one knowingly wrapped their chubby little arms around your neck and burrowed their sweet little face in the crook of your neck...the sleepy "I love you" that was whispered as they drifted off...A sweet, milky grin up at you while breastfeeding?  Or was it something a little more hardcore than that....the first explosive diaper that went up the back and neck out the sides, down to the feet and somehow even out the sleeves of the cute little sleeper from great grandma...was that your...yep, I'm a mom moment?  Or how about that time while cleaning up your cherub after snack time you swiped that chunk of banana of his face and stuck your finger in your mouth without a second thought...was THAT your defining moment?

Whatever it was, we want to hear it.  Short, long, sweet, sappy, funny...whatever the case may be...when did you know?  For me, it was THIS story here.  Leave us a comment telling us how you knew in your gut that you were a mom...what solidified it for you. Do you have a blog of your own?  Post your story over there and link us over to it!  We are in the process of getting together a little goodie basket for our winner with a variety of different things that mom will not be required to share under any circumstances (anyone like GODIVA????)

So here's your chance to tell US a story......

44 comments:

Unknown said...
May 4, 2010 at 8:41 AM

I knew I was a mom when.....

I ran to the grocery store, remembering the kid and the diaper bag, but completely forgetting my purse.

Anonymous said...
May 4, 2010 at 8:55 AM

I knew I was a mom when......My daughter threw up ALL over me, and I wasn't even disgusted.

Teres said...
May 4, 2010 at 9:03 AM

You know you're a mom when your kid hands you a booger....and you take it. :)

Anonymous said...
May 4, 2010 at 9:10 AM

I knew I was a mom when...

My 1st born baby boy's belly button thingy fell off and I saved it!! It was too sweet to throw away...umm, anyone else would think that was totally gross. I know I did before kids but I just couldn't do it! It's still in his baby book! Now that you guys are more than likely gagging, maybe someone out there was a little nuts like me!

Joanne said...
May 4, 2010 at 9:17 AM

I knew I was a mom when...

After a long day of work, I walked in the door and my husband said, "Check this out." He grabbed our engagement picture off the shelf, shoved it in our son's face, pointed to me in the picture and said "Who's this?" My little 15 month old replied, "Mommy." Best. Day. Ever. Of course, now all I ever hear is "Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy. Up?"

Shoshana Howell said...
May 4, 2010 at 9:33 AM

I knew I was a mom when....
....the baby started sleeping for longer than an hour at a time, and as a result I was given the option of catching up on 'romance' or sleep, I gladly chose sleep...SEVERAL nights in a row.

a.rungee said...
May 4, 2010 at 9:53 AM

I knew I was a mom the moment my daughter (who is only 6 months) got sick and instead of finding something to catch her spit/throw up I stuck my hand under her mouth so it wouldn't mess up my husbands work clothes.

Anonymous said...
May 4, 2010 at 10:04 AM

I knew I was mom the first night I had my first born home with me from the hospital. I slept on the couch with her in her car seat on the floor next to me with my hand laying across her chest. I knew at that moment that I would do anything for her. She is now 14 years old and I am so proud of the young woman she has turned out to be.

Kate said...
May 4, 2010 at 10:25 AM

I knew I was a mom the night I brought my first born home from the hospital. I slept on the couch with her in her car seat on the floor next me, with my hand laying across her chest. At that moment I knew that I would do ANYTHING for her. She is 14 years old now, I am so proud of the young lady she has turned out to be.

Kate said...
May 4, 2010 at 10:46 AM

I knew I was a mom when...
I had to give up my morning coffee with #1 because it was making my morning sickness worse. I spent 3 days in bed with the worst headache I've ever had.

Autumn Kuhn Photography said...
May 4, 2010 at 10:46 AM

I knew i was a mom.... was when i went to change my newborns son diaper and pulled it back and wham! i got a a face full of pee! i have never seen my husband laugh so hard.... i learned very quickly to have something handy to cover him with as soon as i pulled that diaper back!

Meg said...
May 4, 2010 at 12:35 PM

I first knew I was a mom...

The morning I woke up & just felt it - I had to pee on the stick, even though it was days away from the time it "should" be detectable. It was 7am on a Sunday morning, for those of you like me, who could sleep until 2pm on a Sunday, you'll know how amazing that is. I couldn't stay still, couldn't even close my eyes. So, without waking DH or my in-laws who were staying the night, I closeted myself in the bathroom, peed on the stick, and waited an agonizing - oh 10 seconds maybe - and saw "Pregnant"!!!

Erin DeNet said...
May 4, 2010 at 1:45 PM

The first time I licked a Kleenex to wipe something off Emily's face, and used my hand to wipe off snot. (Only then proceed to wipe it on MY pants!)

Ashley said...
May 4, 2010 at 3:13 PM

There were many moments when I thought I was a “mom.” You know, like when I was in labor 24 hours only to have a c-section, with husband hiding behind as much medical equipment he could find when he wasn’t playing chess on the computer. Or the day after I gave birth when he flew his mother up and dropped her off (without a car) at the hospital to “help” me while he went back to work. Or when I tried to breastfeed my beautiful bouncing baby boy only to find that he had some type of weird nipple phobia and screamed like it was a monster attacking him (I thought to myself, this must be the bonding everyone talks about). Or when I took him on his first airplane ride and when they announced “those who need extra time boarding or those with small children” he leaned right between my boobs and barfed before our three hour flight. If you told me before I had him that I had some fluid on me that I didn’t know what it was, I would have been completely grossed out. Now that is a daily occurrence. There have been many defining moments in the last 8 months but I think, by far, last week took the cake. We were on the expressway (nowhere to pull over) and I hear “cough, cough, weird choking noise” and then NOTHING. Of course the 20 dollar mirror I paid for had somehow flown to the side where I could get a mere glimpse of two bare feet. So I start screaming his name, screaming his name, AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS…Nothing (he hates noises and cries when he hears them so I felt sure that he would cry….NOTHING.) I turn the radio up as loud as I could…NOTHING. Then I see two feet shoot straight out front in the corner of the 20 dollar crappy mirror, but no sound. At this point, I am screaming over the radio, looking in the rear view, shaking the car seat, while driving 90 miles an hour…NOTHING. (I can imagine what the car behind me thought). I pulled over into Burger King…threw the car in park….ran around the car, flung the door open, to this little monster looking at me like I was the crazy one. THAT is when I knew I was a mom. To care so much about something so small is beyond what I could have ever imagined. But I do know that I am a mom, because no one else could be what I am to him, and I realized that last week, screaming, radio, crappy mirror and all!

The Pepperells said...
May 4, 2010 at 4:04 PM

I realized I was a mom....when my sister-in-law (who also happened to be my OBGYN) called me after a routine blood test to tell me I was pregnant. My husband and I tried for three years to have our first child and after month after month of disappointment and feeling like I was a failure...that phone call meant the world to me! I will never forget it and I am blessed to be the mommy of a beautiful 2 1/2 year old girl!

Nicole Wise said...
May 4, 2010 at 4:29 PM

You know you're a mom when you pick someone ELSE'S Nose and when you have cleaned poop out of the tub drain!

sara said...
May 4, 2010 at 5:34 PM

I knew I was a mom when I was traveling halfway across the country with my childless (but pregnant) friend and my 2 year old daughter. We only made it 90 minutes before my daughter started puking. She continued for the entire 14 hour drive. By the time we reached our destination, I felt like I had relived the puking scene in the movie”Stand By Me”. It was 2 am but my exhausted pregnant friend helped by getting the bathtub ready and finding my suitcase and helping me clean her up. I am forever grateful to that friend for understanding and not being totally grossed out by the almost constant vomit spewing from my beautiful 2 year old. Also for not suggesting that my daughter try out for a remake of the movie “The Exorcist”

Trish H. said...
May 4, 2010 at 8:10 PM

Mine was a little long but it really made me think... you can read my response on my family blog here: http://theheffners365.blogspot.com/

*thank you for making me look back!!

Rana said...
May 4, 2010 at 9:33 PM

I can agree with all of those; but I knew I was a mom when my mother-in-law (with the best of intentions) informed me that she would have been able to breastfeed my newborn without any trouble, and I calmly informed her to get the H'll out of MY house.

DeeDee said...
May 4, 2010 at 11:37 PM

I knew I was a Mom very early in life, on the very first night I had my newborn son home. The visitors had left(finally) and it was just the 3 of us. He had been nursed and swaddled and laid in his freshly made bassinet. My sore, aching body, fresh reminders of delivering a 9 1/2 lb. baby, longed for my own bed! I felt as though I had just fallen asleep, when we both heard his urgent call for somebody, anybody! I rolled over and told the new Dad,'don't worry, Mom will get him.' That is when I got a gentle nudge and he said to me, 'you're the Mom!' Yeah, I'm the Mom and I have to say it is the most rewarding job on earth!

Betty said...
May 5, 2010 at 7:03 AM

There were several moments when I knew I was a MOM...but the true meaning of being a MOM was when I received my first bouquet of DANDELIONS!!!! with stems not long enough to put in a glass of water so you had to float them in a bowl!!!!!!!

KacyC said...
May 5, 2010 at 1:50 PM

Ok, I can relate to all the projectile vomiting car rides and wiping snot with your hand and then on your own pants but to be honest, having been the neighborhood babysitter most of my teenage years....the moment I first knew I was a mom was when no one came back from their night out on the town to pick her up. Bonding??? I felt like I was babysitting!!! I'm so thankful God chose me to be their mom!

Jen said...
May 5, 2010 at 1:53 PM

There are MANY moments but I believe the first moment when I knew I was a mom was when my newborn baby girl gave me her first smile, my husband of course said it was gas, typical male comment, but I knew that smile was for me, for her mom.

www.jenjayaddy.blogspot.com

Courtney said...
May 5, 2010 at 2:06 PM

I knew I was a mom when...

I caught my eldest child's poop in my hands as it came out of his undiapered butt. And then laughed. And then boiled my hands.

Kathryn said...
May 5, 2010 at 2:34 PM

I knew I was a mom when I chose my softest shirt to wear one day because I knew I'd be using it to wipe my son's runny nose :) ...

Natalie Blasius said...
May 5, 2010 at 2:57 PM

I knew I was a mom, the first time I said my son's first and middle name when he did something he shouldn't have.

Destinee said...
May 5, 2010 at 3:35 PM

Okay so I realized I was a mom when one morning my husband left to work and I woke up after maybe 1-2 hours of sleep with my shirt barely hanging around me neck exposing two engorged breasts nursing a two month old in my bed. Not caring that my husband got an eyeful that morning!
P.S. that was before Glamourmom invented the nursing tank.

Meg said...
May 5, 2010 at 7:46 PM

@denet14303: I do that ALL the time! especially when out in public without kleenex - better my pants than her face is what I'm thinking in the moment, but what about my hand?!?! hahahaha

Sara Manley said...
May 5, 2010 at 8:07 PM

Oh... when I was 37 weeks pregnant with my first and hadn't been feeling well all day and thought I had the stomach flu... went to the hospital only to discover I was 8 centimeters and then my water breaks and I am ready to push. I was in so much pain at this point (yep no epidural) and scared and I said to my husband "I don't even know if I want this baby!" I of course wanted her so badly and we had been planning on her for so long but just in that moment I was petrified of having a child of my own that was completely dependent on me. After an hour of pushing I had my beautiful baby girl. When they placed her on my chest it was the most amazing rush and feeling of love that I could never duplicate and I knew that this miracle was the best thing that even happened to me.

Tammy said...
May 5, 2010 at 8:42 PM

I first knew I was a mom when I started peeing 5 times a night. Then it was the moment I got to hold him after he was born and they hadn't cleaned him off yet. He was the most beautiful baby I've ever seen.

Lindsay said...
May 5, 2010 at 8:48 PM

The first time I realized I was a mom was when I marched through Target with all three kids screaming, flailing their arms, and creating such a rucus that you couldn't help but stare, and I went about my business without an ounce of shame and without any intentions of leaving the store until I was finished!

redfraggle37 said...
May 6, 2010 at 10:00 AM

So you'd think i'd have known I was a mom the day I caught vomit in my hands at a target (IDK why, I just reached out and did it...whatever).
However, one night almost a year after said target vomit incident an old friend from HS was in town and asked me (through FB) if my husband and I would like like to meet for dinner with him and his newish wife. I quickly said, "oh, its really hard to find a baby sitter last min, so why don't you guys just come over here and i'll make dinner"
At dinner, my friend said..."yeah, I don't think I could have kids cause of that throw up thing..." and I said, "throw up thing?" and he said, "yeah, like when you posted on FB that your caught your kids vomit at target. I don't think I could do that, so no kids for me yet."

The reason this is my mom moment...i defended it and said, "when you are a parent you just do shit you never thought you'd ever do and you do it without thinking about it and you wash your hands, hose down your car, or burn those pair of pants...and move on with your life."

Judy Stout said...
May 6, 2010 at 9:30 PM

My "I am finally a mom" moment happened in China. After waiting for my daughter for over a year, I was handed a screaming (yet beautiful) baby girl who refused to take a bottle, let alone make any eye contact. She eventually took the bottle, rather than starve, but would not make eye contact, and continued not to for 5 days. Finally on the 5th day, after a very large, suppository assisted POOP, she looked me in the eye, smiled, and started making raspberries! Finally, I was truly her forever Mommy!

Unknown said...
May 7, 2010 at 2:38 PM

I've felt like a Mom since I felt those first belly flutters, but my first "mom moment" was probably when I ate something that had already been in my son's mouth.

isabelsmom said...
May 7, 2010 at 3:03 PM

The first time I realized I was a Mom was my daughter's first week at daycare after maternity leave. After the thirty minutes of kisses and hugs and "I'll miss you!"s it took to drop her off, I sobbed alone in the car. Of course, two hours later I returned to pick her up for my lunch break, only to repeat the process afterward. That week gave me both heartache and strength.

trashymomma said...
May 7, 2010 at 3:18 PM

I was changing my 3 month old son's diaper in the back of my ford explorer. This was my first outing aside from going to his doctor appointments. My mother and i headed to Fells Point in baltimore for the afternoon. Before going into a shop i wanted to change the baby. after i removed the diaper completely he began to poop. The really runny kind. i screamed in horror to my mother to "do something and help me". i turned my head in time to see her choking on her laughter. in absolute horror it dawned on me that i was now a mother.

Julie said...
May 7, 2010 at 3:59 PM

I knew I was a mom when my son came down with a stomach bug the one weekend that we had arranged for overnight getaway and without a moments hesitation I cancelled the plans, put on my sweats and didn't even shed one tear about it.

Baedke Family Blessings said...
May 7, 2010 at 6:58 PM

I knew I was a mom for sure when my daughter was not even 2 weeks old and I went to change her wet diaper and at that same time she shot out poop and it went all over the bassinet and my hand and arm that I was using at the time. Only then and only then I knew I was a mom because of course it was totally gross it didn't freak me out as much as I thought it would. It was like BOOM in that moment everything switched to my new job as MOM.

www.jenjayaddy.blogspot.com

Rebecca said...
May 8, 2010 at 10:37 AM

This is HARD! I know I am a mom, yet there are times I stop and think, "WOW, I am a mom." It's hard to pinpoint a defining moment for me but I guess it would be when we got home from the hospital and the house was busy with visitors and I took DS up to my room to nurse. The feeling of escaping the chaos to just sit and stare at his little face, and the realization that right there, at that very moment, was the only place I wanted to be, that's when I knew I was a mom.

me said...
May 9, 2010 at 8:03 PM

Okay...got one! When you reach in your purse and pull out a random kid thing...Like today I reached in for my phone and found a "Mrs. Potato Head" arm...I just laughed...So happy to be a mom!

Stephanie said...
May 9, 2010 at 8:06 PM

It took a lot for me to finally have the I'm a mom moment. For those that know me, I'm a self confessed selfish, germaphobic, control freak. Not your idea mother of the year.
Preparing for the arrival of my surprise gender baby, I had visions of the perfect bundle of joy appearing in my arms and my world being cuddling and cooing from that point on.
The reality of it is I had a stubborn princess make her grand entrance on the 4th of July after 27hrs of labor with no "epidural" of any kind. Having your little girl placed on your chest to spend her first moments in the world pooping on you wasn't what I had in mind. I loved my little girl instantly! Though between diapers, a ridiculous amount of doctors visits and nothing seeming to go the way I envisioned, breastfeeding included, I found it very hard to have that mother moment.
We still struggle everyday as she changes and grows but for me my "ah-ha" moment was a few weeks ago. She started swim class recently and to see her squealing and paddling as hard as she could to get a ball floating in the water brought such joy to me. I could not of been more proud or smiled brighter in that exact moment, I knew I was a mom!

kristen said...
May 10, 2010 at 2:19 PM

I felt like a mom when I saw the pregnancy stick and freaked out, went through my first of 4 labors, took baths with my first born for the first few months because I was scared she might slip in my hands when I washed her, had cracked and bleeding breasts trying to get the hand of nursing, heard my baby say mama the first time......but I knew I was a mom when I was about to do the victory dance thinking my sweet baby finally took a nap without endless rocking. I crept up the stairs to take a peek and make sure the baby was safely sleeping away and noticed a smell. Not just any smell, it smelled like sh** My lovely child had taken off the diaper and smeared poop on every inch of the baby crib, up the wall, and all over his own face. My first reaction was horror, but then I grabbed the video camera:) Oh yes, I taped the mess first. (this will come in handy in the future). When you spend hours with bleach water scrubbing poop off of every surface with an old toothbrush you know you are a mom.

jenstreb said...
May 10, 2010 at 11:46 PM

I knew I was a mom when the nurse wheeled me and my son to the door to leave. I couldn't believe they were going to trust me with this little life! They were just going to sit there and let me take him!! Some days I still can't believe he's mine!

Kirsten said...
May 11, 2010 at 10:46 AM

I knew I was a mom when I finally fell in love with my son.

http://talkinboutthenextgeneration.blogspot.com/2010/04/falling-in-love.html

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