What does it mean to be Mommy?

I have officially been a Mommy now for 142 days.  Not very long in the scheme of things but long enough to begin my definition of Mommy.  Here's what it means so far:

Mommy means having shift duty at least every three hours and being on call the rest of the time.  It means your day off no longer exists.

Mommy means that you get to furiously wipe up the urine running down public seating area at the doctor's office after you changed your daughter's diaper only to have her pee at the exact moment when one diaper is coming off and the other is going on.

Mommy means that you have an instant bond with every other Mommy that you meet.  You catch the sympathetic glances when your baby is the one screaming at the top of her lungs in Wal-Mart, and you smile knowingly when someone else's child launches a stream of spit-up onto her mother's Sunday outfit.

Mommy means crying when your baby gets her first shots.

Mommy means it no longer really matters what you look like when you go out. People are only going to notice your baby anyway.

Mommy means learning exactly what takes pumpkin-colored poop out of a pink-and-white dress.

Mommy means that lunch with a friend may consist of standing beside the booth half the meal bouncing a very tired baby while spending the other half trying to eat a very messy chicken caesar wrap with one hand while holding said baby in the other hand.  (It's probably good that my friend had to return to work before I got to the second half of my meal since watching me struggle with the first half was no doubt enough for one day.)

Mommy means that perfect strangers will rush to hold the door for you at the post office.

Mommy means having an infinite number of excuses to sit and cuddle with your baby even though laundry needs to be folded, dishes are sitting on the counter, and the trash is starting to stink.

Mommy means you get to watch your husband turn into Daddy and your parents become Grandpa and Grandma.

Mommy means being the presence that can turn your baby's wail into a make-your-day grin.

Tell me what being a Mommy means to you!