YOU KNOW YOU'RE A MOM WHEN...

When Matt and I only had Lauren, we felt like people who had a kid. We were parents, but we were still our own people. Now, with two kids, we are parents. We aren't cool people who happen to have a kid, nope, we are parents whose sole job is trying to juggle our kids, stop them from grabbing everything on the store shelves and change their diapers anywhere we can find a flat surface.

Lately, I've been noticing "momisms" in my life. So here are a few of them.

You know you're a mom when...

...your baby pukes in your hair and you rinse it in the sink, think you're good to go and then realize once you're in an enclosed space like the car that, nope, you definitely missed some puke somewhere.

...you pump gas while singing the ABCs with your toddler and rocking your baby in her carseat so she doesn't start crying her brains out.

...days when you don't wear runners are considered fancy days.

...you justify those runners most days because they are so comfortable even if they look terrible.

...you can carry a baby on the front and balance your toddler on your hip.

...you give yourself a mental pat on the back if you make it out of the house within a half an hour of your intended exit time.

...you aim a puking baby at yourself because it is easier to do a load of laundry and take a shower than try to scrub puke out of the couch (again).

...your toddler has become a pro at your iphone because she grabs it every time you are immobilized by a nursing newborn.

...Baby Beluga is a permanent fixture in your car stereo.

...you have juice boxes packed into every bag, stroller and empty space in the car.

...you don't feel bad about putting a baby gate across your toddlers bedroom door and hiding out of view when she wakes up from her nap too early and starts yelling, "I'm stucky," because she can't get out. Yeah, I know, kid, that's the point.

...you know the schedule of cartoons on the Knowledge Network by heart.

...the route on any trip to the mall is planned to avoid any and all ride-on machines that will make your child cry because you refuse to put a toonie into them for 30 seconds of junky entertainment. You want a car ride, kid? Climb in your car seat and we will drive home. 

...you come back to your computer to find it locked and the screen view has been flipped upside down (you didn't even know that was possible before!)

...you are willing to make a complete fool of yourself in public if it means your kid has a good time. 

...any day where you put on mascara is a big day.

And last but not least...

You know you're a mom when your life before is a fuzzy memory and your reality right now is full of new memories and beautiful moments woven into the crazy, messy, cuddle-filled reality of being a mom.