Yes, I'm "THAT" Mom.

and I'm owning it! Before Hudson was born, I always assumed that I'd be a very laid back mom. After all, I'd had plenty of experience. I started baby sitting before I was 11, and did that all through high school when I started working in a day care after school. I worked in a day care all through college too. I've always loved little kids, and the thought of having my own never made me nervous. I was ready! Bring it on! Everyone always says "It's different when it's YOUR child.", and I realized this to an extent. Yes, I would have deeper feelings for my own child, but I won't be "THAT" mom.
Boy was I wrong! As soon as Hudson was born, I became a huge, paranoid mess about germs. Sure, babies are obviously going to come in contact with germs, and they need to build up their immune system, but I was so worried ALL the time about who he was around, who touched him, etc, etc. Hand sanitizer was always a must, and I wasn't afraid to ask people to use it around him. I've gotten much better about the germ issue, but every now and then the germ-a-phob still rears her appearance. I'm still don't understand why complete strangers think it's ok to come up to my child and touch him in the face or grab his hands. Like I said, I've gotten better. Now, instead of pulling him away quickly, and scrubbing his hands with wipes, I just cringe on the inside a little.
I always said that I would "never let my child get addicted to TV", and while Hudson really enjoys watching certain videos, he's definitely not addicted, but he REALLY loves watching Barney. I'm glad that he has an attention span and that he's also learning in the process. We spend lots of time teaching him things, and the videos that we choose to let him watch often reinforce a lot of the things that we are working on like letters, colors, numbers, skills, and concepts. He really enjoys the music too.
Another thing that I fooled myself into thinking was "I'll never allow my house to be taken over by toys." The picture below of a corner in our den speaks for itself.

All of these things are just part of the joys of being a parent. Until you have experienced parenthood, it's hard to understand. I am enjoying being Hudson's mom because he sure is growing fast, and gives me so much to be thankful for. He's helped me learn to relax, and although I want to protect him from everything in this world, I know that I have to let him live and learn. Instead of focusing my energy on worrying about the little things, I choose to enjoy my sweet boy.