What makes me a mother?

This little girl, who brings me her caterpillars and asks when they will become butterflies.

And this little boy, who runs to me each evening, arms open wide, and calling me by the name I treasure more than any other -- "Mama."

I carried them in my womb, and then in my arms. I nourished them, cuddled them, helped shape them.

And yet -- they define me.

This is my offering for the Parent Bloggers Network's Mother's Day Blog Blast, also sponsored by Light Iris, a new site which debuts on Mother's Day. There's still time to post your own entry. You have until midnight. So go for it. Winner gets a $100 gift card for Spa Finder, and -- hello?! -- who among us would turn that down? So check it out. Post. And Happy Mother's Day!