I used to wonder when I might really actually feel like a Mother, but now I know the moment is this: it’s when the baby is old enough to know you, sense you, need you, and when you pick him up, he knows just where to slide his head: on your shoulder, just to the side of your chin, and he rests in there, like you are a sleeping bag of love, like your bones quiet his thoughts. AND SO, JOE WAS EXACTLY TODAY YEARS OLD WHEN I BECAME HIS MOTHER.