There isn't a mom out there who doesn't have the prerequisite baby photo of her baby all covered in food, looking adorable and messy. It's just one of those things most (if not all) parents like to do. It's cute, right?

Some photos and videos are cuter than others, though. Those can go viral once they are posted on YouTube and hey! Suddenly your baby eating rice is a superstar!

Personally, I have never been a huge fan of this particular photo, but the videos are adorable as kids taste foods for the first time and generally learn to distinguish tastes and make hilarious faces as they do. Here are 6 of the cutest baby eating videos on YouTube:

Most babies have fairly a predictable sense of humor and often the thing that makes them happiest is your big, smiling face. Fortunately, babies don't care if we're wearing makeup, they think we smell like love itself, and your coffee-stained bathrobe feels just as wonderful to them whether it's been washed this week or not. If your baby could talk she'd say, "Mom, don't worry about the zit on your nose, let's both hide under this blanket for awhile. There, isn't that cozy?" (Your baby is off-the-charts empathetic, by the way -- most kids aren't that tuned in until they're seven. What an amazing parent you are!)

As babies get into their first year, though, it's fun to find new ways to crack them up.

1. Feathers. For the baby who doesn't like being aggressively tickled, a feather can do the trick. (Freeze the feather overnight first to kill anything that might be living in it. Ugh, or maybe skip the feather and tickle her with a cotton ball.)

When I first had my son, I can remember all too well sitting there and counting down the days until he got up on his hands and knees and crawled. And then when he finally did, I cursed myself and wondered just what in the hell I'd been thinking. Because sedentary babies are one thing, but babies on the move are a whole new adventure.

A few parents in Indiana decided to have a little bit of extra fun with the fact that their little ones have mastered the art of crawling by participating in a "Diaper Dash." The Diaper Dash is an annual event in Fort Wayne, where babies race against each other to see who can crawl from one side of the room to the other the fastest. Sounds harmless enough, doesn't it?

Some couples celebrate Valentine's Day with wine and roses. My husband and I have a different tradition: We go to the Westminster Dog Show. Odd? Yes, especially since we aren't what you'd call "dog people." But it's just so much fun to laugh at the silly little fluff balls brushed to the nines as they prance through Madison Square Garden.

This year, there was a small twist on our usual date. And by small, I mean massive. We had our 3-month-old baby girl with us. Note to self: Never bring a baby to Madison Square Garden ever again.

The fuzzy pink sleeper she was wearing with a big cat face on the front should have been a sign to turn around and go home immediately. Clearly I hadn't been thinking straight when I'd decided to put her in it.

"Not the best choice of outfits for this crowd, is it?" my husband joked. "She's going to be chased right out of here."

I've got big plans for you, kidWhile making a bucket list may be so totally 2010, it seems that particular phrase will not die. (Pun totally intended.) Which is why one particular parenting "bucket list" caught my eye for two reasons: 1) You can't really call it a bucket list unless the qualifier is "before I die," and 2) hey, I totally want to do this too!

After all, in the middle of child-rearing chaos, you can easily lose track of the big picture. The big picture being, these kids will grow up and not want to have anything to do with you. Or they'll be bigger than you and you can no longer force them to share an ice cream sundae or even a conversation.

With that inevitability in mind, I created my own parenting list of 15 things I really want to do with my kids before they never want to be seen with me ever again.

At my babies' first Christmas, they received a ton of toys from friends and family (lucky little tykes). I thought the toys were pretty cool -- hey, a lot I'd put on our wish list myself -- but for the most part, the boys seemed more interested in getting back to their favorite basics like their alphabet links, their bendy O-ball, even their utterly entrancing burp cloth.

It made me realize that babies at this age -- under 6 months -- don't need a whole lot of bells and whistles to be entertained. In fact, I've noticed that my babies seem to explore even more when they're just laying on the floor with a few simple links spread around them. Clearly, I've been suckered by the baby toy industry.

From the moment your wee babe is born, you're so excited -- filled with wonder about this brand new life and all the possibilities.

That sounds a lot like a Hallmark Ad, right? I've been practicing saying that with a straight face for a week now. Don't get me wrong, the sentiment is right, but when your wee babe starts to do these hilarious things, wonder is often replaced with laughter.

Kids are funny. Parenthood is funny. Life is, well, FUNNY.

Here are the baby milestones from a real mother's point of view.

Having a baby is scary, I know. I've had three, and each time I leave the hospital, I'm altogether certain the hospital is going to call me and say, "Whoops! You shouldn't be in charge of a baby! We're coming to get it now."

It's like the college graduation dream (the one where you're one credit short or the university calls you to tell you they're revoking your diploma), but a whole lot scarier.

And with me, It's happened with each baby. Somehow, though, I've managed to raise those babies into wonderful people. My secret?

It's simple.