Newborn Must Haves

We seem to have a lot of pregnant ladies in our life currently....just to be clear, I'm not one of them....so I figured I would join the thousands of lists online of baby must haves. There are lists upon lists of things you need to buy for your little bundle of joy. Guess what, on my list you don't need to spend a dime. Baby doesn't care about name brands and you can get by without a $200 swing. True, I would have married our swing when Zach was 5 months old, but turns out he liked the porch swing just as much. This is a list of just the necessities as determined by the renowned baby experts (ha) Me and my husband...

1. A good sense of humor.

You're going to need to find the funny in difficult situations or you'll have a mental breakdown. Relax and laugh at the pee showers, what is another load of laundry at this point?

2. Lowered expectations of your parenting skills.

Guess what....you're not going to be the picture perfect parent you envision before the little poop factory comes along. You're kid will probably watch TV and have some non organic sugar treats or fast food by the time they are 2 years old. Breathe. This does not make you a failure, it makes you human.

3. Someone you trust to babysit nearby.

You love your baby to the ends of the earth and back, but you would also like 10 damn minutes to poop and shower and maybe cry (hormones are no joke & linger after baby is born, sorry ladies). Somedays you just need help....whether its a date night, nap, or going to the store by yourself. People offer to watch your little one, take them up on it. They would not offer if they did not mean it and there is no mother of the year prize for never getting away from your kid....except for maybe a trip to the mental ward. Do not feel bad for taking me time, you need it to recharge so you can be a better mom and wife.

The first few weeks of motherhood are amazing and awful. It's an overwhelming love that cannot be described with a healthy dose of 'oh crap I don't know what I'm doing, I'm so tired and want to cry' thrown in.

You will be fine and I promise you will eventually forget the sore boobs and exhausted feeling and actually miss those first few weeks. You'll be great and don't let anyone tell you differently.