a collection of new mommy advice.

My daughter will be born in about 3 months. Holy crap.
I'm not a huge believer in reading every book out there on what could possibly happen to a child and how to deal with it perfectly. Why? I already know that I won't be perfect at this. I am intending to prepare myself the best I can, but I know that I'll have good and bad days, tons of questions, and thankfully, there are people out there I can ask who are supermoms in my book.

Lately, that's what I've done. Ask. Other people who are moms, who have been through labor, who have dealt with the overwhelming task of the registry, and who have suggestions and advice for me to cling to on the days when I think I might jump off the balcony.

1.  Taking care of a baby comes naturally. They all say it and I think to myself, "Do these people not realize that I'm not a baby person, that I haven't been around babies much at all and do not have a clue about what I'm going to do with one before the age of two??" But I guess as a woman, I'll just know what my baby needs, how she needs to be held and fed, and if I have to, I'll watch youtube videos until I figure out the rest. And then I'll laugh at myself later.
2.  Babies cry. Even in public. And some days, I'll probably want to rip my hair out and crawl in a hole because it's so not going to be easy. And on those days, I'm going to ask God for help and when Brenton comes home from work, it'll be time for a walk. Just for the sake of hearing nothing but birds.
3.  My body will need time to recover. This whole body changing, hormone craziness, labor thing freaks me out. I don't have a choice and I probably won't feel "normal" for awhile, but it's the way God designed it so I can get through it. The end.
4.  Register for everything. It won't hurt anything and it doesn't appear selfish just because I "beep" every darn cute and necessary thing she needs at Babies R Us. And as for what I don't get, there are rummage sales, thrift stores, and borrowing for that very purpose.
5.  Be sure to make time for my man. I've been told, that new moms can become all about the baby, and without realizing its happening, poor hubby gets left by the curb. Not okay. Brenton came first and he is a priority. The baby has needs, but so does he. I will need to think/plan ahead, to make special time for my husband.
6.  Most babies respond well to a schedule. This might be a hard one for me. I don't really do much scheduling. In fact, I'm usually pretty impulsive and for the most part, can hardly think a day in advance even for dinner plans. For this reason, I deeply desire a go with the flow baby but I'm certainly not counting on it and either way, it sounds like it's the best thing for her. Wish me luck.
7.  The house won't be clean, especially in the beginning. This might be harder for Brenton than for me. I'm not worried about dishes, or vacuuming, or dusting, etc... until it's obvious enough where I finally notice it. Brenton, on the other hand, can often be found with a 409 bottle in his right hand, and a roll of paper toweling in his left. We'll see how this goes come July...
8. Get a boppy pillow.  It's just an over-sized travel neck pillow that you see people with on the airplanes. Good for nursing and for the baby to hang out in. I picked one with a pink flowered slipcover.
9.  The drooling, diapering, and spitting up won't gross me out eventually. I highly doubt I'll feel that way in the beginning, but supposedly, I'll turn into a cheerleader for my baby girl and her bodily fluids.
10.  They grow up so fast. Have fun with every stage and take plenty of pictures. There will be something new to learn and love about her every day. It'll be so fun to watch her explore the world we live in.