Top 10

In honor of my little sister, who is about to have her first child, I thought I would put together a Top 10 List: Things I Wish I Had Known.

10.  Buy a good washer/dryer. The amount of laundry that one infant dirties violates every law of physics and matter…it multiplies exponentially.

9.  Don’t tiptoe or whisper around the baby, even when she’s sleeping. Infants can sleep (ha!) through anything, and if you start off with a silent house, you will end up watching reality t.v. with headphones on because your toddler can only sleep when it’s “library quiet.”

8.  Be specific when people ask how they can help. Take advantage of the offer to do a load of laundry, or prepare a meal.

7.  Shower, every day. Just do it. You’ll feel better.

6.  Plan for the unexpected, and roll with it. Even if your birth plan includes using hypnosis and a birthing ball and candles for lighting and Sarah McLaughlin on the iPod, you can end up with Pitocin and an epidural and that’s okay. The goal is healthy mom, healthy baby and that’s all that matters.

5.  Sleeping when the baby sleeps is sometimes impossible. Try to do it anyway.

4.  Trust your instincts. If you think you and your baby need something, you are probably right. Keep asking until you get what you need.

3.  You will eventually fit into your old clothes. Don’t stress about it. If you don’t, you can go shopping for new ones.

2.  Everyone has advice (big sisters included). You don’t have to take it.

1.  Enjoy every minute. It’s the hardest thing ever, but it’s also the best. Don’t be too hard on yourself. The great thing about babies is that if you make a mistake, you get to try again two hours later, when they wake up again.