5 pieces of advice for the expecting mom

Having a baby is a very rewarding experience.  Trust me, that first time your baby looks you in the eyes, you will melt. There are a few things you should do before that little bundle of joy comes, though.
     -Take some time for you.  It seems simple enough, but once that little one comes, you won't have much free time.  When you do, you don't always want to take it.  Trust me, I have tons of things that I would like to do, but when my husband tells me to go take some time to do them, I miss my kiddos and never actually go.
     -Stock up on things.  Diapers, wipes, shampoo, toilet paper, toothpaste, you name it.  Make sure you have enough of the things you will be needing for a while.  Between the sleepless nights and sheer exhaustion of becoming a new parent, you aren't going to want to be running emergency errands because you are on the last roll of toilet paper. 
     -Meal plan.  You aren't going to be in the mood for cooking once your little bundle arrives.  Whether you stock up on frozen dinners from the store or make and freeze some casseroles that you can just pop in the oven.  Plan for it.   There are also some great crock pot meals that you can freeze ahead and then dump in the crock pot in the morning.  I wish I had done this with my first.  My husband came home from work many nights asking "what's for dinner?" and I had no idea and no energy to figure it out.  I barely had the energy to make myself a PB&J sandwich for lunch some days.
     -Take naps.  Pregnancy is exhausting anyway, so not only will this benefit you now, but it will also get you used to sleeping for short periods of time.  Many people will tell you to "Sleep when the baby sleeps."  It's the most common piece of advice that I got.  The problem with that advice is that if you do that, then you wont have any time to shower or eat.  Yes, you will wind up taking many naps while the baby sleeps after the baby is born, but you won't sleep every time.  Besides, some days it seems like the baby is just never going to sleep...
     -Grab your keys, phone, wallet/purse and leave the house.  Do it now.  I'll wait...

...That was nice, wasn't it?  Remember that feeling.  Now that I've quit my job to stay home with the girls, my husband expects me to run the errands while he is at work.  He doesn't seem to understand how much work it is to leave the house.  I remember days with my first child where I had changed her clothes twice and my shirt three times before leaving the house only to have her spit up on me when I got to our destination.**  Not to mention the times she went poo the second I got her in the car.  My first was famous for doing that.  If you are just going on a short trip and think it can wait until you get to your destination, it can't.  Either the guilt of making your child sit in a nasty diaper the whole drive will get you, or the smell will.  I had to plan to leave 15 minutes before I actually needed to so I could be on time.  Now with a toddler and a baby I plan on 20-25 minutes before I need to for those last minute emergencies that are bound to happen.

**Bonus advice: pack an extra shirt for yourself in the diaper bag, either you will get spit up on, or, if you're breastfeeding, leak through at least one shirt if you are out for any significant period of time.  Trust me.  I've needed my extra shirt many times.  **

Being a mom is one of the most amazing, rewarding things I have ever done.  No matter how much my girls drive me crazy and how dirty my house is, I wouldn't change it for the world.  I'm a mommy, that's my superpower.