A New Mom's Top Ten

My list of necessities that I can't live without these days:

1. Diet Dr. Pepper - I've never been a caffeine person, but ever since Maryn was born, I have come to heavily rely on and crave my daily dose of Diet DP.

2. Dry Shampoo - let's admit it, having a newborn/infant to care for doesn't lend itself to daily showering. Gross, but true. A lot of times I just try to grab 5 minutes to shower without washing my hair. Enter my friend, spray-on dry shampoo. With this amazing product I can add a couple of days between washing my hair and still feel like I can leave the house.

3. Burp Rags - aka old-fashioned cloth diapers. They're scattered everywhere - the diaper bag, the couch, our bed, the nursery, the car, and the laundry is always full of them. Cause you never know when a spit-up attack will hit you.

4. Smart phone - I spend a lot of my time during the day just sitting while Maryn nurses. It can get kind of boring (and daytime TV is just stupid for the most part - although I have taken a liking to Billy the Exterminator, haha). But with my spiffy Palm Pre Plus, there's always something to do. In addition to the normal cell phone uses - calls, texts, emails - I can catch up on facebook, play games, look up stuff I'm curious about on Wikipedia, read my favorite blogs, check the weather, watch YouTube videos, make to-do lists, etc. I even have an app that keeps track of Maryn's feedings (during my pregnancy I used an app that monitored weight gain, kicks, contractions, etc). And every morning during her first feeding, I get on ESV.org and use one of their daily reading plans for my quiet time.

5. Digital camera - another techological must-have. I love my Canon Powershot. Because with a new baby, there's always a cute or memorable moment to capture on photo or video. And I love the battery life on our camera - I think I've only charged it 4 times since Maryn was born!

6. Oxiclean - enough said. (Explanation for my brother Scott: baby poo-poo)

7. Miracle Blanket - Maryn has been sleeping through the night since she was 2 months old, and I give this blanket all the credit. It's the only swaddle blanket that actually keeps her swaddled all night. What will I do when she outgrows it?

8. Paper plates - bad for the environment, but good for my sanity.

9. Marie Calendar Steamer meals - another dinner time shortcut - fast, easy, and tasty. And the hubby loves them too.

10. Amazon - membership in AmazonMom + diaper delivery subscription = 30% off diapers plus free 2 day shipping. AmazING.

Anyone else out there have their own top 10 list for moms?