(In reverse chronological order)
Mother Shock: Loving Every (Other) Minute of It, by Andrea J. Buchanan. "A series of essays about changing identity, joy, disappointment, and negotiating the daily ebb and flow of life as a new mother, Andi's book is real and raw and encouraging. It compares the process of becoming a mother to the process of moving to a foreign country and learning the culture."
Operating Instructions , by Anne Lamott. "This book makes me laugh and laugh, mostly because then I don't feel so inept myself. The part when she's yelling at Sam to stop crying and then realizes he's rolled off the bed gets me every time. I think every new mother should read this book when her baby is about 6 weeks old, about the time she should throw away all the parenting manuals."
At Wit's End, by Erma Bombeck. "The classic of classics, by the woman who started it all. Would anyone be writing a parenting blog now if not for Erma Bombeck and her sweetly snarling newspaper columns on motherhood? Read her first collection of columns and see how little things have changed in 40 years."
Twenty Days with Julian and Little Bunny by Papa, by Nathaniel Hawthorne. "Nathaniel Hawthorne's wife and two daughters go away for three weeks, leaving Hawthorne to take care of his 5-year-old son Julian by himself and record what happened in his diary. This is a fascinating, sweet little account of daily life 150 years ago and a slighty clueless father who loves his son but has no idea 5-year-olds are so active!"
* Bac-Out stain remover from Bi-O-Kleen gets out spit-up stains really well, and the Shout Gel Stick with the scrubby head gets tempera paint out of corduroy pants. Except for purple, which never comes out.
