Nora has busied herself pulling all the books off the bookshelf (again), so I thought I'd write a book review post for all the new and to-be mamas I know. (Author's Note: I wrote this sentence literally weeks ago, and haven't had time to touch this post since. It's now 11:12pm and Nora is blissfully asleep, and I should be, but instead I'm finally getting in some writing time.)
Since I've become a mom, I've read lots of memoirs written by other moms. Most of them are funny (because when you are reading during a 3am feeding, as happens sometimes, you must have funny), but a few are informational. Here's a quick review of the ones I've read. Let me know if you have any others that you have liked.
Ketchup is a Vegetable and other lies moms tell themselves - Robin O'Bryant
Hysterical. Go read it right now. O'Bryant is funny and truthful about what it's like to raise 3 girls under the age of five. Even when she's woefully explaining the newest "skank Barbie" that her 3-year-old purchased with her allowance money a the dollar store, there's an undertone of joy and love that only a mother can feel for her child - who is likely throwing a fit in the middle of the grocery store. She also has a second book called A Second Helping which is a collection of her most popular blog posts. Equally funny, though much shorter.
How Eskimos Keep Their Babies Warm and other Adventures in Parenting - Mei-Ling Hopgood
This particular book was mainly informational and the result of many years of research, but made me rethink everything that I've been told is the "right" way to raise a baby. As moms, we always hear "you MUST do this or that" from well-intending onlookers, friends, and relatives, but sometimes we also have to decide what is right for our little families. Hopgood has travelled extensively and studied cultural norms for raising children, and also has one child of her own. She discusses everything from sleep habits (co-sleeping vs. having the baby in his/her own room), dealing with crying, play, and potty-training, and more.
A Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy- Vicki Iovine
This is obviously geared toward pregnant women, but I'm including it nonetheless. (We all know women become moms when they see the tiny + on the stick anyway. I mean, if you're sacrificing your ability to consume alcohol and go more than 24 hours without throwing up, you must be a mother!). It is the funny version of What to Expect when You're Expecting, and definitely worth reading.
Bloom - Kelle Hampton
I guess I'm not sure if this is really a "new mom" book, but it starts with a birth story, and new moms are suckers for birth stories (or at least I am...am I the only one?), so I'm counting it. Kelle Hampton has two daughters, the second of whom was unexpectedly born with Down's Syndrome. It is her story of coming to terms with the diagnosis and finding beauty in the unexpected. She's also a photographer, so there's plenty of really adorable pictures.
Operating Instructions: A Journal of my Son's First Year - by Anne Lamott
Funny but also thoughtful and moving. It was truly her journal as she struggled through the first year of her son's life. She is a single parent who relies on her closest friends and family to help her through a difficult post-partum recovery, colic, no sleep, and everything else new parents know so well.
Confessions of a Scary Mommy - Jill Smokler
Each chapter begins with a list of real confessions written in by moms - everything from "sometimes I just let my kids fall asleep in front of the tv" to "I get a babysitter for a night whenever my husband is out of town so I can go out with my friends." Very funny, and something probably any mom can relate to. Great for loosening up any mom worried about doing everything right (ahem...me).
Not Ready for Mom Jeans - Maureen Lipinski
Another great and funny book about having a baby, wondering what the heck you were thinking, and falling in love anyway. The book begins when she returns to work and rethinks what being a mom and also a working mom means to her.
I'm fairly certain I have read others besides this, but I can't think of them right now. Enjoy, all you mommies out there.
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