Recently, I've been fortunate to be on a roll of selecting great books. Maybe it's because pregnancy, motherhood, and raising children are topics to which I can easily relate and I'm finding wonderful authors about the subjects. It's easy to find a wealth of information on the internet in this genre, but it's so relaxing to absorb an entire book.
If you haven't read a book in a while, but would like a suggestion, leave me a comment about what stage of motherhood you're in and I'll help you find a great one! Before you buy your next book, think about borrowing it from the library. Their online resources for finding and reserving books are fantastic these days. You can even borrow electronic books.
What's up next on my reading list? I'm in the middle of Mother Shock: Loving Every (Other) Minute of It. After that, I'll start on Changing Diapers: The Hip Mom's Guide to Modern Cloth Diapers. I'll try posting reviews of books regularly on this site. Near the comments section there will be a link labeled "Books" to help you find all of these posts.
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
The Happiest Baby on the Block
One of the first books I read about raising a baby was called The Happiest Baby on the Block. In between morning sickness and exhaustion, reading it made me feel more prepared for parenting and confident about how I would care for my child during the first three months. The book not only explains how to create a "womb-like" experience for baby, but also why it works so well. It made sense to keep baby in a familiar environment at first. Plus, the two world cultures that continue to practice the techniques experience no symptoms of colic in babies. Not to mention, the baby on the cover of the book looked as happy as any I had ever seen!
Dr. Harvey Karp recommends techniques for building trust to reassure baby in her new home. He suggests using the 5 S's and consistently responding to baby's needs throughout the first three months. Of course babies need to be fed and changed, but after that you can comfort them with the cuddle cure- a combination of the 5 soothing suggestions detailed here. It's a challenge caring for a newborn, so I appreciated having a set of instructions that would ultimately help build a connection with my baby.
Now that Hannah is four months old, I'm happy to report that she is undoubtedly the happiest baby on the block. She's confident expressing her needs and responds appreciatively after they are met. I feel lucky to be the one who gets to feed her, change her diapers, and lull her to sleep because it has helped build a strong bond of trust between us. Our house is regularly filled with coos, giggles, and the sounds of excitement. It makes me the happiest Mommy on the block!
Dr. Harvey Karp recommends techniques for building trust to reassure baby in her new home. He suggests using the 5 S's and consistently responding to baby's needs throughout the first three months. Of course babies need to be fed and changed, but after that you can comfort them with the cuddle cure- a combination of the 5 soothing suggestions detailed here. It's a challenge caring for a newborn, so I appreciated having a set of instructions that would ultimately help build a connection with my baby.
Now that Hannah is four months old, I'm happy to report that she is undoubtedly the happiest baby on the block. She's confident expressing her needs and responds appreciatively after they are met. I feel lucky to be the one who gets to feed her, change her diapers, and lull her to sleep because it has helped build a strong bond of trust between us. Our house is regularly filled with coos, giggles, and the sounds of excitement. It makes me the happiest Mommy on the block!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
This Little Mommy Stayed Home by Samantha Wilde: Book Review
“Think of the funniest person you know, give her a baby and a month without sleep, multiply by ten, and you’ve got the incomparable Samantha Wilde rocking the hilariously appalling realities of motherhood and the modern marriage.”
Karen Karbo
Joy is stumbling through the first year of Motherhood with a husband who works 24/7, a monster mother-in-law, and a loveable baby boy. Her humorous take on everything from her mother’s impending fourth marriage to a crush on her steamy yoga teacher, mixed with the everyday trials of first-time motherhood will have you poring through this page turner.
She starts in a seemingly normal situation for many new moms, having recently relocated to the suburbs of New York for her husband’s work. This brings them closer to her opinionated mother-in-law, who balks at everything Joy does as a parent. It’s no help that her absentee husband has begun siding with his Mother on top of everything else he does to get on her nerves. She has a hilarious breakdown from the bathroom when her husband asks her where she keeps the diapers. Is it possible that it’s been so long since he changed the baby?
Amidst all this, a stream of amusing characters parade through Joy’s day-to-day. Her flirtatious yoga instructor and former college boyfriend keep the romance sparking even as it flickers out of her marriage. She’s accompanying her Mother on too many pre-wedding errands to allow enough time to cyber-stalk her future Father-in-law. As if she didn’t already have her hands full with a new baby! So, if you can find a few minutes to yourself or if you can manage to hold a book while nursing your baby, I highly recommend this one. Any other Moms read any great books lately? Let us know!
Joy is stumbling through the first year of Motherhood with a husband who works 24/7, a monster mother-in-law, and a loveable baby boy. Her humorous take on everything from her mother’s impending fourth marriage to a crush on her steamy yoga teacher, mixed with the everyday trials of first-time motherhood will have you poring through this page turner.
She starts in a seemingly normal situation for many new moms, having recently relocated to the suburbs of New York for her husband’s work. This brings them closer to her opinionated mother-in-law, who balks at everything Joy does as a parent. It’s no help that her absentee husband has begun siding with his Mother on top of everything else he does to get on her nerves. She has a hilarious breakdown from the bathroom when her husband asks her where she keeps the diapers. Is it possible that it’s been so long since he changed the baby?
Amidst all this, a stream of amusing characters parade through Joy’s day-to-day. Her flirtatious yoga instructor and former college boyfriend keep the romance sparking even as it flickers out of her marriage. She’s accompanying her Mother on too many pre-wedding errands to allow enough time to cyber-stalk her future Father-in-law. As if she didn’t already have her hands full with a new baby! So, if you can find a few minutes to yourself or if you can manage to hold a book while nursing your baby, I highly recommend this one. Any other Moms read any great books lately? Let us know!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Starting with a Whisper
4:37. There's something so tender about having a baby fall asleep on your shoulder. After she's calm from your voice and your touch you can feel her relax and begin to drift. Cheek to cheek, take a moment to notice the softness of her skin before laying her down for a delightful snooze. Of course, it wasn't always like this. In fact, during the last nap she fitfully woke every 15 minutes after tentatively calming down only to fully wake up to an explosive poo just as I was about to doze off in the glider. But it's worth it to wake up to see her adoring smile as she gratefully accepts a new diaper.
The Baby Whisperer describes Hannah as a spirited baby. She's overzealous and captivating when she's happily awake. Conversely, she quickly expresses even the smallest baby matters with her growing voice. When my Aunt visited and quoted Hannah's cries we agreed that she was obviously saying, "Gimme that dam milk!" or "Get me outta this dam diaper!" But she's so loveable and appreciative when she gets it. Which is why I've been poring over the two 300+ page informational books from the Whisperer. Since Hannah so clearly knows what she wants, I figure I better find out what it is and get it for her!
We started with a routine about 2 weeks ago, per the suggestion of the first book. Immediately, we saw a change in her personality during her awake hours. Since she knew to anticipate that she would wake up, get fed, have a diaper change, play, and then fall back asleep she playfully followed along as we went through the cycle 7-9 times each day. But something wasn't quite right because the matter of getting her to sleep was getting more and more difficult. Plus, even if this was manageable I still wasn't sure what to do next as she continues to mature through her baby stages.
Fast forward to today and we are on Day 4 of the new regime. This time around we're building in a winding down step before each nap, focusing on keeping more activity in the morning, and following a strict schedule for the first week. Things are different! In the morning, she's more alert for her feeds and even if she wakes up early from a nap she can hang in until the next time she's supposed to eat. We're still struggling through the "getting-to-sleep" bit, but this is an adjustment phase. Through all this, I relate a lot of what she's doing to her father's behavior. I used to immediately feed her when she would wake up at 5, but now I realize that she's crying for a new diaper and once she gets that she moans that it's too early to wake up just like Zac would. So I coax her back to sleep and she wakes up at 7 with bright eyes and actively eats. In the afternoon she's so excited about everything she's done each day that she wants to stay awake all the time (again Zac's MiniMe.)
I'll report back next week, hopefully with news that her daytime napping has improved. For now I better sleep while baby sleeps!
The Baby Whisperer describes Hannah as a spirited baby. She's overzealous and captivating when she's happily awake. Conversely, she quickly expresses even the smallest baby matters with her growing voice. When my Aunt visited and quoted Hannah's cries we agreed that she was obviously saying, "Gimme that dam milk!" or "Get me outta this dam diaper!" But she's so loveable and appreciative when she gets it. Which is why I've been poring over the two 300+ page informational books from the Whisperer. Since Hannah so clearly knows what she wants, I figure I better find out what it is and get it for her!
We started with a routine about 2 weeks ago, per the suggestion of the first book. Immediately, we saw a change in her personality during her awake hours. Since she knew to anticipate that she would wake up, get fed, have a diaper change, play, and then fall back asleep she playfully followed along as we went through the cycle 7-9 times each day. But something wasn't quite right because the matter of getting her to sleep was getting more and more difficult. Plus, even if this was manageable I still wasn't sure what to do next as she continues to mature through her baby stages.
Fast forward to today and we are on Day 4 of the new regime. This time around we're building in a winding down step before each nap, focusing on keeping more activity in the morning, and following a strict schedule for the first week. Things are different! In the morning, she's more alert for her feeds and even if she wakes up early from a nap she can hang in until the next time she's supposed to eat. We're still struggling through the "getting-to-sleep" bit, but this is an adjustment phase. Through all this, I relate a lot of what she's doing to her father's behavior. I used to immediately feed her when she would wake up at 5, but now I realize that she's crying for a new diaper and once she gets that she moans that it's too early to wake up just like Zac would. So I coax her back to sleep and she wakes up at 7 with bright eyes and actively eats. In the afternoon she's so excited about everything she's done each day that she wants to stay awake all the time (again Zac's MiniMe.)
I'll report back next week, hopefully with news that her daytime napping has improved. For now I better sleep while baby sleeps!
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