New Reading List

I'm trying to update my blog for the new year (a little late, I know, but these things take time). As such, since the pregnancy, labour, and birth part of my motherhood experience is over, I moved the books relating to those subjects to an Archived Reading List and updated the one on the sidebar to include more books on parenting - both references and tales from the trenches. Here's the new list:

What to Expect the First Year – WTE When You’re Expecting is Evil Incarnate. However, WTETFY is a reference I find myself turning to again and again to check milestones, sleep issues, food ideas, and more. I like the format as it means I can just skim and easily find things that interest me and/or apply to Gwen.

The Happiest Baby on the Block – Invaluable resource about “the missing fourth trimester” and how to soothe your baby. This book, along with our Miracle Blanket, made Gwen’s first few months infinitely more livable. The writing style is a bit drab, and possibly sexist in places, but nevertheless the techniques work.

The No-Cry Sleep Solution – I found this a great source of information about how babies sleep (and wake) and how much sleep we should be aiming for at any given age. Lots of great techniques, and copy-able worksheets and sleep logs are included.

The Mommy Myth: How the Idealization of Motherhood has Undermined All Women – If you’ve ever wondered about the image of a mother with infinite patience and ability for self-sacrifice, who wants nothing more from life than to experience life through her children … or been downright irked about it … this is a fascinating book detailing where the myth came from, what purpose it serves, and how we can escape it. Of particular note is the section on Celebrity Motherhood.

Misconceptions: Truth, Lies, and the Unexpected on the Journey to Motherhood – Naomi Wolf (The Beauty Myth) takes on motherhood, especially the challenges and isolation of the postpartum period.

The Mask of Mother Hood: How Becoming a Mother Changes Everything, And Why We Pretend It Doesn't – The “mask” is the pretense that motherhood is not only easy but intrinsically rewarding, that we spend every hour of the day (and night) rejoicing in how delightfully “worth it” our little ones truly are. This book dares to confront the posturing and dig into how much mothers sacrifice for their children – and how little society acknowledges.

Perfect Madness: Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety – Why *are* we so driven to make sure our kids get in the right schools, the right daycare, the right Gymboree program? Why are we so desperately pushing them to learn reading, writing, and math before they even enter preschool? This book examines the differences between mothering now and mothering half a century ago.

Mothershock: Loving Every (Other) Minute of It – Compares the transition from woman to mother to that of a traveler in a foreign country: except that as mothers, while dealing with a language barrier, unpredictable customs, and of course intense sleep deprivation, we are expected to be President of this new and bizarre territory. A very enjoyable collection of essays.

It's a Girl: Women Writers on Raising Daughters – Parenting boys is a different experience from parenting girls, each with its unique challenges and rewards. This collection of essays looks at the particular issues we face as mothers of daughters and raises important questions about how to raise them in today’s world.

Sleep is For the Weak – A collection of the best of the mommybloggers. These essays will make you laugh, tear up, sigh in recognition, and above all, realize that you’re not alone.

Your Self-Confident Baby: How to Encourage Your Child's Natural Abilities - From the Very Start - Written by Magda Gerber, founder of the RIE philosophy. This is an excellent, easy-to-read resource full of ideas about how to treat your baby/child with respect, encouraging him or her to develop at his/her own pace. A welcome change from the "teach your child to read by age two" mavens.

The Baby's Table - Baby Feeding for Dummies. This book has ensured that Gwen has a variety of healthy and fun food to eat. Without it, she'd probably still be eating limp reheated green beans three times a week. The book is actually fun to use and super informative.