Table of Contents
Foreword i
1 It's All Relative 1
2 We're Pregnant! Growing Bellies, Nest Building, and Arrival 14
Pregnancy: Boy, Isn't This Fun? 16
When Coffee Smells Like Sh*t and Other Food Oddities 28
What You Never Expected to Expect 36
Can I Build My Nest, Please? 38
Born Up a Tree: When Labor Happens, It Just … Happens 39
3 Your Bundle of Joy 49
Aren't I Cute? 51
Are Lou Mine? 55
Let's Imprint 58
You Sound Familiar 60
What Is That Smell? 66
Touch Me, Clutch Me, Hold Me Close 71
Why Cry? 73
4 Adjusting to Parenthood: The Physical, Mental, and Social Challenges 80
Everything Changes 81
Have I Lost My Other Mind? 92
The Parent Club 100
5 Parenting: Breast Is Best and Other Controversies 106
What's All the Fuss over Milk? 108
Crunchy Granola Parenting 117
Staying at Home Versus Being a Working Parent 127
What's with All the Guilt? 135
6 We Are Family 140
Let's Have More! 141
Playing Favorites 150
Sibling Rivalry 158
7 They Grow Up So Fast 167
Feed Yourself! 168
Nighty Night! 170
Building Confidence 176
Learning to Get Along 181
Time to Fly 187
8 No! The Nature of Discipline 191
How Old Are You? 194
Come Here! Come Hem! Come Here! 208
The Knee-Jerk No 215
When Things Go Terribly Wrong: Maladaptive Behavior 222
9 Different families 232
Is Divorce Really All That Bad? 233
The Single Parent 239
The Stepfamily 247
Adoption: Raising Kids Who Aren't Yours 253
Does It Really Take a Village? 259
10 A Return to Our Roots 263
Notes 274
Acknowledgments 293
About the Author 294
