Baby Resources: Books, Books, and a few more Books!

It's been suggested to me that I post some of the books that I found helpful through pregnancy and my first year as a mommy on my blog.

Pregnancy:

• Pregnancy Sucks written by a comedy writer, it is informative and funny. It fit my personality well, because my pregnancy was awful and I like to laugh.
  
• Pregnancy Sucks for men (this one is for the hubby's)
  
• Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy
• I did not care for What to Expect When You are Expecting, but I know a lot of people like it. I found that it read more like a guide to what may go wrong during your pregnancy, broken down by month.
• If you like to know how things work, then Lise Eliot's What is Going On In There: How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years is really fabulous. It's a really easy read so you really do not  have to know anything about neuroscience to read and enjoy this book. Believe me, because I didn't. It was so interesting, I walked around for weeks spouting facts like "Did you know a five year old is better able to feel textures with her face then with her fingers?" My husband found these facts less interesting then I did.
• A week by week guide or babycenter.com updates are great and they'll send you a weekly pregnancy update email based on how far along you are with tidbits like 'your baby now has eyebrows and can suck its thumb'
  

Infant/Newborn:

• The Baby Sleep Guide -- really good summary/overview of sleep training methods, options, etc. I found it very helpful. I also really liked 'Happy Baby, Healthy Sleep Habits,' but the Baby Sleep Guide gives a summary of this method in the book so no need to buy it unless you want more detailed info. Which, of course, I did so I read all the books ;)
  
• Happiest Baby on The Block (recommended by my pediatrician, and super helpful)
• The American Academy of Pediatrics Your Baby's First Year
• And oddly, while I didn't like the pregnancy version I did quite like What to Expect Your First Year

Breastfeeding:
The Nursing Mother's Companion -- I used this and found it very helpful
Breastfeeding Made Simple -- I didn't read this, but have heard very good things and will probably check it out next time.
Also, if you are interested in breastfeeding, babywearing (which I HIGHLY recommend) or other baby resources check out the Breastfeeding Center of Greater Washington. It is a great resource for new momma's!

Play Time -- I know some of you just instinctually know how to play with your babies, but after I would read Sam some books, sing a song, I'd think...ummm now what?? These books helped me with ideas for the 'now what'

• Nice and Steady Get Me Ready- An activity a week for the first five years. So far some of the activities and suggestions have been great, and some have been really lame. We skip the lame ones.
• Baby Minds -- Games to play with babies, these are meant to boost their brain. But they are fun and Baby loves them. I kept Sam entertained for heaps of time when he was 3 months old by tying a helium balloon to his leg. He'd move his leg and wiggle the balloon. It's supposed to challenge and stimulate them by teaching cause and effect, but whatever it kept him entertained. Obviously, supervise your Baby during all 'tying' based activities. Scrap that--just ALWAYS supervise your baby :) 
• Baby Play -- Physical games to play with Baby to engage the senses.

Christian Resources:

• Treasuring God in our Traditions by Noel Piper. A great book for thinking about how your family will honor God throughout the year on especially and normal days!
• Fatherhood by Tony Payne. Very accessible read encouraging the vision for fatherhood as disciplemaking. Awesome book.
• Mission of Motherhood, Sally Clarkson is more of a generic mother book, so put this on your back burner but good Christian resource. It's not really a how-to book for little ones.

Three tools we've used for family devotions/quiet times for Sam:

• ESV Illustrated Family Bible - breaks the Bible text down into 200+ stories you can read in one sitting - we read one story each night as part of Sam's bedtime routine
• Big Picture Story Bible - amazingly well written and illustrated it goes from creation to new creation in 26 stories
• Jesus Storybook Bible - a more detailed and still beautifully illustrated overview of the whole Bible message - every story whispers his name!
• Baby's HugaBible - cute with very short Bible