A Gem of an Author

Do you know Lorilee Craker? She is an author that I have only recently (as in, during the past few years) discovered; but, wow, do I ever enjoy her books!

The first one I read was We Should Do This More Often: A Parents' Guide to Romance, Passion, and Other Prechild Activities You Vaguely Recall. I can't think of another book to compare it to, but suffice it to say that it was really good and I highly recommend it!

After that, I read When the Belly Button Pops, the Baby's Done: A Month-by-Month Guide to Surviving (and Loving) Your Pregnancy. I read that early in my last pregnancy and thoroughly enjoyed it. It reminded me a lot of The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy by Vicki Iovine, except I liked Craker's book much better because it lacked the one huge flaw I found in Iovine's book: a significant amount of disrespect to husbands. (I know it's easy, common, and completely "normal," as pregnant women, to make fun of how husbands relate to pregnancy, but I also feel strongly that it's incredibly worldly and disrespectful; and when I read The Girlfriends' Guide..., I was really bothered by the way the author seemed to tear down husbands, rather than encouraging her readers to build up and respect their God-given partners.)

The latest Craker book I've gobbled up is O for a Thousand Nights to Sleep: An Eye-Opening Guide to the Wonder-Filled Months of Baby's First Year. I've been reading it while nursing Tobin; and even though the book is laid out month-by-month and I technically should have waited for the corresponding month of Tobin's life, I couldn't help but read ahead and finish the book as fast as I could. Since I'm going through all of these stages of mothering for the 3rd time, it wasn't as if I learned so much brand-new information; but it was truly delightful to read Lorilee's take on mothering an infant from birth to a year of age. She is so down-to-earth, spiritual without being the least bit stuffy, and able to present both sides of the often divisive issues of parenting (like breast- v. bottle-feeding or child-directed v. parent-directed feeding, etc.) without animosity. Plus, she's so funny that several times I literally had to laugh out loud...which is an odd thing in the middle of the night when no one else in the house is awake except for me and the little bundle of joy drinking my milk (who is only half-awake but is really drinking in his sleep). When the laughter bubbled up in me, I knew I should probably contain it so I didn't startle Tobin too badly...but when I stayed quiet, the laughter made my whole body shake so badly that he probably wondered what in the world was going on and why this crazy lady didn't let him eat in peace as he bobbed his head back and forth, trying to stay attached to the convulsing source of his milk. That is what Lorilee Craker's books do to me!

On a more serious note, in the section called "You Hold the Baby; Let Jesus Hold You," Lorilee included a verse that I had heard before but had not read or thought of for a while. "Pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children." - Lamentations 2:19 I needed to be reminded of this as I deal with strange, senseless, new-mom anxieties about the health of my newborn (like whether or not Tobin is blind or will go blind), as well as not-so-new-mom anxieties about the spiritual condition of my children (like whether or not David will ever learn to obey and stay in his bed when it's time to sleep and whether or not Josiah will ever be willing to bow his head to God and give up his intense desire to be in control of his own life). I hope a year from now, if I read back over this list, I'll laugh out loud about it and think, "Why did I ever worry about that???" But for now, in the moments of unfounded fear that creep up on me, it's comforting to do like the above verse says: to pour out my heart and to lift up my hands to the One who holds me close to His heart.