Thursday, April 1, 2010

Operating Instructions

A must read for new moms out there (and old moms too). And perhaps don't read it until you're actually a new mom, with a little buzzing baby running the show. I don't suppose you could relate as well to Anne Lamott's truthful, hilarious prose in the same way if your babe was still cooking in the tummy.



Laura left it for me yesterday when she packed up her bags to head back to Georgia. With explicit instructions to read it little bits at a time. But I couldn't resist and devoured half of the book on the couch yesterday whilst breastfeeding. Every other sentence is a little gem and her thoughts are yours but recorded in a deliciously funny way. And there are tender parts too, that make you wish you were making such loving, astute observations about your own baby. But for now I will be satisfied that Anne has done it for me.

To wit:

"His hair is dark brown and thick, and he has what Pammy calls pouty baby porno lips. It's a very beautiful mouth, but all you see when you look at him are his eyes. They're not quite human; they're more like those of a gentle extraterrestrial."

Operating Instructions

I will be reading it again I am certain.

(PS. I am not reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog. I want to, but it's a bit too philosophical for my brain at the moment. Instead I am reading things like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Which was great in that pure entertainment sort of way).

16 comments:

The French said...
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The French said...

(deleted old post due to a grammatical error. Oops!)

Thanks for the book tip. Will make a great gift for some new moms I know. I also did not respond to "Elegance..." but I loved "Dragon." Pretty intense though, so get ready. A definite page turner:)

Unknown said...

Love that book, I discovered Anne in college, and I even named my daughter thanks to her book, the blue shoe, I read in my pregnancy.

Meg said...

I give this to EVERY pregnant friend. I just mailed one to the lovely Cate Subrosa in the UK. One of my friends with a colickey baby who wasn't getting any sleep said she would read it while she nursed and laugh so hard she'd start crying.

I finally re-read it last month, because you know, I keep giving it away, and Jesus she's brilliant.

Like the part where she says she doesn't even like babies and this must be a horrible mistake... and then two hours later writes a love poem to his tiny hands.

All of her books of essays are great, by the way. They live in my bedside table, which is the place of honor for my books.

Meg said...
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eliza said...

loved Operating Instructions. And, totally unexpectedly, I love love loved The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (and the rest of the trilogy).

Leigh said...

Operating Instructions is one of my all-time faves.

caitlin said...

I just received The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as part of a thank you gift for a friend's baby shower ... at which I told her about Nurture Shock per your suggestion. And about your idea of the stroller for bassinet. Your tips are keeping me in the know for my pregnant friends - so thanks!!

bon mariage said...

My daughter will turn 1 at the end of May - I read this book a few months ago and couldn't put it down! So very good.l

Joslyn said...

i love this book. i read it during audrey's first weeks and then again right after millie was born.

it's perfection and so spot on!

M said...

thanks for sharing - sounds like a great read :-)

Katie said...

Hi Kristina,
This is vastly off topic here, but I love and have been reading your blog for a little while now (congrats on mommy status ;-)
my wedding is coming up in June, and I will be baking my own cupcakes 2 weeks before and having someone else frost them day of. I know i've read that you have done this before with showers etc. Would you mind shooting me an email with how you went about this, any tips and tricks you learned doing it?! I would SO SO appreciate it. katiedid85@gmail.com Thank you so much!!!
~Katie

Brianna Renee said...

i will definitely note this book for the future! thanks for sharing!

Sara E. Cotner said...

Yeah, I couldn't get into the Hedgehog book either, even though it came highly recommended. I will add Operating Instructions to my post-baby list. Thanks!

Heidi said...

I will have to pick this book up ASAP.

How sweet that your little guy is a blondie. We were NOT expecting a red head. Right there with you on the spelling of their name. The alternates looked made up and lacked the same gravitas. Luckily, there's the foolproof and extra cool nickname. It's just the best name ever. XO

jamie said...

mkay. drudging up the archives after the tweeting. I WANT TO READ IT. MEG has read it. Do I really have to wait?