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When I first got pregnant, I read a ton of books (including the usual What to Expect When You’re Expecting), and got a few more as gifts. I appreciated the knowledge I gleaned from each one, so I now recommend them to new moms on a regular basis.

These books make great shower gifts for the expecting or first-time mom, gifts for second- or third-time moms who don’t need anything, gifts for the mom who didn’t register or already has everything, or last minute gifts for really any mom!

Also Known As, “The Day I Flooded the Laundry Room and Broke My Husband’s Toe”

I’ve always been easily distractible, but being the mom of a 27-month old and a 2-week old bumped me into a whole new level of distractible. I call it “momnesia.” I think I took for granted how good I’m feeling: getting decent sleep at night for having a newborn, not in pain or feeling too uncomfortable, and generally in good spirits (contrasting birth and postpartum stories to come). The newborn is so chill and besides some (understandable) jealousy, my toddler is the same amount of work as before.

When we had our first child in 2015, I struggled a lot in the beginning emotionally (more on that later) and somehow felt ill-prepared despite the years of planning and preparing I felt I had done…and I remember thinking “I wish someone had told me!” So I started making a list to share with friends who were due after me, so they wouldn’t feel like I did! Here it is, the running list I began more than 2 years ago, in no particular order: