MY FRIEND WROTE A BOOK. My friend who I met way back in middle school, who was one of the first people I ever met who knew Jesus, and whose testimony has continued to bless my life even though we live many states away and don’t talk as much as I’d like.

Y’ALL — Amazon is life. Listen, I know I talk about it a lot, and in a dream world my love of Amazon would become your love of Amazon and thus earn me a few pennies every month (full Disclosures page here), but really: Amazon is so convenient. How did I live without it? I have tons of wishlists and shopping lists and gift idea lists, but I recently discovered Amazon Idea Lists! It is now possible for me to share all the wonderful things I want with you without having to share a bunch of links at once. Game. Changing.

Potty training: two words that make any parent cringe. I admit, I was dreading it too. However, when I least expected it, my toddler decided she was ready. If you knew her at all, this wouldn’t surprise you! It happened about a month after we had our second child (she was about 2 months shy of 2 1/2).

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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!