Spit-up On My Shoulder

Hello dear blog readers,

I’m beyond happy today. Here’s why:

1) Although we applied in March, we finally received both of my daughters’ passports today for a trip they are leaving on in only 4 days with my mother-in-law. Getting the passports in time involved countless hours of phone calls and stress.

If you need a passport anytime soon, apply now! The backlog is HUGE. Also, contact me if you’d like to know what I learned about moving the process along.

2) My husband last week received a research fellowship that will allow us to continue living here for at least 2 1/2 more years (yea! we don’t have to move soon.)

3) I also found out today that I sold more books last February than I ever have before (there is a 4 month delay before authors know about the number of books sold through certain distributors.) Thank you to everyone who is buying Why Didn’t Anyone Tell Me? and also to all of you who are telling others about the book.

Also, thank you for the many messages I’ve received from both men and women who have found the book helpful. Those messages mean the world to me.

What’s all of this have to do with the actress, Debra Messing? Just like the mothers profiled in my book, she is brutally honest about her mothering experiences and I love her for it.

From the June issue of Redbook - have you all figured out how much I love Redbook by now? - here is an excerpt from her interview:

Redbook: What’s been the biggest surprise for you about being a parent?

Debra Messing: I remember the first few months after I gave birth, I was enraged that my closest friends and family did not tell me how hard it was. I said, “Obviously it’s a miracle and I love my child, but why didn’t you tell me how exhausted I was going to be? And how difficult the hormonal changes are?” And they all said, “If we told you the truth, you wouldn’t want to do it.”

Redbook: That’s why kids are so cute.

DM: Exactly. Otherwise you’d just hand them off to a bear in the woods!

The blog and I will be on vacation next week. Check back on Monday, July 2nd, for new postings. I hope you get the chance for some R & R too.