The Parent Trip by Jenna McCarthy

When I was pregnant with my first child, I read many pregnancy and baby care books, but it was my nearest and dearest girlfriends who told me what I could really expect while pregnant, going through labor and delivery, and about how life would be once baby is brought home. They told me the kind of stuff you don’t read in most books, unless the book you're reading is The Parent Trip: From High Heels and Parties to Highchairs and Potties by Jenna McCarthy (ARV$14.95, Bella Luna Press).

Buckle up for a hilarious ride from conception and pregnancy through the first wild-eyed, miraculous months with a baby. In The Parent Trip: From High Heels and Parties to Highchairs and Potties, veteran writer Jenna McCarthy holds nothing back—and readers will devour every brutally honest word. Packed with insight, wit and hard-won wisdom, The Parent Trip delivers the message every fledgling parent longs to hear: You are not alone. Thought-provoking sections include:
• This Just In: They Don’t Call It Labor for Nothing
• Why It’s Better to Be You Than Gwen Stefani
• Is My Baby Okay? (A Field Guide to Overreacting)
• “Take me now, big guy!” and Other Things You Won’t Be Saying Anytime Soon

While reading this book, I could imagine McCarthy sitting with me and my girlfriends discussing the reality of pregnancy and motherhood, while we all cringed and laughed at the same time.

I could relate to so many of the emotions and experiences that McCarthy wrote about, such as:

• How the world seems so “dangerous” once you’re discharged from the hospital: The moment we put Little Music Man in his car seat he looked so teeny tiny and I was so nervous about the 30 minute drive home from the hospital, and I kept telling DH to “drive slowly, drive slowly…”
• How McCarthy's daughter fell asleep after she put her on a beanbag, and she wondered if she should move her to a crib or get a washcloth to wipe up the spit-up from her chin before realizing she should just let her sleep: One night while Smiley Boy was sleeping, I heard through the baby monitor the unmistakable sound of him making poop. I checked the monitor, and he was still fast asleep. Let’s just say I didn’t change him right away!
• How she spends so much on batteries: Just like McCarthy, I bought rechargeable batteries after buying countless regular disposable batteries, but they only seem to last less than half the life of the regular batteries, so I usually just end up buying regular disposable batteries again.
• “How could we possibly love another child?”: That’s exactly how DH & felt when we discussed having more children. Of course, as they say, you don't divide your love amongst your children, it just multiplies!

There are so many other instances McCarthy described at which I just laughed out loud and I thought to myself, “I wish someone told me that earlier,” or “I know how you feel.”

The Parent Trip is a must-read for both moms-to-be and those who have already taken the “parent trip.” The Parent Trip is hilarious, heartwarming, and honest…and reading it will make you feel as if you’re talking to one of your best girlfriends.

Shop: You can purchase The Parent Trip on Jenna McCarthy’s website or at various other retailers online and nationwide.

Win: One lucky winner will get a copy of The Parent Trip!

***THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED***

Congratulations to Terra H!

• To enter, visit ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Jenna McCarthy’s website and comment on your favorite excerpt in The Parent Trip.
• You’ll get one extra entry each if you do any of the following (be sure to leave a comment for each “entry”):
  1)Blog about this giveaway and link back to Sage and Savvy and ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Jenna McCarthy’s website
  2)Subscribe to my feed
  3)Add my button to your sidebar
  4)Follow me on twitter (leave your twitter name in your comment)
• The deadline for entries is May 8, 2009, 11:59pm HST.
• If you submitted an eligible entry and it is chosen by random.org as the winner, you will be notified via email on May 9, 2009 (make sure your email address is in your profile or comment) and will have 3 days to accept.
• Valid for US addresses only.

Good luck!

Thank you to Jenna McCarthy and Bella Luna Press for providing the product(s) for review and/or giveaway!

6:55 AM Posted in: Bella Luna Press,books,giveaways,Jenna McCarthy,reviews,The Parent Trip
Gem is a Hawaii Mom Blogger who posts reviews and giveaways, and blogs about life in Hawaii as a mom of 3 boys, including one with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. She loves to travel, bake, and eat anything with chocolate.