So true Kelly Jo! I loved my books as reference guides but if you put too much into them they will make you crazy!

Congrats! What fun! My advice: read all the parenting books everyone says you should...then forget everything you've read, because life with your baby is NEVER like anyone else says it will be. ;)

Get ready Emily, this one's really great for babies, especially if you're having trouble getting them to sleep thru the night. This helps you teach the baby to be self-reliant for calming, which will serve them well as they grow:

The Self-Calmed Baby

and for toddlers/terrible twos:

I Wanna Do It Myself From Baby to Toddler-A Radical Three-Tiered Approach to Helping Your Child Achieve Independence

The same guy wrote them both, and they are worth their weight in GOLD. No lie.

Any good books for dealing with twins I am pregnant with two girls!

Oh yeah, the same thing with the month to month book -- I actually found myself looking ahead to see if I could get him to master things early. The funny things we do as new moms. lol

That's funny! Makes sense too.....

Holli ~ I had that book and had to throw it out. It wasn't that it was bad it just made me feel like my oldest was behind if he wasn't doing something that week that the book said he should be doing. I was a wreck over it. LOL

This is a long and hard last month...I do agree with what Elizabeth said! You will do great though :) I know a lot of my friends really liked this book during their child's first year....

Your Baby's First Year Week By Week (Your Pregnancy Series), Second Edition

I don't know a whole lot about parenting books but I just wanted to say congratulations!

Congratulations! When my daughter was an infant, my absolute favorite baby/parenting book was The Baby Book Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby from Birth to Age Two, by Dr. Sears. I highly recommend it!

Congratulations Mama! If you ever need advice or just to chat let me know. =)

What to Expect the First Year, Second Edition This is a great reference guide it shows about how much the baby should be eating, talks about the baby's growth, it is very detailed and a great resource before calling a doctor. A must have for every new parent.

Emily, first let me offer my congratulations, and tell you to hang in there this last hard month. You will be well rewarded. While this isn't a parenting book exactly, I recommend that in the not too far distant future you pick up a copy of The Read-Aloud Handbook Sixth Edition. The book is more than what the title sounds like it is, and even if you are already planning to read aloud to your child, it is well worth some precious time. The back 1/3 is a section called "A Treasury of Read Alouds" and includes information about books with "listening age" given, and something about the subject matter. Mr. Trelease also usually offers titles with the same subject matter or other books by the same author. This is a book that should be on every parent's and grandparent's book shelf.

Hello ladies,
I hope everyone is doing really well! I am a month away from having my first child, and I thought this would be a good opportunity to ask about any family/parenting books you guys could recommend!