Sara Ellington - The Mommy Chronicles: Conversations Sharing the Comedy and Drama of Pregnancy and New Motherhood

Words of Praise forThe Mommy Chronicles

The Mommy Chronicles is a true gift for the mom-to-be
or new mom. It takes a brave, honest, and very funny look at
the reality of motherhood. A great read for any mom!
Cheryl Richardson,
the best-selling author of Stand Up for Your Life

Every woman whos considering starting a family should read this

book. Its clearly written, funny, and full of a wealth of information

about being pregnant and being a parent.

Carolle Jean-Murat, M.D., F.A.C.O.G.,

the author of Natural Pregnancy AZ

Reading the e-mail correspondence of these very different mothers is a
little like eavesdropping on two best gal-pals dishing the dirt when they
think no one else is listening. More than anything, this is a story of a
friendship that proves to be stronger than differences in pregnancies,
postpartum experiences, or child-rearing techniques.

Andrea J. Buchanan,

author of Mother Shock: Loving Every (Other) Minute of It

The Mommy Chronicles, a book of e-mail communications
between two pregnant women who then become mothers, can
bring comfort to any woman who may feel alone with all the
new feelings and events that literally change everyday life.

Frank Boehm, M.D., the author of Doctors Cry, Too

Hay House Titles of Related Interest

Books

Baby Sign Language Basics, by Monta Z. Briant

The Blokes Guide to Pregnancy, by Jon Smith

The Crystal Children, by Doreen Virtue, Ph.D.

The Indigo Children, by Lee Carroll and Jan Tober

Inner Peace for Busy Women, by Joan Z. Borysenko, Ph.D.

Parents Nutrition Bible, by Earl Mindell, R.Ph., Ph.D.

Seven Secrets to Raising a Happy and Healthy Child, by Joyce Golden Seyburn

CD Programs/Kits

The Best Year of Your Life Kit, by Debbie Ford

Dr. Phil Getting Real, by Dr. Phil McGraw

The Good Night Sleep Kit, by Deepak Chopra, M.D.

Finding Your Passion, by Cheryl Richardson

Card Decks

Car Go Cards, from the Publishers of Parenting Magazine
Rainy-Day Fun Cards, from the Publishers of Parenting Magazine
Sign Language for Babies Cards, from the Publishers of Parenting Magazine
Words of Wisdom for Women Who Do Too Much, by Anne Wilson Schaef

All of the above are available at your local bookstore,

or may be ordered by visiting:

Hay House USA: www.hayhouse.com

Hay House Australia: www.hayhouse.com.au

Hay House UK: www.hayhouse.co.uk

Hay House South Africa: orders@psdprom.co.za

Copyright 2005 by Sara Ellington and Stephanie Triplett

Published and distributed in the United States by: Hay House, Inc., P.O. Box 5100, Carlsbad, CA 92018-5100 Phone: (760) 431-7695 or (800) 654-5126 Fax: (760) 431-6948 or (800) 650-5115 www.hayhouse.com Published and distributed in Australia by: Hay House Australia Pty. Ltd., 18/36 Ralph St., Alexandria NSW 2015 Phone: 612-9669-4299 Fax: 612-9669-4144 www.hayhouse.com.au. Published and distributed in the United Kingdom by: Hay House UK, Ltd. Unit 62, Canalot Studios 222 Kensal Rd., London W10 5BN Phone: 44-20-8962-1230 Fax: 44-20-8962-1239 www.hayhouse.co.uk Published and distributed in the Republic of South Africa by: Hay House SA (Pty), Ltd., P.O. Box 990, Witkoppen 2068 Phone/Fax: 27-11-706-6612 orders@psdprom.co.za Distributed in Canada by: Raincoast 9050 Shaughnessy St., Vancouver, B.C. V6P 6E5 Phone: (604) 323-7100 Fax: (604) 323-2600

Editorial supervision: Jill Kramer Design: Summer McStravick

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise be copied for public or private useother than for fair use as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews without prior written permission of the publisher.

The authors of this book do not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the authors is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the authors and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Ellington, Sara.

The mommy chronicles: e-mail conversations sharing the comedy and

drama of pregnancy and

new motherhood / Sara Ellington & Stephanie Triplett.

p. cm.

ISBN 1-4019-0419-X (tradepaper: alk. paper) 1. Motherhood. 2. Pregnancy.

3. Pregnant women

United StatesCorrespondence. I. Triplett, Stephanie. II. Title.

HQ759.E43 2005

306.8743dc22

2003025015

ISBN 13: 978-1-4019-0419-7

ISBN 10: 1-4019-0419-X

08 07 06 05 7 6 5 4

1st printing, January 2005

4th printing, September 2005

Printed in the United States of America

For Mom,
who continues to show me what it means
to be a great mother, even now that Im a mother myself.

Sara

For Timothy Carl and Sara Nicole,
you make each and every day full of laughter and love,
and youve made my life entirely beautiful.

Stephanie

Contents

W e met about six years ago at an advertising agency in Virginia Beach [Stephanie was working as an account executive, and Sara was the writer assigned to work on Stephanies accounts]. The first time we went to lunch together, we both knew we were going to be great friendsand our husbands hit it off just as well. As couples, we had a lot in common: Wed all been married for about four years and had been getting a lot of pressure from our families about producing some grandchildren.

How clearly we can both remember those relatively carefree, pre-Mommy days: decent salaries, long lunches, dinners at nice restaurants, sleeping late on weekends. As mothers now, its hard to believe that our lives were ever like that. Back then, we felt that having kids meant staying at home on the weekends, watching Barney, and changing diapersand that just didnt sound too enticing at the time. We were having too much fun hanging out on the beach drinking margaritas. These days, we all drink margaritas while we watch Barney. (Hey, do you know any adult who can get through an episode of Barney without medicinal help?)

Anyway, heres how the whole Mommy thing started for each of us: