Through Mom Central, I was sent this wonderful book to review. Having been through the baby stage many moons ago with my kids, Crawling brought all the feelings of joy, horror, contentment and insanity flooding back to me. Crawling is the story of Elisha Cooper's first year of parenthood; the good, the bad and the hysterical.
Being like many guys I know, Elisha like being around kids or want them (which is funny considering he's a children's author!). The fear of his world becoming ruled by a tiny tyrant and filled with kid friendly restaurants fueled his desire to avoid parenthood. Some of that changed once Zoe arrived and then became more than a fashion accessory wrapped in a blanket. Being a father was great, but he still held onto wanting Zoe to fit in his world instead of him giving it up. As Zoe grows and develops in her first year, so does Elisha's view on blending his adult world with that of his daughter's. Elisha gives humor and insight on the thoughts and feelings of fathers (actually mothers have many of the same thoughts and feelings!) wading through exploding diapers, tears (baby and adult), frustrations, dangers, new experiences and meals of the first year with a little one. Crawling is filled with moments that will have you laughing out loud, feeling his frustration with trying to do it all right and understanding that there is no "right" way to raise a child and is a great read for rookie parents and experienced parents alike. I highly recommend grabbing this book! It's a great read, whether it's done while wondering if your baby is ever going to just give in and go to sleep or while waiting in the car for your teen to come out of practice.
