It Sucked and Then I Cried

I am currently reading the book It Sucked and Then I Cried, by Heather Armstrong. Heather is an ex-Mormon who has acquired a coffee addiction and liquor love since graduating from Brigham Young University. This disappoints her family, as you may imagine.

Heather's story is about how she went through hell during the pregnancy and baby raising of her first child, Leta. This sounds a bit depressing, and it is at points, because Heather has chronic depression and had to go off her meds for the pregnancy and first few months after giving birth, but somehow, Heather's ability to over exagerrate and imaginate makes for a funny story. Maybe I'm only laughing because I don't have a child and I am not pregnant.

I thought about getting this book for my friend Leslie, who is going to have her first baby this October, but then decided against it. Leslie's sense of humor cracks me up, and it seems like this is the sort of book she might like to read, because in fact it sort of sounds like the kind of story Leslie might write, but because of her fragile pregnant state, I kind of didn't want to risk it. I don't want her to start bawling her eyes out everyday and begin hiding in closets, because her husband Kaleb may begin to hate me. Leslie, if you are already crying and hiding in closets, then I am here for you. Just call me up. I've got a completely empty closet in my spare bedroom, and I can stock it with Kleenex, stat. Anyway, when Leslie's child is two years old, maybe I will then giver her a copy of  It Sucked and Then I Cried.

Heather and her 2nd baby, Marlo. I'm assuming she found the joy in motherhood considering she birthed another one.

I have not yet finished reading the book, but I can't put it down either. I estimate to be done with it in two days, tops. 

If you are the non-committal type and don't want to check something out from the library until you know more about it, you can discover Heather's personality through her website, Dooce.com.

Has anyone else read this book? 

My own personal Philistine

Maybe you're familiar with the story of David and Goliath. Giant taunts the Israelites daily, morning and night, saying "Who will come out and fight?" Kid knocks the over-sized bearded bully out cold with the help of God.

I feel like I have my own personal Philistine. He's been following me around for years, mocking me. "Who will come out and fight?" I've pretended like I didn't hear him. I've been afraid. It took so much courage for me just to go to the stream and pick out the rocks. I am not David. My faith and trust in God is not as strong as his was. But I've got my rocks now. I'm putting them in my slingshot, because I'm ready to take this Philistine down. This is a battle, and it's one I must win. My Philistine is not called Goliath. No, he goes by another name. But his head is about to be cut off just the same.

1 Samuel 17:45-47
David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”