109 pound dictator
I've gone and done it - bought Rebecca Eckler's latest ramble, Wiped. I read Knocked Up when we were first married (having been very careful to ensure that Werner didn't think I was trying to tell him something, having a book of that title lying about the apartment), and enjoyed loathing the author as much as I enjoyed reading the tale. Whiny, naval-gazing, obsessed with back fat and too posh to push, Eckler was entirely unlikable (at least to me).
But, at least it was a reasonably honest account of pregnancy. It clearly wasn't the time of her life, and that's a change from a lot of fluff that's out there. From there she went on to create a blog, which I have studiously avoided while nevertheless reading her Mommy Blogger column in the Saturday Globe and Mail. Status-conscious and consumeristic though it can be, I am more often stunned by what I read but occasionally find some value in it. That's where I learnt about HealthPod Baby, for instance.
And now she has a new book out, detailing life with her young daughter. To my chagrin, I couldn't stop myself from adding it to my growing mom-lit collection. (What's worse, the bookstore had only signed copies, so not only did I add to her self-esteem and fiscal net worth, I have her autograph in my house.)
Sheesh. What a read! It was no surprise that she has a Bugaboo, but I could scarcely believe what happened when the Bug got a flat: one measly attempt at fixing the tire before they simply bought another Bugaboo!! Really, who does that??! If you're going to spend that much money on a second stroller, at least diversify! And oh yeah, she blames the nanny for the need to buy a second Bugaboo. Because, you see, strollers are a status symbol for nannies even more than for the parents...
Oh, boy.
Yes, she has a full-time nanny. She could sleep whenever she wanted during the day. Hard to feel sorry for her when she whines about being kept up at night. Really, if someone else cared for Jakob during the daytime and no other responsibilities, I would stay up with him during the night and sleep during the day. Besides, during her daughter's infancy, her in-laws lived in the connecting condo tower, a five minute (indoor!) walk away. Even when the nanny was not on duty, chances were good that a grandparent could lend a hand.
And they rented an office, so she had somewhere else to go. Since the nanny was caring for the baby anyway.
Through much of the book Eckler obsesses about her postpartum flab. Yeah, I don't much like my postpartum body, but I don't whine endlessly about it (do I?). At least not for profit. Anyway, her fiancé sent her to Maui for two months. For part of that time he was there, or her parents, or her regular nanny. For the rest of the time, she hired a local nanny. So she could go to the gym every day.
Really, I'm not envious. I'm gobsmacked. Is she for real?
But, at least it was a reasonably honest account of pregnancy. It clearly wasn't the time of her life, and that's a change from a lot of fluff that's out there. From there she went on to create a blog, which I have studiously avoided while nevertheless reading her Mommy Blogger column in the Saturday Globe and Mail. Status-conscious and consumeristic though it can be, I am more often stunned by what I read but occasionally find some value in it. That's where I learnt about HealthPod Baby, for instance.
And now she has a new book out, detailing life with her young daughter. To my chagrin, I couldn't stop myself from adding it to my growing mom-lit collection. (What's worse, the bookstore had only signed copies, so not only did I add to her self-esteem and fiscal net worth, I have her autograph in my house.)
Sheesh. What a read! It was no surprise that she has a Bugaboo, but I could scarcely believe what happened when the Bug got a flat: one measly attempt at fixing the tire before they simply bought another Bugaboo!! Really, who does that??! If you're going to spend that much money on a second stroller, at least diversify! And oh yeah, she blames the nanny for the need to buy a second Bugaboo. Because, you see, strollers are a status symbol for nannies even more than for the parents...
Oh, boy.
Yes, she has a full-time nanny. She could sleep whenever she wanted during the day. Hard to feel sorry for her when she whines about being kept up at night. Really, if someone else cared for Jakob during the daytime and no other responsibilities, I would stay up with him during the night and sleep during the day. Besides, during her daughter's infancy, her in-laws lived in the connecting condo tower, a five minute (indoor!) walk away. Even when the nanny was not on duty, chances were good that a grandparent could lend a hand.
And they rented an office, so she had somewhere else to go. Since the nanny was caring for the baby anyway.
Through much of the book Eckler obsesses about her postpartum flab. Yeah, I don't much like my postpartum body, but I don't whine endlessly about it (do I?). At least not for profit. Anyway, her fiancé sent her to Maui for two months. For part of that time he was there, or her parents, or her regular nanny. For the rest of the time, she hired a local nanny. So she could go to the gym every day.
Really, I'm not envious. I'm gobsmacked. Is she for real?
posted by Melanie A at 11:56 a.m.
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