The Girlfriends' Guide to Surviving the First Year of Motherhood

I'm currently reading The Girlfriends' Guide to Surviving the First Year of Motherhood and it's kind of depressing. I think the point is to tell you everything that could possibly happen so that you won't be surprised if it does. Some of the other books out there are either relentlessly cheerful, or just don't tell you things the way a "girlfriend" would, so there's nothing wrong with reading this particular perspective. But I realized last night as I was reading it (while using the heating pad on my aching back) that the book was not filling me with almost-a-mommy gladness. Because it's missing the joy I will feel when I see my child, knowing that my husband and I created (with a bit of help from God) a tiny person. It's missing the happiness I will feel seeing my husband hold the baby and talk to him/her. Yes, I will be utterly exhausted. Yes, the physical rehabilitation on my part will take time. Yes, breastfeeding may not come easily to us, or at all. Yes, it will be difficult to go back to work. But this is a beautiful thing and I refuse to let this book suck away the joy. So, there.