Conversations with Mr. Baby

PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY: Who says parenting has to be serious? Here Chapple ( Rock 'n' Roll Is Here to Pay, Kayaking the Full Moon ) takes a humorous look at the joys, trials and tribulations of dealing with an infant. Mr. Baby, of course, is more sophisticated than grownups give him credit for. He has his own opinions on everything discussed by his smitten new dad and does not hesitate to state them in a cryptic running commentary. Some of the topics covered in these conversations are lack of sleep (Mom calls the first few post-birth weeks the "Zombie Express"), naming Mr. Baby ("not Odin. Please!") and the three things that define older babies: peekaboo, cuteness and belly button curiosity. A list of "Shamelessly Sentimental Things That Make It All Worthwhile" wraps up the book, which gains added charm. . . . Irreverent and outspoken. . . this chipper account will please new and expectant parents who need a few laughs." A humorous look at a baby's first twenty-four months and the emotional wear and tear his growth has on young parents. Stops at each checkpoint of the child's development, from his first public breast-feeding to his first steps. PRAISE FOR STEVE CHAPPLE'S BOOKS KAYAKING THE FULL MOON: A Journey Down the Yellowstone River to the Soul of Montana (Montana's Yellowstone) A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK: TIMES BOOK REVIEW: "Mr. Chapple has surely found what we all look for: the great good place, where there are good people, constancy...a sense of belonging and a natural beauty still unspoiled. At least this is Montana as Mr. Chapple has rediscovered it for himself, and in Kayaking the Full Moon he gathers evidence to make it ring true." After living in San Francisco and becoming fed up with urban life like so many Americans, Steve Chapple and his family decided to return to his native Montana and kayak the length of the Yellowstone River, the longest unspoiled and undammed river in the continental United States. The tale of a journey of discovery, Kayaking the Full Moon evokes the dangers and beauty of a wild landscape, Montana's diverse--and sometimes quirky--human inhabitants, and the power and wonder that one family experiences. WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD--"A graceful writer with a journalist's sharp eye and a heart as big as his subject Chapple...makes a fine traveling companion....Anyone who has ever been fortunate enough to lose himself in Montana's vastness will feel instantly at home between this book's covers"--HAMPTON SIDES JOE KANE, author of Running the Amazon: "A book for every one of us who...dreams of gathering up the kids and striking out for the Last Good Place." TOM MCGUANE, author of CROW FAIR, THE SPORTING CLUB, MORE: "A sensitive and sensible book in search of Montana's calico soul." LET THE MOUNTAINS TALK, LET THE RIVERS RUN: A Call to those who would save the Earth by David Brower with Steve Chapple "This is the testament of one of the few authentic sages of our time. Brower's voice is passionate, perfectly cadenced, humorous, and very wise. And original: while most writers point to where we are, this one draws the map," Edward O. Wilson ROCK 'N' ROLL IS HERE TO PAY: The History & Politics of the Music Industry "At last the definitive book on rock music as an industry," Studs Terkel