The Lifebook looks interesting. I already figgered on getting a Spock book, a small container of blocks, and a cool book i found on block play :-) and i know that childREARing can be tough, but i wanted to include SOMEthing anyway..... Thanks!

My li'l bro and his dw are adopting a little girl from China. Sil is a career gal --she will NOT be staying home w/ this baby. She works at the Senate in DC, and he is going to Marine Corps Officer Candidate School. He's a staunch Republican and she's a Dyed-in-the-Wool Democrat :-) They are both in their early 30's. Li'l bro says the child will be 9-12 months old. ANYway...I am the absolute LAST person that she will take advice from --I homeschool [gasp!] -5 kiddos, conservative, etc. I can tell my li'l bro all kinds of things, but he has to watch how he recommends stuff to her too. She wouldn't let him switch out a circuit breaker in their new house because he wasn't a qualified electrician. Something written by someone w/ known Democrat leanings and a degree in Child-Something-or-Other would probably carry more weight w/ her. i can almost guarantee she is NOT going to want any attachment parenting stuff. They are attending adoption classes. She is going on a staff trip to China in March and will likely check out some souvenirs while there. SO: if you could recommend some good childcare books that might resonate w/ someone who thinks along those lines, feel free to recommend them. They do go to church, but she is not a strong Christian. TIA!!

well, i'm here!! is there a way to view all the messages in a thread, or do we hafta open each thread to see what else is being said?