I am working on distilling the sensory overload of my book tour into post form, but while I toil away in the distillery, a few things…
Thing #1:
Simone’s new favorite activity in the whole world is to clomp around the apartment in my shoes. Sorry, people below us! I try to hide the heels until a decent hour of the morning, for your sake.
I really, really missed this kid of mine. Also, I would like to state for the record that the pictured pantsless hat-shoes-shirt ensemble is all Simone—I had nothing to do with it. She even cooks in heels, just like Donna Reed (except for the diaper).
Thing #2:
Today began my tenure at MamaPop. I will be posting Mad Men recaps every Monday, and my first one went up this afternoon. It was…a little bit of a comedy of errors. First, I didn’t start writing the recap until this morning, assuming there would be plenty of time (there wasn’t), and then a last minute technical snafu resulted in my getting the post up six minutes late. Only I quickly discovered it was actually AN HOUR and six minutes late, on account of the fact that my time slot of 1:00 p.m.? Was referring to 1:00 p.m. EASTERN STANDARD TIME. Convinced I would be summarily let go (and perhaps publicly stoned for incompetence), I spent 30 minutes writhing in shame, afraid to check my email and reminding myself that THIS is why one does not mix business with Alexa. But I have lived to recap another day—thank you, Tracey and Amy. Next week will be better.
Thing #3:
I would like to remind everyone of the many and varied uses for my book. Probably you already have your reading copy, but don’t be fooled by convention into thinking that this is the only one you require. Can one ever have too many coasters? Do you search for a way to keep your window air conditioner tilted at precisely the correct angle? Wouldn’t a few hundred copies make a lovely, soft, tiled surface in a home for the criminally insane? Use your imagination! Be creative! And please, share your creativity with friends, coworkers, or interested-seeming strangers.
(If any of you blogging types are planning to post reviews and would like a copy to give away, let me know. I am also happy to answer questions as part of a post, or for a book club. Or, again, to share my many groundbreaking thoughts on alternate uses for printed media. Have I mentioned what excellent insulation books make?)
Thing #4:
My Inbox makes me need to lie down.
Thing #5:
I am working on my proposal for Book Number Two, which is exciting and terrifying and…shouldn’t it be less so, now that I’ve done this before? Apparently not.
Thing #6:
Sweet tapdancing Jesus, do I have stories for you. Like about having left my heart in San Francisco, where I am pretty sure it picked up an infection from one of the upholstered seats on the subway. And about my lovely companion Alexis and the magically convenient oysters. And about my television debut. And about the time my breast tried to leap out and attack poor Mona’s baby.
I shall get to them all, in time. Back tomorrow!
{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m actually hoping to review your book this week coming… Not that my blog is huge or anything, but you know, I bought the book and thought I’d write about it too. I just need an hour where no one needs me anywhere else to get it written. Sigh.
Sometimes I sort of wish you would publish AND share my email.
Oh, wait.
San Francisco still pines for you, my dear. Such a fun night. Also, wasn’t it awfully kind of the universe to NOT inflict The Big One whilst you were traveling on BART?
And by the way, BART is our good transit. It’s all downhill from there.
*beams with vicarious delight*
*returns to toe-tapping and watching the letter-box, as those buggers at Amazon have put Book’s ETA back an ENTIRE fortnight*
Let us all take a moment to adore and coo over those fabulous red shoes!!
Wow, I just starting reading your book via iBooks on a ferry on the Juan de Fuca Strait. I hope that’s cool in a wow-people-around-the-world-are-reading-my-book-right-now kind of a way and not lame in a why-is-she-telling-me-this kind of a way. I have out loud chuckled!
The captioning of that last photo makes me positively gleeful.
That photo makes me kind of sad that I did not think to get a photo of my baby and I with you. (He was the one rudely hiccuping in the back during your talk in Portland. My apologies.)
I finished your book the other day and I thought it was lovely. I kept reading bits to my husband, things like the naming of the “Fat Hallway Baby” because that is totally something we would do.
So glad I could come see you talk! Thank you for coming to Portland, land of uncarpeted public transit.
I tried, I really did, but I couldn’t resist posting a review of your reviewer’s review.
Love the shoes.
Thing #5: Woo Hoo!
Ha! I think if boob attacks were implemented by the military, we would have been out of Iraq a long time ago.
Also, it was so, so, so great to meet you, Alexa, electric chest and all.
Eventually will write you a proper thank you note on nice stationary, or at least a real email.
BUT, just wanted to say THANK YOU for your book. I spent the weekend glued to it. Could NOT put it down, even though I knew your story from following the blog since Julie at alittlepregnant posted the link to flotsam.
Anyway, when I found you I was a few weeks from delivering my second baby. The first being a now perfectly healthy 4.5 year old – but who arrived at 31 weeks weighing a hefty, compared to Simone, 3 pounds 9 ounces.
So much of your story brought back dear sweet and painful memories of BP’s time in the NICU. I read aloud to my husband passages that seemed pulled from our own lives – like the conversation with the doctor about no daycare for 2 years. Or the passage where you excitedly emailed your coworkers about Simone’s arrival and the joy you felt. My boss recently confessed how shocked she was when I proudly emailed photos officewide of my little all hooked up to CPAP and monitors. Oh, and the turning blue thing. We had a lot of those suck, swallow, breathe issues.
We were lucky – our guy just had to fatten up and learn to eat without turning blue.
I will treasure your book, and send copies to our Fairygodmothers at the NICU, and keep one for when my son is older.
MAZEL TOV on a wonderful book and thank you!!
I’m buying my copy for Kindle. As soon as the new generation is shipped (it will be my first Kindle purchase! I’m very excited!)
I can’t wait to hear about the 2nd book proposal!
I love! that you got to meet some great Pacific Northwesters (which is probably not the proper term, but I’m going with it). Mona is awesome. As are your attack boobs.
So great to see your face, as always!
Reading the book and I really have no words. Except…wonderful, lyrical, funny, touching, sad, and sweet.
Bravo! Sign me up for a copy of the next one!
I absolutly loved your book, and am excited to now but a face with Simone! (Who by the was is adorable in red!) I wrote a review (with bad spelling!) on my blog, which has one follower. So it may not touch a lot of people, but I wish I could. Thank you for writing that, and I believe it took me about 6 hours to devoure. Have a good night =]
I ordered your book. To read. Because that’s what books are for. And because I believe in supporting bloggers who actually do this.
I’m just blog hopping around- congratulations on your book! And isn’t your daughter a cutie?!
I *loved* your book, Alexa, and I’m so glad I heard you read when I was in St. Paul. Like someone else earlier said, I couldn’t stop myself from reading passages to my husband, and then punctuating each passage with, “You just have to read this book.” Annoying? Probably. Please get going on your second book!
It’s been FAR too long since I commented, but I am excited to say I just ordered my copy of your book and it’s due to arrive any day now. I plan to do a review, and you mentioned you’d want to know – I would LOVE to do a giveaway, and it would be my first one. Since you’re the first blogger I fell in love with (#notdirty), it seems perfect! Please let me know :) Thank you, Alexa, and many warm congratulations!
Just wanted to say that I finished your book yesterday and I haven’t enjoyed reading anything so much in quite a while. Seems you’re hearing that quite a bit lately . . . I bet it never gets old!
This is all lovely, really, but I would like to remind you that you promised your Seattle audience a post of search terms that lead here.
I was the silent one with the curly-haired woman, the one who found you right after Simone’s birth, the same week I found out I was having twins too. Since then you’ve terrified, comforted, amused and educated me. Thanks.
I just found your blog on Friday, after reading a review of your book on Boston.com. I immediately raced to my local Barnes & Noble to grab a copy (last one left). I spent my lunch hour reading and 1.5 days later, I’m finished. I’m about to start the first IVF cycle and have already been classified as “High risk” so after reading about your experiences, I have to say I’m quite nervous ! I never found the various tests difficult but that’s because I was clueless….I HAD to stay away from googling things, such as the HSG, as sometimes ignorance is pure bliss. Worked great :) My own anxiety was no match for the horror stories you read online. Each experience is unique but you definitely opened my eyes and made me realize the greatness of the experience. I may have blinders on now but I need to prepare myself because ignorance can also be pure torture. Thank you for your book….and the ending ;)
Of course I was excited to read your book (I’ve been reading your blog for almost two years), but it was even better than I’d hoped. I wish for you that you didn’t have *this* story to tell, because of the pain, but thank you for sharing in such an honest way. Also, your writing did this wonderful thing where it changed my own “inner monologue voice” for several days- I was able to jot down a few notes for my own daughter that were much more inspired than my usual phrasing. In a lot of ways, that’s why I’ve loved your blog, too. Since I don’t keep one, I keep thinking I’ll print this or that entry for Sophie and say “YES! That was just like YOU at 18 months, too! She says it perfectly.”
Also- I feel robbed! When I stopped nursing my boobs were confiscated. My only comfort was knowing this happened to ALL of us after pregnancy/nursing. You know, you put your last breast pad under the pillow and the boob fairy *poof* confiscates your cleavage. You, on the other hand, look fabulous…even when on the attack.
I was late for work this morning, because I HAD to finish your book! Loved, loved, loved it! Congratulations.
I have just now, within the past 5 minutes, finished reading your book. Immediately after finishing I looked up your blog and started reading that as well. The first thing I realized is that the book was released just a few weeks ago and I probably bought the first copy that my local Barnes and Noble put on the shelf.
Lets first get this out of the way. The book was FABULOUS!
I gave birth to my son, Lex, 7 weeks ago when I was 28 weeks pregnant. It’s been a long but surprisingly smooth stay in the NICU. He will probably be able to go home in 3 weeks, bringing his total stay to only 10 weeks.
On my first trip out of the hospital, I went out to breakfast with my husband and stopped by the bookstore until visiting hours at the NICU started again. There I found your book (like I said, probably the first copy) and started reading it in the car. I tried to pace myself so that I could have this book to read throughout his hospitalization, but I just couldn’t wait that long to read about sweet Simone coming home.
What I said before about the book being fabulous is completely true. I laughed so hard when you named yourself Milk Lady and talked about “The Trial of Tubes or The Time With All the Beeping” and I cried for a few days when I read about Ames.
I am now a devoted follower of your blog. Oh and Simone is beautiful!
With regard to Things 3 and one of the things in Thing 6, I am actually in San Francisco on vacation and took this opportunity to read your book, cover to cover. I also took a picture of said book propped up on the parenting shelf of my local bookstore (in So CA), but can’t seem to locate an email address to send it to you.
Regardless, congrats once again on the book. The day it came out I posted it as my FB status and am about to do so again encouraging my friends to buy and read it.
Does your publisher let you know how many copies you’ve sold? I hope it is doing well for them and for you (and perhaps Thing 5 bodes well of that).
Simone is your miracle of miracles!
There’s a wonderful new invention to muffle the sound of a toddler stomping around in high heels; it’s called a RUG! One can purchase rugs in many sizes from small bedside models right on up to the big old wall-to-wall variety.
I know hardwood floors have that Anthropologie/Ikea vibe so prized by people in your demographic and they certainly are useful for giving babies’ heads a good hard wallop when they fall down but you should try rugs just to see what they’re like. Your downstairs neighbors might hate you a tiny bit less.
Babyproof:
Okay, I actually laughed aloud when I read your comment because a rug HONESTLY DID NOT OCCUR TO ME. We weren’t allowed to have any rugs or carpeting when we brought Simone home and for the first 2 years (because of her respiratory issues & dust/dander–part of the deal with us getting to keep the cats), and now that we’re allowed, we’re just so used to living without that I had forgotten such a thing existed. Thank you for reminding me.