WE HAVE TWO WINNERS:

There were 39 comments. 2 commentors, Stephanie and Amy, asked to not be in the running, so that left 37 possibilities. I used Random.Org generators and came up with these two numbers:

and

Congratulations to #32, Sarah, who wrote:

Congratulations to #30, Sylvia Sittner, who wrote:

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Update: 12:00 pm mdt: COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED FOR ENTRIES! I will used random # generator to choose TWO winners! TWO! Check back to see who won. I will contact winners via email.

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If I had a time machine, I’d set the dial for the summer of 1997.

I’d pilot through worm holes and psychedelic spirals with my stomach in knots. My plan: To confront myself as a first-time mom of a newborn. I’d do it with love, compassion, and a copy of Spirit-Led Parenting: From Fear to Freedom in Baby’s First Year. It’s written by my good friend, Megan Tietz—who many Lifenut pals know from Sorta Crunchy—and her friend and writing partner, Laura Oyer, who blogs at In The Backyard.

Landing in that old, dear apartment with a shudder, I’d know precisely where to find myself. Young Mom Gretchen would be slouching on our mid-century crushed white velvet sofa, 87% asleep, with one hand on the swing crank so our newborn daughter, Aidan, would sleep. It was the only place she would sleep for months. I was deeply ashamed of this because everyone knows babies sleep in cribs. But Aidan had different ideas. She loved motion. She craved motion. She was happiest when the swing was at full-tilt, freshly-cranked (it was the dark ages of swing technology). The click click click click filled our nights and I wondered, often, what kind of horrible sleeper we were creating? How spoiled she was!

And then there was breastfeeding. When she was about a week old, I called my mother one evening crying hysterically because I was in deep, throbbing, burning pain from engorgement. Aidan could latch on any more than she could latch on to the Goodyear Blimp. The whole nursing thing was much more fraught with terror and anxiety than I realized. I really had no clue what the whole mothering thing entailed—even though I read BOOKS.

Bookity-book-book-bookish book reader that I was turned to them for parenting advice. Much to my horror, our lives didn’t align with what the books said to do and think and feel. Our tiny daughter didn’t read the books, so there’s problem #1. Our book club was populated by a little 8-pound slacker and two weary parents who had only been married for 10 months and were still bewildered about the positive pregnancy test taken the autumn before. Heck. I’m still surprised.

Exiting my time machine, I’d tiptoe up to myself and resist the urge to paint my own toenails. I’d slide Spirit-Led Parenting onto my lap and sneak back to the time machine after giving the swing a mercy crank. Bye-bye, me.

It would have changed the way I mothered Aidan. There’s no way it could change how much I loved her or how devoted I was and still am to her. That was set in motion already. But Tietz and Oyer’s words would have flowed over me like a calming melody, giving me permission—and freedom—to parent in a whole new way. I’ve been a Christian since early childhood, so the fact I have a Father, a Son, and a Spirit in my corner is a given. I have no doubts. But I fall into the trap of thinking that the minutia of my mothering is of little concern to them, especially when it comes to basic things like food and sleep. I’m the adult. I should be able to figure those things out on behalf of as person who thinks a ceiling fan is fascinating entertainment.

Spirit-Led Parenting: From Fear to Freedom in Baby’s First Year lovingly explores topics like sleep, feeding, marriage, baby wearing, and even post-partum depression. Relatable personal anecdotes from Tietz and Oyer mixed with Biblical truths, scientific facts, and a hefty dose of grace conspire to uplift and equip the greenest shoots of mamas and dadas. They contend the first year of a baby’s life isn’t about training a baby in God’s way or anyone else’s way. It’s about sacrificial servanthood and it’s about recognizing you cannot do it alone. Rather than something to slog through with fingers crossed, baby’s first year is a time of revolutionary growth for everyone in a family. They write:

The first year should be less about training our babies and more about God developing us as parents and human beings.

Do you know how freeing this outlook could have been to me? To you? Tietz and Oyer aren’t advocating for all parents to abandon schedules or structured living. Rather, they deftly make a case for discerning what makes your baby thrive. Try serving your child and your spouse (wives and husbands) as you’ve been served by a loving brother, Jesus. Your baby wasn’t born a bucking bronco who must be tamed or a circus seal who must honk horns in a certain order to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Spirit Led Parenting is a quick, fun read which is perfect for a soon-to-be mom or a mom of a little one who must snatch reading time in between blinking and the next diaper change. It made me laugh and feel less alone, even nearly 15 years later. The lessons in the book are easily adapted to parenting bigger kids with giant feet who smell of Axe body spray and corn chips. The Spirit doesn’t pack his bags on the baby’s first birthday. He’ll stay and continue teaching, leading, guiding, whispering throughout every stage. This book can be a great resource for parents at any point on this often-rocky, always worth it road.

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Win a copy of Spirit-Led Parenting: From Fear to Freedom in Baby’s First Year! Simply leave a comment before April 20th, 2012 at noon, MDT. For additional entries and to read other reviews, hop on over to these other blogs for their perspective:

• 4/10 Gypsy Mama, Mama Monk, Little Hearts Books
• 4/11 Sarah Bessey
• 4/12 I Take Joy
• 4/13 Love Well
• 4/14 Joy in this Journey
• 4/15 The Stanley Clan
• 4/16 Simple Mom, Life Your Way
• 4/17 Lifenut
• 4/18 Fried Okra, Live Renewed
• 4/19 The Pilot’s Wife
• 4/20 Nish Happens
• 4/21 To Think is To Create
• 4/22 It’s Almost Naptime
• 4/23 Keeper of the Home

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