Operating Instructions, by Anne Lamott
I've read this book a zillion times - and when I'm feeling like a failure as a mother, I pick it up and read a random entry or two. It's wholly unorthodox and irreverent - and so honest. It's nice to read an author who is a parent (a single mother of a baby boy, in her case) that can talk about not only the joys of having children, but also the struggles.
"I just can't get over how much babies cry. I really had no idea what I was getting into. To tell you the truth, I thought it would be more like getting a cat."
"I can't even get my teeth brushed some days. I found my toothbrush near the sink one afternoon with a neat stripe of toothpaste on the bristles from the night before, all ready to use."
"One thing about Sam, one thing about having a baby, is that each step of the way you simply cannot imagine loving him any more than you already do, because you are bursting with love, loving as much as you are humanly capable of - and then you do, you love him even more."