Expectations: 30 Women Talk about Becoming a Mother was published in 1998. Like my first book, Living Happily Ever After, it's a photography/essay book and profiles 30 women around the country who have children under 6-years-old. The stories are about the lessons that these women have learned about themselves though motherhood.

I wrote the book because at the time I was a new mother and was pretty shocked at how much my life had changed. My new daughter was deliciously beautiful, but I was a mess; tired, spaced-out, 50 pounds overweight and suddenly very lonely. I felt like I had no control over my life. I became an avid fan of Baywatch, the surfer drama. Everyday at 5pm I made sure to be on the couch nursing my daughter so I could watch the show. I got really caught up in the lives of the lifeguards. One day the fog cleared on my own stretch of beach and for one brief moment and I got the idea for the book. I knew that I wanted to talk to other mothers about motherhood. And so I did. The results were deep and rich.