Thus begins a wonderful new memoir by a Choice Mom.

When I wrote "Choosing Single Motherhood: The Thinking Woman's Guide" in 2003, the idea was to bring together dozens of Choice Mom stories, experts and insight into one gigantic resource guide. At the time there were very few books for single women considering this choice. So while mine is dense with information and stories, it isn't what you would call an easy-reading memoir.

Since then many women have sent me their memoirs about this journey. One that I received recently is Colorado-based Stacey MacGlashan's "Just You and Me, Kid." I highly recommend it, especially for women in the Waiting stage who need humor, forgiveness and support as they await motherhood, and for those in the Becoming stage who need the same.

As a counselor by trade, reporter by past, and current mother of a toddler, Stacey offers 100 pages of honest and user-friendly story-telling. She talks about her long-time desire to be a mom, and half-hearted attempts to find The One. Although I didn't share her earliest admission that becoming a Choice Mom was like "giving up" and "admitting defeat" (I think this is because I divorced in my early 30s so for me it was a natural next step), I found a lot to relate to in Stacey's story.

She writes about the steps she took to make it happen, including how she picked a donor and what the insemination experience was like. About the early pregnancy she lost. Tips about the experience of pregnancy. Perhaps my favorite section, her explanation of the labor process -- which I was never able to explain myself with as much great detail as she does. And wonderful stories about being a newborn mom, including discussions with other children about the absence of "daddy" and returning to work.

She also reiterates one of my favorite pieces of advice for anyone considering Choice Motherhood: the importance of developing your support network, and the types of people you need on that list.

Stacey ends with a wonderful message -- which I've heard Louise Sloan tell as well: things are only as hard as you allow them to be. We can all freak out about being great parents -- or we can just do the work and enjoy the life that passes quicker than we're ever prepared for. As she writes, "If you focus on the crying, and the feelings of helplessness and frustration that come from not knowing its source, and the not knowing how to make it stop, things not only will feel but actually will be hard...It's all about staying focused on the big picture and on the miraculous beauty of the small moments."