In this irreverent look at new motherhood, playwright Howie (coauthor of the off-Broadway musical Cowgirls
and author of the 1998 novel Snow) attempts to track the financial costs a baby imposes as one indication of the enormous changes parenthood brings. She "bills" her daughter before she's even born, for items as large as a changing table and as small as prenatal vitamins. After Callie arrives, the charges keep mounting, and Howie divides them into categories such as "etiquette" (e.g., stamps for thank-you notes for the many gifts she receives, $6.12), "sanitation" (e.g., a 68-pack of Pampers for $12.97) and "furniture" (e.g., a 3-in-1 bouncy chair for $25). Along with the financial details, readers get a glimpse of the emotional and interpersonal turmoil that accompanies the arrival of a baby, and also learn that Howie's exhaustion is only rivaled by her enormous love for her daughter. The author wants her audience "to have a firm grasp on a hard number before they roll around and make themselves one of these little bundles of sweetness and light." Throughout, she admits that some costs cannot reasonably be charged to Callie, as when she asks, "How do I charge you for stealing my want to do anything but stare at you?" This amusingly realistic account of a year on the front lines of parenting may not be a definitive guide to the financial costs involved, but it does provide a new perspective for moms and dads-to-be. Agent, Elaine Markson. (Oct.)
