"Keep this cartoon book with Dr. Spock and all the other baby-care tomes.... You'll like the whole book." —Booklist

Fans can follow the exploits of Darryl and Wanda as they confront the daily dilemmas—and miracles—of being first-time parents in this most recent Baby Blues collection.

"Anyone with children, or anyone who even likes being around children, will find something to laugh about in Baby Blues ." - Blade Citizen, Oceanside, CA Who can resist adorably wide-eyed Zoe MacPherson? Certainly not her parents, Wanda and Darryl, a mid-thirties career couple who've become mommy and daddy. But, like the millions of parents who flock to this engaging comic strip, the MacPhersons also find parenthood more rewarding-and frustrating-than they'd expected. Each day of this incisive and entertaining comic series, millions empathize with them as they face the joys and demands of parenting. I Thought Labor Ended When the Baby Was Born is a heartwarming collection from Baby Blues creators Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott. Developed in 1990 after Kirkman became a neophyte dad, Baby Blues appeals to anyone who's witnessed the eye-opening experiences only a baby can bring. Moms, for example, relate to Wanda, a former midlevel career woman who now stays home full-time to care for the mostly adorable Zoe. Dads connect with rattled-but-determined Darryl, as he still staggers off to an office each day despite mind-boggling changes life has wrought at home. Together, Mom and Dad juggle and struggle to decipher their new relationship, wondering where romance fits in, whether they're "parentnoid," and how they're affecting their daughter. Artist Rick Kirkman and writer Jerry Scott know about parenting and provide a hilarious, yet true-to-life, view of this mixed blessing.

Now that baby Zoe is a full-fledged mobile toddler, everyone can sit back and heave a big sigh of AAAAACCCH! The indefatigable MacPhersons are bringing up baby in a wild-eyed, yet true to life. Darryl and Wanda, a typical stretched-to-the-limit couple, struggled with the demands and joys of first-time parenthood in classics such as Guess Who Didn't Take a Nap? and I Thought Labor Ended When the Baby Was Born . The MacPhersons found parenthood more rewarding and frustrating than they ever expected. Through it all they adapted to this new addition to their lives with aplomb and severe exhaustion. We Are Experiencing Parental Difficulties...Please Stand By is a Baby Blues collection from creators Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott. In the pair's lovingly realistic way, the book captures the continuing challenges Darryl and Wanda face as Zoe begins to walk, talk, and take over the remote control. It's a natural growing-up progression that Baby Blues fans have watched with rapt interest. Mothers love the strip because they can relate to Wanda's continued surprise at how her days have changed, from career woman to Mom, especially as she faces the prospects of adding another bundle of joy to the MacPhersons' already busy household. Dads laugh knowingly as Darryl tries to help out and hold down a demanding job. Everyone cherishes the little Zoe for making childhood antics (even the obnoxious ones) so adorable. Artist Kirkman and writer Scott obviously know about parenting-you can see it in every strip they produce. In this book, they provide another delicious view of life's most precious mixed blessing.

"Baby Blues us one of the truest and funniest accounts of raising a baby ever to grace the comics page." —Lynn Johnston, creator of For Better or For Worse Now that Wanda and Darryl are pregnant again, the doting parents will be getting the baby clothes out of the attic, preparing Zoe to be a big sister, and just trying to cope with it all! In Night of the Living Dad from Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott, the MacPhersons deliver humor at its family-oriented best. Juggling the demands of job, home, and a baby on the way, the fatigued Wanda and Darryl have the added challenge of Zoe as she becomes a mobile toddler. She walks, she talks, and she's obsessed with the Whistling Monkey Cowboy Band! Like the millions of new parents who have embraced this engaging strip, the MacPhersons have found parenthood both fulfilling and frustrating. Exhausted parents everywhere are enthralled with this on-the-go couple who manage their careers and child-rearing. Mothers love Baby Blues because they know all too well how Wanda's days have changed, from career woman to Mom, especially as she prepares to add another bundle of joy to the MacPhersons' already busy household. Dads nod in recognition as Darryl tries to help out and hold down a demanding job. Everyone cherishes little Zoe for making adorable even the most exasperating childhood antics. Artist Kirkman and writer Scott obviously know about parenting. You can see it in every installment of the clever, true-to-life strip they create, from accidentally losing Zoe at the mall, to listening in on baby monitors with crossed signals.

Their life is hectic, filled with terrible twos, teething, and temper tantrums . . . but Darryl and Wanda wouldn't have it any other way! Since 1990, the MacPhersons have staked their engaging claim on the comics page with their realistically wild-eyed and worn-down reaction to parenting. We watched as Wanda gave up her job to be a stay-at-home mom, wondered how the couple would handle countless sleepless nights, and laughed when they unexpectedly found themselves expecting. Now, as Zoe grows into a walking, talking toddler and newborn Hamish learns how to roll over, the couple's pride, joy, and exhaustion reaches even greater heights. Winners of the National Cartoonists Society's Best Comic Strip of the Year for 1995, Baby Blues creators Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott continue to entertain readers around the worlds. "If there's one service that we provide, it's to let parents know that they're not alone," says Kirkman. "I think it's comforting for readers to know that no matter how unmanageable life can get for them, Darryl and Wanda probably have it worse," adds Scott. One More and We're Outnumbered! follows parenthood classics such as I saw Elvis in My Ultrasound, Guess Who Didn"t Take a Nap? and I Thought Labor Ended When the Baby Was Born . Through them all, endearing illustrations and dead-on dialogue provoke laughs of recognition and keep fans clamoring for more.

""Artist Kirkman and writer Scott obviously know about parenting. You can see it in every installment of the true-to-life strip they create."" -Cartoon Opportunities Life's not getting any simpler around the MacPherson household with Zoe starting preschool, Hammie approaching toddlerhood and parents Darryl and Wanda just trying to keep up. Since 1990, the daily comic strip Baby Blues has delighted readers with its fresh prospective on the nature of parenting, earning it 1995's Best Comic Strip Award from the National Cartoonists Society. Scenes such as Zoe's disarmingly honest response to a complimentary stranger in the grocery store-""I think you have a really fat bottom""-strike an all-too-familiar chord with anyone who knows a child. And what parent wouldn't recognize the truth in the fact that it took only five seconds for Darryl and Wanda to move all of their valuable possessions (one framed photo) out of Hammie's growing reach? Baby Blues creators Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott receive countless letters and e-mails from fans who describe their heartfelt connection to the MacPhersons. Like no other family-oriented comic strip, Baby Blues speaks to millions of people who, like the MacPhersons, experience both the tremendous joy and nagging frustration of being parents.

"Artist Kirkman and writer Scott obviously know about parenting. You can see it in every installment of the true-to-life strip they create." —Cartoon Opportunities Darryl and Wanda MacPherson have come a long way since little Zoe was born. Back then, they agonized over Wanda's transition from career woman to stay-at-home mom. They struggled with the great breast-feeding-in-public debate. They learned that mommy spit was the universal solvent and determined those all-important child-safe cuss words. These days, they're more mature, more experienced. With Zoe now playing the big sister to baby Hammie—who's started to walk—the MacPhersons are calm parental units. Don't be too sure! In If I'm a Stay-At-Home Mom..., Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott show us the reality of Darryl and Wanda's world. Consider what the MacPhersons found out: one four-year-old voice is louder than 200 adult voices in a crowded restaurant; a flushing toilet and the word "Oops!" (heard together) produce more anxiety than any sounds in nature; and bribery is not only not wrong, it's totally necessary. Kirkman and Scott perfectly illustrate the never-ending mayhem that surrounds everything from toys to vegetable consumption and the boundless love for the creature who just smeared lipstick on her baby brother. Parents and nonparents flock to Baby Blues because it expresses the genuine challenges in parenting with sidesplitting humor. Since it was launched in 1990, this strip has become the definitive voice for those who have abandoned clean homes, extra money, and sanity in order to raise their lovable little ones.

Darryl and Wanda have the parenting thing down all right, but they still continue to be surprised by the delightfully devilish antics of their two live-wire children. From first steps to bedtime snacks, from shopping adventures to sibling rivalry, Zoe and Hamish keep their parents on the move and the rest of us in stitches. Baby Blues chronicles the chaotic entertaining lives of the MacPherson clan as they chart a course through the everyday demands of family life. In a style that speaks to parents and nonparents alike, Baby Blues charms its followers with scenes of child-rearing mayhem and devotion. In Lift and Separate, Wanda and Darryl continue to confront the ever-changing challenges of raising two active youngsters.

In the early days of Baby Blues, Darryl and Wanda were surprised at the unexpected demands of parenting. Now, however, the nonstop antics of their lovably active kids, Zoe and Hamish, keep them hopping. Darryl and Wanda have accepted, and even learned to laugh at, the general upheaval of their lives. In I Shouldn't Have to Scream More than Once!, the MacPhersons continue their quest to raise their two small children. One day, Zoe asserts she needs her mother to teach her how to jump rope-""It's a girl thing,"" she tells Darryl. Later, Wanda and Darryl are happy their son has gone to the potty himself, until Zoe queries, ""Don't you want me to tell you where he went?"" And Wanda resorts to feeding Hammie on the floor after Zoe spots him picking up old peas. At the MacPherson household, it's all fodder for fun that has a delightful edge of truth for parents the world over.

Both folly and food are flying in Motherhood Is Not for Wimps, the collection of the immensely popular strip Baby Blues. The parents of young Zoe and Hamish uncover chicken nuggets in the dryer, bribe their children with Fudgsicles, referee a debate on which child got the bigger cookie, and learn that there is quite likely maple syrup in the VCR. And fun with food is just the start of the countless laughs and never-ending mayhem in this collection. The charm and universal appeal of Baby Blues lies in its ability to humorously capture the everyday joys and trials of parenting young children. The strip helps moms and dads the world over laugh their way through the daily challenges of keeping up with their kids. Yet, you don't have to be a parent of small children to appreciate the humorous situations fictional parents Darryl and Wanda face in Motherhood Is Not for Wimps.

Usually the biggest struggles (and the biggest laughs) are over the smallest things, and nowhere is this truer than in households with kids. Baby Blues Unplugged overflows with all of the familiar domestic discord and chaos that has made this venerable family comic strip such a phenomenal success. In one strip, Hammie makes skis out of hot wheel tracks and two hair scrunchies and careens down a mountain of couch cushions. Meanwhile, Zoe carefully deliberates whether she wants her bath with or without bubbles, finally telling her Dad, ""How about a regular bath with bubbles on the side?"" Baby Blues provides parents with a much-needed laugh as they battle the daily challenges of keeping pace with their kids.

""Well, on the day you were born, the nurses all gathered 'round. And they gazed in wide wonder, as my face hit the ground. The head nurse looked up, said, ""Leave this one prone."" She could tell right away that I was Dad to the bone.""-Sing to the tune of George Thorogood's Bad to the Bone If you read the job description in a want ad, you might think long and hard before responding. WANTED: A man willing to change diapers that could nuke the ozone, plop down on all fours and become a horsie at a moment's notice, arise from a deep sleep for an hour to calm nightmares, and part with a significant chunk of his hard-earned nest egg. There's only one explanation for why a man such as Baby Blues' Darryl MacPherson would accept such a challenge . . . because he's Dad to the Bone . ""Now, when I coach your teams, I go out of my mind! Every holler and scream means I'm proud that you're mine! As the years go by, pretty baby, can't believe how much you've grown! I wanna thank you for makin' me a Dad to the Bone!"" Of course, Baby Blues isn't only about fatherhood. This is a well-rounded family, with mom Wanda becoming more well-rounded every day as she heads into her third pregnancy. Over the years, creators Jerry Scott and Rick Kirkman have perfected this family-centered strip that presents the joyful moments with the frustrating in a way that is hilarious and heartfelt without being syrupy sweet.

"Family-friendly comic strips would seem to be nonexistent these days. But there is one-the delightful Baby Blues—that kids can read and enjoy with their parents." — Virginia Parent News "It's been a while since there has been a baby in Baby Blues, but here they go again. Darryl and Wanda, already the parents of two, are adding a third little one to the MacPherson household, and they somehow continue to stay good-humored about life amid the chaos of a household on the grow. Never a Dry Moment is the latest collection of the phenomenally popular comic strip. In this latest collection, Zoe and Hammie watch in amazement as their mommy's pregnancy takes shape—literally. Zoe wonders if her mom's oversized belly truly is all baby or if it's also housing a whole box of pudding pops that seems to be missing. "That's a different bulge," says Wanda. "Check behind me." And Hammie and Zoe still want Wanda to play baseball with them, even if it is just to be the backstop. Never a Dry Moment showcases Jerry Scott and Rick Kirkman's uncanny ability to humorously tap the everyday joys and trials of parenting young children.

Baby Blues is simply our lives on paper. At times it seems more like a home video than a comic strip." By their third child, most folks have parenting figured out and could teach Dr. Spock a thing or two. Yeah, right! Baby Blues is back with even more of the hilarious trials and tribulations of the growing young MacPherson family. Two Plus One Is Enough is another collection of this stupendously popular comic strip, which has millions of fans. Baby Wren is raising the chaos level in the MacPherson household to a new high as Zoe and Hammie compete as only siblings can. Parents Darryl and Wanda somehow keep up their good humor despite a tight budget, their mischievous but adorable older children, and a wailing infant. Precocious Zoe's learning to read-and to point out the inconsistencies in children's books. (For example, after Zoe reads about a bear, Wanda corrects her. "That word is dog, not bear." Zoe, however, astutely observes that the picture looks like a "So which is spelled right? The word or the picture?" Zoe asks.) And Hammie must make sure his baby sister isn't gaining on him, in age or in weight. Two Plus One Is Enough offers plenty of laughs from one of America's favorite families.

All the family fun, pandemonium, and childhood chaos that fans of Baby Blues enjoy in the strip's daily newspaper appearances swirl about this collection, Category 5 . Imagine three hurricanes converging on one household and you get an idea of what Darryl and Wanda MacPherson experience each delightful day of parenting Zoe, Hammie, and Baby Wren. It's a perfect storm of flying foodstuffs, off-the-scale emotional outbursts, and enough offspring energy to make veteran storm chasers duck for cover . . . and that's before any little friends come over to play! Category 5 captures all this and more. This Baby Blues collection is packed with hilarious family situations and childhood challenges anyone can appreciate, whether it's fellow parents riding out their own ""storms,"" empty-nesters reveling in their calms, or parents-to-be wondering what all the fuss is about. Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott are right on target in episode after episode. Their witty observations and insights-such as ""I think screaming is the primary form of communication for girls,"" ""We've gotta learn to travel lighter, or just put some wheels on the house,"" and ""Sometimes being the dad is like being the weird kid in the neighborhood""-always hit the mark. Category 5 will be treasured by Baby Blues fans everywhere. Playdate allows readers to experience the full fury of the MacPherson family tempest time and time again.

Baby Blues makes life with children seem funny, even when they smear peanut butter on the walls and give the baby a makeover with Mom's cosmetics. Says writer Jerry Scott, ""As long as kids keep having runny noses and wiping them on the drapes, we're in business."" Our Server is Down captures the perils and pratfalls of raising young children in suburbia. Daryl and Wanda MacPherson are a couple in their mid-thirties struggling to juggle work and three kids with hectic schedules-and maintain their sanity. Zoe, the talkative eldest, is seven and more worldly than ever. Hammie is the newly anointed (by the recent birth of baby Wren) middle child. At age five, he's a willing student for Zoe and a virtual Velcro board for blame. Wren is the newest addition to the MacPherson clan-so far, all giggles and sunshine . . . with a few clouds on the horizon. Parents worldwide have delighted in this slice-of-life comic since its debut in 1990.

Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott put out a very funny cartoon strip. You don't have to be a parent to enjoy this cartoon, but if you are, it hits close to home more than once. It's also nice watching the kids get older (albeit slowly) in a medium that seldom allows it's characters to age at all." If art imitates life, then art could probably use a good vacuuming. That is, if you're talking about life around the MacPherson house. With three kids under the age of eight, things couldn't get much busier for Darryl and Wanda, who fill the comics pages with dead-on family humor. Creators Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott have a special talent for distilling the essence of children, families, and married couples into a comic strip that, in frame after frame and strip after strip, creates a world that's both amusing and enlightening, in large part because their work mirrors our own experiences so closely. "Did you see the latest Baby Blues ?" is one of the most-often asked questions among the strip's millions of fans. "It looks just like us!"

Baby Blues "is a genuinely hilarious comic strip." —Rants and Raves Childhood-synonymous with slip 'n' slides, bubble gum, and getting your little brother in trouble. Parenthood-synonymous with Band-Aid bandages, haircuts, and giving timeouts for tattling. Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott effortlessly navigate the nuances of everyday family life in Briefcase of Baby Blues Named Best Comic Strip of the Year by the National Cartoonists Society, Baby Blues details the goings-on inside the MacPherson home. Running at a frenzied pace, young parents Darryl and Wanda keep up with Zoe, Hammie, and baby Wren as Kirkman and Scott perfectly capture the domestic discord and creative chaos associated with this household's hilarious activities.

\* Baby Blues transcends the comics page-expertly illustrating why there are never enough napkins, sippy cups, or items crossed off the to-do list. Inside Night Shift: Baby Blues Scrapbook 23, award-winning creators Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott effortlessly navigate the nuances of everyday family life within the MacPherson household, where Band-Aids remain in short supply, tattling and teasing lead to time-outs, and every public outing becomes an adventure in patience. \* Named Best Comic Strip of the Year in 2002, Baby Blues follows young parents Darryl and Wanda as they maintain a consistent trajectory on the parental learning curve to children Zoe, Hammie, and Wren.

Oh baby! My Space, this Baby Blues collection, kicks and screams with good stuff. The MacPhersons show us that raising one kid is a breeze, raising two kids is tricky yet manageable, and raising three kids is deserving of canonization. But still, sleep-deprived Darryl and Wanda do it with a style and wit all their own.Baby Blues is funny because it accurately depicts the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of parenting. And like any curious kid, My Space cracks you up and leaves you begging for more!Forget child-rearing books; all a parent needs to get through the highs and lows of raising kids is a 3 a.m. read of Baby Blues.\ From diapers to long division, it's easy to see why so many people relate to Darryl, Wanda, Zoe, Hammie, and Wren.\ In 2001, Scott earned the prestigious Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year. The National Cartoonists Society also gave Baby Blues its Best Comic Strip of the Year award in 1995.

It's a family feud full of fun and togetherness in Kirkman and Scott's The Natural Disorder of Things. Readers step into the home of the MacPhersons, a perfectly normal family with perfectly chaotic lives. Daryl and Wanda are deep in the trenches of child rearing, earning their stripes as parents to Zoe, Hammie, and baby Wren. Baby Blues is genuinely funny, portraying parenting the way it is, including the good, the bad, the ugly . . . and the sometimes smelly. Baby Blues "recently celebrated an achievement that is considered the comic industry's top milestone: surpassing 1,000 newspaper clients around the world." —Arizona Republic

Baby Blues is a pitch-perfect and hilarious family-oriented comic strip that typifies modern parenting. It's the director's cut in Kirkman and Scott's newest Baby Blues book. In this chronological collection, readers get a close-up view inside the home of the MacPhersons, a perfectly normal family with perfectly chaotic lives. Daryl and Wanda are deep in the trenches of childrearing and earning their stripes as parents to Zoe, Hammie, and baby Wren. Baby Blues expertly illustrates why Band-Aids remain in short supply, tattling and teasing lead to time-outs, and an unplanned visit to the dentist or auto mechanic occurs just when the bills seem to be caught up.

  In the chronological collection Scribbles at an Exhibition, readers get a close-up view inside the home of the MacPhersons, a perfectly normal family with perfectly chaotic lives. Daryl and Wanda are deep in the trenches of child rearing and earning their stripes as parents to Zoe, Hammie, and baby Wren. Baby Blues "recently celebrated an achievement that is considered the comic industry's top milestone: surpassing 1,000 newspaper clients around the world." -Arizona Republic

For more than 20 years, Baby Blues has tickled and reassured overwhelmed parents. With Darryl and Wanda MacPherson's constant state of upheaval in parenting Zoe, Hammie, and Baby Wren, fans can recognize their own real-life Baby Blues moments.Now in an annual, treasury-sized book, Baby Blues brings you another year of life with the MacPhersons. Often-befuddled Darryl and always-overworked Wanda manage to parent precocious Zoe, ornery Hammie, and Baby Wren while still keeping their senses of humor and sometimes even sweetness. In this collection, Zoe decides it's time for her to take karate lessons, Wanda declares she needs some time for herself and joins a book (wine?) club, and Hammie discovers the joys of a zip line. Mostly calm Wanda finally reaches her breaking point of asking the kids to clean up, unleashing a new force of nature to the comic strip: the Tsumommy!

Join in the chaotic fun with the MacPherson family in this thirty-first Baby Blues cartoon collection! Child-rearing reaches an entirely new level of delightfully messy chaos in Baby Blues: Wetter, Louder, Stickier. Battle-ready and perpetually exhausted, Daryl and Wanda team up to navigate a new front of challenges, like Zoe's enthusiasm over the Smoochy Boyz concert, deciphering baby Wren's attempts at language, and determining Hammie's place as a colon in the school play; whether colon refers to punctuation or digestion remains undetermined. Armed with performance-enhancing substances (a.k.a., chocolate donuts), the perfectly normal MacPherson family will surely bring a barrage of smiles and laughter to familiar fans with their perfectly chaotic lives. Baby Blues has enchanted new parents, grandparents, and kids alike since it first appeared on the comics pages in 1990. As the years passed, the list of newspapers carrying the feature has grown almost as fast as the MacPhersons' kids! Baby Blues now appears in more than 1,200 newspapers worldwide, and the adventures of America's favorite first-time parents have also been chronicled in 31 anthologies and four treasuries. In 1995, the National Cartoonists Society recognized Baby Blues as "Best Comic Strip of the Year."

The zaniest and most-relatable newspaper comic about parenting life is back with a brand-new collection. Baby Blues transcends the comic page by fusing the award-winning imaginations of Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott with familiar family life. Kirkman and Scott intuitively balance the humorous with the poignant through relatable and sometimes all-too-familiar parenting scenes. This latest collection includes a year's worth of strips, many with commentary by Jerry and Rick.

BB3X is a special Baby Blues treasury that celebrates three decades of one of the most heartwarming, funny, and true-to-life depictions of raising children ever seen in the funny pages. In addition to a year's worth of Baby Blues comics, this special collection sheds light on the unique collaborative process of Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott, whose cartooning magic has helped transform some of the most stressful moments in life into some of the most hilarious. The book includes a forward from Rick, a reflection by Jerry, and a special "scrapbook" section of archival photographs, memorabilia, and illustrations from the duo's three decades of Baby Blues collaboration.