Monday, November 16, 2009

Winner of the Bebe Au Lait Hooter Hiders Announced


CONGRATULATIONS TO
HLB from A Boy Girl Blog on winning

a Bebe Au Lait Hooter Hiders Nursing Cover
of her choice and selection!

I'm excited the Random.org interger thingy selected her because she was also the only one to leave a comment although it wasn't necessarily required to do so to enter.

I love comments and get so few. :(

WOO HOO!!! HLB....COME ON DOWN! you've got 96 hours to claim your prize or I'm throwing it back in the hat!! Ha!



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Sunday, November 15, 2009

Pregnancy Blog Spotlight: The Baby Makin(g) Machine

A certain popular pre-mom Blogger who wrote a pre-conception blog is now finally pregnant! So Future Mama from The Baby Makin(g) Machine Blog has changed her blog tag-line, header from its pre-TTC (Trying to Conceive) stage and is continuing her tradition of being the open, honest and sharing blogger she's always been. Future Mama is a Texas television journalist, who, before finding out she was pregnant a few weeks ago (She's now 8 weeks along), enjoyed life with her husband of 5 years and Sharpei mix dog blogging about and researching lots and lots about pregnancy, childbirth and parenting. Yes, all before even making an attempt to even conceive a child!

Hers was the consummate pre -TTC blog. It was revolutionary because very few bloggers that hadn't already been diagnosed with infertility blogged openly and shared so much news and information about what it would be like to become a mom before even trying to become a mom. Well, finally (much to her followers' and I'm sure her mom and mother-in-law's delight) early fall, she and her darling hubby finally took the plunge and after a month or two or three (I forget how long) she got lucky and is expecting her first baby this summer!

I was following her on twitter on @FutureMama when she decided to engage in a Twitter Pregnancy Test experiment where a few TTC (Trying to Conceive) bloggers decided to test at the same time sharing every second of the process with followers. (called #TwitterPeeTest)

Well lo and behold, her test came up positive! But get this! She didn't want to share the news with her followers before telling her own husband and family members, naturally, so she left us in suspense. The last tweet I read after she actually peed on the stick said something to the effect of "Shaking Can't Type. Going to take another test". Well she did and got a second positive test! Yippee!

To buy herself some time from having to answer to her anxious prying followers while she shared her news with her IRL (in real life) loved ones, she dismissed the results to us followers casually and then later wrote a wonderful blog post sharing the news!

These days, you can see her posting belly shots of her tiny but still very cute bump and sharing with her readers various aspects of the ups and downs of moms in their early pregnancies. All of the past spotlights have been of moms that were well past their second trimester. For the first time we get to STALK follow someone from very very early stages through birth!

Well God Bless her and I could tell from her recent tweets and blog posts and um the fact that she has been preparing for this moment for several years that this is going to be a very exciting journey for her and her husband!

Oh yeah, and she's calling her little sprouting butterbean "Spawnie"! Too cute!

Check out The Baby Makin(g) Machine for a cool post-TTC pregnancy blog to follow.


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Saturday, November 14, 2009

Community New Saturday


Here is a round up of information, news and data that I've been asked to share with my readersl. Think I'm going to reprint this next Friday since it's going up so late this Saturday.

First up, Mindy, a professor and researcher at the University of Mary Washington, in Fredericksburg, Virginia is collecting data from women over the age of 18, about women’s health and how women feel about their bodies. If you want to see what it's about and would like to contribute, please follow this linkhttp://ff5umw.com/arynconsent.html. Also, feel free to repost and link elsewhere.

Also, the Kimberly-Clarke Health Company has launched an initiative aimed at educating Americans on the dangers of contracting an infectious disease in a hospital while in there for treatment or for another reason, such as giving birth to a baby, for example. It is rare, but I know personally of instances of patients going in for routine treatments and because of accidental contamination or a doctor error end up coming out with a more serious problem or not checking out the hospital at all. Scary! When someone develops an infection at a hospital or other patient care facility that they did not have prior to treatment this is referred to as a healthcare-associated (sometimes hospital-acquired) infection (HAI).A Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report published in March-April 2007 estimated the number of U.S. deaths from healthcare associated infections in 2002 at 98,987. The risk of acquiring healthcare-associated infections in developing countries is 2-20 times higher than in developed countries.

Check out the videos and this site dedicated to fighting Healthcare-Associated Infection






Everyone should check out Joy in Birthing, which is an online resource and website of Giuditta Tornetta, who practices clinical hypnotherapy and a method of natural childbirth that uses hypnotic techniques to reduce stress and fear during labor and delivery, alleviating pain and making the birth experience positive and enjoyable. I've blogged about it before

Giuditta's blog covers a wide range of pregnancy, infancy, and parenting tips. The website shares resources, information and tips about natural childirth. While there, sign up for her newsletter to get weekly tips in your inbox.
Blog: http://painlesschildbirth.blogspot.com/
website: www.joyinbirthing.com
Divine Caroline : http://www.divinecaroline.com/22115/86428-sugar-safety-halloween
Newsletter:http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs012/1011219684087/archive/1102646595340.html



The NATIONAL CHILDREN’s Museum is celebrating ...

Family Literacy Month, which marks a time to address parent and child literacy and recognize the fundamental role of family involvement in lifelong learning and the opportunity to bring family literacy values to your home.

To support family literacy, The NCM recommends you:

* Read a book and then talk. Just plain talk is great. Children learn language and new vocabulary from hearing and using language. After a good book, a child may say, “Read it again!” Not only is this normal, it is the way children learn to adopt new language as their own.
* Incorporate art activities. Many children’s book illustrations are easily replicated using recycled materials and other interesting and inexpensive items. Families can explore the artwork of children’s books and the illustrator’s technique to create art that is unique and reflects a personal creative vision.
* Initiate book making. From journals to pop-up books, we recommend making books and encouraging children to create their own stories - writing about themselves and illustrating the world around them.
* Bring stories to life. Entire families can get into costume and act out a scene from a favorite children’s book. Dress up allows children to relate to messages in the stories they read.
* Integrate music into story times. Movement and music helps developing young brains make connections to reading. Families can make and play their own instruments, discover music from the past, dance, and share the music that they love!
* Visit the following websites to learn more about family literacy:

www.famlit.org/online-activities

www.readingrocket.org

www.rif.org

www.pbskids.org

Kudos to the National Children’s Museum. I am sooo excited about what it has in store for the future:

Scheduled to open in 2013, the National Children’s Museum (NCM) will be a world-class cultural and educational center dedicated to engaging children and empowering them to make a difference. The mission of NCM is to inspire children to care about and improve the world. Through its interactive exhibits, online community (www.ncm.museum), and unique national programs and partnerships, NCM is transforming the concept of a traditional museum by becoming a catalyst and forum for a national movement to inspire and empower kids to speak up, take action, and get engaged in their communities. Through 2013, NCM is operating as a Museum Without Walls, participating in a variety of community events and working with other arts and cultural organizations to develop creative partnerships that benefit kids and families. This spring, NCM opened the Launch Zone, a 2,700 square-foot space at National Harbor where kids and families can prototype and test exhibit and program concepts. For more information, visit www.ncm.museum.


If you live in Scarsdale or Soho in New York, Citibabes, an indoor playground, cafe, adult gym and family center, is offering for a limited time, discounted membership of $1250-40% off their regular rate and permitting members to pay monthly $150 per month.*

Membership includes:

* Unlimited access to the indoor playground

* 2 Adult gym memberships including access to all yoga, Pilates and fitness classes

* 10 Spinning classes with Soul Cycle

* Complimentary valet parking

* Business center

* CitiTech Lab for supervised computer play and learning for children, complete with educational DVDs

* Access to our wide variety of children's programming classes for children 2 months to 10 years

* Weekend family activities including family yoga, art & music classes

* Priority access and and discounts to all Citibabes events (over 25 per year) including family events, concerts, monthly Artist Series, parenting seminars and more

* Member benefits: deals & discounts from our partners including spas, hotels, nanny referral services and more

* Option to pay monthly at the rate of $150 per month*

To take a virtual tour of Citibabes Scarsdale, click here.
*Must commit to 12 month membership

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Friday, November 13, 2009

What's GG Up to Now?

...besides amazing us with new sentences? (like when her dad asked where she got a sippy cup from, she overheard and replied "It's my cup, daddy" and telling me "It's done, mommy" when she's finished drinking her milk and "thank you mommy" when we give her something and ordering me to "sit down, mommy" and telling her big brothers to "Move, Jboy")

Just being the cutest thing ever and winding her poor daddy around her pinky finger tighter and tighter every day! ha!


In other Bellyitch news, I am sampling three products on an ongoing basis: 1. a stretch mark cream 2. a month of a menu prep service for busy families; and 3. a 30-90 day colon cleansing system. Yeah, I really needed that last one. TMI? I know. Awww, the perks of being a mommy blogger! You get to be a human guinea pig for all sorts of stuff. Though unlike some, I don't sugar coat my reviews and will let readers know what I think is crappy about a product and what works!

In particular, I am excited to attend my first exclusive invite-only Blogger meet up event for the family next week! I'm going to get my husband to accompany me and the children to this very neat event. (not sure I can divulge too much but I'm most definitely going to be posting pics on my other blog when we get back!)

Watch tomorrow for a post on some neat products, appeals and services for you guys to check out!

I think that's it for the weekly family/GG update! Enjoy the weekend!


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Thursday, November 12, 2009

Celine Dion & the dangers of Celebrity Bump Watch


From AP

MONTREAL – Canadian pop singer Celine Dion isn't pregnant after all.

Dion's U.S.-based publicist, Kim Jakwerth, said Wednesday the couple's doctor had initially confirmed a pregnancy in August through in vitro fertilization.

When that information started to leak to the public, Dion confirmed it. But a day later, she found out the embryo had not been implanted successfully.

Jakwerth said Dion did not immediately announce that she wasn't pregnant because she was hopeful another implantation would work, and had wanted to keep the matter private.

Jakwerth said the couple is going to keep trying.

Dion's husband Rene Angelil told the Journal de Montreal that he and Dion are disappointed but determined, and that they take comfort in the fact they already have one child.

Dion, 41, and Angelil, 67, have an eight-year-old son Rene-Charles who was conceived by in vitro fertilization.

photo source: AP



This is one of the unfortunate side effects of the now ubiquitous "Bump Watch" that many star-gawkers, bloggers and celebrity media like to go to A-list celebrities. There have been several instances, as I have posted about BEFORE, where some celebrities announce their pregnancies too soon and then end up miscarrying the tiny fetus. Sometimes, the early announcement is because of Bump Watch speculation or a loud mouth eager blogger, as what Perez Hilton did with RHWNY Bethanny last month leaking her news way before she passed the 3 month mark. Other times, a celebrity female may be photographed by the Papps wearing an outfit that gives the illusion of a belly bump and then next thing you know, they are on somebody's Bump Watch list.

It's one thing if you actually are pregnant. But what about the more frequent case of when the celebrity has just overeaten a bit and packed on a few. There have been numerous accounts where an A-or B- lister woman simply gained a few pounds and then finds herself on the cover of US Weekly or OK magazine with a title prematurely announcing a pregnancy confirmation! Doh! Way to go to make the group of woman already most prone to use anorexia, bulimia, over exercising, smoking, or diet pills to stay slim to become even more neurotic about eating!

I know I am guilty and have put Halle, Beyonce and Mariah Carey on bump watch before they actually confirmed and/or flat out denied their pregnancy. Guilty! I am in therapy. Really, I am.

Either way, I pray Celine and Rene (and anyone else out there trying to conceive) to be successful and carry to term another child soon.



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Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Bellyitch Bump Day: The Old Glory Belly

in honor of Veteran's Day, today, when Americans remember and celebrate the sacrifice America's soldiers continuously give and have given to protect the country, here's a fitting bump photo I spotted from Scott*'s fair use Photostream on Flickr.


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Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Celebrity Update: Pregnancy Announcements


Grammy-award nominee singer-songwriter Wayna is expecting her first child this May. The neo-soul songstress recently released a RUN-DMC-backed remake of her tune "Billy Club" in response to the highly publicized incident at a Houston airport earlier this year. The Ethiopian-born soul R&B crooner, who's topped the Billboard singles charts and whose ode to domestic violence video "My Love" had appeared on YouTube, YahooMusic, VH1 Soul, BET Jazz and other stations was detained when she forgot in her carry-on bag the police asp she uses when performing the rock song about police brutality on stage. Free downloads of the song are available on Giant Steps.

Wayna said the incident put a lot of things in perspective for her and we wonder if it also contributed to her deciding to slow down and have a baby! Inquiring minds want to know.

She's officially on our BUMP WATCH!

Tiffani Amber Thiessen, whose claim to fame was Saved by the Bell, will soon be a first-time mom. The 34-year-old actress and her husband told People magazine they're expecting their first baby in May. Thiessen said, "It's something we've wanted for a long time, and we're thrilled it's actually happening."

A source told Star magazine, "Tiffani wanted a baby so badly . . . she had been seen going to a fertility center for treatments in Los Angeles to help her conceive."

Thiessen, who's latest role is on USA's White Collar, is married to actor Brady Smith. The couple married in July 2005. Congrats, Tiffani and Brady! source



Actress Paula Patton showed off her baby bump at the Lionsgate Los Angeles Premiere of “Precious” on November 01, 2009 in Hollywood, California. Paula and her husband, singer, Robin Thicke, are expecting their first child.

She recently came out about those rumors, and saying she looking heavier in a baby doll dress was a result of 10-15 lbs she gained after the holidays. source

I know personally, I was of the opinion when rumors were circulating last year that Paula was pregnant then that she indeed was but had a miscarriage. So I was wrong.

But judge for yourself and check out her photo from back then.



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It’s a girl for New York Knicks star Al Harrington and his wife Michelle. The couple welcomed their baby girl named Amaya Londyn Harrington last month. source



Bethenny Frankel (of Real Housewives of New York) is expecting her first child. Bethenny recently got engaged to her boyfriend of 11 months, Jason Hoppy. She announced the pregnancy on Twitter and was unfairly forced to come out early when Perez Hilton kept blabbing and posting about it a day before. She was waiting for the requisite 3 months when a pregnancy is most likely to be sustained.






Top Chef's Padma Lakshmi revealed her baby bump at the screening of Chris Rock's new film Good Hair in New York City on October 5. She wears is well. And Oh MY! Those shoes!

The following three pics are courtesy of the anon celeb that runs Knocked Up Celebs.

Kourtney Kardashian was spotted at the opening of Famous Cupcakes in Beverly Hills on October 8.

Model Camila Alves who is expecting her second child with partner, Matthew McConaughey, was out and about October 20. She is due late December/early January with her and Matt's second child.

Jenna Elfman made her bump look glamorous in a mini skirt at the 16th annual Women In Hollywood Tribute in Beverly Hills on mid October. Jenna is expecting her second child with husband, Bodhi, and has a 2 year-old son, Story.

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