Having attended and hosted several dozen baby showers in my lifetime, I think I’ve come up with the list of the THREE things that you should never purchase and/or re-gift to a friend for her shower.

1. Bath tubs – each shower I’ve attended, there have been at least 2 to 3 bathtubs given. You are best skipping it. Not everyone reads this blog, so let the other people make the mistake of purchasing the tub listed on the registry. You, dear readers and friends, avoid this “Baby Shower” cliche and go a different route.

2. Disposable diapers – though diapers are a very practical gift and every parent will appreciate you alleviating the financial burden of buying something they will use anyway, it’s a no-no for a couple reasons: 1. It’s not cute  and you will not get the “awww” and “ooohs” that every shower gifter craves; and 2. it’s not an environmentally-friendly purchase. Even though you may use(d) them for your kids and know the new parent(s) will too, there’s no utility in YOU contributing to the overpopulation of the world’s landfills. My mother DISAGREES! For every shower, she always calls and tells me, “JJ, BUY THEM A CASE OF DIAPERS!” LOL!

3. Ointments. Yes, the mom to be will inevitably put Butt Butter, Desitin, Rash cream, Anti-cracked nipple salve on her list, it’s just not a comfortable or “cute” thing to have them pull out the bag in front of other shower guests.  Immediately, everyone’s mind will go to the Mom-to-be’s Breast and/or Nipples and/or in the case of diaper ointment to a stinky smelly rashed up baby bottom. You don’t want to be the one to have everyone conjure up that image. Let someone else do the honors! LOL!

Enjoy! Happy  Baby Shower shopping!

old photo of Laila Ali in June 2008 when pregnant with her first child Curtis Mohammed

I’m pregnant for the second time! I’m just about four months pregnant — but in my opinion, I look like I’m six months along! Giving birth to a child is a beautiful gift and a privilege — there is no denying that. But, what a woman has to go through to make it happen is something else.

Luckily, my first pregnancy with my son, Curtis Jr., went very well. No morning sickness, nausea, skin problems, crazy food cravings, etc. But I did have to deal with what most women dread when having babies: weight gain! I know it is healthy to gain 25-40 pounds — but that does not mean I have to like it. I’m a big girl already. I’m not one of these skinny chicks. At my best, I weigh about 174 lbs, so adding another 35 puts me past 200lbs. That’s no fun for any woman.

And, this second pregnancy has given me a bigger appetite so I better watch out. Sweets are my weakness — especially baked goods such as strawberry shortcake and peach cobbler a la mode. In fact, I actually made a peach oatmeal crisp last night. It was supposed to be for my husband, but he still hasn’t had any yet, so of course I’ve been eating it! It didn’t even turn out as planned, but it is warm, sweet and goes well with vanilla ice cream. And that’s good enough for me.Read More

TMZ, which stands for thirty-Meter Zone, the minimum distance paparazzi must remain away from a photography subject, has photos of a glowing Alanis in a bikini while vacationing in Mexico! Gorgeous!

But again, here is an example of how the BUMP WATCH fascination enables celebrities who have fallen off the radar and not actively pursuing any projects to get some publicity and press, wanted or not! LOL!

Mariah performing in Brazil in August showing what looks like a clear bump source

‘I came home yesterday to help my wife get ready for her video shoots and she has these 19-inch heels on. So I go into the closet searching for some flats for my wife. She got a lot of damn shoes – it’s like a Macy’s. And Mariah Carey does not own one pair of flat shoes,’ he said.

Carey defended herself, insisting she does own flat shoes – but did not want to wear them.

‘To be fair, I had some boots from Aspen, some Dior boots. Ski boots. And then we did find some flats and then they were a regular ballet slipper, like a beige, and I was like, ‘I don’t think so.” she said.
After persuading Carey to don ski boots, the 30-year-old presenter is now planning a shopping trip to buy the singer some more practical footwear.

‘Basically, I got Mariah Carey, the high-heel queen, to put on some flats. And this is amazing. I’m going shoe shopping today, needless to say, to buy you some flat shoes.’

And the Grammy winner will flaunt her growing figure on a planned ABC special called Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to You, which is set to air on 13 December (10).

source

For this eco Friday, I’m taking some creative liberties to define ecology and environmentally-friendly- I am recycling old advice that my mother-in-law used to share with me throughout each of my pregnancies. 

I know sometimes it just feels good to mope and complain about all the crap you are going through this time and most times you can’t help yourself because the excess hormones make you extra bitchy. So not your fault. 

Notwithstanding all of that, whether I wanted to hear it or NOT, whenever I would complain about my various aches and pains associated with pregnancy, she would share this with me:

“You think you are irritated, annoyed and miserable now. Just remember this: There is a woman out there struggling with fertility, conception and maintaining a pregnancy who would gladly take…

…your achy back from having to balance the weight of a growing baby you are carrying
…your pregnancy related acne
…your sciatic pains from a growing baby putting pressure on your pelvic region
…your bloated ankles from fluid retention caused by your pregnancy
…your excessive weight gain and appetite you have because you need to feed your baby
…your doses of insulin to control your Gestational Diabetes
…your constipation from having to take extra iron pills
…your giant iron pills you have to take to fortify iron deficiency caused by your pregnancy
…your calf and leg cramps
…your urge to vomit or nausea caused by excess hormones traveling through your body
…your stinky smelly flatulence issue
…your burping up and having to taste again the last thing you ate
…your hemorrhoid flare ups
…your leaking pea when you laugh
…and all the other icky yucky achy things in between!

There is a woman out there who wants that, all of that!”

IT SURE HELPED ME PUT THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE and appreciate how Lucky, Blessed and Fortunate I am. 

I  hope it helps you (and your partners, mothers and family members suffering through your miserableness) too! LOL!

A pregnant Ali Larter shopped at Williams Sonoma with a girlfriend in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Tuesday (November 2) while wearing a $175 ruched tank dress from Isabella Oliver. source

BlackCelebKids reports:

Neyo and Monyetta Shaw were spotted at a private screening for movie “For Colored Girls” on Monday night.  The expectant parents will welcome   their first child together, a baby girl, in January of next year.

Lily Allen, who was six months pregnant with boyfriend Sam Cooper’s child before she miscarried last week, sent a tweet to her fans the day after she was rushed to hospital (last Thursday) with severe stomach pain. 

She posted the message on her Twitter account the next day asking fans to “say a little prayer”.

Here’s to hoping the prayers continue to provide her and Sam with solace as they continue to deal with the devastating loss. Having been there (though not at such a late term), I can empathize. Hang in there, kiddo!

Dancing with the Stars host, Samantha Harris was seen showing off her glowing and growing belly at the Angel Ball for Cancer Research in New York this week. She’s 6months preggers now and is pregnant with her second child, due this January. She already has a 3-year old daughter, Josselyn.