The 2019 Espy Awards celebrating sports phenoms went down last night at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California
Among those attended were several of the moms and parents featured in Bellyitch in the past including, singer/model Ciara and her husband Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. Ciara donned her signature slick dark colored gown with cut outs with Giuseppe Zanotti heels.
Also in attendance was boxer, author and entrepreneur Laila Ali.
Brand new parents actress and America’s Got Talent newest judge Gabrielle Union and her husband NBA player Dwayne Wade. Union wore a short lace dress by Raisa Vanessa and Jimmy Choo heels.
New mom Allyson Felixdidn’t showed up and out in a neon yellow crop top with matching pants.
Australian influencer Belle Lucia, 24, recently told her 1.4 million Instagram followers that she has only gained 10kg despite being in her third trimester.
Posing in a navy blue bikini, Belle captioned the post: “Loving my pregnancy body, weight gain isn’t a negative thing! Don’t ever feel ashamed.”
Giving an update on her little one, the mum-to-be added: “Baby is roughly the size of a papaya and 36cms long.”
Although the majority of fans were quick to comment on how slim the pregnant model looks, others were preoccupied with the size of her baby bump.
One replied: “I’m literally so intrigued with your pregnancy, it’s amazing how little your tummy is! I can’t believe how different everyone’s bodies can be.”
Last week, TLCCounting On stars Joy-Anna (Duggar) and Austin Forsyth revealed that their second child was stillborn at 20 weeks.
The little girl was due this November, however, when the pair went for their second trimester ultrasound and gender reveal, they learned the sad news that the baby’s heart had stopped beating.
Congrats to Bravo TV‘s Real Housewives of Potomac star Ashley Darbyand her husband, restaurateur, Michael Darby on the birth of their first child, a son.
The athleisure wear founder shared the news of the arrival with her fans and followers on Instagram by posting a photo of her Michael holding their son in the hospital while she rested.
“I never thought this day would come,” Ashley shared with her fans.“When I learned I was pregnant, I started thinking about when I’d feel the first kicks,” she added. “Then, when I was feeling the flutters, I wanted to know when I’d finally start to show. After watching the bump grow, my mind went to birthing day (WILL THIS REALLY HAPPEN?!) And when the day finally came that this sweet child came into our world, it felt like the sunniest day after a sky filled grey. The most sensational day of our shared life. Mickey and I are savoring every moment with our wonderful son.”
Just six days ago, she shared a sweet Instagram post about making it to the finish line and reaching 40 weeks.
The couple announced they were expecting this past February after suffering a miscarriage which was part of their storyline in their hit reality TV show.
The story line also includes open discussions about their marital problems, near divorce, Michael’s strained relationship with Ashley’s mom, their disagreement about whether to have children and finally, this season, their reconcile and work on starting a family.
Congrats! No news on the name of the bouncing baby boy yet.
One of the best photos of today’s US Women’s National Team defending VICTORY against the Netherlands in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup Championship was a photo of the only mom on the American team, Jessica McDonald, and her 7-year old son, Jeremiah, sprinkling confetti on her head.
Before the tournament, The Associated Press ran a feature late last month on McDonald, who made her debut at the start of the second half against Chile during round one.
About her son being able to appreciate the magnitude of what his mom was about to do, McDonald said, “he doesn’t fully understand, but at least he’s at an age right now where he’s actually going to remember this.”
She added: “He’s going to look back and be like, ‘Wow, I was there. Wow, my mom actually is cool — like she said.’”
McDonald was but among a handful of mothers, a select few that also includes Argentina goalkeeper Vanina Correa, Jamaica forward Cheyna Matthews, Brazil defender Tamires and South Korea defender Hwang Bo-Ra.
“I tried to explain to him: ‘Buddy, we’re going to the World Cup,’” the American forward remembered. “And he’s just like: ‘OK, can I have a toy now?’”
McDonald is a marvel to her teammates, who are amazed the 31-year old can balance her mommy duties with professional sport, solo.
“I don’t know how she does it,” midfielder Morgan Brian said in the report. “It’s pretty remarkable when you think about it and know how much we sacrifice and we put into this team and how much effort off the field that we have to give, and to know that her time is limited off the field and recovering and doing all the things that she needs to do. It’s pretty impressive that she’s here at this level.”
Left back Crystal Dunn is also stunned by McDonald.
“She’s always talking about how early she has to wake up to make sure Jeremiah is taken care of,” Dunn said. “I wake 10 minutes before training and I’m annoyed training gets pushed up earlier and earlier sometimes. But her ability to balance life is just incredible and I think, hopefully, going forward more women choose her route and not feel like they have to choose their career over having a family. I think the new generation is going to feel like they have the option of doing both.”
Traveling to France maybe new to Jeremiah, but being on the road with mom is not new because he has been her road dog since birth.
His mom has played for Melbourne in Australia and for professional teams in Chicago, Seattle, Portland, Houston, Western New York and North Carolina.
The US Soccer Federation paid for a nanny to care for Jeremiah in France, thanks to a deal worked out by fore mothers who worked out a deal, Joy Fawcett (1995, 1999, 2003) and Carla Overbeck (1999).
Though McDonald has used her teammates as baby sitters, there is a lot of work still to be done towards more rights for working moms on the club level of teams.
McDonald is among seven moms in the National Women’s Soccer League, joined by Portland midfielder Dagný Brynjarsdóttir, Chicago defender Sarah Gorden, Orlando forward Sydney Leroux, Washington forward Cheyna Matthews, Utah’s Rodriguez and Chicago midfielder Michele Vasconcelos.
“There hasn’t been any positive steps for moms in the NWSL,” McDonald said. “Now we’re kind of getting our heads together, getting ideas together, and so now we can start somewhere as moms. … Child care is not cheap. And if you look at our paychecks and you look at child care, there goes our paycheck. How are we going to eat? So yeah, it’s needs to change. We need to do something about it, being helped financially at least.”
We know now that after today, and all the rallying cry for the US Women’s Team hopefully may be on its way to finally getting parity with the US Men’s team which earns about $13,000 per game while the women earn under $5K, while being more successful and generating more excitement, titles and wins than the men’s team.
“It took me 41 years to have this baby,” Real Housewives of Orange County alum Gretchen Rossitold PEOPLE magazine when they asked if she would be overprotective of her first child ever. “I’m probably going to be crazy protective.”
Since it was a long time coming, that might explain the over-the-top and very elaborate Laguna Beach baby shower she and her partner Slade Smiley had back in May to celebrate the baby girl who is due to arrive this July 11 and who the couple have decided to name Skylar
The event which took place at a lux venue overlooking the beach, was attended by several current and former Bravolebrities including Real Housewives of Dallas star D’Andra Simmons, Vanderpump Rules star Scheana Shay, Phaedra Parks (Real Housewives of Atlanta), Patti Stanger (The Millionaire Matchmaker) and Rossi’s former RHOC costars Lizzie Rovsek and Peggy Tanous.
Guests enjoyed a whiskey bar from Distillery 291, cigars from Master Roller Cigars , with Kiss FM’s DJ Chunk on the 1’s and 2s and a Sub Zero Ice Cream booth provided custom frozen desserts — including Skylar’s Shower Cake (cake-batter ice cream with cookie dough and rainbow sprinkles), Rossi’s “Rocking” Road (chocolate ice cream with marshmallows and almond slices), Slade’s “Sleepy” Salted Caramel (salted-caramel ice cream with pretzels) and Family Fruity Fusion (raspberry and marshmallow ice cream with mixed berries).
Rossi wore a white empire-waist plunging neckline lace gown by Project Runwaydesigner Michael Costello with flowing sleeves, paired with diamond teardrop earrings, flats and a necklace that spelled her daughter’s name.
From PEOPLE about the food:
There was plenty. Guests nibbled on meat, cheeses and fruit on an epic charcuterie spread by Samira Weddings and Events, and enjoyed other appetizers off a 16-foot-long grazing table of tasty bites by Lucky Board LA. A huge ice tower held shrimp, clams, oysters and other seafood.
There was a huge variety of desserts, too — the centerpiece of which was a six-tier wedding-style cake in shades of pale pink and white, with a gold-detailed crown on top.
Cupcakes were topped with intricate designs, like baby carriages and white flowing dresses. Sugar cookies came in a variety of shapes, such as baby onesies (hanging on hangers) and sleeping babies. Towers of chocolate strawberries and macarons from Regal Delights offered other edible treats.
A couple days ago, the 32-year-old actress shared a photo of her growing belly on Instagram writing, “Does this mean I’m allowed to drive in the car pool lane at all times now?”
She also released the news in an emotional YouTube video titled “Guess Who’s Preggers.”
“When you’re in the public eye there are some things you want to just keep a secret until you feel ready,” Shay said of her decision to keep her pregnancy hush hush. “This for me has been the hardest. This is gonna be really fun and awesome when I’m not trying to hide it anymore.”
In the video, Mitchell talks about all the steps her glam team took to hide the pregnancy.
Now the news is out, she is going to be sharing the journey.
Essence magazine features three fashionable mom business and fashion stars: supermodel Iman; singer Ciara, and singer and dancer Teyana Taylor and
Loving all three of their respective covers and Alicia Keys‘ (another blog Bumpwatch alum) cover from this past month.
In the magazine, Iman talks about her career and how motherhood factored into her being a makeup mogul before Rihanna came to knock it out the park with her Fenty Beauty.
“When I came on the scene, I was catering to women of all skin colors,” Iman explains. “Regardless of what hue you are, as long as you are a woman with skin of color, whether you are Asian, Latina or African, I opened that gate. And Fenty knocked the gate out.”
Taylor discusses her plans to pass on positive messages to her daughter Junie.
“I’m just teaching her early: ‘You are beautiful, you are smart, you are magic,’ ” she told the mag and added that she is hoping to show her the power of love and commitment through her relationship with husband Cleveland Cavaliers NBA star Imani Shumpert. “Love is important.”
Ciara talks about how being a wife and mom changed her life.
“I’m trying to keep getting better, make health-conscious decisions and be the best mom and wife I can be,” she says. “No matter how much success you have, I believe there’s always an opportunity to grow and learn something new. And I’m keeping my sexy up too.” Duly noted.
“Man, becoming a wife and a mother, specifically a mother, really taught me so much,” Keys reveals. “I remember clearly wanting to remove the negative energy around me quickly, and prior to that, I didn’t feel so drawn to do that for myself. But doing it for this new soul made sense to me.”
Her issue is on stands now so you can read the rest of her interview.
Find the Summer Festival Fashion Guide issue on stands soon to read the rest..
Third-time mom-to-be Alanis Morissette-Treadway sat down with Self magazine writer Nicole Cliffe for an in-depth interview on pregnancy, labor, delivery and achieving motherhood in her 40s after infertility.
She and hubby, Mario “Souleye” Treadway, are parents to 8-year old son, Ever Imre Morissette-Treadway, and almost 3-year old daughter, Onyx Solace Morissette-Treadway, but getting there was not easy.
The “You Outghta Know” singer shared that she had always wanted a family of three but had a rough go at it.
“Between Ever and Onyx there were some false starts,” she said in the interview. “I always wanted to have three kids, and then I’ve had some challenges and some miscarriages so I just didn’t think it was possible.”
According to the Mayo Clinic,10 to 20 percent of pregnancies end in miscarriage and as Cliffe pointed out, “as a society have only recently (so recently!) begun to be more open to discussing miscarriages and reproductive struggles in general,” sharing an email communication where Morisette wrote about her pregnancy losses: “I […] felt so much grief and fear. I chased and prayed for pregnancy and learned so much about my body and biochemistry and immunity and gynecology through the process. It was a torturous learning and loss-filled and persevering process.”
The singer calls herself an overplanner and took over the goal and task to have a family by researching and doing everything possible to make it happen.
“I had done tentacles of investigation on everything, from hormones to physicality, every rabbit hole one could go down to chase answers,” she told Cliffe. “I have different doctors who laugh at the thickness of my files. So, for me I’ve tried every different version from heavily self-medicating, to formal allopathic medications, to now.
“I’m also an over-preparer for those things,” I told her. “I always get that dreaded question, in the first meeting: Do you have a medical background?, at which point I have to be like ‘No, I just want to know.’ I want to know things, I’m curious.”
She gave birth to her first two children at home, with Ever’s lasting 36 hours in total, with 12 hours of intensity. Wowza!
With each, the “You Learn” singer says she suffered from Post Partum Depression:
“For me I would just wake up and feel like I was covered in tar and it wasn’t the first time I’d experienced depression so I just thought Oh, well, this feels familiar, I’m depressed, I think,” she said. “And then simultaneously, my personal history of depression where it was so normalized for me to be in the quicksand, as I call it, or in the tar. It does feel like tar, like everything feels heavy.”
For the remainder of the interview, she opened up about her “birth stories” and motherhood in a fascinating way. READ IT IN ITS ENTIRETY HERE!
Photo: courtesy Self; Steph Wilson. Wardrobe styling by Kirby Marzac. Hair by Dimitri Giannetos at The Wall Group. Makeup by Kayleen McAdams at Starworks. Manicure by Whitney Gibson at Tomlinson. On Alanis: Top by Paco Rabanne. Jeans by Levis. Earrings by Leigh Miller.
This PRIDE month, several celebrities have come forward in social media to support their LGBTQ kids, an act which is uncommon for younger children, though dozens have show public support of their adult LGBTQ kids.
Others like Charlize Theron and Angelina Jolie have been either vocal or public with their choice to permit their children to gravitate towards a non-binary or gender-fluid identity.
Back in April, NBA player Dwyane Wade and his wife Gabrielle Union cheered on Wade’s son and Union’s stepson, Zion, 11, while he walked in the annual Miami Beach Pride march.
Though the basketball star was busy in Toronto playing against the Raptors at the time, he shared Union’s photo on his Instagram accounts, beaming with pride.
“We support each other with Pride,” Wade wrote on Instagram over a photo of Zion and Union.
“My job as a parent is to celebrate them and to love them and to make sure that they have everything they need in order to be what they want to be,” she said. “And I will do everything in my power for my kids to have that right and to be protected within that.”
Theron adopted Jackson when just 3-years old and daughter August as an infant.
Marlon Wayans, star of White Chicks and other movies shared a photo of his daughter, Amai, wearing rainbow-soled sneakers on Instagram on Sunday, June 2. (Wayans also shares son Shawn, 17, with ex-wife Angelica Zachary.)
“Happy pride to my pride and joy,” he captioned the photo. “I wouldn’t change one effing thing about you. Love you to the moon around the sun through the galaxies and back again.”
He had to clap back against trolls who didn’t like his decision to outwardly and openly support his daughter which you can read about in US Weekly here.
Although neither Angelina Jolie nor her ex husband Brad Pitt have spoken publicly about their 12-year old daughter ShilohPitt, it is rumored and believed Shiloh is transgender.
Jolie dressed Shiloh in gender neutral clothing as a child and now she is much older, she makes her own fashion decisions, which often include more masculine fashion choices such as short haircuts, suits with ties, loose shirts, and pants.
Jurassic World star Bryce Dallas Howard said her daughter Beatrice’s gender was unclear for a while and in 2017 she told PEOPLE magazine,“She was bald for a very long time, and so gender [was] a little unclear,” the actress told People in 2017. “But that was fine, and there was no problem. I really wanted to wait for her to lead me in a certain direction.”
Singer Pink is outspoken about many things, and one of them is how she chooses to raise her daughter, Willow. “We are a very label-less household,” she told the Sunday People in 2017. “Last week Willow told me she is going to marry an African woman. I was like, ‘Great, can you teach me how to make African food?’ And she’s like, ‘Sure mama, and we are going to live with you while our house is getting ready.’”
