BumpNews

6 Holidays survival tips for couples struggling with infertility

Posted on December 30, 2014

The holidays can be a difficult time for anyone. Our culture promotes an ideal of the perfect holiday season with unrealistic expectations, and when that experience inevitably falls short, it can lead to disappointment. For those coping with infertility, the joy of the holidays can seem even harder to attain.

The holidays are focused on family, with children at the epicenter. Those who long for the child that has not yet come can feel isolated, sad, and discouraged.

“The holidays tend to remind those dealing with infertility that family building has not gone the way they imagined,” says Dr. Ariadna Cymet Lanski, a clinical psychologist at Fertility Centers of Illinois. “Seeing your siblings and cousins with their children can remind you of what you don’t have, and that’s not easy.”

Dr. Marie Davidson, who is also a clinical psychologist at Fertility Centers of Illinois, agrees. “For couples experiencing infertility, there can be deep sense of alienation from the spirit of celebration. As a result, you may not want to participate in the usual family rituals, and you may search for ways to protect yourself from the distresses of social comparison.”

Yet the holidays and family gatherings can still be meaningful and enjoyable. Drs. Davidson and Cymet Lanski offer advice and techniques on how to navigate the emotions that surround the holidays.

1. Acknowledge Your Feelings Don’t judge your own feelings; they are important and real and you have them for valid reasons. It is normal to feel envious and even angry that you are “left out”. Holding everything inside doesn’t help. It actually takes more mental energy to hold your feelings back than to express them. Allow yourself time to feel the sadness, anger, and frustration.

2. Reach Out If you feel lonely or isolated, seek out support from your partner or a close friend. Talk about your feelings together. Keep in mind that men and women cope with stress in different ways. Women are more likely to express their sadness, while men tend to hold things inside. Neither way is wrong, just different. Whether it’s your partner, a friend, professional counseling, groups, or online forums, finding somewhere to talk with people who understand can help you feel less alone.

3. Choose the Gatherings You Attend Discuss holiday gatherings with your partner, and decide how much celebration to participate in. If going to that family dinner will send you over the edge, don’t go. Going to every minute of family gatherings isn’t necessary – it is important to put your needs first. Your family will move on in time.

4. Plan Ahead Plan, plan, and plan ahead. Anticipation is half the battle. People have a way of asking inappropriate questions at inappropriate times. Be ready for the nosy questions and the possible “We’re pregnant” announcements. Come up with an answer in advance that feels comfortable to you.

5. Make Special Plans of Your Own Plan for memorable events of your own. Host an adults-only holiday party, or plan a romantic evening out with your partner. For some, it might even mean skipping a family gathering and planning a holiday getaway of your own. For example, one couple we know spent Christmas at a quiet cabin with another couple and enjoyed hiking, playing board games and relaxing. While their families didn’t quite understand, both couples said it was a rejuvenating and memorable holiday.

6. Remember This is Not Forever Remind yourself that this holiday season or the way you choose to celebrate this year is not how it will be for the rest of your life. Your fertility struggles will resolve at some point and things will change.

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Emotional Eating in Motherhood: How to Break the Cycle

Posted on December 29, 2014

Let’s call a spade a spade, shall we? It’s a long known fact that motherhood can also mean the end to a woman’s figure. It could be that after baby, a woman becomes so preoccupied with caring for her newborn, then infant, then toddler, then pre-schooler, then second child and then her family that she no longer makes healthy eating and regular exercise a priority in her own life.

Also, when children start become challenging to discipline, they also trigger emotional eating in many moms. We all know many women (sometimes including ourselves) who are guilty of “letting themselves go” once they become mothers.

But there is a way to break the cycle for emotional eaters anyway. LiveInNanny.com shared with us tips on how to let overeating get the best of us during parenthood.

Know Your Triggers

The first step to breaking an emotional eating habit is to understand why it happens in the first place. Figuring out the situations and feelings that spur you to grab a snack when your body knows it isn’t hungry can help you avoid that behavior in the future. Think about the times when you eat as an emotional response and the situations that lead up to them. If there’s a common thread or two, you’ve discovered some of your triggers. When triggering situations arise, make a point of reminding yourself that food shouldn’t be used for comfort.

Enjoy a Parent’s Day Out

Every once in a while, it’s worth it to spring for a sitter and enjoy a day to yourself. When you’re in the house with children day in and day out, it’s easy to fall into their eating patterns and to choose their comfort-food fare over more healthful options. Getting out of the house and into the world to enjoy a hobby or simply enjoying a few kid-free moments can not only help you manage your stress, it can also help you step away from the chicken nuggets and hot dogs your kids are noshing on.

Question Your Cravings

Avoid Eating out of Boredom

While it may be a dull one, boredom is still an emotion. It’s also one that can push you into a pint of ice cream in the blink of an eye. Downtime is rare when you’re a parent, but the lulls in activity that leave you bored can be the most dangerous to your resolutions to eat more healthily. When you’re enjoying a bit of peace, it’s better to spend it doing something constructive than having a snack.

Try to Manage Your Stress Level

One of the most common reasons for people to eat as an emotional response is stress. Managing stress is a challenge for everyone, but there are ways you can reduce the pressures in your life from time to time. Don’t let stress take over your life, and when you are stressed, make a conscious effort not to smother it with food. Yoga, a relaxing massage or even some quick breathing exercises can be a useful tool.

Think About the Behavior You’re Modeling

If all else fails, try to keep in mind that everything you do sets an example for your children. When you move towards the pantry to cover your negative emotions, you’re modeling the concept of food as comfort to your children and potentially instilling in them the same battle that you’re fighting. Think of your kids’ needs and the lives you’d like for them to have before you reach for an edible source of soothing.

Keep a Food Journal

When you’re chasing kids around the house, managing their schedules as well as your own and trying to keep up with the demands of a busy household, the idea of adding another daily task to your plate may be a repellent one. Taking a moment to jot down what you eat and how you were feeling when you ate it, however, can force you to think about the foods you consume and the motives behind your eating. You can also discover more of your triggers in order to build a more effective defense system against your own internal urge to cover negative emotion with food.

There are plenty of methods for controlling emotional eating, but the most effective one is a plan tailored to your individual needs. You may also find that reaching out to a support system like Overeaters Anonymous or even just an Internet message board community can help you feel as if you’re not alone in your fight.

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Here are ways to engage rather than just entertain your child

Posted on December 28, 2014

Now that Christmas is over and kids are busy playing with their video games and other technological, modern parents still struggle on engaging with their children. It’s different than just handing them a video game or tablet and letting them entertain themselves. That has its purpose and uses, especially when a parent is busy and need distractions for their child while they focus on something else in the home or just relax and unwind

It is harder to engage them and engage with them to make sure they are learning from playing as well. BecomeANanny.com shared with us these crucial question to ask yourself and then offered suggestions for engagement.

As you consider the time you spend with your child, ask yourself:

Am I actively interacting with the children?
How does the entertainment I offer deepen or enhance their learning experience?
Is the activity the children are doing designed to benefit them or me?
Am I nurturing the children’s sense of curiosity about themselves and their world?
Am I providing tools for hands-on learning?
Is technology trumping your relationship?
Are we going places more than doing things together?

If your answers lead you to believe the children would benefit from more engagement and less entertainment, consider spending more time engaging the children by:

Playing play-dough
Building blocks
Doing arts and crafts together
Playing board games
Having a tea party
Rolling a ball back and forth
Taking part in fantasy play
Playing outside
Putting on a puppet show
Baking cookies.

Good luck!

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5 Healthy things to Get with your Christmas gift cards

Posted on December 26, 2014

The day after Christmas is also a busy shopping day as people return gifts that didn’t fit or they don’t like and others use the gift cards they got from family and friends. This is also the time of the year that people pledge to change their lifestyles and become more healthy and to eat better and work out.

1. A Powerful Blender or Juicer: A major part of the high holiday season and winter is eating high calorie foods, drinks and desserts. It’s certainly a time to be packing on the pounds. Many people usually pledge to change their eating habits for the New Year. Healthy shakes and juices are common ways people transition out of their bad heating. I cannot wait to purchase my first Vitamix and I’ve heard great things about the Magic Bullet.

2. A Workout DVD – Because not everyone’s schedule can accommodate a gym, having a DVD at home that can be popped in and done in the comfort of the home is ideal. After having my first baby, I lost a ton of weight, about 1-2 pounds weekly from breastfeeding and

Pilates for Weightloss

3. WorkOut Clothes – If you have brand new fancy work out clothes in your drawers or hanging in your closet, you may feel obligated to wear it to a gym, maybe. I love how good quality pieces feel on my skin and when I can, try to go with a powerful label that is native to Maryland where I live, Under Armour. But if you cannot get a LuLu Lemon level of price point, there are many other options sold online and in specialty stores at the mall.

utm_source=Look+Widget&pid=uid3121-8807761-31″ rel=”nofollow” style=”font:11px verdana,sans-serif;text-decoration:underline;border:0;background-color:transparent;color:#606060″>More Under Armour…

4. A steps counter – Because some people walk a lot to and from or as a part of their job, it’s great that steps counters like the Fitbit Flex are now trending and being used by more people. If you can see how taking the steps or getting out one stop before the closest one to your job can encourage you to rack up more steps, and burn more calories you will. That’s part of the appeal to steps counters. They are on sale these days and can be found as low as $35.

5. A food scale – If you will be starting one of those programs that require you to watch your portions and weigh your food so you have precise amount of protein, you should invest in a food scale. They are modestly price and are sold at big box stores like Target and Walmart or specialty stores like Williams-Sonoma and the like. Consider the Ozeri Digital food Scale which runs about $15 and can be ordered from our affiliates Amazon.com

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LAST MINUTE GIFTS: 8 Great Multicultural Books published this year

Posted on December 24, 2014

Times are tense these days as the nation mourns the death of two New York City police officers shot dead execution style recently, a tragedy amidst ongoing protests over shooting deaths at the hands of unarmed men at the hands of some officers. Some parents may find themselves having to address these highly contentious issues to help their children make sense of it all.

But dealing with controversial topics like race and culture can be made easier if parents make sure that throughout their kids’ lives they expose them to the stories of diverse people and cultures different from their own. Their children will grow with a healthy appreciation for all people and may be more willing to take a holistic, fair, balanced and empathetic approach to listening and hearing the concerns of those who live in far off places from their own home — even if that place is within their country.

Dr. Claudette S. McLinn, Executive Director of the Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature, recently curated a listing of close to three dozen multicultural books released this year she deems the best. I selected 7 of them to share with Bellyitch readers along with one additional book I reviewed personally. I pulled the Amazon.com review summary of each book I have not read.

If you are still looking for last minute gift ideas for young elementary thru high-school aged children, and are relatively close to a bookstore, consider popping in to see if they have these titles. Otherwise, consider ordering them from our Amazon affiliate and having them shipped to that young reader in your life.

Padma Venkatraman’s inspiring story of a young girl’s struggle to regain her passion and find a new peace is told lyrically through verse that captures the beauty and mystery of India and the ancient bharatanatyam dance form. This is a stunning novel about spiritual awakening, the power of art, and above all, the courage and resilience of the human spirit.

New York Times bestselling and Coretta Scott King Award-winning author Andrea Davis Pinkney’s powerful verse and Coretta Scott King Award-winning artist Shane W. Evans’s breathtaking illustrations combine to tell an inspiring tale of a Sudanese girl’s triumph against all odds, traveling to and surviving a refugee camp with the help of a red pencil.

Benji and Red couldn’t be more different. They aren’t friends. They don’t even live in the same town. But their fates are entwined. A chance meeting leads the boys to discover that they have more in common than meets the eye. Both of them have encountered a strange presence in the forest, watching them, tracking them. Could the Madman of Piney Woods be real?

Sixteen-year-old Gabi Hernandez has a lot to deal with during her senior year. Her best friend Cindy is pregnant; her other best friend Sebastian

just got kicked out of his house for coming out to his strict parents; her meth addict dad is trying to quit, again; and her super religious Tía Bertha is constantly putting a damper on Gabi’s love life. In lyrical diary entries peppered with the burgeoning poet’s writing, Spanglish, and phone conversations, Quintero gives voice to a complex, not always likable but totally believable teen who struggles to figure out her own place in the world. Believing she’s not Mexican enough for her family and not white enough for Berkeley, Gabi still meets every challenge head-on with vulgar humor and raw honesty. (Amazon review Excerpt)

Growing up in Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus witnessed extreme poverty all around and was determined to eradicate it. In 1976, as an Economics professor, Muhammad met a young craftswoman in the village of Jobra who needed to borrow five taka (twenty-two cents) to buy materials. No bank would lend such a small amount to an uneducated woman, so she was forced to borrow from corrupt lenders who charged an unfair interest

rate, and left her without enough profit to buy food. Muhammad realized that what stood in the way of her financial security was just a few cents. Inspired, Muhammad founded Grameen Bank where people could borrow small amounts of money to start a job, and then pay back the bank without exorbitant interest charges. Over the next few years, Muhammad’s compassion and determination changed the lives of millions of people by loaning the equivalent of more than ten billion US dollars in micro-credit. This has also served to advocate and empower the poor, especially women, who often have limited options. Twenty-two Cents is an inspiring story of economic innovation and a celebration of how one person—like one small loan—can make a positive difference in the lives of many.

“With a bolt of lightning on my kicks . . .The court is SIZZLING. My sweat is DRIZZLING. Stop all that quivering. Cuz tonight I’m delivering,” announces dread-locked, 12-year old Josh Bell. He and his twin brother Jordan are awesome on the court. But Josh has more than basketball in his blood, he’s got mad beats, too, that tell his family’s story in verse, in this fast and furious middle grade novel of family and brotherhood from Kwame Alexander (He Said, She Said 2013).

Josh and Jordan must come to grips with growing up on and off the court to realize breaking the rules comes at a terrible price, as their story’s heart-stopping climax proves a game-changer for the entire family.

LITTLE MELBA AND HER BIG TROMBONE, by Katherine Russell-Brown, illustrated by Frank Morrison, 34 pages, published by Lee &Low Books, Inc., ©2014 (Elementary school, nonfiction/biography, picture book)

Melba Doretta Liston loved the sounds of music from as far back as she could remember. As a child, she daydreamed about beats and lyrics, and hummed along with the music from her family s Majestic radio. At age seven, Melba fell in love with a big, shiny trombone, and soon taught herself to play the instrument. By the time she was a

teenager, Melba s extraordinary gift for music led her to the world of jazz. She joined a band led by trumpet player Gerald Wilson and toured the country. Overcoming obstacles of race and gender, Melba went on to become a famed trombone player and arranger, spinning rhythms, harmonies, and melodies into gorgeous songs for all the jazz greats of the twentieth century: Randy Weston, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Billie Holiday, and Quincy Jones, to name just a few. Brimming with ebullience and the joy of making music, Little Melba and Her Big Trombone is a fitting tribute to a trailblazing musician and a great unsung hero of jazz.

My addition:

PRINCESS CUPCAKE JONES WON’T GO TO SCHOOL by Ylleya Fields, illustrated by Michael LaDuca, 32 pages, published by Belle Publishing, 2014 (Elementary school, fiction, picture book)

PRINCESS CUPCAKE is a heartwarming storybook tale about a young princess who comes up with a laundry list of tricks to avoid going to school the first day. None work, but by the end she realizes quickly that school wouldn’t be bad after all. The illustrations are modern and colorful and bring Fields story to life. Personally, it reminds me of my 7-year old daughter who had to start a new school mid year recently and was also nervous about doing so. Like Cupcake Jones in this book, my daughter too made friends on the first day and quickly adapted. This is is the second in an ongoing series by the South American born Cleveland transplant author who said she was struck by the limit of books featuring African American characters and penned the book by blending her daughters’ personalities together. My daughter read it from front to back when the same day our complimentary review copy ($15.95) came in the mail. She loved it too!

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Did you know Vaginal Birth Delivery envy is a thing?

Posted on December 19, 2014

Did you know vaginal birth envy is a thing?

I know because I had it. I used to get it every time I’d hear a friend delivered “naturally”. For various reasons, I delivered each of my three children, now 12, 9 and 6 1/2 via Cesarean section (C-section)

I was one of those women who read everything under the sun before having my first child. I placed a high premium on delivering vaginally as that is how our ancestors have done it for centuries before the advent of modern technology to assist with labor and delivery.

Also, going to due date forums, you meet all these women who also talk about birth plans, the optimal birthing experience with a special emphasis placed on doing it as natural as possible.

And of course, there, we’d find the occasional woman who loved her body, her lifestyle and her options and saw absolutely nothing wrong with bringing her children into the world with the most amount of assistance and pain free as possible. She was the first to tell a mom who had a c-section to buck up because at least her vajajay is still tight and intact! Woi! And everyone would tell you, it doesn’t matter how a baby got here, all that is important is that they arrived with all ten fingers and toes and were healthy.

“All babies are natural,” they’d tell me. Yup. Yup. But still.

Notwithstanding all of that, whenever I heard news that a friend had delivered, I used to ask about the birth and would secretly wish they had to get a c-section too and when I’d learn they did not a flush of jealousy would come over me.

It took a while, but as my kids got older and my friends stopped having babies, I eventually did get over it and no longer harbor those sinister thoughts and resentments. I matured on the matter.

In hindsight, I can blame my conditioning, over education and deep seated passion for wanting to be old school. I used to think that I never truly experienced birthing as God intended because I never had a vaginal birth.

Who else had vaginal delivery envy? I know I wasn’t the only one.

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Attitude of The New Social Media Era of Expecting Moms (INFOGRAPHIC)

Posted on December 16, 2014

Believe it or not, December launched conception season!

It’s the time of year that most babies are conceived given that 10 of the most common birthdays are in the month of September.

In particular, December 17th thru 31st are the most common conception date with being December 24 being the most common.

And we are in the era of the social media pregnancy as a recent survey by Wakefield research for Natera, a leader in non-invasive genetic screening, found that 83% of the 500 expecting moms surveyed planned to share all their baby moments with friends online.

About 47% of them plan to post updates 2-3 times a week to keep their Facebook friends up-to-date on their baby-baking journey.

The survey also found that 3/4ths or 79% of those surveyed will find out in advance their baby’s gender.

And for older moms like the 40 plus celebrities who gave birth after 40 (above), genetic testing is even more important given the increased risks for birth defects in their babies. Knowing as far in advance as possible can be essential

Companies like the new Panorama™ NIPT, which sponsored the survey, have created genetic screenings that can test for abnormaliites as early as 9 weeks via a routing blood draw and without all the invasive screenings like with amniocentesis which carries a miscarriage risk.

There is a bonus in that this new test can screen for gender at an accuracy rate of >99%! That is super early in the pregnancy! Amazing! Would you do use the screening?

Learn more about the new new Panorama™ NIP from its Homepage: http://www.panoramatest.com; Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PanoramaPrenatalTest or follow on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PanoramaTest

And in the meantime, check out this great infographic:

*note: compensation was paid for sharing this post with you but my opinions on how awesome this option would be for new and expecting moms is the same.

Repost

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10 Must-See Viral Father-Daughter Dance-Off videos

Posted on December 14, 2014

Here is some light-hearted fun for your Sunday evening.

Who doesn’t love seeing choreographed routines but how about cute choreographed father-daughter routines…especially when they involve little girls and their dads?

We rounded up about 10 such videos after seeing a slight surge in them going viral lately.

First up is Kenny Link and his 7-year old dauhter Liliana who he spotted dancing “Dubstep” dance and when he asked her where she learned it, she said from “watching you”. So cute. They taped a video which went viral

Next, check out this video mom took of dad and his daughter having a battle in the middle of Saturday morning house cleanup.

Dad and 4-year old daughter dance to Taylor Swift‘s “Shake it Off”

Another recent viral video features single dad, rapper Bryan and his 7-year old daughter Kimani doing the “Baby Bop Slide”

A bit old, but Comedian Mike Hanley and his daughter Jessica at her birthday party and how smart are they for disabling comments to shield from all the negatively that seems to flow in viral videos.

London Johnson dances to Ariana Grande‘s “Problem” using moves choreographed by his 8-year old daughter.

This one is shorter but still cute:

And now a way bit older, but still worth sharing is Singer Liane V and her dad who release a series of cute Vines/IG videos weekly:

A video posted by LianeV.com (@lovelianev) on Dec 12, 2014 at 5:34pm PST

It’s The Weekend Dance !
A video posted by @dnimnwoym on Dec 12, 2014 at 6:17am PST

I ❤️ @lovelianev & her dad !
A video posted by @dnimnwoym on Dec 12, 2014 at 6:16am PST

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5 Ways to Avoid Package Theft this Holiday Season

Posted on December 13, 2014

Several homes in my town have had delivered packages stolen from their doorsteps after a delivery truck drops a package and the homeowner is unable to retrieve it quickly.

Enterprising thieves use the holiday season to wander through neighborhoods and pick off packages. Our police department and mayor shared the following tips that I am passing on to my readers. These are 5 things you can do to avoid package theft this holiday season:

1. When you are at home, check your front door frequently for packages. Delivery people tend not to knock and they deliver at seemingly all hours of the day and night. The sooner a package is retrieved the less likely it will be seen and possibly stolen.

2. It is safer to have your packages delivered to your place of work, if possible, so they are not left in view at your front door until you get home.

3. If you have a trusted neighbor who is home most of the day, check with that neighbor to see if you can have your package delivered to his/her house where it is likely to be picked up more quickly.

4. Perhaps some enterprising person who is home most of the day would like to start a service by accepting package deliveries to his/her home for a reasonable fee. (A little extra income for the Holiday Season!)

5. If you see anything suspicious, call 911. If you see someone either in a car, on a bicycle or walking that seems to be following a delivery truck or checking houses for packages, let the police know. Officers can check it out, perhaps catching a thief or discouraging an attempt to steal packages.

Hope this helps you all and not let you become a victim of a Grinch!

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Top 10 Boy & Girl old-fashioned names becoming more popular.

Posted on December 13, 2014

It warmed my heart so see that traditional names are coming back into style and are becoming more popular among parents. Babysitting.net chronicled the top 10 girl and boy names making a comeback.

Girls’ Names

Anna – “Anna” is one of the girls’ names that never seems to go completely out of style. Originating from the Greek or Latin version of the Hebrew name “Hannah,” Anna means “grace” and came in at number thirty-eight on the list of most popular girls’ names in 2011.
Charlotte – The French feminine diminutive of “Charles,” Charlotte’s meaning, “free man,” has masculine connotations. Still, Charlotte was the twenty-seventh most popular name in 2011 and is the name of Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze, Jr.’s daughter.
Ella – At number twelve on the list of most popular girls’ names for 2011 is “Ella,” which is of Germanic origination and means “all, completely; fairy maiden.” Mark Wahlberg, Ben Stiller, Eric Clapton and John Travolta all have daughters with this old-fashioned moniker.
Eva – The Latin form of the Hebrew name “Eve,” meaning “life,” Eva is eighty-third on the list of most popular girls’ names for 2011. Derivations Ava and Eve are also very popular.
Grace – A virtue name meaning exactly what it says, “Grace” is number sixteen on the list of most popular girls’ names for 2011 with notable choices by celebrity parents Lance Armstrong and Christy Turlington.
Julia – Derived from Latin and meaning “youthful,” Julia was the fifty-seventh most popular name for baby girls in 2011.
Lucy – The English feminine variation of “Lucius,” Lucy was the seventy-second most popular name for girls born in 2011. While it may be most memorably connected to a certain flame-haired comedienne, “Lucy” was also chosen by country crooner Zac Brown for his daughter.
Rose – Latin for “rose, a flower,” Rose is an old-fashioned name that has enjoyed something of a revival. At number two-hundred and ninety-one in 2011, “Rose” was the final selection of Jennifer Garner & Ben Affleck, Jon Stewart and Ewan McGregor. The presence of the boys’ name “Jack” also calls into question the influence of the re-release a certain epic film about a doomed romance on new parents.
Stella – From the Latin for “star,” Stella is the seventy-third most popular name on the 2011 list. Chosen by both Paul McCartney and, more recently, Matt Damon, Tori Spelling and Dave Matthews, Stella’s popularity is still rising.
Violet – Latin for the color and the flower, Violet comes in at number one-hundred and one for 2011 and was also chosen by Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck for their eldest daughter.

Boys’ Names

Andrew – Meaning “strong and manly,” the name “Andrew” is of Greek derivation and enjoys a perennial popularity. At number sixteen on the list of most popular names for baby boys in 2011, one Harvard study claims that it is the most popular name for boys born to highly educated parents.
Benjamin – From Hebrew meaning “son of the right hand,” Benjamin was the nineteenth most popular name for baby boys in 2011. Supermodel Gisele Bundchen and her quarterback husband Tom Brady chose “Benjamin” for their son, as did John Travolta and Kelly Preston.
Charles – French from German, “Charles” means “free man” and was the sixty-second most popular name for boys in 2011. Celebrities Jodie Foster and Russell Crowe both named their sons Charles, with the shortened “Charlie” also quite popular.
Harry – A diminutive of Henry meaning “estate ruler,” Harry is becoming more popular than ever due to the choices of Princess Diana, David Letterman and Billy Bob Thornton as a name for their sons, along with the immense popularity of the Harry Potter series.
Henry – Enjoying it’s highest spot on the list of popular boys’ names since 1956, “Henry,” also meaning “estate ruler” came in at number fifty-seven in 2011. Julia Roberts, Minnie Driver, Heidi Klum and Colin Farrell all have sons named Henry.
Jack – A diminutive of “John” meaning “God is gracious,” Jack was the forty-fifth most popular name for boys born in 2011. Matt Lauer, Luke Perry and Meg Ryan are just a few of the celebrities who chose this name for their sons.
Leo – From Latin for “lion,” Leo came in at number one-hundred and sixty-seven in 2011 for popular boy’s names, and was chosen by NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon as a name for his son.
Jacob – From Hebrew meaning “He grasps the heel. Supplanter,” “Jacob” was the most popular name for little boys born in 2011. Bob Dylan named his son Jakob, with Stephenie Meyer dubbing her leading werewolf “Jacob” in her phenomenally popular Twilight books.
Eli – Moving from number two-hundred and thirty-five in 2000 to number sixty-five in 2010, Eli is a Hebrew name meaning “uplifted.”
William – The third most popular name for boys in 2011, William is of English from German derivation and means “resolute protection.” With the marriage of Britain’s Prince William, the name has become even more high-profile.

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