Life Boils Down to Two Choices...

Should I get a dog?

Or have children?

They Told You What?!?! - Part 2

Yesterday, we posted some of the strangest or worst things people told you while you were pregnant. Those were really bad, and there's more.

Considering pregnancy is a very hormonal and emotional time of someone's life, it's NOT the time to tell anyone that they look BIG or ask if they are expecting twins (what if they aren't?). But there are some brutal people out there!

Size seemed to be a recurrent theme in lots of the stories we received. Here are a few...

• Towards the end of my pregnancy (it had to be around 34-35 weeks), I was at work on the postpartum floor. I saw one of the OB docs who had not seen me in quite a while. He said, "Wow! You got twins in there??" He was completely serious, and I was devestated. When I told him no, he was embarrassed of course. I went home depressed that I apparently looked so huge! I delivered at 37 weeks a 5lb 9oz baby! - Adrienne
  
  
• I was about 18 weeks pregnant (and measuring right on track). As I waited for an elevator SHE walked up and said, "Gosh Amanda, when are you due?" I told her March. I think her mouth hit the floor and she said, "MAN! You are really big! Are you supposed to be THAT BIG at this stage?" As I'm clenching my fist wanting to punch her and I'm trying to keep my cool, she has the nerve to continue, "I mean, you are REALLY, REALLY, BIG!!!" I was stunned!!!! I didn't know what to do. I had always sworn that I would have some amazing "come back" the day that someone made comments like these to me but I was speechless! - Amanda
  


• I am 19 1/2 weeks pregnant with my second child. I've heard that you seem to show quicker with the second child, which must be true since I had a lady at work ask me, "Are you sure you aren't having twins?" What do you say to that? - Sara
  


• When I was pregnant, I took a dance aerobics class. Most of the ladies in the class were older (40ish). When I was around 27 or 28 weeks, they asked me if I was due the next month. When I said no, they giggled and asked if we were having twins. - Bridget
  


• Let me start out by saying I only gained 19 lbs in my pregnancy and weighed 125 when I got pregnant, so I was not very big. I had a lady at work ask me if I was having twins and I also had a lady at a gas station ask me how far along I was. When I told her she said oh you look bigger than that. I wanted to say, you don't know me and you should not say that to a pregnant lady. - April
  

Thanks to all of you who shared your stories. We'll pose another pregnancy/parenting-related question soon.

They Told You What?!?! - Part 1

A few days ago, we asked for the strangest or worst things people told you while you were pregnant...and you responded. There are some brutal people out there!

I would venture to say that our readers are smarter and more sensitive than the people on the other side of these stories. Everyone reading this should make a mental note NEVER to say any of these things to a pregnant woman.

Here are some of the most shocking:

• I heard A LOT of them when we told people that we were pregnant with quadruplets but THE WORST was when I told a lady at my work and she replied, "Guess that shows you what to pray for!" and then she walked away. Believe it or not, I can laugh about it now. - Jen (Mom of the Murray Crew Quads)
  


• My due date was August 6th, so I was pregnant in a hot, Louisiana summer. When I went to drop off some dry cleaning, the lady at the counter asked how I was doing. When I responded with, "Feeling good, just really hot" she told me that I should have thought about that before I got pregnant. - Michele
  


• Pregnant with twins, I was appalled when a Target employee asked me if I had done fertility treatments. I hadn’t, but couldn’t even answer, I thought it was so intrusive! -Aimee
  


• How about “let’s see if this one sticks.” After 2 miscarriages, we announced our 3rd pregnancy to my in-laws in the future nursery of the house we had just closed on. My mother-in-law casually says “let’s see if this one sticks.” I started to cry and walked out the room. Anything else that was said to me paled in comparison to that! - Kerri
  


• With 5 weeks left to go, all my girlfriends at a mutual friends baby shower told me I looked like I was going to blow. I said, "thanks & shut-up. I have 5 weeks to go and I am pregnant!!" My water broke 4 hours later...maybe not so funny in writing! - Melanie
  

Stay tuned for more tomorrow...

Today's Headlines

>> Fake sextuplets 'mom' gets prison time...
>> SC couple accused of faking quint pregnancy faces charges...
>> Baby websites are the latest craze for parents...
>> Gwen Stefani expecting baby number two...
>> Dixie Chick Martie Maguire expecting her third daughter...

"The Business of Being Born"

The creators of "The Business of Being Born" think that after viewing their film, "You will never look at giving birth the same way." After watching the trailer and reading about the film on their site, I can believe it.

Here's the synopsis: Birth: it’s a miracle. A rite of passage. A natural part of life. But more than anything, birth is a business. Compelled to find answers after a disappointing birth experience with her first child, actress Ricki Lake recruits filmmaker Abby Epstein to examine and question the way American women have babies...

Here's how you can check it out:

• Community Screenings are being held throughout the country through mid-February. Check to see if there is a viewing in your area.


• The film is also being released in six select theaters.


• On February 12, 2008, Netflix will release the DVD for rental and online viewing.


• The DVD will be available for purchase at the end of March 2008.

Check out the trailer:

A friend of mine introduced me to this film when she blogged about it saying, "Today I had the opportunity to attend a screening of 'The Business of Being Born.' What an incredible film!" Thanks, Cherie.

Gap Casting Call Winners

Gap has finally announced the winners of its annual casting call that generated 800,000 entries.

Congratulations to this year's winners! You can tell they are cute kids with cute personalities. Check out the video reveal on today's Rachael Ray show.

Jaron, 7 years old from Beaumont, TX
Kenadi, 3 years old from Dakota Dunes, SD
Samantha, 7 years old from Clayton, NC
Parker, 2 years old from St. Cloud, MN

"Unique" Changing Table

Check out this ad on Craig's List for a "unique changing table with bath tub built in for $20". I'm posting the ad here in case it's deleted before you get to see it, because it's definitely worth seeing.

The seller says..."this is a pretty nifty bath tub. it has a changing table on the top decorated with bears but when u open the lid it's a bath tub on the inside. has a hose on the side for easy draining. has storage cubes in the front to hold all your soaps, rags and lotions. has storage underneath for diapers, towels or whatever essentials you need for your baby. The top is padded and it folds up for easy storage. I used it one time but my 1 month old son hates it...he likes the sink getting sprayed with the hose :) as soon as i sell this i will delete the ad. thank you for looking."

Here are my thoughts. Does this look like something out of the 70's or what? There's a "hose on the side for easy draining"...easy draining into what? A bucket? Or do you set it up next to a sink or bathtub...then what's the point? Have you ever seen anything like this?

Feel free to send any funny or ridiculous baby ads our way. We'd love to post more.

Still Accepting Stories

We are receiving some great submissions for "What you shouldn't say to a pregnant woman." There seems to be a common theme so far of strangers not holding back when commenting about how big you look pregnant.

Send in your stories through this Sunday, 1/27, to babyblogaddict@yahoo.com and we'll post our favorites next week.

Jamie Lynn to Give Baby to Mom?

The "reports" cited in this story come from Star Magazine, so take them for what they're worth...

Jamie Lynn Spears has apparently agreed to let her mother Lynne bring up the child in a bid to retain her career and grow up like a normal teenager.

A source tells Star magazine, "After several weeks of personal soul searching and talks and discussions with her mom Jamie Lynn reluctantly agreed that giving up the baby is the right thing to do. Lynne says Jamie doesn't understand the life-long consequences of having a baby.

"She still wants her daughter to be able to be a teenager, go to parties, hang out with friends and have a career. So she'll take the front seat of caring for the baby and take the pressure off her daughter."

We wonder if Lynne Spears covered something like this in that parenting book she planned on publishing.

The Perils of Potty Training

A humorous success story...except for the part about the child walking in poop barefoot then prancing around the house.

Keys to Enjoying Parenting

What works best?
Nag less.
Choose your battles wisely.
Say what you're going to do, and then do it.
Ignore the weeds. Fertilize the blossoms.

Details...

Recipe: Hash Brown Potato Casserole

If you are looking for a low fat side, skip this one. But if it's comfort food you want, try this Hash Brown Potato Casserole.

1 – 32 oz. pkg. Shredded frozen potatoes
½ stick melted butter (4 Tbs)
1 can cream of chicken soup
12 oz. grated American cheese
1 – 8 oz. carton sour cream
1 tsp. salt
½ small onion, chopped
2 c. crushed cornflakes
½ stick melted butter (4 Tbs)

Mix ½ stick melted butter, cream of chicken soup, cheese, sour cream, salt and onion together in a large bowl. Pour over shredded potatoes in a 9"x13" baking dish. Spread crushed cornflakes over mixture and drizzle with ½ stick melted butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, uncovered. Serves 12.

For a lower fat version, use low fat or fat free soup, cheese and sour cream.

For more recipes from Baby Blog Addict, click here and scroll through.

Website Spotlight: Mommy Doodles

Check out the Mommy Doodles Daily Blog. They host lots of giveaways, including this crayon caravan giveaway with a deadline of Monday, 1/28, and all that's required to enter is a positive comment on that post.

She also has some recipes mixed in like this Crock Pot Chili. I'm a huge fan of the crock pot. I don't use it enough, but when I do, I always say I should use it more often, because it's so easy.

Melanie's profile sums up her site but saying that she is, "Blogging all about the places we go, things we do, people we see! Showcasing products & services relating to parenting & family."

Maternity Deals at Ann Taylor Loft

If you are pregnant and know you will have a dressy outing at some point - a wedding, dinner or party - check out this little black dress from Ann Taylor Loft Maternity. It started out at $104, was on sale for $54.99, but now it's an additional 40% off the sale price which makes it just $32.99 (reduction appears in your shopping bag)! It's still available in most sizes and it's machine washable.

In fact, all of their previously reduced maternity and regular styles are on sale. The ultimate sale takes an additional 40% off! Pregnant or not, check it out!

Pregnancy Ticker from Families.com

We've already featured a few pregnancy tickers for baby blogs: the lilypie ticker, the baby-gaga ticker, the babystrology ticker and the countdown ticker widget from 3D pregnancy.
Here's another option for you, the tickers from families.com. They offer a pregnancy ticker, TTC ticker, adoption ticker, breastfeeding ticker, birthday ticker and more. Access to the tickers is free, but does require a quick log in.

Baby Name Etiquette

Coveting another couple's baby name is a fairly common occurrence for new parents. Either that, or we're just bad people. Check out The Poop for the rest of the story including a reference to the "Seinfeld" episode where George announces that he wants to someday name his son "Seven."

Recipe: Easy Parmesan Garlic Chicken

One of my favorite things to see in a recipe is the word "easy" in the title. Another is less than 5 ingredients. This one has both. It's from the Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing Mix. You can buy individual envelopes or a small box of 4 envelopes. Here's the recipe for the Easy Parmesan Garlic Chicken:

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 envelope Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing & Recipe Mix
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 2 lbs.)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix cheese, salad dressing mix and garlic powder.

2. Moisten chicken with water; coat with cheese mixture. Place in shallow baking pan.

3. Bake 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (170 degrees).

Jazz it up: For a golden appearance, after chicken is cooked through set oven to broil. Place 6 inches from heat source. Broil 2-4 minutes or until chicken is golden brown.

Prep: 5 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes

Click here then scroll down for more recipes from Baby Blog Addict.

What You Shouldn't Say to a Pregnant Woman...

People say the strangest things to pregnant women. What's the strangest or worst thing someone told you while you were pregnant and who told you? Was it your husband, mother, friend, doctor or a stranger? Email us at babyblogaddict@yahoo.com and we'll compile a list of our favorites that is sure to make you laugh and think, "No way, how could they ask that?!"

Here's one of mine. I was 34 weeks pregnant when someone at Lowe's asked me if I was about to deliver. When I said I had another six weeks to go, she said, "Oh no you don't!" I mean did I look THAT big?

Today's Headlines

>> Siblings born minutes apart, but aren't twins...
>> Hefner's girlfriend, Holly Madison, spotted at fertility clinic...
>> Mr. Big has a baby...
>> J. Lo, said to be expecting twins, has pink and blue baby shower...
>> Matthew McConaughey and his girlfriend are having a baby...

Is Caffeine a Pregnancy Risk?

Two new studies reach somewhat different conclusions about the connection between drinking caffeine and miscarriage risk, an inconsistency that dates back to the 1980s, when scientists began investigating the subject.