You Wanna Name Your Kid What?!!!

Choosing a baby name is truly the first act of parenting.  Well, for those that sit on the birth certificate for a few days unable to decide, maybe not.  Even so, it's at least one of the first acts of parenting. 

It's a choice that has become slightly more complicated over the years.  A hundred years ago the pool of commonly used names was relatively small and parents were, generally, less creative in their choice.  Nowadays, there are many, many, many commonly used names and parents are inspired to make unique choices.  Why the change?  My guess it twofold.  First, the world is becoming smaller thanks to travel and technology, so we're sharing and comparing naming ideas like never before.  Second, being unique is a modern and highly coveted characteristic.  We want to be unique (by choosing a rare name) and we want our children to be unique (by being named something less common).

I'm a modern lady and a fan of interesting names.  I like names that make me pause and consider, like Jessica Simpson's Maxwell and Alicia Silverstone's Bear.  But, once in a while, even I can be thrown by a name choice and find myself feeling judgy.

Who felt judgy watching this video?

Last week I was checking out Nameberry.com as I often do and noticed the following "Names Searched Right Now": Whizdom and Tequila.  I probably don't need to explain why I felt judgy toward both of these names, but I will anyway. 

Part of my problem with Whizdom is that I can't stand unnecessarily strange spellings of commonly use names (and words).  Especially if you're choosing a rare name, go with the least rare spelling.  That's my 2 cents.  Of course my other problem with Whizdom is that, regardless of the spelling, it's a self-important.  Typically, I love names that are nouns (i.e. Violet, Hunter).  But I also hate braggers (more on that here).  Choosing a name like Wisdom...or Whizdom...forces the child to live up to the parent's ego or suffer trying.  

Next up, Tequila.  Tequila happens to be my favorite alcohol, but I don't appreciate it as a name.  I wouldn't appreciate a child named Bourbon or Rum or Vodka either.  Whiskey might be a cool name for a rockstar, but you can't really plan for these things at birth.  I just think it would be hard to take someone seriously if she introduced herself as Tequila.  "Hi, I'm Tequila Smith, your daughter's 3rd grade teacher."  Hmmm...

Reasonable minds may certainly differ.  I don't doubt that some people think Whizdom and Tequila are fantastic names.  I bet there's someone out there that thinks alcoholic beverage baby names should be the next big trend.  So, maybe it's all just a matter of opinion.  Or is it?  Are there any names that are just universally wrong?

It's Voting Day, Again

It's a quick and boring post to solicit some votes for NSB on Top Baby Blogs.  If you are inclined, click HERE and then click on the owl to the left.  You can technically vote once a day, everyday, all year long, but I only beg for votes once or twice a year.  I'm shameless, but not that shameless...

Cute(ish) Gender Neutral Clothes

The decision to find out the baby's gender is a big one.  If the decision is yes, a sonogram between 17 and 20 weeks does the trick.  A sonogram technician checks out the baby's nether regions and determines whether there's a third leg (ahem) or not.  In fact, nowadays, sonogram machines are so high tech (especially those 3-D ones) that you can see all the parts, whether boy or girl.  Still, I've heard that prudish little ones who keep their legs firmly closed can make it difficult to predict gender with certainty.  But, that's the exception.  More often than not, a woman's uterus is like Bourbon Street - baby feels free to show off the goods.  

Based on the pregnant ladies and moms I know (good friends, coworkers, acquaintances, friends of friends, etc.), the current and clear trend is to take advantage of modern technology and learn the baby's gender.  But, of course, some do opt for the surprise.  There's no wrong choice, but there are pros, cons and general considerations.  I've previously written about this big decision (here) and while I won't rehash that entire post, below is a list I came up of some of the important considerations:

Siblings

Baby Shower Gifts

Mistaken Predictions

Names

Nursery Decor

Curiosity 

Today I'm going to focus on item number two.  Specifically, how gender affects the gifting of baby clothes.  When gender is known, people tend to gift the mom-to-be with baby clothes.  It can't be helped given all the adorable baby girl and baby boy clothing out there - pink tutus, navy overalls, princess onesies and sailor hats.  When gender is a surprise, people tend not to gift the mom-to-be with baby clothes.  It's avoided because gender neutral clothes are not all that adorable.  Right?  This is the assumption of most.  This is (was) my assumption.  With this in mind, I made it my mission to find adorable, gender neutral baby clothes.  

Let's start with a little quiz that I myself faced early in the search.  Below are two adorable babies.  Who is a boy, who is a girl?  Are they both boys/girls?      

Monkey Organic Jumper
by My Little Pakora ($28)

Towelling All-in-on
by Mini Boden ($36)

If you guessed that they were both BOYS, you're probably right.  I have no way of knowing for sure (I don't know these babies personally), but both of these outfits are the boy version.  I'll prove it to you with the girl version below.

by My Little Pakora

by Mini Boden

This first little experiment made me feel like gender neutral clothes were either going to be boy clothes that girls could get away with or vica versa.  That discouraged me.  I wanted to find true gender neutral clothes, not makeshift gender neutral clothes.  My search continued and I think I found some winners. Below are the results.  Let me know what you think.  

Clockwise from the top left:
Striped Duck Creeper by Carter's ($5.99)
Seahorse Footie Onesie by Kate Quinn Organics ($38)
Little Bundles 3-Pack Bodysuit by Old Navy ($15)
Ocean Amigos Romper by Kissy Kissy ($34)

Where have you have found adorable gender neutral clothes?  What brands?

Stuff People Google 53

While we all know that the rain in Spain falls mainly in the plain, there are some unanswered questions about lightning in Florida...or so thought the typist featured in today's Stuff People Google.  Right?  Florida is the most reasonable interpretation of "fl"?

lightning in fl

I'm Kinda Psychic

Last week, I posted the Top 10 baby names (boy and girl).  Earlier this week, I summarized my deep thoughts on all the apparent trends revealed in the 2011 list.  Today, I'm revisiting predictions that I made last year and deciding whether I should quit my day job and become a full time psychic. 

I'm not sure I can handle the psychic uniform

Last year I posted 3 times (here, here and here) about my predictions of the hot name trends that were marking 2011.  My predictions were based on zero science.  I was just frequenting Nameberry and other baby name websites, and paying attention to naming trends amongst my peers.  My overarching theory was twofold.  First, traditional, century old names were hotter than ever (think Charlotte and Benjamin).  Second, non-traditional, modern names were hotter than ever (think Hudson and Skye).  These two extremes were simultaneously at work through most of last year.  The common, middle of the road names, like Jessica and Jeremy, were out of favor.  And yes, this wasn't rocket science - these trends have been hot for some time now.

With these theories in mind and considering some important pop-culture phenoms, I developed a list of  names that I thought would be big in the 2011 SSA results.  Turns out, I was pretty damn accurate.  Well, I was fairly damn accurate.

For the girls, none of the names I predicted lost popularity.  Nice.  For the boys, I wasn't as on point.  Two of my boy name predictions (Harry and Kyron) fell in popularity.  For both boy and girl names, a few of my predictions didn't even make the Top 1,000 list.  My humble belief for those names is that I'm just ahead of the curve.  Check out the details below:

GIRLS

• Adele – up 282 spots from 909 to 627
• Adelina – up 25 spots from 910 to 885
• Azalea – still not breaking the top 1000 (never has)
• Avery – up 5 spots from 23 to 18
• Dahlia – up 109 spots from 647 to 583
• Daphne – up 38 spots from 488 to 450
• Emery – up 40 spots from 312 to 272
• Finn – still not breaking the top 1000 (never has)
• Frankie – still not breaking top 1,000 (last on list in 1974)
• Joey – still not breaking top 1,000 (last on list in 1970)
• Marilyn – up 2 spots from 547 to 545
• Philippa – still not breaking the top 1000 (never has)
• Pippa – still not breaking the top 1000 (never has)
• Primrose – still not breaking the top 1000 (never has)

BOYS

• August – up 29 spots from 427 to 398
• Brayden – up 3 spots from 40 to 37
• Everett – up 30 spots from 287 to 257
• Grayson – up 25 spots from 122 to 97
• Harry – DOWN 58 spots from 658 to 709
• Henry – up 10 spots from 67 to 57
• Kyron – DOWN 60 from 824 to 884
• Wallace – still not breaking the top 1000 (last on list in 1993)

At some point in the next month or so I should once again pull together predictions, seeing that I'm so good at it.  Have you noticed any particular names or name trends picking up traction this year?

Consideration and Deliberation of 2011's Most Popular Baby Names

Today's post title is hardcore (read: long).  If you've read prior baby name posts on NSB you've come to know that I get hardcore about the subject.

For starters, thanks to fabulous comment from Amy in a post from last week (here), I now know that the Social Security Administration posts the most popular baby names from the prior year on the Friday before Mother's Day.  I knew it was an annual occurrence, but I didn't know there was a precise date.  I had thought it was just a random day in May.  Not so.  There is a sentimental method to the madness.

Next, let's get down to business and discuss 2011's most popular baby names.  I'll start with some interesting notes on specific names, girls first.

• Aubrey/Aubree - Both versions of this girl name gained noteworthy popularity last year.  Aubrey broke into the Top 20 and Aubree jumped from 223 to 99.
• Avery - As I predicted (more on that later in the week), the popularity of Avery continues to rise.  She jumped 5 significant spots from 23 to 18.
• Briella - This name jumped 394 spots from 2010 (#891) to 2011 (#497).  Not only that, but 2010 was the first time Briella was even in the Top 1,000.  She jolted from not listed to Top 500 in 2 years flat.  Impressive.  My previous (here) and current theory on the sudden popularity of Briella is also known as the Jersylicious Effect.  Jerseylicious is another trashy, fabulous reality TV show that stars, amongst many, Briella Calafiore.  Ms. Calafiore's mom must feel like an innovator.
• Brisa - She fell the most spots of any girl name, sliding from 464 to 807.  It's a relatively common name amongst Latino families, but can't seem to hit it's stride in the US of A. 
• Sophia/Sofia - As if Sophia overtaking Isabella for the #1 spot wasn't enough, Sophia's less popular twin sister (Sofia) broke into the Top 20.  I don't think this name (either version) is going anywhere anytime soon.

Briella Calafiore.  Jerseylicious.

Now the boys.

• Benjamin - It may be hard to believe, but this boy name has never been this popular.  It broke into the Top 20 for the first time. 
• Brett - Bye, bye Brett.  Much like the career of Brett Favre, this name's hay day has passed.  It went down a whopping 119 spots in a year from 389 (2010) to 508 (2011).
• Joseph - Perhaps one of the most significant changes to the Top 1,000 boy name list was the movement of Joseph.  He is officially out of the Top 20 for the first time in the history of the SSA keeping tabs on this stuff. 
• Liam - It's the shorter (if we're counting letters), Irish brother of William and it's yet another name that broke into the Top 20 for the first time in 2011.  Liam has been on the rise since the mid 1990s and after becoming a popular choice for celeb baby boys (i.e. Liam McDermott, Liam Costner, Liam Stewart), I imagine it will maintain it's stronghold for years to come. 
• Mason - Well hello there fella.  A mere 15 years prior, Mason hadn't even broken the Top 100 and now he's Number 2.  Nearly 1% of all little boys were named Mason in 2011.  Can we blame credit Kourtney Kardashian for this trend?
• Brantley - This is the biggest mover and shaker of the 2011 boy names list.  Brantley jumped from 736 in 2010 to 320 in 2011 (that's 416 spots).  Brantley Gilbert could be the reason...possibly, maybe.  He's a country music singer/songwriter who released his first songs and music videos in 2010 and also made headlines for surviving a messy DUI.

Brantley Gilbert.  Countrylicious.

When it comes to girls versus boys, there isn't much to report.  The characteristic differences between these groups seem to have held true in the last year.  For example, in 2011, like every year prior that I cared to run the math on, a significantly larger percentage of boys (% 43.77) were given a Top 100 boy names than were girls (% 31.12) given a Top 100 girl name.  This means that it is (and has always been) more likely that your son will share the same name as his bestie than will your daughter.  On the other hand, the Top 5 girl names held strong with only slight jockeying between the ranks while the Top 5 boy names lost Ethan and Michael and gained Noah and Mason.     

Did you have a chance to peruse the SSA website and see if you're favorite baby name(s) were on any of the Top lists?  Any trends that you're seeing so far in 2012?  Do you get as excited over baby names as I do?

Stuff People Google - Anniversary! (52)

It's the one year anniversary of Stuff People Google!  Well, technically, the original Stuff People Google was May 20, 2011...but the 20th is Sunday, so that just wouldn't work.  Fridays are Stuff People Google days and I don't typically post on Sunday, it's my day of rest, brunch and reality TV.

In celebration of this glorious anniversary, I'm hosting a little poll.  It's for fun.  There's no prize (sorry).  I've consulted some faithful NSB followers and narrowed down the past year of Stuff People Google editions to five favorites.  Comment with your favorite of the five below and, if you dare, share your reasoning.

beautiful babies ugly ultrasounds

Jessica Simpson pregnant manatee

does things stop when you have children


mommy knows im watching her naked


my long boob

For the record, my all time favorite edition was 42 - she said horse with a lisp.  Whenever I say it out loud (with a lisp) I nearly pee my pants laughing.  Try it.  But of course I'm going to vote from the choices above.

Meathole of the Week

Who watches Watch What Happens Live?  I'm a Real Housewives fanatic and WWHL comes on after every episode (of every season) so I often find myself tuning in.  I also happen to get a kick out of the host Andy Cohen.  Every episode Andy announces his "mazel of the day" and his "jackhole of the day" - the former gives praise, the latter not so much - to different people, places and things in pop-culture.

Last week I read a headline on People.com that irked me.  A lot.  So much so that I decided to bite off of Andy Cohen's nightly ritual on WWHL and announce my own jackhole (renamed meathole) of the week.  This week's meathole is Hilary Duff and the headline below is the reason why she's won the title.

Hilary Duff: Labor with Luca Was 'Very Easy'  

I cringed and rolled my eyes upon seeing the obnoxious headline, but then forced myself to read the article in case my reaction was premature.  My hope was that Ms. Duff's quote was taken out of context and she actually said something like this: labor was of course painful and a bit chaotic, but it was 'very easy' compared to some nightmare stories that I've heard.  Not so much.  All quotes in the article were taken from Hilary's recent appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show (a video clip was included in the People.com article), so there was no mincing of words.  Not only did Hilary brag about labor being easy as pie, but she also noted that her newborn Luca sleeps all night without issue.  She says, "it's possible ladies!" in that condescending I'm-Oprah-and-I'm-teaching-you-a-lesson tone.

Pah-lease.  Hilary Duff is not only a first time mom, but she's friggin Lizzie Maguire.  Not Oprah.  Her whole interview felt like a woman who looks like Adriana Lima revealing that she survives on a diet of french fries and ice cream, and never works out.  "Oh no!  I couldn't sacrifice chocolate.  The horror.  I'm just blessed with good genes," says Ms. Skinny Supermodel.  It's not that doubt that some people do have stellar DNA or that some women do have relatively easy labor.  Oh contraire.  I believe it.  What bugs me is the bragging.  Nobody likes a bragger.  Nobody.

Baby Luca (from Hilary's Instagram)

So, congrats to Hilary Duff for being Super Mom of the Year and for being Meathole of the Week.      

It's Time to Talk About the TIME Cover

As my good friend WW would say, Get Serious.  It's time, once again, to talk about extended breastfeeding thanks to the latest edition of TIME magazine.  Last Thursday, the new TIME came out and all the media outlets were (and still are) buzzing about the cover photo.  Within hours of the cover's public release, I was receiving emails, text messages, Facebook wall posts and carrier pigeon mail suggesting that I discuss the cover on NSB.  It was hysterical and greatly appreciated.  Sometimes my creative juices simply don't flow, so I genuinely love post suggestions.  And, like in this case, when suggestions for a single topic come in droves, it also helps me understand what's hot.

And here's the close up...

While I don't particularly enjoy writing about extended breastfeeding (remember my twitter fight on the subject?), I'm willing to share my non-expert opinion when the moment strikes.  So, once again, let's get serious.

I first saw the above image on Morning Joe, my weekly a.m. ritual.  My first reaction was "woah" accompanied by a need to flip the channel (I'm being honest here, not intending to offend).  My first full thought, which was admittedly super cynical, is that the mom on the cover is in amazing shape and I wondered whether her motivation for extended breastfeeding is the weight loss benefits.  For those who don't know, breastfeeding burns calories.  I'm talking hundreds of calories.  There's a Sex in the City episode in which Miranda's co-worker breastfeeds her 5-year-old because she doesn't want to get back into a gym routine.

I haven't read the TIME article, but I have read a lot of the support and backlash that it has received.  And there's a lot on both ends.  First, I think that the majority (from both sides of the fence) found the cover image to be shocking, if not exploitive.  I also think most agree that was the point - get people talking.  So, well done TIME, mission accomplished.  I have no doubt that magazine sales sky rocketed for this month.

Next, do I have anything useful to say about the substance of the article?  Hmmm.  Not really because, again, I didn't read it.  But I'm going to attempt an opinion anyway.  The premise of the article is that extended breastfeeding is part of Attachment Parenting.  I had never heard the term "attachment parenting" so I'm going to assume that some of you haven't either and define it as best I can.  Attachment Parenting is a parenting style that aims to foster a relationship between a child and a primary caregiver so that normal social and emotional development can occur (thanks Wikipedia).  To me, this sounds like a run-of-the-mill parenting skill - bond with your child.  I dug deeper and learned that attachment parenting encourages a number of specific ways in which the parent/child relationship should be fostered, one of which includes extended breastfeeding.

I'm not sure how you feel after reading the above paragraph, but it didn't get me any closer to feeling comfortable with the TIME cover.  It did, however, help me to think of extended breastfeeding as a parenting style, just like forms of discipline and rules about picking your nose.  And when it comes to parenting styles, there are infinite theories and experts (many of which conflict).  So, in my non-expert and highly humble opinion, the lesson to be learned here is to each her own.  Each parent can (and should) choose a style that works best for the parent and for the child.  Maybe the style will be guided by the tenets of Attachment Parenting or maybe the style will be guided by something else (i.e. gut instinct, Oprah, etc.). 

It's like this: New Yorkers love to talk about how to get around.  There's a constant comparison of this highway to that thruway - she takes the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, he takes the FDR, I always avoid the Major Deegan.  Everyone thinks their route is the best, but who really knows.  At the end of the day, there are many ways to get from Brooklyn to the Bronx.  And there are many ways to raise a socially and emotionally normal child.

SSA 2011 Top 10!!! (at last)

By sheer stroke of luck, I decided (moments ago) to check out the Social Security Administration website to see if the 2011 updates were finally posted.  Each May, the SSA releases the Top 1,000 baby names from the previous year.  The exact day in May isn't scheduled (to my knowledge).  I had somewhat patiently ignored the urge to check the SSA website on a daily basis for the past two weeks and instead decided that I would eventually catch wind through news outlets.  But it's mid month and I hadn't yet heard anything, so I caved and checked the site myself.  BAM.  They are up and ironically just went live.  The Top 10 lists are below and of course I'll give you my full two three cents after I've had time to paroose and digest the full list.

Top 10 Girl Names for 2011

1. Sophia
2. Isabella
3. Emma
4. Olivia
5. Ava
6. Emily
7. Abigail
8. Madison
9. Mia
10. Chloe

Top 10 Boy Names for 2011

1. Jacob
2. Mason
3. William
4. Jayden
5. Noah
6. Michael
7. Ethan
8. Alexander
9. Aiden
10. Daniel

Stuff People Google 51

First, it's almost the 1 year anniversary of Stuff People Google.  Extremely exciting.  In celebration, next week's edition will be a little interactive...so be sure to participate.  For this week, below is the search phrase of a boozy mom with a weird sense of style.  She ended up at NSB thanks to this post.

crown royal booties

A Name Before a Baby

I seem to know more and more parents-to-be who choose and publicize a baby name before the baby is born.  Do you know any of these folks?  Are you one of these folks?  Is it a recent trend or am I just noticing it now that I'm baby crazed?   

Forty years ago (maybe even thirty), sonograms simply weren't standard parts of prenatal care.  Without a sonogram or two, the gender of the baby can't be discovered.  And, in most cases, without knowing the gender of the baby, a single name can't be settled upon.  So, relatively speaking, it is a trend for parents to decide on a single name before the baby is born thanks to modern technology.  But, if I'm considering only the last five years (the years when my peers started to become pregnant), it's really the last two years that I've noticed this naming habit.

While I won't choose this route, I don't think it's wrong or bad.  At all.  Quite the opposite, I understand the fun in it.  I imagine that it's fantastic to call him or her a real name rather than a nickname or...a pronoun.  Using a name (the name) might make it feel all the more real?  Choosing a name as early as possible hopefully prevents pregnant friends, acquaintances and coworkers from scooping up your jewel before the due date.  But I don't think any of these reasons are why people do it.  My theory on this seemingly newish trend is that people have been taken by all the amazing baby swag that requires a name or initials.  Below are a few examples of these desirables.

Pottery Barn has a bunch of personalized books, like the one below.  In fact, Pottery Barn has an entire section of their website dedicated to personalized baby stuff (here) with everything from blankets to toys to furniture.

The wall decal below by Stephen Edward Graphic ($35) is one of many that you can find on Etsy.com.  Personalizing a nursery can be nearly instant.

Two blue peas has a slew of awesome, inexpensive (!) baby gifts that can be personalized with a name or initials, like the giraffe and raccoon blanket below.  Check them all out here.

While I just realized this name picking trend, I have known of the general love for personalized gifts since the start of NSB and written about it twice (here and here).  So, was it the chicken or the egg?  Did personalized gifts become popular because people were choosing names before babies arrived or were people choosing names before babies arrived leading savvy retailers to capitalize?

Orange You Excited for a Gender Neutral Baby Shower?

Yes, this is a recycled title, I'm using "orange" as "aren't" again.  I posted about an orange nursery last November, entitled Orange You Excited to Decorate a Gender Neutral Nursery?  It featured the mood board below.

Go to the original post (here) for product details

Today I'm pulling together ideas for an orange themed baby shower.  Color themed parties are extra easy to pull together because necessities (decorations, invites, etc.) are readily available and they allow for creative party planning because the elements don't have to be matchy matchy.  After all, matchy matchy is a big NO, as Giuliana Rancic would say on E! Fashion Police.

I'm pleased to present some of the coolest Etsy born baby shower products that I've ever found.  I'm kicking it off, as always with invitations.

From top to bottom:

1. Chevron umbrella invitation by Executive Creations ($20 for set of 10)

2. Modern blue and orange invitation by Sophisticate Suite ($10 for digital file)

3. Elephant and peanut invitation invitation by Swanky Press ($30 for set of 20)

This banner by Parker Prints ($15.50) is unique and sweet.  It's perfect to hang over a refreshment table.  And, if you're not going to find out the gender then the banner can read "welcome baby".

Before coming across these raffle tickets by Middle Before ($6 for digital file) I had never heard of a diaper raffle.  I like it.  I'm into practical baby shower gifts (more on that here) and this is a fun way to encourage that.  

Orange (or tangerine or clementine) flavored macaroons would be baby shower perfection.  Here is a recipe for orange hazelnut macaroons from Cookstr.com.

This beautiful box is full of cupcake mix as a favor for shower guests.  It's made by Favor Box Bakery ($40 for 12 boxes) and I love it.  The colors are customizable.

Stuff People Google 50

Fifty weeks of Stuff People Google.  Nice.  This week's edition brought its typist to NSB thanks to a caption contest featuring a unique cake posted over a year ago (here).  I love caption contests.

cake for teen pregnancy

Pregzilla Anyone?

I'm contacted by many a random website owner/product pusher at the Next Stop Baby email address (nextstopbabyblog@gmail.com).  Several times a week someone asks me to promote a cause on Next Stop Baby.  I pretty much never oblige.  I'm not a snob, I'm a preservationist.  I want Next Stop Baby to be about products, website and (mostly) thoughts that authentically strike me in my daily life.

I was emailed two days ago with one of these standard requests to pass along information to you, my beloved readers.  Right off, I was annoyed because the emailer called me a "Mommy Blogger".  You and I know that I'm not a mommy blogger, but I decided to continue reading.  Despite the introductory faux pas, the content of the email was interesting enough that I couldn't just blow it off.  One can't break an unwritten rule without serious consideration.  So that's what I did and after about 4 minutes I had made my decision.  I'm sure you'll understand why.

She also called me a mommy when she signed off.
She is clearly NOT an NSB reader.

The emailer is affiliated with a reality television casting company and she's working on an upcoming show: Pregzilla.  That's right, Pregzilla.  You understand my extremely quick decision to pass along the good word, yes?

I'm a reality show addict.  I don't waste my time calling it a guilty pleasure because I'm not guilty about it. You know that I've written about Teen Mom several times (here, here and here) and referenced the Real Housewives (here and here).

I'm an urban dictionary addict and "pregzilla" is a defined term (here).

I found a t-shirt with the
Urban Dictionary definition of Pregzilla
(from zazzle.com)

I'm a Pregnant in Heels addict critic.  My posts about Rosie Pope and Pregnant in Heels have been reigning fan favorites.  I envision Pregzilla as being a direct competitor of Pregnant in Heels (aka more fodder for NSB).

The sum of all this meant I had to share the casting information.  I would freak out if a Next Stop Baby reader applied for the show and made it to any of the casting rounds, much less onto the show.  So, if you're interested or know anyone that would be the info is below and keep me posted!!!  Look out Rosie Pope, Pregzilla is on the way.

Now casting the humorous and crazy side of pregnancy! 

EXPECTING MOTHERS: You thought PMS was bad, but this just got a whole lot worse! Are you losing your mind? Hormones running amok? Freaking out over the littlest things? Are you making yourself and everyone else around you nuts and using your pregnancy as the excuse?

This is your pregnancy and you need to be treated like a queen! Let's face it, you're never going to have a better excuse to act up, diva out, regress to childhood, and take command as the queen!

SIGNIFICANT OTHERS:  Do you not recognize the woman you fell in love with?  Are you feeling more and more like an alien took over her body and turned her into an emotional monster?  This is your chance to have fun with the fact that your lady has gone off the rails.  

Looking for both expecting mothers and significant others to participate and share with us the comic drama that surrounds wild ride of pregnancy.  

Doron Ofir Casting, the star-making casting company behind Jersey Shore, Millionaire Matchmaker, My Strange Addiction and RuPaul's DragRace, is now casting pregnant mothers who are loud and proud pregzillas! If you or someone you know qualifies, please apply now!

If you and your significant other are currently expecting and appear to be between the ages of 21-35, you could be eligible to star in a new exciting series that celebrates the roller coaster ride of pregnancy. 

This is your opportunity to express yourself and tell the world what you've been going through. Vent, complain, brag, show off...and get the ultimate travelogue of your journey to parenthood. 

If selected, you will receive an episodic stipend of $5,000.00

To apply, please visit www.pregzillascasting.com and fill out the digital application. 

What Not To Expect

Who's going to see What To Expect When You're Expecting?  I'm tapping out.  Not interested.  First, I'm not a huge fan of the book.  Granted, I've never read the book, but friend reviews suggest that it's encyclopedia-like and fear-inducing.  I'm not into encyclopedias nor fear.  Second, those ensemble cast movies don't do it for me.  Valentine's Day was horrific.  Even Bradley Cooper couldn't save it.  I didn't bother to see New Year's Eve for the same reason I'm boycotting What to Expect, but I heard it was equally terrible.  There is one exception to this rule and that's Love Actually, my favorite movie of all time (that and The Cutting Edge and Clue: The Movie make up my top 3).

Bottom line, it's not my cup of tea.  But, by all means, check it out and let me know how it goes.  I imagine that it will do quite well in the theaters and satisfy many movie goers.  Plus, I've been wrong about a movie once or twice (you've probably already questioned my cinematic taste after learning my top 3 list).

The reason I mention What to Expect is not merely to bash pregnancy education and big budget film.  I bring it up because I was highly disturbed by a billboard that I saw for it over the weekend.  I was taking the subway (of course).  As I exited the train car, I was confronted by a huge, life-sized image of a pregnant Cameron Diaz glowing from across the subway platform.  It wasn't actually glowing, but those damn subway billboard are so big and shiny that it might as well have been.  It was Hollywood perfection with a slight exception, someone had scrawled the following across Cameron's perfectly taut, round belly:

Die Breeder Scum 

Woah, right?  I so wish I had taken a photograph to share.  I'm used to a scribbled mustache or a classic profanity, but this was a whole different form of graffiti.  It was hysterical.  Highly disturbing and hysterical. 

Turns out there's someone else out there who will also be boycotting What to Expect, just for very different reason.