Pickles and Ice Cream

The minute I revealed that there was bun in my oven, people started asking about my cravings.  Friends, family and strangers alike all wanted to know what foods I suddenly and absolutely needed.  It's one of the most talked about symptoms of pregnancy - food cravings.  It's some sort of phenomenon that pregnant women have cravings for foods that they have never craved before (or even liked before).  And, better yet, pregnant women crave unique combinations of food.

Remember Lady and the Tramp?  Of course you do.  It's aptly described on IMDB as the "romantic tale of a sheltered uptown Cocker Spaniel dog and a streetwise downtown mutt".

This is from 1955, seriously.

Do you remember the scene when the voice of the pregnant wife asks the husband to go out in the blizzard to get her some watermelon and chop suey?  That is how most people imagine pregnancy cravings.  Watermelon and chop suey.  Or, the classic, pickles and ice cream.  I was constantly asked whether I craved pickles or ice cream or the combination.  Much like Snooki, I happen to love pickles, and much like everyone, I happen to love ice cream.  So, my answer was always "Yes, I have been craving both pickles and ice cream...as much as I did before my pregnancy, which was a lot."

What I find especially interesting about the association between pregnancy and food cravings is that it's a farce.  Sort of.  I didn't have cravings when pregnant, not really.  There was never a moment when I absolutely needed a particular food.  There was never a moment when I demanded my husband run to the corner store for pickles or ice cream or anything else.  Most of my mom friends report the same.

This is a real maternity clothing store, check it out here.

I did, however, find myself eating a lot of tomato soup.  I'm a bagged lunch type of lady, yet I would randomly find myself in line at Hale and Hearty, waiting to pay for a cup of Tomato Basil with Rice soup.  Sometimes once a week.  But, I'm not sure I considered this a craving because I didn't suddenly and urgently need tomato soup at 2 a.m. one morning, I just sort of ate it often.  That and apple juice, but I think the apple juice was more about consuming something that was easy on my stomach and energy producing.

Has anyone ever actually craved pickles and ice cream while pregnant?  Has anyone (pregnant or not) ever tried pickles and ice cream together?  I wonder if it would be surprisingly good with the sweet and salty combo?  I do love chocolate covered pretzels.

What did you crave when you were pregnant?  

Name That Bump 5 - Revealed

As always, before I reveal the lady behind the bump from Name That Bump 5, here is the headless photo to refresh your memory:

And the lady is - Gwenyth Paltrow!!!  Amy and Ella Mae were correct.  

WW and Mother of Pearl, the headless image definitely looks as if it could be Posh.  But, Posh Spice (aka Victoria Beckham), while married to a Brit (soccer player David Beckham), is not what I would consider an accomplished actress.  She may have starred in Spice World with her fellow Spice Girls bandmates, but an Academy Award winner she is NOT.

Remember Spice World (circa 1998)?  Okay, I never saw it (shame on me), 

but I hear it's a cult classic.  I've just never met anyone in the cult.

Giveaway: What To Expect When You're Expecting

As promised last Friday, I have a giveaway for you today.  And not just any giveaway, a giveaway  from the one and only What To Expect When You're Expecting.

You know that WTEWYE (yes, I'm using a 6 letter acronym) is a book, arguably the bible of pregnancy reads.  You also know that it's a movie, a recently released movie that stars Cameron Diaz.  I still haven't seen it and the thought of Cameron Diaz with a fake baby bump still isn't appealing to me.  But that's neither here nor there.  You may not know that WTEWYE is also a website, an iPhone app and a collection of books.  WTEWYE is taking over the pregnant world.

Cameron with her fake bump for the movie.   Believable?

The WTEWYE collection of books includes the original that you know, What to Expect in the First Year and What to Expect in the Second Year.  From what I hear, the First and Second Year books are just as crucial as their predecessor, which makes me exceptionally happy about today's giveaway - the FULL collection.

Prize: What to Expect book series including What to Expect When You're Expecting, What to Expect in the First Year and What to Expect in the Second Year.
How to enter (and win): Post a comment (on this blog, BELOW) about what you expect to happen when you're pregnant or what you did expect about pregnancy before you pregnant.  Craving pickles and ice cream?  Going up a bra size?  Barfing...frequently?
Enter by: Thursday, June 28, 2012 at 5 pm (EST), no exceptions...sorry
Number of Winners: Two!!!
Shipping: US only
Winner Announcement: Two winners will be randomly selected using http://random-draw.org and posted Friday (6/29/12) afternoon.  So, check back!


So, what are/were you expecting???

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.   

Baby Season

In Wedding Crashers, Vince Vaughn's announced to Owen Wilson, "It's wedding season, kid!" and shortly thereafter the wedding crashing began.  You know what "wedding season" is, right?  You've heard the term.  You've probably used the term.  It's a pop culture staple when it comes to wedding talk.  Well, that's what I thought until I checked Urban Dictionary, the holy grail of all pop culture terms.  I had expected to find "wedding season" with a definition that went something like this: the time of year, between late spring to early fall, when the weather is at its best and people get married in droves.  I expected a reference to Wedding Crashers and maybe something about open bars and bridezillas. 

I was shocked to find that there is NO definition for wedding season on Urban Dictionary.  Huh?!  You can, however, find the definition to Bean Season.  You really do learn something new every day... 

With Easter right around the corner,
I think it's arguably Jelly Bean Season.

I'm going to depart tradition and say that, even without an Urban Dictionary definition, wedding season is a term.  And it's not only a term but it's also a reality in enough people's lives that a whole movie was based on it. 

What's decidedly NOT a term is "baby season".  Weather has no impact on baby making and thus there is no season affiliated with baby births.  Ummm, again, that's what I thought.  Turns out there is sort of a baby shower season - late Spring.  Statistically speaking, the most babies are born in the summer with August usually winning out as the biggest birthday month.  This finding has proven to be remarkably consistent over the years.  Nine months before summer times is late fall/winter time.  So it would seem that when the weather gets cold there is a spike in indoor activities...

As you know, Next Stop Baby is about the time in life when wedding season is over and baby craze begins.  But I guess it could have been about when wedding season is over and baby season begins.  Just doesn't have as nice a ring to it.

Have these statistics proven to be true for you?  Do you find yourself going to April/May/June baby showers for June/July/August due dates?  I found a bunch of interesting birth statistics over at BabyCenter.com (here) that are definitely worth checking out.

2011 Baby Name Predictions - Revisited (Boys Only)

Every year, the Social Security Administration updates their website with the 1,000 most popular boys and girls names of the prior year.  This year, the list was posted in May.  I immediately and intensely studied the list, of course.  By "studied" I mean scratched my head, searched some especially unique names on the internet, asked my dog for her thoughts and made a couple nonsensical spreadsheets.  The end result was a series of posts that note the changes from 2010 to 2011 (girl name post here, boy name post here) and some predictions about the 2011 trends that I think will show up on next year's update (here).

With the year coming to an end, I've decided to revisit my predictions and make a few last minute corrections before my time is up.  If you think this is cheating, then fine.  I'd like to think of the May post as a rough draft and the posts today (and yesterday) as the final product.  Below is a list of the boy names that I predicted would find popularity in 2011.  Like yesterday, I'm going to add some to the list and cross some off.

Boy Names

Everett

Frederick

Kyron

Lathan

Paige

Skye

Wallace

August and Henry.  Before I even discuss the names on the list, I'm adding these two.  I hear them everywhere.  Every baby boy I meet or hear about seems to be named one or the other, though I've yet to meet an August Henry or Henry August.  They are the choices of celebrities, coworkers, friends and strangers.  Both are classic and strong choices (think: August Anheuser Busch, Sr. and Henry Kissinger).

Everett.  I still like it.  A lot.  It's classic and strong like August and Henry, and has the added bonus of sounding like a first name or last name.  This type ambiguity seems to be a lasting trend.

Frederick.  I'm not sure about this one.  People are certainly into the long (read: many letters in length) classics.  Nathaniel, Christopher and Alexander are Top 100 standards.  But, Frederick might be too old classic.  Other than Freddy Prince Jr., nothing comes to mind by way of recent Federicks, Freds or Freddys.

Kyron is an odd name, in my humble opinion.  It makes me think of Enron or a software company.  On the other hand, it's a mash up - a mash up of Kyle and Aaron - and folks love mash ups (on Glee and with baby names).  I'm going to stick with Kyron, but I find it about as baby name friendly as Katniss (more on that here).  Before I end the discussion on mash ups, I'm adding Brayden to the list.  It's technically not a mash up, but it sounds like one.  It fits somewhere between Brandon, Raymond and Grayson...which is also getting added.  Gray is a hot color and Grayson is a hot name.

Lathan is out.  It's even stranger than Kyron.  If it's trying to mimic Nathan, then there's a major issue: Nate is a great nickname for Nathan, but Late does not work as a nickname for anything, ever.

Paige is staying on the list with a slight adjustment - I'm dropping the "i".  The "i" makes it too feminine to be used as a boy name.  So, Page will stay on the list.  It's gender neutral and neatly falls into the popular category of boy names that are also job titles: Mason, Hunter, Tanner, Sawyer...and Jasper.

Skye is a big YES thanks to fashionista Rachel Zoe.

Wallace may seem like a bad gamble (if I were actually betting on these guesses).  The first Wallace that comes to mind is Wallace from Wallace and Gromit, which doesn't conjure intellect and success.  But, it's also masculine (think William Wallace), vintage and...the kicker...British.  If we learned one thing in 2011, we learned that Americans are obsessed with British Royalty.  Who isn't?  Who didn't wake up at the crack to watch Wills and Kate get hitched?  You at least recorded it on your Tivo or DVR, right?  So, I'm keeping Wallace and I'm adding Harry.  Adding William would be officially cheating given that William has been in the Top 20 list since 1901, and is usually in the Top 10.

The new and improved boy name list:

Boy Names

August

Brayden/Braydon

Everett

Frederick

Grayson

Harry

Henry

Kyron

Lathan

Page

Paige

Skye

Wallace

If you have no clue who Wallace and Gromit are, watch the clip below.  

It's claymation British humor at its finest.

2011 Baby Name Predictions - Revisited (Girls Only)

Back in May I posted my predictions for the names that would be hot in 2011.  Here's the recap for girl names:

Girl Names

Adele

Adelina

Bennett

Finn

Marilyn

Philippa

Pippa

Rose

Suzanne

Tristan

For the reasoning behind this list, and the boys name list, check out the original post (here).  Now that 2011 is almost over, I'm going to revisit the lists.  Today is for the girls, tomorrow is for the boys.  Ladies first, of course.  I'll scratch a few off the list and add a few on.

Adele and Adelina, check and check.

Bennett....eh.  Maybe no for Bennett.  I still think that Masculine girl names will be hot, but Bennett might be too masculine.  Instead I'll add Avery and Emery to the list.  These are both masculine-ish names but with the "y" ending feel more acceptable as a baby girl's name and they both allow for nicknames that are super hot - Ava and Emmy.

Finn I'm keeping.  Call me crazy, but it's cute yet masculine and similar to Quinn, which has steadily climbed the top 1,000 list over the past 20 years (from 942 to 253).

I think I'm ahead of the times with Marilyn.  My guess is that Marilyn might be more popular in 2011 than 2010, but not noteworthy so.  However, I'd wager that Marilyn will be B-I-G in 2012.  In just a week, Michelle Williams will star as Marilyn Monroe in the upcoming film My Week With Marilyn (in theaters 11/23/11).  I suspect that she will remind everyone that Marilyn Monroe is a true icon and that Marilyn is an awesome name.

Philippa and Pippa definitely stay on the list.  Pippa Middleton continues to be an enigma, as does her name.

Rose.  I'm not sure Rose will be making a come back.  I'm going to scratch that off the list too.  People are digging traditional names and feminine names.  But not names that are both traditional and feminine, like Rose.  Traditional names have to be a little less flowery, like Charlotte.  And feminine names have to be a little more unusual, like Azalea.  So, I'm going to add Azalea, Dahlia and Daphne.

Primrose.  While I'm nixing Rose, I think the longer version Primrose might be a hit thanks to The Hunger Games.  If your counting, I've officially written about The Hunger Games three times this month.

Suzanne is a wild card.  I'm going to cross it off the list, though I may regret that.  Maybe Susanna instead?  Hmmm...nope.  I don't know why, but I've changed my mind on this front.

Tristan.  I'm scrapping Tristan too.  It's masculine, or at least gender neutral, which is good.  But, like my Bennett nix, it may lack intrigue.  Instead I'm adding a different category of masculine names - nicknames.  What were once nicknames for boys are now full names for girls.  Example, I have a friend who named her daughter Frankie.  Adorable!  So I'm adding Frankie and Joey.  (Not Franny and Zooey, which I openly admit went over my head.  I needed a book club for that one).

Girl Names

Adele

Adelina
Azalea

Avery

Bennett
Dahlia
Daphne

Emery

Finn
Frankie
Joey

Marilyn

Philippa

Pippa
Primrose

Rose

Suzanne

Tristan

Click here to watch the trailer for My Week With Marilyn.  Who plans to see it in the theatre?

UPDATE (11/18/11) - The Huffington Post (with a writer from nameberry.com, my favorite baby name website as you know) came out today with an article on the Top 12 baby name trends for 2012.  Let me say this: You read it HERE first!!!  Here is the article.

Katniss Is Not a Real Name

The title of this post says it all - Katniss is not a real name.

It's an answer to a question that I feel is plaguing my favorite baby name website, Nameberry.  I check it out on a weekly (sometimes daily) basis.  I love the witty blog articles.  I love scrolling through all the name lists like "Geezer Names for Girls" and "Nouveau Names on the Rise".  And, I love checking out the "Today's Most Popular Name" feature, which is a cluster of the most searched names on Nameberry on any given day.  It's a great website to kill fifteen minutes or two hours (click here for other websites that I kill time on).

For the past several months, Katniss has been a name featured in Nameberry's "Today's Most Popular Name".  It's always there.  Front and center, large and pink.  The larger the name the more times it's been searched.  Everytime I pop over to check out the latest in baby names I see Seraphina (thanks Ben and Jen) and Katniss.

A screenshot from Nameberry yesterday.  

You'll notice the prominence with which Katniss is featured.

For those of you who are thinking, KATNISS?  WTF?  I can explain its popularity, in part: The Hunger Games.  You've heard of The Hunger Games, yes?  It's followed in the footsteps of the Twilight Saga as the next, best, cheesy, teenage, science fiction, drama, romance series.  The heroine of the Hunger Games series, who will be played by Jennifer Lawrence when it comes to movie theaters everywhere in March 2012, is Katniss.  Just as Bella and Isabella became wildly popular baby names thanks to the Twilight Saga, it seems that Katniss is becoming a top baby name choice thanks to The Hunger Games.

Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss.  Fierce.
Looks like she could kick Kristen Stewart's ass.

The part I can't explain is why people have decided that Katniss is a real name (versus the name of a science fiction heroine).  Katniss is like Spock - it's a character, not a name.  People didn't have to make that distinction with Bella or Isabella, because both had been within the top 1,000 most popular baby names (per the social security website) since 1880.  Katniss has never been on the social security website's top 1,000 baby names.  Will it join those ranks in the next couple years?  If it's popularity on Nameberry is any indication, then yes.

What do you think - is Katniss a "real life" name?  Am I being a baby name party pooper?  Will I be eating my words in a couple decades?  And, more importantly, have you read The Hunger Games and how does it compare to the Twilight Saga?

An Apartment Baby

I live in a small space.  A small New York space (versus a small Canton, Ohio space).  When I someday transition from baby crazy to baby mama I will have to fit my baby into this small space.  I will also have to fit the baby's things into this small space.  Cue the suspenseful music...

 

I couldn't find any suspenseful music, but I did find the original movie trailer for Scream.  

The thought of making room for a crib in my teeny tiny apartment makes my brain hurt.  Square peg.  Round hole.  Impossible.  And, the crib is just one thing.  There are many other things that will need to find homes in my apartment too - bottles, clothes, diapers and some tons of other stuff...I don't know what exactly that other stuff is, but I know there's tons.

The round hole symbolizes my apartment and
the square hole symbolizes the baby stuff.  Deep.
(image here)

So, what does an apartment dweller do when she has a baby?  Where does all the baby stuff go?  WHERE?

Without the pressure of an impending due date, it's a good time to consider this dilemma.  My standard method of problem solving is to separate the things I can control from the things I can't control, then focus on the things I can control.  In this problem, I can't control the size of my apartment.  Unless, of course, I move.  Assuming that's not a feasible option (because it's not), let's continue.  The baby stuff is something I can control both in terms of how much and how big.  Thus, I'm going to focus on the baby stuff.  Step one: complete.

Step two: what is the baby stuff?  I've come full circle in a mere two paragraphs, one of which was only three short questions.  Hmmm.  My method for learning things about pregnancy and childbirth is consulting wikipedia and urbandictionary.com.  Unlike my problem solving method, this method is bad.  It failed just yesterday (read this and then this for the humorous details).

And so, I'm turning to YOU - What are the best baby stuff?  I'm not talking great, I'm talking BEST. What are things that were absolutely essential to the first year of your little one's life?  Give me your Top 5.

A Pregnant Woman Walks Into a Bar...

A pregnant woman walks into a bar and is soon approached by a guy who says, "Can I sit here with you?"  

She says, "No, I'm expecting someone." 

Ba dum bum, CHING.  Get it?  She's "expecting" someone!?  Credit for this knee slapper goes to a George Voiland.

I seem to be writing about pregnancy and alcohol a lot lately (recent posts include here, here and here).  I'm not sure if it's an important issue or just important to me and the seemingly boozy company that I keep.  Like many issues relating to pregnancy, alcohol use can stir up heated and differing opinions - when to drink, how much to drink, to drink at all.  Pregnant and childless, men and women, old and young, all have something to say.  The mere presence of a pregnant woman in a bar turns heads. 

How do you feel about pregnant ladies in bars?  While you're thinking about this highly philosophical question, watch this somewhat related movie clip.  By now you realize that I love movies, especially critically unacclaimed ones.

I've had multiple experiences with pregnant women in bars.  Before delving into such experiences, let's nail down the nomenclature.  By "pregnant women" I'm talking about the gonna-pop-any-moment kind and not the I-never-would-have-guessed kind.  Both kinds are pregnant, but only one kind is pregnant to the unacquainted stranger.  Another point of clarification, by "bar" I mean a place that makes its primary business by serving alcoholic beverages. 

I was a cocktail waitress in college at a sketchy, local pub.  Once in a while a pregnant woman would come in to shoot pool and drink Bud Heavy (read: Budweiser, not the light kind).  I remember feeling incredibly uncomfortable when this would happen and I would avoid serving her.  In more recent times, I've observed pregnant women in bars that I patron and I've actually been to bars with pregnant friends.  It's a rare occasion, but when it does happen I'm not nearly as stressed by it.  My understanding of pregnancy health has increased and my judgmental nature has decreased. 

My personal comfort/discomfort aside, I think people in general are disturbed by pregnant women in bars.  Maybe "disturbed" is too strong a characterization.  Weirded out?  Concerned?  When pregnant Gwyneth Paltrow was spotted drinking a pint of Guinness during her 3rd trimester with Moses (her son, not the biblical prodigy) it made national tabloid news.     

The stylist for this photo shoot has
successfully confused the hell out of me.
Between the 1989 Barbie-esque hair and makeup,
the faux fur jacket, the hippie brown skirt...
image HERE

Being aware of the negative effects that alcohol can have on an unborn baby is just smart.  Pointing out such knowledge to the unknown pregnant lady sitting next to you at the bar borders on self-righteous.  As judgy as we may all feel about the topic, and I'm not judging you for being judgy...yeah...you read that correctly, consider leaving the pregnant ladies alone.  Let's judge in our heads, not with our eyes or our words.  Whether you see a pregnant bar goer sipping Guinness or sipping cranberry juice, let her be.  If anyone is going to have a serious discussion with her about pregnancy health it's gonna be her doctor.  And, probably, she's already had that conversation.  Who knows?  What we do know is that I'm no expert.  And neither are you.  Unless, of course, you're her doctor.

The Other Stick That You Pee On

Raise your hand if you've heard of an ovulation test?

Last week, my hand would have remained in my bag of pretzels.  This week, my hand is half raised to about earlobe height.  Over the weekend I was involved in two completely separate conversations that discussed ovulation tests.  Well, others discussed and I listened.  For those of you who (like myself last week) have never heard of an ovulation test, I'll start by relaying some information from my most valued resource. 

Though Urban Dictionary does not have a definition for "ovulation test" it does have a definition for "you wastin' my minutes" that includes the term "ovulation test":

Definition - when your mom or a needy ex calls and don't want to talk to them. it's simple and get's the point across without feeling like an ass after.

Example Usage - "i would love to sit and talk about why i'm not home/why $50 is missing out of your purse/why there was an ovulation test in the trash/how much you want me back/why you should not kill yourself, but you wastin my minutes."

I doubt that assisted your understanding.  At all.  Fortunately, the name is pretty self explanatory.  It's a test used by a woman to determine when she ovulates.  Much like the better known pregnancy test, it also involves peeing on a stick.  Ovulation tests are apparently 99% accurate in identifying the surge of a hormone (LH), which indicates ovulation.  I'm not sure that translates to being 99% accurate in identifying ovulation, but there seems to be some sound scientific methodology at work. 

Take note:
"The MOST EFFECTIVE Test"
and "Over 99% Accurate"
Clearblue isn't messing around.
via Amazon.com

If you're thinking to yourself, what ever happened to the old fashion way (read: having a lot of unprotected sex)?  I'm with you.  But, here is where I think this new fashion way comes in handy.  First, if a couple tries the old fashion way for a while and it doesn't work, an ovulation test is a nice over-the-counter option before making an appointment with the gyno.  Next, some couples are ready when they are ready and wanna hit it out of the park in a single swing.  There's no shame in playing to win.  Last, some couples want (or need) to time their pregnancy.  For example, a teacher might want to aim for a July pregnancy when school is out.  Or a graduate student might need to squeeze her due date between final examinations and the start of her post-graduation job.  I don't see any words of "guarantee" on the Clearblue box, but in some cases it's better than poking around in the dark...or is it?  Sorry, couldn't resist.

For those who have used ovulation tests - Do they work?  Are they complicated?  Do you find yourself chugging Sunny D like Juno because you're constantly peeing on sticks?

It ain't no Etch A Sketch,
it's an ovulation test.

Mommy's Favorite is Your Favorite, Or Else

I don't know much about stage moms.  I hear that the show Toddlers & Tiaras would be a good learning tool on this front, but I'm far too scared to watch.  A 3-year-old wearing foundation, blush and false eye lashes is simply not natural.  I'm getting the heebie jeebies just thinking about it.

Eden Wood from Toddlers & Tiaras
Don't look directly into her eyes...

I can, however, understand the desire for your children to like the same things that you like.  For example, I love the beach, just love it.  The ocean, the sand, the unobstructed sunshine - it's all perfect.  If I someday have a child who despises the feel of sand between her toes, I would probably be devastated.  I would be heartbroken if my 4-year-old son told me that An American Tale was a stupid movie.  Or, what if I have a daughter who hates shoes?!  GASP.

Of course there's no point worrying about it, mostly because I don't have kids and less so because it would be out of my control even if I did.  That's what I thought until I recently listened to a news story on NPR.org entitled Baby's Palate and Food Memories Shaped Before Birth.  This article doesn't explain how to force your child to love An American Tale, but it does have some advice on how to guide your baby's food preferences.  Here's a quick summary: Everything that a pregnant woman eats affects the smell and flavor of the amniotic fluid only a couple hours after consumption.  The more often a pregnant woman eats certain foods the more exposed the unborn baby is to such foods.  When a baby begins to eat food (other than breast milk or formula), he or she is more likely to enjoy foods that are familiar based on experiences in the womb.  If mom eats broccoli every day twice a day during pregnancy, baby is more likely to enjoy eating broccoli when it comes time for solid foods.

I will be eating a ton of drunken noodle and ice cream during pregnancy.  I could probably forgive my child's rejection of The Cutting Edge (an amazing work of cinematic genius), but I don't think I could survive without sharing family meals of Thai food and ice cream sundaes. 

"Toe Pick!"

A Whole Nother Meaning for Crimson Wave

Let's head back to 1995 and reminisce about Clueless.  The word timeless comes to mind.  We were introduced to Suck and Blow and plaid blazers.  We learned that "the valley" was a bad, bad place.  And, though we knew it was more than just inappropriate, we rooted for step-siblings to get their french kiss on.  It was one of the best movies of the year and it is one of the most quotable movies of all time...if you were a teen female in 1995.   Being that I fit into that category, one of my favorite Clueless quotes is when Cher (Alicia Silverstone) says "I was surfing the crimson wave.  I had to haul ass to the ladies'."

Here's the trailer.  CLASSIC.

At first I didn't understand what "crimson wave" meant.  When a savvy friend explained that it was akin to "time of the month" and "monthly gift" (lame), I immediately added it to my repertoire.  Why say "I got my period" when you can say "I'm surfing the crimson wave"?

Years and years...and years...later, I've coined an alternative meaning for "surfing the crimson wave": getting drunk on red wine when you find out you're not pregnant.  I'll start from the top.  Trying to get pregnant is quite involved, and I don't just mean the sex part.  There's also the no alcohol part.  I think most of us know that alcohol is a bit of a no-no when pregnant, especially in the first trimester.  But one doesn't usually know the instant she becomes pregnant, which can lead to having an innocent dirty martini (or three) while being pregnant.  With this in mind, I have several friends who've decided to stay sober during the "trying" phase in order to eliminate the accidental drinking while pregnant scenario.

If trying isn't successful (aka you get your period), alcohol is a go...at least until you have unprotected sex again.  And so, with the crimson wave as we know it from Clueless comes the crimson wave as I've coined it - a whole hell of a lot of red wine.  My precautious friends lay off the sauce until they get their period, then wham: bring on the wine while the coast is clear! (Aka surf that crimson wave!)

While there are clear differences between Cher's version of the crimson wave and mine, both definitions could require some hauling ass to the bathroom.

Three Men and a Baby - Revisited

I finally re-watched Three Men and a Baby.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience despite the fact that I had the popcorn, but no orange Fanta (which had been part of my plan).  The teensy mens running shorts, the comically large portable phones, the mustaches...amazing.  Two decades after my original screening, the plot and characters remained as entertaining as a I remembered.

Here is the list of my memories from the post Three Men and a Baby - My Memory (in bold) with some corrections and notes that I gathered from my recent viewing:

The baby's mom was British - YES, yes she was.  Surprisingly, I hadn't remembered anything about the baby's dad, which turned out to be Ted Danson's character.

The diaper changing scene was a funny highlight - It wasn't as funny at my current age as it had been at my previous age, though I'm certainly not too old or cool for potty humor.  There was a lot of projectile urination, which confused me given that the baby was a girl (Mary).  Can any mother of a baby girl please confirm whether baby girls projectile pee?

One of the three men was an architect - Tom Selleck's character was in deed an architect, which is central to the plot and thus not all that impressive in terms of my memory.  Ted Danson was an actor and Steve Guttenberg was a...umm...I already forget.  

Someone was trying to steal the baby...is this even true?!  Sort of true.  The bad guys were actually trying to retrieve their drugs that had been accidentally/intentionally delivered to the guys' apartment, but there was a misunderstanding that almost led to the snatching of baby Mary and then a later threat to take her.

Ghost myth - This was lost on me.  My memory about the precise scene and location of the ghost was gone, so I didn't know where and when to look.  Any helpers on this point?

The baby had strawberry blond, curly-ish hair - Nope.  The baby was bald, as most babies are.  I think I'm confusing this with the less awesome (but still good...per my memory) sequel, Three Men and a Little Lady.

The apartment they shared was big and very cool with something unique about the front door that I can't quite put my finger on - was it an elevator that led straight in?  Yes.  After re-watching, this is an unsurprising memory given the prominence of the lobby/entrance of the apartment.  Steven Guttenberg's character paints a big, flashy mural of the three men in the opening scene, which is ultimately modified in the closing scene to include baby Mary and her mother.

What did this experiment teach me?  One, my memory is pretty good.  Two, the Eighties was a decade of excess - big hair, big phones, big shoulder pads.  And, we should all be happy that it was authentically captured in movies like Three Men and a Baby.  Three, Tom Selleck hasn't changed bit.  What a looker, mustached and all.  Last, I think I should watch Three Men and a Little Lady, for old time's sake...

Three Men and a Baby - My Memory

A twitter friend (that's right, I'm developing twitter friends) reminded me of the classic cinematic masterpiece, Three Men and a Baby.  Apparently my old friend/nemesis Sophie the Giraffe makes a cameo in it, which was the focus of our conversation (read: asynchronous exchange of ten word phrases).  I hadn't seen Three Men and a Baby in well over a decade and I immediately went to my Netflix cue and added it to the top.  It should arrive just in time for a weekend viewing.

via Amazon.com

This is a great picture for at least 3 reasons:
1) exaggerated puppy dog face
2) mustache
3) "ooooh"

Before re-watching, I decided to jog my memory for those movie moments that my 12-year-old self noted:

• The baby's mom was British
• The diaper changing scene was a funny highlight
• One of the three men was an architect
• Someone was trying to steal the baby...is this even true?!  My memory is so foggy around this issue, but I seem to recall a baby snatching caper 
• Ghost myth - at the close of one scene, when everyone has exited the room, a dark and shadowy figure walks by the window curtain.  All of my tween friends and I were convinced it was a ghost.  Well, truthfully, I personally wasn't convinced...I was the type of kid that secretly pushed the Ouija board compass to spell something crazy while all the other girls at the sleepover freaked out.
• The baby had strawberry blond, curly-ish hair
• The apartment they shared was big and very cool with something unique about the front door that I can't quite put my finger on - was it an elevator that led straight in? Can't remember...

Once I watch, I'll follow-up with a list of memorable moments that my ageless older self notes.  I'm excited.  I think I'll drink orange soda and eat microwave popcorn for a truly authentic experience.