Another Proper Farewell

I guess I hate goodbyes?  I'm not sure, but I should probably look into it.  First there was my slow and slightly awkward retreat from blogging.  Admittedly, I was less than graceful in stepping back from Next Stop Baby last winter/spring.  Though, I finally did announce my hiatus in a vaguely respectable post (here's the post).

Then, there was my failure to bid adieu to Rosie Pope and her pregnant ladies that sometimes wore heels.  To this day, the most read post on Next Stop Baby is the one where I called out Rosie's (seeming) lisp.  By "called out", I mean that I wrote about someone else who called out Rosie's lisp to her face her twitter handle.  I'm a lot of talk and very little action.

You may have noticed that Pregnant in Heels didn't make it to Season Three.  Last April, Bravo announced its 2012 shows that would be kept on for another season...Pregnant in Heels wasn't on the list.  Kind of sad (for a few).  There wasn't even a formal announcement that the show got cancelled.  It was canned by omission.  Clearly I'm not the only one who hates goodbyes.

Now that I'm back, I feel that it's only right for me to formally thank Rosie Pope and all those involved in the production of Pregnant in Heels.  Mrs. Pope and her show were the subject of ten posts, two of which describe the time that I met her saw her in close proximity.  She brought Next Stop Baby a lot of readers and she brought me personally a lot of fodder for sarcastic, joyful posts.  So, thanks Rosie.  You may not have made it to Season Three on Bravo, but you made it to Season Ten in my book!

And Next Stop Baby loves you, duh.

Stuff People Google 60

How friggin funny:

is the host from pregnant in heels always pregnant?

Today's edition of Stuff People Google is just awesome.  Rosie Pope, the host in question, has been pregnant now for 2 seasons in a row (with her second son and her first daughter).  Oh, and the show itself has only been on Bravo for 2 seasons.  So, it's a fair question.  Is her pregnancy staged for the show?  Does Bravo only film when she's with child?  Or is the timing just magical perfect for a show about pregnancy and babies?  I'm fairly certain that it's the latter - she's just a baby crazy lady (like myself) who not only owns a maternity clothing line and runs baby/Lamaze/parenting classes, but also wants a full house of baby Popes.  

I Met Rosie Pope (Part 2)

This being "Part 2", if you haven't read Part 1 you may want to do so first (click here).

I ended Part 1 with my standing in that huge crowd, waiting impatiently for my chance to meet Rosie Pope.  I'm feeling guilty for what's going to be an anti-climatic conclusion, so I'm going to cut to the punch - I never actually shook Rosie's hand or introduced myself...or technically met her.  The damn line was soooo long.  After 30 minutes of eating gummy bears in line and chatting up the pregnant women in front of me and behind me it became clear I wasn't even halfway through the wait.  So, I made up an excuse to get really close, took a haphazard photo (below) and bee lined for the exit.

I got within 15 feet of the Pregnant in Heels hostess, maybe closer.  The girl in the pink, patterned, long dress (blurry) was definitely Rosie's keeper.  She was standing close by while members of the press questioned her with notebooks and microphoned recorders.  You can see in the top right corner there is a person with a camera taking photos of something out of frame.  That something is Daron Pope.  Oddly enough, Rosie and Daron maintained a significant distance for the entire event.

You're probably pretty angry right now - angry that I didn't actually meet her, that I didn't suck it up and just wait in line, that I fraudulently entitled this post (and Tuesday's post) "I Met Rosie Pope".  I'm angry too.  And I'm sorry.  A more honest choice of words would have been "I Almost Met Rosie Pope But I Was Too Bored".  The worst part is that I can't officially confirm or deny her strange accent/lisp/speech impediment because while I got within an earshot, it was so damn noisy I couldn't distinguish her voice from all the others. 

Despite your anger, maybe you still want to read about my thoughts on her maternity line?  

The Rosie Pope for A Pea in the Pod maternity line is full of blazers and blouses.  It has a distinct business woman (with a bump) feel.  It's also expensive for what I would consider reasonable money to spend on maternity clothes.  A woman is pregnant for 9 months and probably only needs maternity clothes for 5-7 of those months.  So, spending a few thousand dollars on a 5-7 month wardrobe isn't a luxury that most ladies can afford, especially considering all of those other looming expenses (strollers, cribs, diapers, etc.).  The least expensive item in Rosie's new collection was a peach blouse for $85.  

I was also struck by the fact that this line isn't all that different (if at all) from the regular Rosie Pope maternity line.  The whole point of the collaboration alluded me.  It wasn't like Vera Wang's collection for Kohl's or Stella McCartney's collection for Target, both of which are highly affordable and stylish collections from designers who made names for themselves by making highly expensive and stylish collections.  

The collection itself is cute and very New York.  I'm not sure it's practical (both in cost and style) for non-professionals.  No need to drop $180 on a maternity pencil skirt if you're not required to wear business attire on a daily basis.  The color palette is black, white and rose, with few exceptions.  The individual pieces are almost all tailored, which I appreciated - just because you're pregnant doesn't mean you have to sport shift dresses and empire waist shirts - but a couple loose fitting items would have been nice.  Not everyone can look like Victoria Beckham through the 9th month.  

This sparkly, black blazer was one of many blazers.  It was cute, had a Chanel vibe.  

This white blouse was one of my favorite pieces.  

It was simple and didn't look maternity to me.  It retailed for $125.

This geometric shirt dress was another favorite.  But for $225?  

I agonize over non-maternity fashion purchases for $225, much less a purchase 

that would realistically fit me for a only few months.

Two parting questions:  Do you forgive me?  Would you buy Rosie Pope's maternity line for A Pea in the Pod?

I Met Rosie Pope (Part 1)

I'm splitting today's post into two.  I realize that most people read blogs during a 5-10 minute break when the day gets a little boring, annoying and redundant.  Most people don't have time for a 30-45 minute hiatus from their busy lives.  Knowing this, I try to write posts that take 5-10 minutes to read.  But, I couldn't bare to leave out a detail of my amazing Pope encounter, so I'm giving you a two part series - today and Thursday.  Be warned that even as "part 1" this post is long (more like a 15 minute read).  You may want to pause for an ice coffee after paragraph four.

A couple weeks ago, I received an email at the Next Stop Baby email address from what I assume is Rosie Pope's public relations person team.  The email was a "media alert" sent to members of the press.  I was immediately intrigued by the sender and doubly intrigued by the thought of myself as a member of the press.  Me, the press?  I was clearly flattered and fanning my red cheeks, but also smirking...I unintentionally and rather successfully pulled the wool over someone's eyes.

The email invited me (aka Next Stop Baby) to the premiere of Rosie Pope's new maternity collection for A Pea in the Pod.  I was asked to attend and gently prodded to write a post about my thoughts on the clothing line.  For a small-time, 1.5 year old blogger like myself the mere invitation was way more than enough to secure my attendance.  But there was more: there would be a red carpet, a candy bar, a mocktail (alcohol free cocktail) bar, a swag bag, some other free stuff and, most importantly, an opportunity to meet the Pregnant in Heels queen herself.

I was in.

The event was held at a Destination Maternity store in Manhattan.   I arrived a little early.  I'm not a fashionably late type person.  I'm either unfashionably late or early.  The first disappointment I encountered was a lack of red carpet.  Hello!?  There were no papparazzi and no velvet ropes either.  I nervously approached a pair of fresh faced, official seeming girls with clipboards as I considered what I was about to say (my real name? my blog? a monologue about being a member of the press?).  I was saved when one of the girls immediately handed me a ticket and directed me upstairs without questioning who I was or what I was doing.  That was sort of the second disappointment - I wasn't on a list...there didn't even appear to be a list.

Upstairs was mayhem.  At least 75% of the attendees were pregnant, which was somewhat bizarre.  How often do you see a couple hundred pregnant people all in one room?  To make matters more interesting, upstairs was a fully stocked maternity clothing store that hadn't been cleared or organized to accommodate so many big bellies.  Watching two pregnant women simultaneously squish between two racks of maternity dresses is both unsettling and hilarious.  It involves a lot of bump bumping.  There were also a decent amount of strollers.  You know how I feel about strollers in crowded spaces (if not, click here).

After asking around, it became clear that there were some a couple invited members of the press in attendance and a boat load of non-press pregnant ladies.  The preggers people were all invited through an email blast sent by Destination Maternity to it's subscribers.  Aha.  Here's where I realized that some sort of designation as a member of the press (albeit a fraudulent member) would have been handy.  I should have replied to the email and requested a press pass!  Too late.  Without such designation I was left to fight my way through the crowd of mamas.

There were three lines: one for the candy bar, one for the mocktail bar and one to meet and greet Rosie (for anyone and everyone) after the press interviews were complete.  I immediately jumped on the end of the candy bar line.  It was slow moving and a little nerve-wracking being amongst so many hungry pregnant woman.  A few people away from the treats, a non-pregnant, attractive 20-something approached me and asked whether I was craving chocolate, gummy or licorice.  Her job was to get the candy for me.  Nice touch.  I awkwardly replied, "gummy...please."  I skipped the mocktail bar, but it did look delicious.  The bartenders (if that's what they are) were managing to churn out some fancy pants non-alcoholic beverages.

With my celophane bag of gummy bears and taffy, I strolled to the end of the meet and greet line.  It was the longest line by far.  And it wasn't moving.  I craned my neck to the left and right to see exactly what I was waiting for.  At last, there she was!  Mrs. Rosie Pope.  She was wearing a black lace dress, looking taller, paler and more beautiful than ever.  And, bonus, Daron Pope was there too!  Both Rosie and Daron looked exactly as they do on Bravo.

Rosie and Daron Pope...and I shared a room (with hundreds of other people)

I'll end it today with a photo of the meet and greet line...it was more of a meet and greet crowd.

Thursday I'll fill you in on Rosie herself and, of course, the clothes.

What To Expect Giveaway WINNERS

Audra-Anne Bowen and Mrs. Pancakes are the winners of the What To Expect giveaway!!!  Very exciting.  Please email nextstopbabyblog@gmail.com by Sunday (7/1/12) at 5 pm EST with your email address and mailing address to get the ball rolling and receive your prize.  New winner(s) will be chosen if I don't hear from you by Sunday, so get on it.

Everyone enjoy your weekend, it's almost July!  And, more importantly, next week I have a very special post for you.  A post about a special person that I (almost) met this week.  We were within 10 feet of one another.  Her name rhymes with Mosie Rope...

The Lisping (Mrs.) Pope is Back

Who's been watching the 2nd season of Pregnant in Heels?  A lot of you.  I know this because every Tuesday the traffic on Next Stop Baby skyrockets between the hours of 10 and 11 p.m. as people across America find the need to google the phrase "Rosie Pope speech impediment" (it's still the reigning Stuff People Google champ).  For those who don't know, Next Stop Baby is in the top 3 results on Google if you search this phrase and a lot of people search this phrase, especially when Pregnant in Heels is airing.

Rosie Pope - pregnant again, lisping as always

I myself am guilty of not really watching this season.  I made it through most of last season because I thought it was important to the blog, being baby related and pop culture relevant.  This season I haven't managed a single episode.  I've barely been able to handle a couple minutes here and there.  It's official, I don't like Pregnant in Heels.  And it's not Rosie's speech impediment (or lisp or accent or whatever) that bothers me.  I'm just not into the show.

This past Tuesday was one of the few times I've tuned in for a couple minutes.  I was specifically motivated to check out the episode because I know someone who knows someone who used to date one of the husbands that was featured.  Yes, I'm four degrees from Rosie Pope.  Anyway, I watched for about three minutes.  The first 5 seconds were spent identifying the guy, the next 2 minutes and 55 seconds were spent thinking, "meh".  There were two couples.  The husband in one couple was experiencing pregnancy-like symptoms.  The woman in the other couple was pregnant but hated maternity clothes.  Rosie to the rescue.  I didn't see whether she fulfilled her two very complicated missions of relieving the non-pregnant man's morning sickness and finding maternity clothes that satisfied the fashion sensitive mama-to-be, but I assume that's exactly what happened.

For an admittedly baby crazy individual, it would seem that Pregnant in Heels would be right in my wheelhouse.  But, again, it's not.  It's just not.  Maybe it's too formulaic for me?  Can't be.  The Cutting Edge is one of my top favorite movies of all time and arguably the most formulaic movie of all time.  Maybe it really is Rosie's lisp?  No.  I just don't find it that bothersome.  It's more comical than anything and slightly endearing.  Plus, I'm obsessed with the Real Housewives of New Jersey.  Ever heard Teresa Giudice pronounce cumin?

I hear Teresa Giudice (above) uses a lot of "ingredientses" in her cookbook

I think it's the lack of drama.  Teresa Guidice flipping a table, that's drama.  A husband faking having pregnancy symptoms, that's annoying and kind of boring.  A woman who doesn't like maternity clothes - who cares?  I mean...snooze fest, right?  I say right.  But, clearly you say WRONG because you're all watching, ever Tuesday on Bravo.

So, please, tell me - WHY do you love Pregnant in Heels?  Why?!

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. 

Pregnant in Heels...Again

She's back.  Our favorite lisping (or regular speaking...depends who you ask) British pregnancy guru is coming back to Bravo for another season.

If you don't watch Bravo during every spare second of your day then you might not have seen the new commercial for Season 2 of Pregnant in Heels.  No fear, head to the Bravo website (here) to check out the details of the new season that will start on May 15.

After visiting Bravo.com, head to Hulu.com
to rewatch the SNL spoof from last year 

And you can check out all my old posts on Rosie Pope at the links below:

Your Burning Rosie Pope Questions

Rosie Pope Said...Wha???

Slightly Scared of Pregnant in Heels

Stuff People Google 42

If you accidentally saw this post LAST friday (2/24/12)...sorry.  Blogging malfunction, it happens now and then.


This week's phrase that someone googled and then found Next Stop Baby:

she said horse with a lisp

I know why the person found Next Stop Baby: because I have written about Rosie Pope's lisp (here and here).  What I don't know is who "she" is, because Rosie has issues with more than just "horse"...

Rosie Pope Said...Wha???

Last week's post, Slightly Scared of Being Pregnant in Heels, has received a lot of attention.  I would love to attribute this interest to my witty, insightful and altogether brilliant writing skills, but that's definitively (and unfortunately) not the case.  I'll explain.  I track the ways that people find this blog: links from other websites, twitter, search engines, etc.  If someone gets here from a search engine, I'm able to see the precise phrase that was searched.  Here are just a few of the exact phrases that led people to Next Stop - Baby over the past seven days:

• pregnant in heels host speech impediment (MANY googled/binged/yahooed this one)
• Pregnant in Heels host speech
• what is up with rosie pope speech impediment
• rosie pope disability
• Rosie Pope lisp
• Rosie Pope speech impediment
• is pregnant in heels host deaf
• rosie's lips on pregnant in heels
• pregnant in heels host rosie pope lisp
• bravo.com r osie pope speech impediment?

Finally, my personal favorite - "anyone notice rosie pope has a lisp".  Yes and YES.  Everyone has noticed.  Though I'm not willing to concede that her speech is more interesting than the highly eccentric and highly pregnant women on her show, I am willing to admit that I understand the fascination given that the question remains unanswered.  How are we supposed to stop debating it until we get an answer one way or another?

So, what exactly is the issue with Rosie Pope's speech?  I HAVE THE ANSWER, sort of.  NextStopBaby follows RosiePope on twitter (and we have actually exchanged a couple tweets, ehem, ehem).  Yesterday, @RosiePope tweeted the following response to a question posed by one of her followers/speech impediment enthusiasts (@DanielleDiDit):

"Not aware of impediment but now u have me wandering- think just accent;)"@DanielleDiDit :do u have speech impediment or just "crazy" accent"

Thank you DanielleDiDit for going to the source and asking the question everyone else was afraid to ask, but absurdly curious to know the answer.



UPDATE (5/17/11) - Some of the comments below are...negative (to put it lightly).  For now, I've decided not to erase any of them because I think it's a bad precedent.  However, I do want to point out that they are not my thoughts (my thoughts are above only) and I do want to suggest that if Ms. Pope's voice genuinely upsets you it's as easy as switching the channel.

Slightly Scared of Being Pregnant In Heels

Bravo's new show Pregnant in Heels provides quite a bit of fodder for discussion.  So let's get started.

The shows host, Rosie Pope, is incredibly likable.  She strikes a great balance of blunt and sweet, which helps me get over her annoyingly statuesque figure and all-American look.  She's British, of course.  Something about her was instantly familiar to me (like I'd seen her in a recent rom com), so I googled her.  Turns out she has no prior history per imdb.com, but what she does have is people everywhere wondering whether she is deaf.  Websites, blogs and online Q&A forums are full of people debating whether she has a hearing disability.  Yes, it's impossible not to notice that something is going on there, but of ALL the madness the show presents I'm boggled by the extreme interest in the hostess's speech.

Here are a few things about Pregnant in Heels that I find more interesting than Rosie Pope's accent/speech impediment/lisp/whatever:

1. After systematically reviewing the names of all 2010 Harvard and Yale graduates, one couple used a focus group to consider and debate their top choice names.  After all, a name is a first impression, is a brand, is the foundation to a successful and fabulous life.
2. A pregnant bride's dog peed on her wedding dress.  Not near, but ON.  Not a tinkle but a whole mini bladder of urine.  The bride's reaction: lift the dress to let the pee roll off and resume berating her mother and stepmother.
3. This is a two-parter: 1) a husband commented that his 8 month pregnant wife should "force herself" to have sex with him (because she had lost interest during the pregnancy), and 2) Rosie made said jackhole husband wear a 30 lb. fake baby belly while he knelt on all fours and considered how sexy he felt. 
4. Rosie asked a couple (husband from #3 and his wife) to place a video camera in their bedroom to record their nightly ritual, which would then be viewed by Rosie and a sex therapist.  The couple obliged.
5. A mother-to-be unzipped a mini garment bag to reveal her unborn baby's "take me home" outfit that she had special ordered online.  She didn't have stroller.

Amongst all the online chatter, I was unable to determine whether Miss Pope is deaf or otherwise hearing disabled.  I was also unable to determine whether wedding guests were able to see or smell the remnants of dog urine on the wedding dress (#2 above), which is of far greater interest to me.