And Baby Makes Five

Yesterday my dearest friend, Heather & her husband Ryan had a gender revealment cook out to unveil and announce the gender of the newest addition to their family.

they're already parents to these two handsome fellas, who are Reed's BFF's for life:

Buchanan (Buck) Bates & Theodore Earl 
Buck is 3 and will be 4 in September. Theodore is 2 and will be 3 in December. 

Heather & Ryan are mine and Adam's best friends as a couple. Honestly. Ryan was a groomsmen in our wedding and Heather would've been a bridesmaid if she weren't so ridiculous. with Buck ten months older than reed, they very graciously let us experiment with parenting by babysitting baby Buck, always doling out parental advice without being condescending like the women in the grocery store who like giving out assholish unsolicited advice on how to raise my child.
we love them. very much. 

Anywhoo, for those of you that don't know the concept of a gender revealment party (i thought everyone did until I told my friend Megan while she was in town and she questioned the sanity of the practice) it's where you have a cake and when you cut the cake open, if there's blue cake, it's a boy and if there's pink cake, it's a girl.
here is Ryan & Heather's cake:

aside from looking amazing, it was also delicious. 

since I found out that she was pregnant, my money had been on baby number 3 being a girl. I predicted a boy with theodore and I'd been right so I felt pretty confident in my gender pick. Adam disagreed with me but where's the news there.

here's heather with an inside slice of the cake:

it's a tiny picture but it's definitely pink so it's a girl! 

proving, once again, that adam should stop betting against me.

Ryan reacting to the happy news that he's finally getting a daddy's girl.
heather told me afterwards that the only reason she was disappointed in finding out it was a girl was because that meant Ryan was right. Ah, maturity :)

with buck, reed & theodore constantly running around, playing in mud, sword fighting and the like, a little girl will be nice to have around. although knowing that pennel blood, she'll probably kick their asses in sword fighting at some point.

but BIG congratulations to heather, ryan, buck & theodore on the sweet baby girl!

and this has nothing to do with the above post but how bout them Memphis Grizzlies!! Grizznation!!

Celebrity Baby Boom

I love babies, I love celebrity gossip and I love my blog. 

Seldom am I happier than when I can meld the three into one, particularly when I'm lacking inspiration to write as I have been the last week or so.

There's been a fresh wave of pregnant celebrities as of late and since my friends (Robyn) literally count on me to update my blog about this stuff so they can be aware I'm more than happy to do this public service. 

Bones is Having a Baby

the stunning older sister of Zooey Deschanel, Emily, and her husband, writer-actor David Hornsby are expecting a baby later this year. I think all Bones fans are hoping this will force a Booth-Bones baby and subsequent relationship into the works. Or maybe it's just me. Emily Deschanel is one of the only first time mommies on my list so an extra mazel tov to them. 

Put On Your Bossy Maternity Pants

30 Rock Actress-Writer-Producer Tina Fey announced last week on an Oprah taping that she was five months pregnant with her second child with husband, Jeff Richmond. I was pretty jazzed about this, their little girl Alice is so adorable and plus anything that makes Tina Fey (or Liz Lemon) happy makes me happy. 

I'm Honored to be a Big Sister!

Jessica Alba and her hubby Cash Warren are having another baby later this year. The picture is of her first pregnancy, with her now 3 year old daughter Honor Marie but I loved it so I used it. Next pregnancy, I'm definitely finding an excuse to wear a few gowns. Also, I'll be doing Nicole Richie's maternity fashion program of wearing maxi dresses & super enormous sunglasses. 

Other Celebrity Pregnancies: 

Tori Spelling & Dean McDermott are having their third child together and keeping the sex of the baby a suprise as they already have a boy & a girl (Liam is 4 & Stella is 2). 

i'm always a little weirded out by this coupling since Dean left his wife of 12 years (and their son) out of nowhere and took up with the also-married Tori. Ehh who am I to judge?

In other SNL-alum news, Maya Rudolph is expecting her third child with director Paul Thomas Anderson. They have two daughters, Pearl, 5, and Lucille, 1. Ever since I saw Away We Go with her & John Krasinksi, I love seeing her preggers in magazines so definitely excited about this one. 

In women-everywhere-please-stop-screwing-this-man news, Britney Spears' ex-husband, Kevin Federline, is now expecting his fifth child. Five children. Three baby mommas. One marriage. 

that's pretty much all i have to say on that one. 

And lastly, the WTF moment in the celebrity baby boom:

"Actress"-Model Kimberly Stewart, daughter of rocker Rod Stewart is expecting Benicio del Toro's baby. they released a statement saying that although they aren't a couple, they are both excited about the baby. 

ummm what?

Celebrities of the world (who are obviously reading this blog) go forth and procreate so that when I am lacking anything to discuss, there is always a filler blog waiting in the wings. 

It's Playtime in Memphis

I said in my last blog that playtime options are limited due to the winter weather here in Memphis. If you have checked the forecast, it will be warmer this coming week but spring is hardly here, despite what groundhogs and their shadows have said.
I believe the bulk of the blog readership is sans children but here's a little something for those that are parents. And to my kid-free friends, let me know if you'd like to join reed & I on any of these adventures :)

Here are some things you and your kiddos can do:

Children's Museum of Memphis.

The whole museum is a blast for kids toddlers-preteens but there is a new exhibit this month that Reed & I will undoubtedly be trying out. It's called Out On A Limb and it's open from now until May 15th for kids ages 10 and under. The Children's Museum website describes it as a "whimsical place for unstructured play" but really it's a bunch of indoor tree houses for kids to play in. Basically, it's awesome.

The Peabody Hotel Duck Procession
Okay, it sounds weird and I wouldn't drive all the way downtown just for this but if you're out and about in the west end of town, it's worth a stop-in. Every week day at 11am the ducks are processed downstairs to the Grand Lobby and then at 5pm the reverse is done as they are marched back up to the roof. If you have a toddler-aged child, such as reed, they are likely to be fascinated. Bonus- it's free!

Story Time at the Public Library's
depending on your neighborhood, they are on varying days but tend to be in the mid-late afternoon. Check the Memphis Library website for days and times in your neighborhood library. If you are a midtowner or an east memphis-er, definitely hit up the Main library on Poplar over the Highland or other branches; the kids area is much larger and they don't care if your child runs around in circles.

And to all Memphians, don't forget that Muddy's Bake Shop is open today for a special Valentine's Day treat. I always want Muddy's on Sundays & Mondays when they are traditionally closed so take advantage of the rare opportunity.

Happy Valentine's Day to all but to my love & husband Adam in particular. Thank you for asking me to be your wife one year ago today. I love you :)

Boom! It's Celebrity Babies!

this post is a request from my fellow celebrity stalker and one of my lady loves, Ronni Jupson.  don't worry, for the few followers who also aren't bff with Ms. Jupson, I will provide a visual.

 the mollie fontaine lounge for Ronni's 21st birthday.

I had to check my calendar to make sure it wasn't 2004 again because the Celebrity Baby Boom is in full swing again and Kate Hudson managed to catch the wave both times around.

We'll start with Goldie & Kurt's progeny since I've already mentioned her. Already mom to 7 year old boy (who looks kinda like a girl) Ryder with rocker ex-husband Chris Robinson, Kate has gotten herself knocked up again by another musician, Muse frontman Matthew Bellamy.This is slightly irritating because, if anyone besides me remembers this far back, Kate was seemingly pregnant for about two years last time around. She is atypical from the usual pattern of celebs pretty much waiting for the baby to crown before they even confirm they are pregnant. For Kate, I believe the sequence of events was she took an early response pregnancy test, her publicist called TMZ and then she let the baby daddy know.

This one is one of my favorites.

Victoria & David Beckham, or Posh & Becks as our friends across the pond refer to them, recently confirmed they are adding another baby to their brood of three boys (Brooklyn, Romeo & Cruz). At this point, I think they're just trying to form their own soccer team. I love seeing Posh preggo, it's like seeing a stick figure swallow a watermelon.

Yes, I know that Selma Blair (who I love), Jodie Sweetin, Pink, Alicia Silverstone and Ivanka Trump (is she really a celebrity?) are pregnant but I'm more interested in the babies that have recently seemed to appear out of thin air.

Owen Wilson confirmed last week that he and his nameless girlfriend were expecting a child and then 5 days later, out comes baby Robert Ford Wilson which was a way more normal name than I was expecting after all of his mental health problems.

Also on the where-did-they-come-from baby list is Faith Margaret Kidman Urban, which if you're quick on the uptake, is the daughter of Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban.

 

 

Nicole Kidman & baby Faith

Born December 28, 2010 via gestational carrier (is surrogate a dirty word now? I feel like this may be Camille Grammer's fault) her famous parents decided to keep mum until after the Golden Globes but just as the Oscar buzz really starts to kick up. Not that they don't love their daughter but you have to love the timing, it's pretty much a publicists dream.

Model Miranda Kerr & Baby Flynn with Husband Orlando Bloom.

While this is neither a pregnancy or a surprise, I'm including it because I just love this picture. 

A natural moment in motherhood, though I never looked like that when I nursed Reed but hey, I'm not a super model! And it's way better than the People magazine photo shoots done eight weeks after the baby is born.

Since I'm already on the topic, I'll comment on the elephant in the city of Memphis as of late.
I recently posted that there was another blog titled Memphis Mama and according to every national news outlet, there's a lot more than just the two of us with a claim to the name. Frayser High School has reported 90 girls who are either pregnant or have given birth since this school year began.
While that's terrible and very sad, I'd like to comment on something that's being left out of every news blurb being said about the topic: Several of these girls were transferred into Frayser once they found out they were pregnant because of the school's funding for student child care. They don't all reside in the same school district, Memphis City Schools are currently herding all the pregnant girls. 

Still sad and terrible, but it's not exactly accurate reporting if you leave that detail out. You hear me, The Today Show?

Lastly, Kim Kardashian? Please keep your sex-tape-having-hugeass opinions to yourself. You aren't famous because anyone cares about your opinons on the societal issues plauging America. Spritz some of your perfume on, wear a tight skirt and call it a day.

It's the New Year, but not the New Decade. Got It?

I hope everyone has enjoyed the first few hours of 2011 and had a lovely end to 2010 (side note: is this the year we start saying twenty-eleven instead of two thousand eleven?) 

This year Adam, Reed & I rang in the New Year at The Pennel's with the Pennel family themselves, the Pritchett's and Allen. It was decidedly a step-up from last year where we watched Ice Age 3 and Adam fell asleep at 11:30pm and Reed was thrilled to have Buck, Theodore & Leila.

Generally, I don't make New Years resolutions anymore because they're rather grandiose and I set myself up for failure. However, after hearing my friend Heather's new year's resolution, I think I'm going to take a crack at it. Heather's resolution is "to be more sparkly" which is probably the most fab thing I've ever heard. So in keeping with the idea that low pressure resolutions are the way to go, here we are:
 

To wear more headbands & earrings.
I look fabulous in headbands when I put a modicum of effort into my hairstyle and every girl needs a good pair of earrings now and again.

 

 To drink more water and less coffee.
I do pretty well with the water thing but I could always do better. God knows I need to cut back on coffee. 

 

To work out more. Inside the gym and out.
I want to work out, not because I feel like I need to lose weight, but to feel better and have more energy. 

 

And lastly, to play more and worry less.
It's too much pressure to clean house and stress over school, constantly. Sure sometimes, you have to but not to the point where you can't enjoy playing with your kid. 

 

What are some of your new year's resolutions?

Crazy about Babies

it's eleven o'clock at night. for the average early twenty-something, that's not too late but it's definitely hovering around my bedtime. particularly when reed went to bed at 8pm.

so why am i awake? 

that's not really the question. the question is, why am i awake and going through my Baby Names iPhone app like its the latest E!Online breaking story about Bristol Palin taking back her semi-porn star baby daddy (it's like crack to me).

Lately, it seems like I'm surrounded by babies. our friend Liz just had a baby (baby max from this earlier post), my brother & sister-in-law are having my sweet little nephew in September, I just watched the Glee episode where Quinn has her sweet little girl and random teeny tiny babies have been stalking me. I swear, everywhere I go from Target to Starbucks to the grocery store, there are teeny tiny babies. 

my ovaries shout at me at the sight of them. Adam gives me a scared look and then tries to sleep on the couch. 

It's not rational, I know. It's definitely not the time to have another baby. And the therapist that I should probably be going to thrice-monthly would say that this is likely a reaction to the fact that reed's about to turn two and is definitely not my little baby anymore.

 sweet baby reed only one day old :)

And if I'm being honest, getting reed through potty (eeesssh i hate that word) training, learning to share, counting in the seven languages that kids now are supposed to learn or forever be banished to the short bus and everything else that comes with the terrible two's (which Adam still goes through occasionally at the tender age of 27) is more than enough for me with school and maintaining some semblance of sanity. 

but i don't care. I want another one. NOW. Girl, Boy, I don't care (ok, most of the time I want all boys). I want to pick out names again, decorate another nursery, go to obstetrician appointments and see sonograms, give birth and breastfeed again.

Moving on from my insanity to the baby name app.

Both Raquel & Reed are falling in popularity trends over the last two years, thankfully.

The top boy and girl names of 2009 are Jacob & Isabella, for all you twilight fans (Edward is also rising in popularity trends and I much prefer it over Jacob).

Since mine and little man's names start with R, I had the idea to name a possible daughter with an A name like Adam's. My favorite two names, Avery and Addison, are sadly way too popular now.

BUT.

When I looked up Addison, the name means "daughter of Adam" and I'm sold.

 This has gone on long enough, though, and citizens of Memphis and readers of this blog, don't worry. Reed's going to be an only child for a while.

but seriously, keep those babies away from me.

It's Just Another Manic Monday

hello blog friends, happy Monday morning. hopefully everyone in Memphis survived the trek to wherever they're going without a boat after our wonderful flash flood warning. I'm blogging from the fabulous Starbucks Poplar Prescott so I can have free wifi and sneak a peak at my handsome man while the little man is at school.  We had a busy weekend and I must warn you that I'm sleep deprived and thus it's likely this will be more rambling and less coherent thoughts.

the Hinson-Miranda family weekend in snap shots:

Raquel & Reed date at Memphis Pizza Cafe (reed's enjoying a potato chip and wearing my sunglasses)

  a visit with our precious baby cousin Natalie (and my baby cousins Anna & Megan and Aunt Nora)

 the post-birth baby shower of our friends Liz & Rocky for sweet little baby max.

Midnight talks, Target, pizza, swimming & a movie with Aunt Ellie :)

babies were the theme of this weekend.

and now I have a Mama day, as I don't have to work while reed is at school. I had grand plans of getting a lot done but the downpour is putting the kibosh on those dreams. however, the most exciting part of the day will be meeting for a cake tasting with Ms. Karen Mulford, our adorable and tiny friend, who is also making our wedding cakes :) She's so creative and everything I've tasted of hers has been delish.

wedding plans are slightly coming along, I'm still not wild about the size of the wedding but when I think about not having all of our friends and families there...well, I'm not wild about that either. I guess the side of me that has panic attacks when I spend more than $5 can't justify spending tons of money on what is essentially a party.

then again, the side of me that turns into a giggling girl someone calls me "the bride" hates the part of me that just called my fabulous and important wedding a party. (Friends quote from Monica: "Honey, I love you but if you call our wedding a party again, you might not get invited")

I've gotta get out of this coffee house for a few hours. Friends, have a great Monday.

Oh and for my ladies, Hot Irish Guy just came in, winked at me and called me lass :)

this mama's thoughts on Teen Mom

well at least a few people have read the first post, probably due in large part to me linking it to my facebook page. i doubt i'll post twice in a row most days but my entire apartment is clean (like Haire sisters clean) for once and sweet baby reed is taking a nap (side note: what do moms do once their kids stop napping? is that where the need for pharmaceuticals kicks in?)

but alas, that's another tangent. I was thinking about the MTV shows 16 & Pregnant and Teen Mom and how critics are blaming shows like these for the rise in teen pregnancy for the first time in over a decade. Their argument being that babies having babies is being glamorized and can lead to a reality television career if you time it right. personally, i think most of the girls who participate in documentary-style shows like these are just hoping to show other teenagers that it's hard to be a parent and it's even harder if you're not ready.

I know for me, being reed's mama is the best job in the world...but that doesn't mean it isn't work sometimes.

But what are your thoughts?

To sway more people to my brand of guilty pleasures, here are the mamas of Teen Mom:

Amber & Leah.
Amber is a pretty good mom, at least she has the right ideas and wants the best for her little Leah, at any rate. Her propensity for the phrase no more, as opposed to any more was more than a little irritating the whole season (but she's struggling to get the childcare to get her GED so I'm cutting her slack from my grammar criticism) and she had the awful tendency to beat up on her sometimes-fiance, Gary (whose grammar and general ability to speak coherently was often up for debate). But she got out on her own, found a job, a house and provides for Leah....it's nothing a little English class and domestic counseling wouldn't help, right?

Maci & Bentley.
Maci is far and away my favorite on Teen Mom. My fellow Tennessee girl (& aspiring writer), just down I-40 in Chattanooga, is a good, sweet mama to her little guy (who's just 2 months younger than reed) despite her off-again fiance/baby daddy, Ryan, who never seems to want to grow up and help. But from what i hear in US Weekly Maci has moved on to greener pastures. If only Maci wasn't so famous, I'd invite her and Bentley over for a play date :)

Farrah & Sophia.

Farrah is the most single of the mama's (though Maci and Amber's relationship status changed more in the first season than the kids had pediatrician appointments) as her baby daddy has never been featured in the show. turns out, he died in a freak car accident after sweet girl Sophia was born. Farrah partied too much and used the "I'm not just a mom, I'm a teenager too" line about forty seven too many times for my liking but she seemed to be shaping up towards the end of the season.

Catelynn & Tyler.
You may notice there's no baby in this picture. Catelynn & Tyler, easily the best and most functional couple on either show (despite the fact that they're step-siblings), gave their daughter, Carly, up for adoption- the only parents on the first season of 16 & Pregnant to do so- just days after she was born. They struggled with it quite a bit during the first season of Teen Mom but ended the show by getting engaged. Sadly, in the previews for next season, it looks like they're hitting rough patches.

like clockwork, the almost-hubby is home from work :) until next time...