Which celebrity baby has the best style?

Please cast your votes...

A. Suri Cruise
B. Zahara Jolie-Pitt
C. Shiloh Nouvelle Jolie-Pitt
D. Violet Affleck

In all fairness...

...and not putting judgement on her, let's all welcome Miss Jamie Lynn Spears to the prego group. Yes folks, that is Britney's 16 year old sister....the one we thought had a good head on her shoulders and has made her mother's book on parenting and family go on hiatus indefinitely. *sigh*

We would also like to welcome Lily Allen...everyone's favourite British rap/pop star as of late.



See, Olivia....that's NOT what you want to be when you're born and all grown up, ok?
Love,
la maman

C'est une fille!!!

The lima bean has now graduated to an Olive....or, shall we say, Daddy's Little Olive.

*ahem*...OLIVIA SPOSA.

We are still working on a middle name but we are overjoyed with the news (as we secretly whispered and preferred a girl...but only in secret as to not upset the possibly 'brewing' boy).

Nonetheless, I am excited to add another girl in the house. Buddy, Milo and Jason are great - but it'll be nice to have another chick around. Besides, we can continue my family's Sanrio legacy (ehrm, obsession). We can go shopping and talk about fashion, teach her about womanhood, and broken hearts. Jason can spoil her (and will, of course, be her favourite by default) and he will be her knight in shining armour through it all - teaching her about art, music, and scaring off the boys!

Today was the anomaly scan where we learned of any abnormalities. We saw EVERYTHING - various sides of the brain, heart chambers, kidneys, fingers, toes, nose, lips - we saw it all. All of our bloodwork came out wonderful so unless the baby comes out with autism or cerebral palsy (both of which aren't detectable) we have ourselves a healthy, happy baby girl!

It was funny because last month Olivia wouldn't spread her legs for us to check and today we checked three times to confirm because she wouldn't spread them again! We laughed it off saying she should keep that up until she's atleast 25 years old!

Finally, the latest news in her movements...she LOVES fruits and juices.....seconds after I swallow she is bouncing around with excitement!

This has definitely rounded out our yet to begin holiday season!

xoxo
the sposa family

Christmas Ornament

Hello!

This is a new Christmas ornament I found today for Melanie and I. I think it really made the tree complete this year. I know it's kinda hard to see, but I did manage to get the ornament engraved with the due date: 5/18/08.

We are both really excited about Tuesday.
Crossing our fingers and counting our blessings.


xo
jason.

MSAFP Screening - THE RESULTS

As you can probably guess from the baby picture the results came back wonderful. Unfortunately, my doctor and I were playing phone tag all morning so when I finally reached him he was not at his desk. From what he could remember the chances of spina bifida or any other defects falling under the screening was 1 in 7,000 (which is measured by the bloodwork, my age, and race).

So, Jason and I are extremely pleased and relieved - as you can imagine!

Tuesday we have two appointments back to back. The first is our monthly check-up and the second is an in depth sonogram at the hospital where we will be able to find out the sex of the baby!!

xoxo
la maman

Indie baby....

One of our funniest factors in picking a name for baby is to make sure it fits him or her whether he/she grows up to be a corporate executive, hipster, hip-hop, or goth.

For now, I like to think our baby will be just like us. Adaptable and flexible...and many parts 'yupster'.
I shall continue to seek solace that everytime the belly stretches or cramping get too out of hand and baby is giving me the 'growing pains' they are easily soothed with a gentle hand and me singing RILO KILEY (FYI: my fave band, introduced to me by Jason, and the reason we found/live in Hoboken, amongst other cute factors....).

Nice......

Top 5 reasons my hubs is THE BEST

5. He loves music, art, shopping, decorating, + fashion.

4. He's always down for anything.

3. Two words for you: DAILY MASSAGES.

2. He gets me.

1. The first day I realized I could not fit into my 'Nicole Richie jeans' anymore the IMMENSE pressure being placed on baby and the abdomen had me in tears. By the time I was off work and about to board the bus home, Jason had purchased a large pair of sweat pants for me to change into. When we got home he immediately ran a bath...and as I laid there enjoy the waves created by the running water onto my bloated belly, he sat on the edge of the tub creating bigger waves to soothe the pain even more. I whimpered that he did not have to do all of this and he simply says..."I want to." with the sweetest, kindest smile in his eyes.

*SWOON*

Prenatal massage....literally.

I know, I know - who wants to hear EVERY freakin' detail about the pregnancy...but you know what?!? - I'm at work and am excited to share! HA!

Anyway, I am sitting at my desk and am nonchalantly rubbing circles over the belly whilst reading thenestbaby.com's 2nd trimester forum. Well, everytime I stop the baby moves or rolls over. I do it again and they don't move until I stop - and it's the same rolling over sort of sensation. It's almost like it's saying - 'Hey! Why'd you stop?'...I guess they get that one from Mom who LOVES Jason's nightly massages.

How does a babies kick feel, you ask?

Well, the kicks feels like gas bubbles not in your stomach. Or like a little motor boat is driving away in the distance and it's the bubbles following it that you feel.

The rolling over sensation I am feeling today is similar to a roller coaster ride or when you drive over a hill or your stomach catches up with you after a ride in an elevator. It's really amazing....and, to tell you the truth, the first time I've really felt connected and special with the little one. All the rest of the time it's been a cute idea! LOL.

As you can imagine....I AM glowing today and everyone in the office is eager to share, listen, and ask questions, etc.
This is so amazing.

Welcome, Miss Alba!

It seems Hollywood's baby boom is definitely growing - almost similar to a couple of year's ago when Jennifer Garner, Katie Holmes, and Angelina Jolie, amongst others were birthing at the same time. Back then the trend were girls and recently it appears that a growing surge of boys have been in the works. Hmmmmm.......

This is kinda cool.....

GENERATION X PARENTS OUTSHINE BABY BOOMERS
The Plain Dealer ^ | 9/6/04 | Laura DeMarco
Posted on 09/07/2004 8:49:33 AM PDT by qam1

Group called slackers embraces family

In the 1990s they were derided as cynical slackers. They were mocked in pop culture as lazy, selfish types who would rather spend their time moping in overpriced coffee shops than moving into adulthood.

But Generation X is all grown up now - and having children.

And when reality finally did bite the 60 million Americans born between 1965 and '79, they didn't react as might be expected. Gen-Xers are embracing family life with a vigor not seen in baby-boomers.

Generation-X includes more stay-at-home dads, fathers working from home and dads cutting back long hours than previous generations, say analysts.

Gen-X moms are distinguishing themselves from baby-boomers by embracing traditional roles. Though they're more college-educated than any previous generation, more Generation-X moms than boomers are staying home or working part time.

Xers' focus on home life shows up in several more parenting trends: they make financial sacrifices in exchange for family time; they're increasingly discipline-oriented; and they let their kids just have fun.

In part this is a reaction to their background, say sociologists. Their childhood was a time of personal and political upheaval. Xers were the first generation with large numbers raised in broken homes. Almost one-third had divorced parents, compared with 13 percent of boomers, according to the Yankelovich research analysis firm. Nearly half of all Xers had working moms. Before they were labeled slackers, they were latchkey kids.

Now Generation-Xers have become homebodies. And they're raising more than half of all children under 18 in the United States, some 40 million kids.

Fathers more involved

Three years ago, Ellen Barrett, program director for the Heights Parent Center, noticed more men coming to the Cleveland Heights gathering Place.

"In the last three years, we've really had a surge of dads, and not just dads who happen to have the day off or who are home on vacation," she says.

The center now has a busy father's play group with about 40 members, most in their late 20s to mid 30s, that meets several times a month.

The last decade has brought significant changes in the roles of fathers, says James Chung, president of Boston-based Reach Advisors. The company recently released the first major study on Generation X parenting. Titled "From Grunge to Grown Up," it surveyed 3,020 Gen-X and baby boom parents nationwide.

According to the study, 48 percent of Gen-X fathers spend three to six hours per week on child rearing, versus 39 percent of boomer dads. Forty-seven percent of Xers wish they could spend more time with their children, compared to 36 percent of boomers.

The number of stay-at-home dads has jumped 18 percent since 1994, to 189,000 in 2002, according to the Census Bureau.

For Parma resident John Benson, 35, and wife Maria, 36, the decision to swap roles was a financial one. As a writer, Benson could work from home while taking care of their 1- and 3-year-old sons, unlike his wife, who works in accounting.

But the choice was also based on his childhood.

"I was a latchkey kid, and I don't want my kids to be latchkey kids," he says.

That's a common denominator among many Gen-X parents.

"Gen-Xers grew up in the aftermath of a time of much social upheaval, in an era of rapidly increasing divorce rates and mothers rapidly re-entering the work force," says Chung. "Some of them want to raise their families different from the way they grew up."

Bernard Carl Rosen, professor emeritus of sociology at Cornell University and author of "Masks and Mirrors: Generation X and the Chameleon Personality," says it's not just family history that's influencing Xers.

"Generation X is far more insecure than boomers. Their family situation was a bad one, the economy was not in good shape when they were growing up, they've seen a lot of betrayal by politicians. The world they grew up in felt very fragile."

But mom still the anchor

When one parent does stay at home, it's still more often the mother. What's different is that though there are now more college-educated women among Xers, there also has been an increase in mothers staying at home and working part time.

Census figures found that 10.6 million children under 15 in two-parent homes were being raised by stay-at-home moms in 2002, a 13 percent increase from the previous decade.

Twenty-five percent of Gen-X moms spend 12-plus hours a day on child rearing, according to Reach, more than double that of boomer moms. (Even when boomer children were as young as the Xers' kids, moms spent less time with them, says Chung.)

Cleveland Heights stay-at-home mom Andrea Lynn, 32, says she had long planned to quit working as a librarian when she had children. A past nanny job helped make up her mind.

"I saw what the working two-parent household was like and I didn't want that," says the mother of a 3-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son. "It's too hard to have everything."

Many women are coming to that conclusion.

The number of professional women working part time - by choice - has risen 17 percent from 1994, to 2.9 million according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In part, this is due to the fact that Gen-Xers feel less loyalty to one company than past generations did. Women today also don't feel like they have to prove themselves as much as boomers did - it's a given they can have a career if they want it.

"I knew working full time wasn't going to work out after the birth of my third child," says Bay Village resident Amy Hannum, 33, mother of a 7-year-old son and 5- and 3-year-old daughters. She works three days a week as a development writer at Oberlin College. "I wanted balance in my life."

Hannum plans to return to work full time when her youngest enters school, a career path similar to many Gen-X moms'. Only 16 percent of stay-at-home moms will not consider returning to work, says the Reach survey.

"Now there are more options for women," explains Chung.

Discipline returning

Choice comes with a price.

"I told my husband that even if we had to give up a car, I wanted to stay home," says Lynn. "He was very supportive."

Willingly making financial sacrifices is a common Gen-X parenting trait, notes Chung. But the cuts are aimed at parents, not children.

There is, however, one thing for their kids that they seem to be cutting back on: the permissiveness of many baby-boomer parents.

"A lot of boomer parents think they have to be friends and buddies with their kids," says Hannum. "A lot of Generation X parents have a good time with kids but have clear boundaries that they are the parents.

Adds Lynn, "You owe it to your kids to teach them how to behave and to have manners. I really believe in limits for kids."

For many, that includes lighter extracurricular schedules.

"There's less demand for enrichment activities" among Gen-X parents, says Chung. "The attitude is more 'let the kids be kids.' " ."

Such attitudes are natural for Gen-Xers, explains Rosen.

"They are very sensitive to other people's needs," he says. "To the boomer, the world was more or less fashioned to his or her needs, and that included children. I think Generation-X will make better parents than boomers."

We will be more than just parents....

Often times you hear or see your friends bear children and completely lose sight of themselves as people, as a couple and as individuals. Jason and I aim to seek a middle ground between the three. Our belief is that if you cannot be yourself, respect yourself, and/or indulge yourself completely into the lives of your children - then what do you ultimately have to give/teach your child before, during, and after they have moved into and out of your house?

Jason and I closed our Etsy shop, One Square Tree, since my first trimester really put me in a bind since sales continued to skyrocket and I did not want to jeopardize our reputation, the quality of our goods, or upset our clients. In lieu, Jason will be opening an Etsy store in the very near future featuring his original artwork on prints, paper goods, home goods, and clothing.

Owl Souvenirs, our music project, is set to deliver a re-release of our ep, WISH YOU LUCK- GO GO GO, this winter featuring a couple of new songs, new artwork, and your old faves. In the meantime, as I nest, Jason is also working hard on a concept album dedicated to our family - similar to WISH YOU LUCK, which celebrated our relationship and the birth and growth of it; however, this time celebrating our growth of our family tree and the new roles we are about to embrace.

As for myself, I will continue to work with the United Nations after birth and maternity leave. I strive to teach our child not just about current affairs and the power of one and many, but also about self-respect (both emotionally and physically) through a healthy diet and exercise regimen.

As you can see, Jason and I hope to embrace ourselves by setting an example for our child through the things we love; namely, Jason through his arts and music and myself through knowledge (and the importance of continuing to learn throughout life) and personal experiences (past, present, and future).

Well, we'll try our best.
Wish us luck!

xoxo

Kicks n' gigglez.....

This past Friday we had a date night to see JUNO. This must be one of the CUTEST movies out there and the main character, Juno, reminds me so much of myself in high school and yet her dialogue and quirky banter also reminds me of 'pregnant-me'.

Anyway, during this movie was the first time I felt the first flutters, or 'quickening', of the Baby Sposa (!). Ironically, it was just after Juno felt the first movements of her babe.

As for this past weekend, I had stretching cramps in my lower abdomen ALL weekend and apparently it really has stretched because today everyone at work has been commenting on how much bigger I look today....

oh yea, and little babe has been dancing around ALL day. It's the only funny thing going on on this dreadfully, icky weather, uber-busy Monday back at work!

MSAFP Screening

Last Friday I stopped by the doctor's office for my MSAFP screening. Maternal Serum Alpha-Fetoprotein Screening is a test that examines the level of alpha-fetoprotein in the mother's blood during pregnancy.

WHAT DOES THE SCREENING DETECT/LOOK FOR?
Alpha- fetoprotein(AFP) is found in both fetal serum and also amniotic fluid. This protein is produced early in gestation by the fetal yolk sac and then later in the liver and gastrointestinal tract. The true function of AFP is unknown. We do know that this protein’s level increases and decreases during certain weeks of pregnancy which is why accurate pregnancy dating is crucial.

The AFP test is measuring high and low levels of alpha-fetoprotein. The results are combined with the mother’s age and ethnicity in order to assess probabilities of potential genetic disorders.

High levels of AFP may suggest that the developing baby has a neural tube defect such as spina bifida or anencephaly. High levels of AFP may also suggest defects with the esophagus or a failure of your baby's abdomen to close.However, the most common reason for elevated AFP levels is inaccurate dating of the pregnancy.

Low levels of AFP and abnormal levels of hCG and estriol may indicate that the developing baby has Trisomy 21( Down syndrome), Trisomy 18 (Edwards Syndrome) or another type of chromosome abnormality.

Abnormal levels may also be a result of the following:

A multiples pregnancy
Pregnancies that are more or less advanced than thought


WHAT DO THE RESULTS MEAN?
It is important to remember that the AFP is a screening test and not a diagnostic test. This test only notes that a mother is at risk of carrying a baby with a potential disorder. There are approximately 25 to 50 abnormal test results for every 1,000 pregnancies tested. Of these abnormal results, only 1 in 16 to 1 in 33 will actually have a baby that has been affected with a neural tube defect or other condition. The benefit of screening is that 75% to 90% of babies with neural tube defects are discovered.

Abnormal test results warrant additional testing for making a diagnosis. A more conservative approach involves performing a second MSAFP or complete triple screen test followed by a high definition ultrasound. If the testing still maintains abnormal results, a more invasive procedure such as amniocentesis may be performed.

Invasive procedures should be discussed thoroughly with your healthcare provider. It is also important to talk through further testing with you partner. Additional counseling and discussions with a counselor, social worker or minister may prove helpful.


We are able to call for the results of the screening this Friday, 14 December. Prayers and thoughts are always welcome!

xoxo
la maman