It's HERE!

Yay, it's here...no, it is too early for our baby to arrive, but another "baby" is now showing its face. "Take Ivy" is back on the scene after it was first published in Japan 45 years ago and for the first-time ever will be released in the U.S. It is an incredible pictorial of Preppy fashions across Ivy League campuses and a hot commodity to add to one's personal library. The wonderful thing about being a Prep is the timeless, classic attire that will always remain in style.

Bulldog watches TV

I am a sucker for anything that involves a dog. Every time I see one in a commercial doing something humorous, I laugh until I cry! If we are walking along the sidewalk and I will break out in laughter if I see a super adorable dog or one who has a funny expression on its face. Here is a video that was featured on Yahoo this week of a bulldog watching TV. It cracks me up. The only thing that would make it better? If the dog was watching a GA football game!

Doing "The Bump" in the Studio

When one hears the word "bump" in present day, it is usually referring to a pregnant woman's belly. I remember when the BUMP had a different meaning. It was a dance that my parents taught me when I was a kid in the 1970s. A popular place to find the dance would have been at the very famous Studio 54. Here is a look back in time-

Remembering Senator Ted Kennedy

It was a year ago today that I was awakened by a phone call from my father in D.C., telling me that Senator Ted Kennedy had passed away after his battle with brain cancer. Although he had been declared terminal, I still could not help but to feel some shock obviously mixed with a lot of sadness. He died just a couple of weeks after his sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Avid readers of my blog know that I met Senator Kennedy in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, where both of our families had been on holiday, staying on neighboring islands. My mother saw him waiting for his ferry as we waited for ours to leave the mainland. During that time, I was studying for the GRE with the hope of attending the Kennedy School for a Masters in Public Policy.

After introducing myself to the senator, my conversation began with some questions to gain more insight on the program at KSG. He offered some great advice about the school, then proceeded to tell us where he loved to go nearby for clam chowder. As our conversation progressed, I found myself asking him for the opportunity to work in his office. Two weeks later, after running into him again in the hall of the Russell Senate Office Building, I began assisting one of his speechwriters and a counsel, who was also very new to his staff.

It was the greatest job I ever had and Senator Kennedy's leadership and advice helped to set me on a very successful path in politics, broadcasting and health care.

Like many other young staffers, I was very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work in Senator Kennedy's office and will always be thankful that he took the time to help me, just a month after college graduation, follow my dream. Some politicians encourage young people to become future leaders. Senator Kennedy showed us how to do it!

I miss winter (I think)

There. I said it. I do miss winter...a little bit. I know reading this will completely annoy my friends & family in Chicago who had to listen to me complain ad nauseam for months about how much I detest winter weather, considering our winters here can last through May.

I had forgotten that living in Dallas during the summer can be hot as blue blazes-especially when one is more than eight months pregnant!

The truth is that I absolutely love the autumn (especially October) in Maryland & Virginia, which could never compare to the other seasons in any other region. For now, I am just thinking, "snow" as I survive these triple digit temps!

Quit Clowning Around

Clowns are supposed to bring happiness and cheer to children everywhere.

The only emotion a clown has ever evoked in me is great FEAR! From the moment I saw my first one during a circus at RFK stadium in Washington, D.C., during the 1970s,( I remember the day very well) I have always been afraid of them.

Being a big fan of horror films as a teenager probably did not help the cause. With movies like Stephen King's "It," which had a murderous clown looming in the dark, my fear of these face-painted entertainers only escalated.

Bonjour Sophie!

Recently, my friend, Kate, sent us Sophie the Giraffe, which is a flexible teething toy and according to many parents, a Godsend.

Made in the French Alps, the teether appeals to a baby's multiple senses. She makes a funny sound when she is squeezed, which stimulates hearing; Sophie is soft to the touch; she soothes sore gums; has a pleasant scent; and the brown spots on contrasting white makes her easy to spot. Best of all, Sophie is 100% natural rubber and free of phthalates.

I just think she is adorable and can easily see why babies would adore her.

Preppy Technology

I finally found my Preppy iphone cover! A few phone covers have come & gone over the last year, but this one is clearly my favorite.

Wifey

Judy Blume has always been a favorite author of mine. As many of her readers do, I began reading her books in elementary school and "graduated" into her adult books over time. "Wifey" is one, believe it or not, that I have never read. My high school friends could not put it down and now twenty years later, it is currently my summer read. I hear that this one is pretty wild!

The TOP 10 unleashed

At my recent baby shower, the women and I were talking about all of the crazy things that some people feel compelled to say to pregnant women. It is as if the sight of a baby bump is a switch to turn off the filter on their mouths and start running their heads endlessly. My friends get a kick out of some of the things people say to me, especially since they heard similar things said to them when they were pregnant. Here are some of the women enjoying my personal TOP 10 unleashed: 1. Do NOT rub a pregnant woman's belly without asking first. We are not Buddha. This especially holds true for people you don't know. I was washing my hands at the sink in a restroom when a woman at another sink came creeping over to me (like a cat preying on a helpless little mouse) with her hands up ready to pounce, saying, "oh your bump is so cute... I just have to touch it!" She ended up losing an index finger and the thumb on her right hand in the process.

2. How much weight have you gained? I've gained enough to sit on you & make you wish you had never asked me that question.

3. Should you be eating that? Should you be asking this question of a hormonal woman who can eat your head in one bite?

4. Let me see your belly. I can tell you're having a boy because your stomach sits so high....I can tell I'm having a boy because four different ultrasounds showed his willie, but thanks for your input.

5. The horror stories: "I almost died in labor when I had my first." Thanks for sharing, I'll be sure to name you as my labor coach since you clearly would know the right things to say to me in my time of need.

6. Are you not seeing a doctor regularly? Yes, I watch reruns of Grey's Anatomy a few times a week, duh.

7. You look way too small to be in your last trimester. Are you sure you know when you are due? Actually I closed my eyes and randomly picked a due date on the calendar for myself.

8. Was it planned/an accident? Did I forget to consult with you first before fitting MY pregnancy into YOUR calendar?

9. When are you having another? I should probably have this one out before I even think about anything else, don't you think?!

10. Creating crazy nicknames for a pregnant woman's baby, and for goodness sake do not refer to the woman's unborn baby as "booger." Seriously.

On the flip side, people who have children really must STOP saying to those who are childless, "You have no idea what it is like to have kids." as if it is some badge of power tripping honor. A few years ago I worked with a girl who said this to people constantly and she quickly lost the respect of those around her, childless or not. While she used having two little children as an excuse to consistently get out of doing any significant work, it was very hurtful to the women in the office who had gone through loss, didn't want children or were told they could not have any.

It would be nice for people to use common sense and manners regardless of which side of the fence you are on.