My secret is out and it’s one that big tees, loose sweaters and even my favorite empire waist dresses just aint gonna hide anymore.
I’m knocked up…
Got a bun in the oven...
Preggers…
With child…
Expecting…
In the family way…
And though I did plan it (or more accurately, I didn’t try to prevent it) it’s still taking some getting used to.
I’m filled with a mix of excitement, fear, and happiness not to mention impatience. And by the way, a severe 3 month bout with morning (afternoon and night) sickness is my excuse for not blogging too often lately, but now that I’m in the midst of “the good trimester” (the second) expect to see a lot more from me here. And, I promise I’ll try not to be all about baby stuff either. That would be boring, even to me. I mean I was tired of hearing about "Brangelina" and "Tomkat's" spawn way before they even arrived.
But, I gotta say it’s hard not to kinda have a one track mind right now. My belly’s getting bigger and bigger, while my endurance level is getting shorter and shorter. Still, I’m fighting it, and though I'm taking it easier, I vow to be that hip chick still out at rock shows, clubs and parties, working the bump in a tight ensemble and not missing out on one ounce of fun, even without my usual cocktail(s). So far so good.
It’s funny though, everybody keeps telling me how trendy it is to be pregnant right now, as if I care. I didn’t take this giant step in some shallow quest to acquire the latest fashion accessory!
And yet, when I was invited to the Boom Boom Room “gifting suite” in Century City last Friday, put together especially for celebs to check out and take home the latest infant fashion prior to this week’s MTV Movie Awards, I became giddy. At four months along, I haven’t bought one single baby item yet, and now I’d get to score a bunch of swag for the little one.
But would I even like anything?
Turns out, kids stuff really is getting better and I’m not just talking about the miniature rock n’ roll fashion in all the stores right now (AC/DC and CBGB’s tees are everywhere). Sure, I’m a rock chick and my kid will probably be a rock fan (he/she’s already been to South By Southwest, Coachella and a shitload of shows along the Sunset Strip) but it’s all just a bit overdone right now.
The Boom Boom Room took over a whole floor of the Park Hyatt hotel, with room after room filled with plush blankees, cutesy clothing and other more unusual items. Most of the products were created by mothers who realized a need. Like Dear Johnnies Rachel Zinny
who makes hospital gowns in pretty, colorful patterns that can be monogrammed. “You always get your picture taken in these ugly gowns and I wanted to make something cute.” She told me. I picked up a sweet pink and green polka dot number with hot pink piping. Will I rock it in the maternity ward? You know it.
Another mom who came up with a great idea, the lady from L’ovedbaby whose created stylish nursing shawls for the modest mom who doesn’t want to pop out her boob for the world to see everytime her babe gets hungry. I know it’s the most natural thing in the world blah, blah, but so is pooping and I don’t want people to see me doing that in public either. Leche league ladies please don’t write me!
The ubiquitous slogan baby tee is still popular and I gotta say some companies are still coming up with clever stuff. At Nursery Couture, I got a onesie that said, “Nobody Puts Baby In A Corner,” while Rudechix offered more edgy stuff like red, black and grey tees with sayings such as “My Dad Can Dropkick Your Dad,” “Getting Tattoos When I’m 18” and “My Parents Are Cooler Than Your Parents. ”
As I meandered thru the hotel halls and into each room, bumping into TV stars (Ming Na, Joely Fisher), movie stars (Vivica Fox, who was really working the suite action… saw her again later at the MTV Style Lounge in Beverly Hills with Linda and Steffie) and other famous-for-being-famous types (Melissa Joan Hart who just had a kid; Marty, the cute blonde guy who should have won Rockstar INXS; and Shar Jackson, Kevin Ferderline’s ex, picking stuff up for Britney’s new baby, I guess) my haul got bigger and more interesting.
There was maternity stuff like lycra tees that said “Baby on Board” in rhinestones and sexy maternity lingerie from Sweet Dreams. I got a pair of these filmsy purple PJs (see pic of model) but I just don’t know when I’m gonna feel daring and or confident enough to wear ‘em.
“Do men really find the pregnant belly sexy? “I ask my husband later that evening.
“I think it’s kind of a fetish,” he says.
“What, like chubby chasers?” I ask, my blood starting to boil and my eyes starting to swell for no apparent reason. He told me I looked cute just the other day and now my belly is a "fetish?"
He clarifies, “No, if it’s your baby, uh, yes of course , it’s sexy. But if a man's attracted to pregnant women he doesn't know, then I think it’s kind of a fetish.”
Nice save dude.
A piece of advice to pals and lovers of soon-to-be moms: be very, very careful what you say. Treat everything like the ol' "Do I look fat in this dress?" question and say the nicest, sweetest, most positive thing you can think of. It could make the different between 9 months of bliss or hell.
Here are some other links to cool stuff I saw/ got at the Boom Boom Room. Expect to see the celebs with them in all the mags in the next few months.
Ohfive (baby shoes)
Hopscotchlane (blankets)
Bandannaboutique (bibs, blankets)
Lilewes (baby stuff delivery service)