Belly Laughs

I am reposting some of my favorite pictures from my pregnancy because of this blog post on Glamour.com. I know my decision to have my pregnant belly painted at Festival may have been a bold one, but it still stands out as one of my favorite days of my pregnancy. I felt so proud, so glowing. It was awesome ... and I'd do it again in a heartbeat (sorry, Mom).

Good hair day, too ... if I do say so myself.

Would You Do It?

Yesterday on Glamour.com, Joanna Goddard wrote about a German website called Naked People where you can actually see ... naked people. The people are initially clothed then as you click on them their clothes fade away. And they are totally naked. That said, it isn't pornographic ... it is just a bunch of normal people in the buff. Just standing there. It's a little weird and off-putting at first, but should it be?

I know as Americans we are taught to think of the naked human body as taboo, but should it be? We all have one. And should we be as ashamed of our own bodies as some of us are? The people on this site aren't perfect looking (some are far from it), but there they stand. Seeing them seem so unafraid to be bare in front of the world was slightly empowering.

So here's the question ...

If an artist put a call out to all normal people (i.e., non-celebrities) that (s)he was doing an exhibit like this on the human body ... would you do it? Not sure I would, but it's a thought.

Other Mothers

I often think about all the other mothers out there and wonder what their lives are like.


For instance, we met a blind mother-to-be at our Beginning with Baby class. What is life like at her house? How does she care for her child? Does she have help or can she do it all on her own? Every so often when I look at my son, I am reminded that she has never seen her child. What must that be like?


On the other side of the spectrum, there is Nadya Suleman. *sigh* How can she possibly have the capacity to care for all her fourteen children? Unmarried and unemployed, she seems foolishly hopeful that this will all work out in the end. Now, that is not to say that if a person is married and/or has a job that things will certainly work out. But she has no help (besides her parents). I could go on and on for days about how irresponsible I think she is, but I will stop there. We've all heard it before.

My fascination with the lives of other mothers probably started when I began reading about Christine Coppa, blogger for Glamour.com and WEtv.com and stylishly single mom. She gave readers a window into her life and from the minute I started reading her blog, when her son J.D. was just a bun in the oven, I was hooked. Reading about her experiences also made it easier to dream about having a son of my own ... I hadn't had much experience with little boys and honestly had no idea what to expect. (By the way, it is a true JOY!)

It takes all kinds, doesn't it?