Does a pregnant woman’s diet and appetite help determine the gender of their baby?  Studies say there may be a correlation. 

Read the article here.

Hmmm, I was pretty much hungry all the time with both pregnancies and I had one of each. Cereal (mmmm… Peanut Butter Bumpers) was my craving  for many a meal. Oh,  and meat.

Does the study ring true for you?

This isn’t an original idea. I believe I’m stealing it from our friends at SF Gate’s parenting blog “the Poop”.  I know I’ve seen it before,  but hey it’s Earth Day next week and I’m doing my part to re-use and recycle - both blog post ideas and baby names.

So.  Do you have a surplus of perfectly good names on your baby name list that may go unused? If you want to share them so someone else can use them or parts of them - go ahead and post them below. You may inspire some parents to be with names or combos they hadn’t considered.

I’ll start: Well,  our winners were - Benjamin Peter and Vivian Louise but here were some other options…

Boy: Elliot Finn, August (Gus) Owen or Andrew Owen

Girl:  Annika Lynn, Evelyn Rose, Lillian Anne.

Oh, while I’m at it why not throw in a dog name or two? We think we’re female dog people now. So here’s a male dog name I’ve had in my back pocket.  ”Lars” especially for a Yellow Lab.

How about you? Throw some names in the hat!

When Dona Schwartz, a professer at the U of M, contacted Cribsheet to spread the word about her photography project, I jumped at the chance. Check out Dona’s photo gallery and see details of her project below.

Expecting your first baby? My name is Dona Schwartz and I am a full-time faculty member at the University of Minnesota School of Journalism. I am looking for expectant parents (married, partnered or single) who would like to participate in a photographic portrait project. There is no charge and you will receive a complimentary 8×10” photograph as a gift to thank you for being photographed. 

The portrait sessions are scheduled during the last trimester of  pregnancy, or, in the case of adoptions, when the baby will be  arriving soon. Parents-to-be are photographed where they live, in  their own homes.

As a photographer and sociologist I am very interested in important  moments in family life. The birth of a first child is one of the most important moments of all. I’m interested in how people approach this momentous event, and in how their beliefs, hopes, and dreams are embodied in the space they have prepared for their new baby. Diversity is crucial to the representation I am constructing. I think it’s extremely important to show a range of ages, ethnicities, races and cultures, because everyone experiences family and parenting, and there is no single template for bearing and nurturing children. Once we become parents our lives are  forever changed.

This is an ongoing project, so feel free to contact me at any time  during the pregnancy.

Please contact me via email at dona@umn.edu, or call 651-263-1200 for more information.

It’s been 3 weeks now since her arrival - I think

Hi all! I’ve been dying to check in on the blog. I’ve got a lot of  details to share and plenty of new inspiration and topics to write about. I am currently enjoying this precious hazy newborn time too much, and will post more soon. Keep checking back.

In the meantime, here is the post I was planning to put up last Wednesday, 11-07-07 - but I was a little preoccupied. All of the wondering, speculations, and questions I did in this were already happily answered.

Week 39: So it’s not just the “Who’s in there with your sweet little hiccups, your penchant for stomping on my bladder and your  insatiable craving for gallons upon gallons of skim milk - that’s making me anxious..”  Now it’s the “WHEN are you coming out, baby?!

All signs point to EXIT. Soon. But when? Every night when I shut my office door, I wonder, “Am I coming back tomorrow? Is this the last time I’m here for a few months?” Which makes me hastily turn the key back in the door, quickly straighten my desk, water the plant, and write last minute post-it notes labeling this or that or explaining what is left undone in my in-box. All ducks must be in rows. Loose ends tidied up. Nesting.

There is no official baby pool but there is plenty of anticipation and speculation, a lot of hearing the daily “You’re still here?”

One colleague is dying for my water to break in the office. “So exciting! And it would make for good department lore for years to come.” Ummm - I’m not so certain I’d like that situation to be a part of that lore.

Another co-worker, Judy, says ”I’m predicting your baby will come when all the leaves drop off the gingko tree near the Strib parking lot across the street.” We have a beautiful old gingko out there just bursting full of yellow fanned leaves that all spontaneously drop on one random day in late fall. I love the idea that, that would be the day I have the baby. Gingko trees are very sentimental and full of significance to me. So that would be an incredibly meaningful if it were to happen.

I also like the idea of 11/11/07 for the baby. It rolls off the tongue, it’s lyrical, it’s Veterans Day - and elevens seem to follow me around and pop up wherever I go. My lucky number. It must be a sign of good things. Sunday works.

The fact is - through all the speculation, hopes and guesses. I just don’t know when this baby will come. The only thing that is certain is that it will be born in November. Baby has his/her own agenda no matter how many things are left undone, whatever day it is and whatever the circumstances are around it. Whenever baby enters this world will be a very special day.

11-07-07 wasn’t 11-11-07, but lyrical nonetheless. Our world became more wonderful when Vivian became a part of it. I called Judy to share the good news. She looked out the window. Sure enough - the gingko had dropped it’s leaves.