Wednesday, 20 August 2014

Another Duggar baby is on the way!

by

Carolyn Robertson


posted in Celebrities

Make room for one more Duggar!


Newlyweds Jill & Derick Dillard, who tied the knot just 8 weeks ago, are expecting their first child! The couple share their big news on the cover of this week's PEOPLE magazine, saying, "We're having a baby! We are so excited."


The 23-year-old mom-to-be recalls the day she finally got her positive pregnancy test, saying she'd taken quite a few tests only to be disappointed. Then one day while at her parents Michelle and Jim-Bob Duggar's house, her sisters talked her into trying one of their mom's test. So she did, and the rest is history!


"It was surreal," says Derick. "We were shocked. Both of us are so excited."


It's been a whirlwind romance for the happy couple: They fell in love online, emailing and Skyping for a few months before they finally met face-to-face late last year when Jill and her dad traveled to Nepal, where Derick was doing missionary work. By April they were engaged, and on June 21 they said "I do" - and shared their very first kiss - in front of 1,000 well-wishers. The baby on the way is due next March, so by the time they celebrate their first anniversary they'll be a family of three!


Jill's big clan - she's the 4th oldest of the Duggars' 19 children - are looking forward to welcoming yet another member.


"About 30 days after Jill and Derick got married they gathered everyone in the living room and shared the news," Jim Bob, 49, reveals. "Everyone was clapping and cheering, and we were in shock, too."


Talk about a lot of very important life changes in just a short amount of time! I had the very opposite of a whirlwind romance: My husband and I were together for 12 years, engaged for 2 of those and married for 3, before we finally welcomed our first baby.





How long were you with your partner before you became parents?




These other celebs had babies while they were young, too!




Photo: DCI/TLC


Sunday, 17 August 2014

Christina Aguilera welcomes a girl!

by

Carolyn Robertson


posted in Celebrities

Christina Aguilera's baby girl is here!


The 'Beautiful' singer and her fiancé Matt Rutler welcomed their daughter yesterday, August 16. According to reports, the family's no doubt adorable new addition arrived via c-section at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. The little girl, whose name has yet to be revealed, joins big brother Max Liron, 6, Christina's son from her previous marriage.


News of the 33-year-old Grammy-winner's pregnancy broke in February, just a month after she announced via Twitter that she and her boyfriend of 4 years were engaged. She later confirmed the happy baby news on stage in Malaysia, also revealing that the baby on the way was a girl. Since then she's shared a few sweet pregnancy pics and milestones with her almost 13 million online followers.


Earlier this month Xtina bared her bump and more, posing nude for the August issue of VMagazine.com - see the stunning pics! In the interview, she shared that she loved her pregnancy curves, saying, “As a woman, I’m proud to embrace my body through all stages of life. Staying fearless and confident in surrendering to the unknowns the future has in store.”


Christina has yet to comment on the arrival of baby #2... stay tuned to hear her name and more details!


Congratulations to them!


Which Hollywood mamas are still waiting for baby day? Take a look...




Photo: PR Photos


Friday, 15 August 2014

Inconceivable! Woman claims she's Blue Ivy's birth mother

by

Sara McGinnis


posted in Celebrities

The latest gossip surrounding Beyonce and Jay Z is so out there it's hard to believe. Numerous sites reported Friday a woman by the name of Tina Seals has filed a maternity suit against the singer. Maternity.


As Starcasm explains it, Seals is claiming that she is Blue Ivy Carter's real mother. In court documents she claims she was "previously associated" with the power couple, and has requested "to verify whether she is the biological mother."


Although ludicrous in nature, the maternity suit has garnered the attention of those who believed Beyonce was faking her pregnancy with Blue Ivy all along.


Beyonce Jay Z rumors Inconceivable! Woman claims shes Blue Ivys birth mother


Rumors surrounding Bey and Jay are an everyday occurrence, with the latest gossip claiming they're on the verge of divorce, but this Tina Seals bit is exceptionally ridiculous.


Starcasm goes on to report:



In addition to filing a maternity suit for Blue Ivy, Tina Seals has previously filed similar suits against Kim Kardashian and Kanye West in regards to North West, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson in regards to Michael Jackson’s children Prince, Paris and Blanket, and even the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge!


In her suit alleging maternity of North West, in the space allotted for describing the monetary compensation desired, Tina wrote, "stipulation + Negotiable money judgment OR Record Deal for my 22 year old son w/ Kanye West."



It's laughable, but kind of sad too, don't you think?


I never now what to make of most gossip reports, because I generally disregard everything, but then out of the blue the rumors will have been right.


For instance, I didn't even bother blogging about the whole 'Kendra Wilkinson's husband cheated on with a transsexual while she was pregnant with their daughter' because, come on. If anything has ever sounded like a tabloid fabrication that has got to be it...but then this popped up today:















Wow. That's about all I have left to say.





Do you think there's truth to any of the rumors surrounding Beyonce and Jay Z?




Photos: REX USA


More stars who've been tangled up in cheating scandals:



Engaged Jessa Duggar talks holding hands, having babies

by

Carolyn Robertson


posted in Celebrities

Jim-Bob and Michelle Duggar have a new reason to celebrate: Their daughter Jessa is engaged!


At 21 years old, Jessa Duggar is the 5th oldest of the Duggar's 19 children, and she has more than just wedding planning to look forward to now that she's said "Yes" to her 19-year-old fiance Ben Seward's proposal. The cute couple, who have been together for over a year, have yet to so much as hold hands - though they plan to start now that they're headed to the altar. Their first ever kiss, though, will have to wait until their wedding day.


Jessa explained her slow approach to romance in an interview with Cosmopolitan earlier this year, saying, "We’ve set our guidelines really high, and people will not understand that. They’ll be like, 'That’s weird. How are you going to show you really love the guy if you’re not having sex with him before marriage?' But that’s where we purpose in this stage of our relationship to focus on building strong communication because anyone can just go out and have sex.... [As] time goes on, maybe at engagement, we’ll talk about hand holding, but we want to save our first kiss for marriage, too."


As the old saying goes, first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes... babies! Both from big broods - Ben is one of seven - the pair say they too plan to leave their family size "up to God."


"We are talking about our goals and even just like future, with family, we both talked about adoptions," Jessa tells PEOPLE. "We are open to having children and both want to adopt, too."


I think it's incredibly important for a girl - or a boy, for that matter - to wait until they are emotionally ready before having sex, but in my mind that has little to do with a marriage certificate. Holding off on even kissing until after the wedding day seems a bit extreme. Physical intimacy and sexual compatibility generally play a pretty big role in a relationship. What happens if you say "I do" only to discover that you and your brand new husband have neither?


Michelle and Jim-Bob Duggar celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary just last year. Sharing their tips for a long and happy union, the reality star mom put sex at the top of the list, advising, “Say yes to sex, even when you’re tired.”


It's certainly tricky territory for a parent, teaching our kids the healthiest way to approach sexual intimacy. I don't have it all figured out just yet, but I think what I hope to pass on to my girls is basically this: Don't do it because you feel pressured, or scared or unsure. Don't do it because everyone else is or because he, or she, really, really wants to. But if you feel truly ready, if you're committed, if you feel safe and valued and strong, then there's nothing at all wrong with wanting or enjoying sex.





What will you tell your children about sex?






Photo: TLC


Thursday, 14 August 2014

Love it or leave it: Celebrity moms' crop top trend

by

Carolyn Robertson


posted in Celebrities

Confession: This week's "love it or leave it" post was originally going to be all about the maternity lace bodysuit that Kourtney Kardashian was rocking in the Hamptons on the weekend. If you happened to miss it, here it is. I changed my mind, though, because I was worried poor Kourtney wouldn't stand a chance.


Instead, let's take a look at her sister Kim Kardashian, who made an interesting style choice of her own this week when she paired a belly-baring leather top with a zebra print skirt at the Teen Choice Awards.


rexusa 2328769da 376x650 Love it or leave it: Celebrity moms crop top trend


This outfit caught my eye for the obvious reasons, but also because I happened to enjoy a rare date night downtown with my husband on the weekend and was surprised to find that I was one of the few women who wasn't sporting a crop top. They were everywhere!


This hot new trend could be bad news for those of us whose post-baby tummies more closely resemble a bowl of loose jello than a six-pack. Hollywood mamas, though, seem to have wholeheartedly embraced it.




Honestly, they all look great, and I think a crop top, done right, can be a really cute look. But I'm happy to skip this particular fashion trend and keep my hard-earned stretch marks under cover. It just seems like too much work: I want to be comfortable in my clothes, and it's hard to be comfy when you're holding your breath and sucking in your stomach.


Call me when empire waists make a comeback.


Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Check out these famous moms' super sexy maternity style...




Photos: REX USA, PR Photos


Wednesday, 13 August 2014

Olivia Wilde on commitment: Baby means more than marriage

by

Carolyn Robertson


posted in Celebrities

A lot has changed in actress Olivia Wilde's personal life in the past few years: She divorced her husband Tao Ruspoli, got engaged to Saturday Night Live alum Jason Sudeikis and is now mom to their 4-month-old baby Otis. Could another wedding be in the works soon, too? Not so fast, the stunning star tells Glamour magazine.


"We're engaged, but no specific plans yet—we just have to find the time to put it together. In many ways, a child is more of a commitment," Olivia explains. "We are fully committed and really happy as a family."


See photos from Olivia & Otis's intimate photo shoot...




She adds that these days, love + marriage + baby isn't the default equation it used to be. Families can and do look very different.


"There's no definition of the 'normal family' anymore. Kids today are growing up with so many different definitions of family," she notes. "I guess what I'm saying is that I don't feel any pressure to do it. But I think it will be really fun."


I get what she's saying, and if two people want to be together forever and raise children without the added glue of a marriage certificate, more power to them.


My husband and I had been together for 12 years and lived together for a couple of those by the time we finally tied the knot, so I wasn't expecting it to make much of a difference in our day-to-day lives. After we exchanged those "I dos," though, it did feel as though something had rather profoundly shifted. We had always been together and committed, and I think we probably would've stayed that way with or without marriage, but there was some surprising comfort in knowing that we were "officially" together, that there could be no quick way out.





What do you think: When it comes to commitment, does baby trump marriage?




More celebrity moms & their sons...




Photo: REX USA


Tuesday, 12 August 2014

Robin Williams: Daughter, co-stars offer touching tributes

by

Carolyn Robertson


posted in Celebrities

The world is still reeling from the news that actor Robin Williams took his own life yesterday. According to a coroner's report released this afternoon, the beloved star hanged himself in his Tiburon, California home.


Tributes have been pouring in since word of Robin's death hit social media and news outlets, with those who knew him attesting to his kind and generous spirit and those who simply loved him from afar responding with shock and sadness.


One particularly touching Twitter tribute came from his daughter, Zelda Rae Williams. Robin's last Tweet was a photo of the two of them taken during her childhood, along with a birthday wish: "#tbt and Happy Birthday to Ms. Zelda Rae Williams! Quarter of a century old today but always my baby girl. Happy Birthday @zeldawilliams Love you!"


Zelda posted this today, a quote from Antoine de Saint-Exupery's book, The Little Prince:




Ben Affleck, who along with his friend Matt Damon worked with Robin on the 1997 film Good Will Hunting, shared his grief over the news today as well, posting on Facebook: "Heartbroken. Thanks chief – for your friendship and for what you gave the world. Robin had a ton of love in him. He personally did so much for so many people. He made Matt and my dreams come true. What do you owe a guy who does that? Everything. May you find peace my friend. #Robin Williams."


Here is a sample of the reactions from other celebrities:




















In a statement released yesterday, Robin's rep revealed that the Oscar-winner had been "battling severe depression of late." It's hard to believe that someone who made us all laugh so much and so often could be haunted by those dark demons, but that is the truth of depression. It has no face. It does not discriminate. It is cruel and relentless and can drag down even the kindest, most talented, most loved and celebrated among us.


Like so many out there - famous or not - I can't shake this sense of sadness today. I'm sorry for Robin Williams' family and his friends, for his suffering, and for all of the roles he won't get to play.





Has depression touched your life?






Photo: Gregory Pace/BEImages