It was time to celebrate the upcoming birth of my baby boy, but in all honesty, all I was looking forward to was seeing my friends after being cooped up for so long! Oh, and did I mention the dessert…

As the end of my pregnancy was nearing, the extra weight, the large round protruding belly, the aching back and limbs all lent itself to making the simplest of tasks quite daunting. Eating and drinking nearly put me out of breath!  My cosmetic routines were no longer a priority, and I found myself enjoying my terry cloth pants a little too much…so much that I wore a hole in them!

So the week leading up to my baby shower, I used it as an excuse to treat myself to some much needed pampering starting with a relaxation prenatal massage at Destination Maternity, a new “mommy” haircut at Oscar Blandi (I chopped 6 inches off my mane), and a manicure and pedicure (though I could barely see my feet).  I then headed over to my favorite maternity boutique, Rosie Pope on Madison Avenue to pick out a dress for my baby shower. (A maternity must have for me and staple under any dress is the Blanqi Bodystyler).

I was absolutely blown away by the baby shower that my sister and the godmother-to-be of my son threw for me!  The setting was so personal and no detail was overlooked at this Tiffany blue themed baby shower.  From French macaroons to the frosted cupcakes from Tonnie’s Minis, the “Baby Boy” cookies from Eleni’s, everything was not only color coordinated, but tasted delicious.

There were also beautiful decorations and flowers, and champagne and Bellinis from Cipriani. I opted out of the traditional opening of baby gifts, as I was more interested in spending time with my guests than opening up the array of presents.  It was a room full of my favorite people, and I wanted to soak up every moment with them in celebration, for without their love and support it would not have been such a special afternoon.

How do you feel about the idea of opening baby gifts at a shower?  As a guest, do you look forward to it, or do you find sitting through hours of looking at onesies a bit boring?

–Alexandra Osipow

Read More About Alexandra Here!

1. Alexandra Says: I Am Pregnant & Ringless — Just Like Everyone Else In NYC!
2. Congratulations To Our Mommy Blogger, Alexandra Osipow! She Gave Birth To A Baby Boy!
3. Mom-To-Be Alexandra Says: I Got Groped At The Airport, And I Asked For It!
4. Alexandra Says: How I Found Out The Sex Of My Baby — OH BOY!

In my pre-pregnancy ignorance, I assumed these diamond-less, bumpy women were just a significant amount of unwed mothers-to-be in the city. Until I found myself in my third trimester and completely ringless, like one of those pregnant women I had previously judged in my youth.

As it turns out, once you get further along in your pregnancy, you not only gain weight, but you retain water and bloat significantly to the point where your extremities swell.  I always heard about your feet changing size, but never your hands!!  Even my chin got fat!!

My husband wondered why it looked like the bow of a ship on my face!  I had gained a substantial amount of weight during my pregnancy and was over the 25-35lbs “recommended” amount months before I was due, so why would it come as a surprise when my wedding rings no longer fit? Well, it did, and I wear three!!

First, it was my plain wedding band that went, after my finger started to resemble that of an extremely cinched waist. Then my diamond band started to fit snugly against my plump appendage. And finally, with much reservation, my engagement ring was laid to rest.

As time went on, even the tan line on my finger began to fade, erasing any sign that it once had anything resembling a ring on it.  Until finally, there I was pregnant and ringless, while other unknowledgeable strangers judged me for thinking I was one of those unwed pregnant ladies.

–Alexandra Osipow

Get more of my blog!

1. Alexandra Says: How I Found Out The Sex Of My Baby — OH BOY!
2. Alexandra Says: Breaking The Baby News — What Will My Stepkids Think?
3. Alexandra Says: Some Aspects Of Pregnancy Are Downright Gross!
4. Mommy-To-Be Alexandra Is Lusting For Guacomole! What Are Your Cravings?
5. Alexandra Says: I’m Determined To Look Pregna-Chic!

Congratulations go out to Alexandra Osipow and her husband A.J.! The happy couple welcomed a baby boy on May 25 named Alden Alexander Vissicchio.

Alex, who appeared on Cw’s High Society, has been blogging with HollyBaby.com for the past few months, filling all of us in on the joys and “bumps” of pregnancy!

Check out some of her entries and send Alex some new mom tips!

Congratulations again, Alex ad welcome to the world baby Aiden! YAY!

–Leigh Blickley

Get more of Alex’s mom-to-be blog!

1. Alexandra Says: How I Found Out The Sex Of My Baby — OH BOY!
2. Alexandra Says: Breaking The Baby News — What Will My Stepkids Think?
3. Alexandra Says: Some Aspects Of Pregnancy Are Downright Gross!
4. Mommy-To-Be Alexandra Is Lusting For Guacomole! What Are Your Cravings?
5. Alexandra Says: I’m Determined To Look Pregna-Chic!

While I was only at liberty to take the occasional nap at work once during the day — and by nap I mean the two minutes I closed my eyes in the cold bathroom stall, placing my head on 1-ply toilet paper roll only to imagine it was a down pillow — my husband and I decided it was time to take a little vacation. If only to get away for a few days: a little “babymoon.”

I must say the actual vacation itself was quite relaxing and a great way to reconnect before the baby arrived, and I would recommend it to any couple. But getting to and from this destination was another story all together: the dreaded security checkpoint.

Though the latest X-ray scanners at the airport have been said to use low intensity radiation, I opted instead for the controversial physical “pat down.” I figured the long term damage of being groped by a TSA officer would be far less than the radiation received from the machine.

Once I asked for the “pat down,” an air of annoyance was immediately perceived from the female officer, as she asked if I would like to go to a private area.  “No thank you,” I replied respectively, while in my head I was thinking “Oh hell no!!  If I am going to be inappropriately fondled, I want witnesses!”

While I was being publicly frisked, I watched as my husband threw his arms up in the air as instructed in the machine, as if waiting to be read his Miranda rights.

Ahhh! Between toilet paper pillow naps and unnecessary fondling at the airport, I just couldn’t wait to put my bikini on and show off my beach baby bump!

If you were pregnant, would you choose the X-ray scanner or the pat down on your next flight?

–Alexandra Osipow

Get more of my blog!

1. Alexandra Says: How I Found Out The Sex Of My Baby — OH BOY!
2. Alexandra Says: Breaking The Baby News — What Will My Stepkids Think?
3. Alexandra Says: Some Aspects Of Pregnancy Are Downright Gross!
4. Mommy-To-Be Alexandra Is Lusting For Guacomole! What Are Your Cravings?
5. Alexandra Says: I’m Determined To Look Pregna-Chic!

The occasional surprise that sparkles in the form of jewelry is A-OK with me, but I did not need any additional surprises when it came to the pregnancy and birthing experience. It was time to find out the sex of my baby!

While some couples choose to wait until the moment their baby utters their first cry in the delivery room to find out the sex, I on the other hand, thought the experience of an 8 pound baby making its way through a tunnel the fraction of its size sufficed as all the “surprise” I could take. My husband and I decided to find out early….

The anticipation was all consuming, but when I was told I was having a boy, the shock of it almost made me well up in tears. How could this be? I just wasn’t prepared for this! After all, my mother only had girls, my grandmother only had girls, her mother only had girls and so forth. I was sure I was having a girl!

The world I had envisioned filled with ballet classes, Barbies, pink ribbons, and pretty little things was replaced with the idea of trucks and trains, loud noises, farts and a whole lot of mess.

But when I saw his little profile on the sonogram screen, my heart melted, the glassiness in my eyes turned to tears of joy….and I couldn’t wait for the arrival of my little Prince.

Tell me about your experience — did you find out the sex or wait until the big day?

–Alexandra Osipow

Get more of my blog!

1. Alexandra Says: Breaking The Baby News — What Will My Stepkids Think?
2. Alexandra Says: Some Aspects Of Pregnancy Are Downright Gross!
3. Mommy-To-Be Alexandra Is Lusting For Guacomole! What Are Your Cravings?
4. Alexandra Says: I’m Determined To Look Pregna-Chic!

We were committed to making the new arrival a smooth transition. So telling his three kids, from his previous marriage, that they were going to have a baby brother had to be done delicately and with great care. I think my husband was quite apprehensive and nervous about telling them, while I was more concerned in the manner in which we told them.

Our intention was to show the kids that the arrival of the baby would add to the family dynamic in a positive and exciting way and would not take anything away from them.

Our goal was also to inspire the youngest to want to take on the new role of big brother, as I feel that it is usually the hardest for the current ‘baby’ of the group to adjust to the change.

Due to my husband’s anxiety, the date of the reveal kept being postponed by a number of made up, and at times, humorous excuses. I, in turn, could only be patient and supportive, while trying to hide my continuing growing midriff and my increasing appetite.

At one point, I just asked him if we should just wait, tell them I got fat, and when the baby was born say, “Congrats here is your new baby brother!!!” I think he realized it was time…

As we sat his children, ages 16, 14, and 10 at the time, down for a family meeting, we asked the youngest if he was prepared to finally be a big brother. They stared at us, not quite sure what we were getting at.

The middle one broke the silence with, “Is Alex having a baby??” while the eldest chimed in with, “I knew it!!!” With the unexpected excitement of the night, we were both greeted with hugs and kisses, and the entire speech that we had prepared over the course of the last few weeks was quickly forgotten.

So it looked as if, for now, things were progressing as smooth as could be expected, but with such a huge age gap between them and the new baby, I am hoping that they won’t feel too far removed and enjoy the experience of being older siblings. Only time will tell.

–Alexandra Osipow

Get more of my blog!

1. Alexandra Says: Some Aspects Of Pregnancy Are Downright Gross!
2. Mommy-To-Be Alexandra Is Lusting For Guacomole! What Are Your Cravings?
3. Alexandra Says: I’m Determined To Look Pregna-Chic!

I might have been pretty prepared for the morphing of my body, but I was completely blindsided by some of the other changes that were about to occur during my pregnancy!

I was finally starting to feel comfortable in my own skin, and in my newly purchased maternity clothes for that matter. I was embracing my ever changing body and was in complete awe in how it transforms itself to care and provide for the growing life inside of you. But there was one thing I was not prepared for and it quickly threw me for a loop…you know…that feeling in your belly? And I am not talking about the baby!

Have you ever noticed how men think flatulence is funny, and they are more than happy to partake and make it an Olympic sport, but when it comes from a woman, it is just plan disgusting in their eyes?  Well, welcome to the fourth month of pregnancy! That was my newest gift to my husband….gas….which let me tell you, he didn’t appreciate one bit.

I felt like a blown up balloon that just had to let loose somewhere, and I didn’t care from which end. Let’s be honest here…when you are pregnant it comes in high test, not regular.

The vicious cycle begins with your metabolism slowing down to ensure absorption of essential nutrients. In other words, you put on weight. This in turn results in horrible constipation, which though it is not the most comfortable feeling, it is much easier to keep under wraps.

And to add insult to injury, a new gastrointestinal orchestra begins its practice.  So to those mommies-to-be, keep the prune juice handy and get some nose plugs for your loved ones!

–Alexandra Osipow

Get more of my blog!

1. Mommy-To-Be Alexandra Is Lusting For Guacomole! What Are Your Cravings?
2. Alexandra Says: I’m Determined To Look Pregna-Chic!
3. Mommy-To-Be Alexandra Gives Her Picks For The Hottest New Maternity Looks!

No more triple doses of iced-coffee or meal skipping. No more polishing off a bottle of wine…or two….with girlfriends. I was determined to eat like we all dream of eating…fruits, vegetables, lean meats, low carb. This was a time to eat healthy and finally BE healthy!

As I found myself in the first trimester of my first pregnancy, foods I once loved, I couldn’t bare the smell of, while foods I never liked, I ate with such ferocity. My cravings were not those bizarre combinations you read about in magazines like pickles and ice cream. Instead, I craved one item at a time: orange and pomegranate juices, grapefruits and all kinds of berries, avocados and artichokes prepared any way.

The best, of course, was when they came together, like the dish at a local restaurant, Amaranth: avocado and artichokes with shaved parmesan cheese! Yum!

You could also find me running into Rosa Mexicana and Dos Caminos for a double order of guacamole to go. And of course, there was also chocolate…. anything that had that little morsel of heaven, I became drawn to like a magnet.

As my waist started to fill out, I became concerned about the possibility of stretch marks, so I started applying all the lotions, potions and creams early on.

A friend recommended Elasticity Belly Oil by Belli Pregnancy. It may not be for everyone, as its texture is quite greasy, but if you get your husband to do the dirty work, it also works great as a massage oil for the entire body. I religiously continue to alternate between the Belly Oil and pure almond oil, which Parisian women swear by is the best remedy to prevent stretch marks.

Nothing hydrated the skin on the rest of my body like Mustela Ultimate Hydration cream. I know…I bought into some of the hype, but even though it is said that getting stretch marks are hereditary, I wasn’t going to take the chance and rely solely on mother nature!

Try out some of the products I use — and of course eat lots of guacamole! Let me know how it goes!

–Alexandra Osipow

Get more of my blog:
Mommy-To-Be Alexandra Gives Her Picks For The Hottest New Maternity Looks!
Alexandra Says: I’m Determined To Look Pregna-Chic!
How I Walked The Red Carpet Three Months Pregnant With My Fly Down!
The Making Of A Big City Baby — Meet Our New Mommy Blogger, Alexandra Osipow!