Mom Injects Botox and Fillers Into Her 8-Year-Old

If you haven't read about it yet, click here for the full article. Basically, this pageant mother orders Botox and dermal fillers online and injects them into her 8-year-old daughter's face and lips so that she will become a "superstar" someday. "Kerry first injected Britney with Botox in May last year, as a present to celebrate her eighth birthday," what a thoughtful gift! It's ok, though, because the mom is a "trained beautician" and tests them on herself first...

She also takes Britney in for regular full-body waxing and plans to get her permanent ['lightly tattooed'] lip liner and eyebrows soon.

Here are some other excerpts:

I know one day she will be a model, actress or singer, and having these treatments now will ensure she stays looking younger and baby-faced for longer. 

More mothers should do it for their daughters.

I wish that I'd had the same advantages when I was younger. 

I'd rather she be perfect and have a little frozen face. Some people say her eyebrows look a little pulled already but they look striking.

Kerry says: I also buy vials of fillers and Botox from our local 'beauty dealer'- one of the mums at school.

When she's a superstar earning millions, she'll always be grateful for what I did when she was so young.

 

Wondering what Britney thinks about it all?

Britney says: My friends think it's cool I have all the treatments and they want to be like me. I check every night for wrinkles, when I see some I want more injections. 

I also want a boob and nose job soon, so that I can be a star. 

 I feel like a supermodel and if I do ballet or go swimming I don't have to worry about hairy legs. Although the pain makes me cry, I feel like a cool grown-up when it's all over.

 

 The worst part of it is that it's apparently a growing trend, at least in the pageant world. There's also nothing anyone can do at this point to stop parents from injecting their kids as there are no laws against it.

My Current Wishlist: Oscar & Belle on Sale

Something I can't stand is finding an adorable outfit that I must have for Bay and then seeing "the requested quantity is not available" when I try to add it to my cart. Why the F is it still on the website if the quantity one isn't an option? I'm convinced retailers do it so you'll keep checking back in hopes that they've restocked it [which I always do] and you just end up buying something else instead. The moral of the story is if you see something you really want [especially if it's on sale], it's smart to buy it right then.

This happens to me at least once a week!

Anyway here are some cute clothes that actually are in stock that I either already bought for Bay or almost did. In any case, they're on sale and cute and someone's baby needs to have them. I really like this website, Pure and Little, that sells all organic baby and kid stuff [and the one I always keep going back to even though they sell out of cute things before I get to buy them]. Oscar & Belle is just one of the great brands they carry:

Oscar & Belle Dahlia Striped Onesie $34 $17

Oscar & Belle Dew Striped Onesie $34 $17

Oscar & Belle Dusty Moss Onesie $34 $17

Oscar & Belle Dahlia Striped Footie $35 $17.50

Oscar & Belle Dew Striped Footie $35 $17.50

Here's a closeup view of the footie patterns

This green color is, of course, not available but here's a photo on an actual child, which always helps when ordering online:

Happy shopping!

10 Days Left to Help Dogs and Cats for Free

Unable to donate or volunteer at a shelter? Can't foster or adopt but still want to help animals? For every new fan for the next 10 days, Castor and Pollux will donate meals to to dogs and cats affected by the disaster in Japan. All you have to do is like their facebook page.

Our 3 handsome boys: Remus, Ralph, and Bowie

I know about Castor and Pollux because we feed their food to our dogs but I only recently [last year sometime] realized all they do to help animals in need. Please help, all it takes is one click!

Remus and Bowie. See why we have no grass?

For another free way to help protect your own pets [or those of someone you know], click here to order your free Pet Safety Pack from the ASPCA. It includes a window cling decal that indicates what pets you have inside in case of a fire. You also get a magnet with the phone number for the Animal Poison Control Center.

Ralphie, 3-4 months old, right after he came to live with us

Today is [our best guess at] our Great Pyrenees Ralphie's 2nd birthday! We love him so much and are so happy to have found him. He walked up to our friends' house while we were there for a baby shower. We weren't able to find his owners and think he was dumped at the park down the street. 

 Our German Shepherd, Bowie, had been through a rescue and several homes before I got him. Remus, our yellow Lab, was bought from a breeder by S before we were together. We of course love Remus no matter what but now my husband is the first one to encourage others to adopt instead of buy pets.

Our big [and biggest] boy now, well over 100 pounds

If you're interested in a pet of any kind, please check out PetFinder or a local shelter and consider adoption. It's cheap or even free and you are literally saving a life!

Madison Vining Photography: Be the Change

Be the change you wish to see in the world.

It's a famous Ghandi quote that seems increasingly relevant in a world full of injustice.

All photos belong to Madison Vining Photography

It's also the inspiration behind a local photographer and friend's new project. Madison Vining is trying to make a difference by offering mini photography sessions and eventually compiling the images into a book. The proceeds from the sessions and book sales will be donated to relief efforts in Japan.

  A few days ago, she asked me to model some necklaces for Brooklyn Thread, a jewelry company located in New York. Obviously, I had Bay with me so before we left, Madison took some pictures of us for her Be the Change project.

Bay recently started doing this turtle face thing

If you're in the Tulsa area and would like to participate, the 20-minute sessions cost $45 and include a CD with at least 10 images, including one Be the Change-themed photo [email her here]. Even if you're not in the area, check out what she's doing on the website, tumblr page, and facebook page. Once she has 1,000 photos, she'll put them all into a book that will be available for sale.

There are so many people around the world -even next door or down the street- who could use our help in some way. I hope that with all of the negativity in our society and horrible things we see on the news every day, we can all remember to do good things for others as well.

Celebrity Birth Announcement: Rachel Zoe

Congratulations to celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe and husband Rodger Berman! Rachel just gave birth to a 6 pound, 12 ounce, 20 inch baby boy. 

Photo from here

His name: Skylar Morrison Berman.

I like the middle name a lot but I was shocked that they chose Skylar. It's not a terrible name but I'm not a fan of it for their son for the following reasons:

1. That spelling is more popular for girls. It ranked #185 for girls in 2009.

2. The more common spelling for boys, Skyler, has remained in the 200s since 1991. Not exactly cutting edge.

3. It just sounds a little stale compared to a trend-setting name I would expect them to choose.

Edit: People is now reporting the spelling as Skyler with an e. Numbers 2 and 3 still apply.

Now I guess the tabloids can go back to constantly reporting about how skinny Rachel looks. It will be interesting to see whether this will put an end to the rumors that Rodger is gay. Aside from leaking a sex tape, I don't know what else he can do.

Cute Clothing on Gilt + Help Japan

Most importantly, Gilt will match donations made to support Tsunami Relief Efforts [click here to donate] up to $20,000.

I just came across these adorable items from a brand I've never seen before, Right Bank Babies. I usually go for boring, plain things but am trying to branch out more because I don't want to pass that on to Bay. These are available on Gilt right now, so get them while you can!

Find it by clicking on Children then Spring Apparel: Here Comes the Sun.

Sizes 0-6x are available

Embroidered Sweater

$97 $31

Embroidered Sweater Dress

$97 $31

Cecelia Dress

$70 $22

Unfortunately, I didn't see anything that cute for boys today. I did come across this Marie Chantal top, which I think is so pretty:

 

$124 $35

If you're looking for a cute shower gift or want some hangers for your own baby, check these sets out in the Gifts section:

Clowns

Farm Animals

$17 $12

Not that it's my job to tell people what to do, but I beg anyone considering purchasing Melissa and Doug toys [also currently on sale at Gilt] to reconsider. While they market their products as natural and nontoxic, HealthyToys.org [I recommend bookmarking that and checking out a toy before you buy it] has found levels of several dangerous chemicals, including lead, barium, and cadmium. I personally am skeptical of anything so mass-produced and do not purchase any toys made in China.

Vegan Girl Scout Cookies

I'm not sure how baby-related this is [at least I assume most people don't feed babies cookies] but I wanted to pass it on. This year, there are 4 vegan Girl Scout cookie options. You can view the nutritional information for all their cookies here [click on ingredients and nutrition].

Shout Outs!  

these are new and are described 

as "Belgian-style caramelized cookies" and "sensibly sweet"

Peanut Butter Patties  

they are just like Tagalongs but made by 

a different company- Tagalongs do contain milk

Lemonades  

these contain a "tangy lemon icing" that I can't wait to try

Thanks-A-Lot  

these have fudge on the bottom and say 'thank you' 

in several languages

Being vegan obviously doesn't make them healthy but at least they're animal-friendly. I'll be buying them just because of that, even though I generally try to avoid processed foods. Now all I'm waiting on is a vegan version of Samoas.

Note: In case you didn't already know, Oreos are vegan as well. A list of "accidentally vegan" food items can be found here. Even if you aren't vegan, it's a nice idea to substitute cruelty-free items when they're available.

Random Baby-related Observations

A photo of the entire Jolie-Pitt family was posted on TMZ earlier:

[1] Knox, Vivienne, and Shiloh look identical. Like they might all be clones.

[2] Knox is in desperate need of a haircut. I know they're all European and everything now but he just looks unhappy with it in his face like that.

[3] This photo has confirmed my suspicions that Zahara is the coolest little girl in the world.

[4] Brad Pitt= Lorenzo Lamas. What is that? Seriously, look again at that picture, then look at this:

photo found here

Throw his hair back in a ponytail and add some sunglasses and they're the same person. I hope that isn't an up-and-coming trend.

[5] Anyone who bitches about how hard it is to take care of one child needs to put that picture on the fridge for inspiration. Just walking down the street with 6 kids has to be more difficult than giving birth to one.

Favorite Baby Items: Doidy Cup

Bay has been exclusively breastfed except for the few times I have left her [for appointments or dinner with S]. My mom has watched her 4 times so far and the first 3 times, I reluctantly left her with breastmilk and a bottle. Two of those times, I had to go and nurse her more than once because she wanted nothing to do with the bottle. Even the slow-flow nipple was too fast for her so she would get too much milk and choke.

I had never been a big fan of using a bottle with her since she wouldn't be using it frequently enough to really get the hang of it and I didn't want her to have to transition from a bottle to a cup at a later age. When I looked up cup-feeding, though, not much came up so I wasn't sure what to do about it. One day, I did a YouTube search for "cup feeding infant" or something along those lines and came across videos of very young babies being fed with Doidy cups.

Doidy I bought for a friend in the Cerise color

The only place I could find that sold them in the US was Amazon [order here] so I didn't hesitate to order one. I practiced using it with Bay one night and was amazed at how immediately she took to it, she knew exactly what to do. Apparently, babies use the same motion when drinking from the cup as they do when breastfeeding so there's not much of a learning curve and you don't have to worry about nipple confusion, trying out different bottles, etc.

Bay's Lilac Doidy

Here's the description from their website:

The DOIDY Cup is designed and made in the U.K., to teach your child to drink from a rim. 
Starting with a small amount of liquid in the DOIDY Cup, your child will soon become adept at drinking from a rim therefore avoiding the problems bottles or sippy cups may cause.
The unique slant of the cup enables children to drink easily as they can see the contents without thrusting their heads forward and downwards. They also learn to put the cups down properly.
Children as young as 3+ months old (also can be used from birth with mom's help) find the two handled cup easy to hold and drink from because:

• The contents are visible to them
• Due to the sloping design there is no forward or downward movement of the head
• They do not have to tip the cup up to check the contents
• They learn to put the cup down correctly
  

 I definitely recommend this cup to anyone looking for a cheap, BPA-free bottle alternative, someone whose baby isn't a fan of bottles, or even for older babies as a replacement for a sippy cup. 

For less than $10, it's definitely worth a try.

WTF: Suri Cruise

Adorable Suri Cruise will turn 5 years old next month. You wouldn't guess it from recent pictures showing her with a pacifier in her mouth, though.

 Or this one, taken last April, which shows her drinking from a bottle:

photo from celebrity baby scoop

Some tabloids have claimed that parents Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise are babying her too much. Well, clearly that's not the case anymore, seeing as how Katie gives Suri PENIS GUMMIES as a snack. Seriously?!

photo from tmz

I'm not one to use words like "heck" and "darn" just because I'm a mom or even demonize alcohol in front of children but this makes me a little uncomfortable.

Nontoxic Skincare: Earth Mama Angel Baby

I recommend Earth Mama Angel Baby products to people constantly. In fact, I love it so much that I use it on myself now [still working on convincing S to try it- he claims to only like bar soaps]. The foaming cleanser is awesome for shaving your legs. What I like most about the brand is that it fits all of my criteria: completely natural, animal-friendly, organic, non-toxic and it still smells good and cleans as I expect.

Here are the links for what is pictured:

Foaming Cleanser

Lotion

Oil

Bottom Balm

Bath Blossoms

I only use the first three on a daily basis. Bottom Balm is great on tiny scrapes, burns, or cuts and I assume also on diaper rash but luckily we haven't dealt with that yet. If you use cloth diapers, you'll obviously want to use a liner or something if you use a lot of the balm. I still haven't tried the Bath Blossoms because I haven't put Bay in the bathtub yet [is that weird?] but I've heard good things about them.

photo from earthmamaangelbaby.com

I almost forgot to mention the first product I tried from them: Booby Tubes. They are just organic cotton filled with flax seeds that you can microwave or freeze, depending upon your needs. I got an extra pair right after I had Bay so I'd always have one in the freezer and one that was ready to heat up. They help so much with breastfeeding discomfort. Cold relieves pain due to engorgement and the warmth helped my milk come out more easily when nursing. Luckily for me, I haven't dealt with it personally, but they are said to be great for mastitis and plugged ducts.

Those are all Amazon links but you might be able to find it even cheaper elsewhere. I get free Prime shipping on Amazon because I signed up for the Amazon Moms program so it's usually the cheapest for me. On that note, if you shop Amazon and haven't signed up yet, check it out here. It's totally free, a must if you buy disposable diapers, and it's not just restricted to moms. Check your baby magazines for coupon codes.

Note: If you're pregnant and need help with your birth plan, EMAB has one you can fill out and print directly from their site.

Celebrity Babies and Moms: Nicole Richie

At first, I just knew that she was Lionel Richie's daughter who was in the tabloids for hanging out with Paris Hilton. Then, she was Nicole from The Simple Life [the first season of that show was hilarious, I don't care what anyone says]. After that, she was Nicole Richie, one of many celebrities who got caught with drugs and went to rehab. Then, she wrote her first book, got a DUI, and went to jail for like an hour.

  Now, she is also a fashion designer, humanitarian, wife to Joel Madden, and a mom to Harlow and Sparrow. Even though I have always been a fan, I also now respect Nicole very much as a person and a mother.

photo from nicolerichie.com

In today's society, we hear the stories of many celebrities who deal with drug addiction and even claim to have changed, only to read about their tragic relapses and overdoses. Nevertheless, Nicole seems to be one of those people who has let becoming a mother change her completely.

 Joel and Nicole became parents on January 11, 2008 when Harlow Winter Kate Madden was born. They both liked the name Harlow [he is a fan of Jean Harlow and she likes the model, Shalom] and Nicole always liked the name Kate but wanted something less plain for the first name. Winter was apparently inspired by how "serene and quiet" both Harlow and the season are.

photo from huffingtonpost.com

 When their second baby was born in September of 2009, I don't think anyone expected to hear that "Sparrow" was on the birth certificate. Obviously, they're fans of the -ow ending [Meadow is my pick if they have another girl]. Sparrow's middle names, James and Midnight, are a good complement to Kate and Winter but I'm not sure of the inspiration behind them. I did read that he was born during the middle of the night, though. In any case, the two kids' names certainly "go together" as far as having similar styles and flow.

 While Nicole was pregnant with Harlow, she and Joel launched the Richie Madden Children's Foundation, a charity which has helped many children and families by donating baby items to those in need. They are also active in aiding other charities around the world, including raising money and awareness for Malaria prevention efforts, orphaned children in Haiti, women in the Congo, and providing clean water to communities in Africa. 

After two children and several years together, Nicole and Joel were married in December of 2010. I hope they will continue to set a good example for their kids and to remind the rest of us that we should help others in whatever ways we can. I also hope that -as Nicole is an adoptee herself- they will consider adopting future children.

photo from nicolerichie.com

In non-celebrity news, Bay got her first two teeth on Sunday!