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This afternoon I spent some quiet time researching our Belevation mom-to-be give-away for December, The Baby Name Wizard by Laura Wattenberg. I first learned about Wattenberg's book and accompanying website while listening to an NPR program on baby naming.

Her impressive research and groundbreaking computer models examine name usage and popularity over the last hundred years in the 2005 book. Quoted in recent articles in both the New York Times and Time Magazine, Wattenberg, once a name-searching mom herself, said that people hunger to be different these days. 

A result of the internet, a 2010 survey on the pop-culture website Lil-Sugar indicated that 64% of new parents Google their baby name picks before making final choices. Makes sense to see what unknowns may be lurking on your child's "domain" prior to taking the leap.

If you are in a name shopping mode, it's important to enjoy the process, even though it is one of your life's most important decisions. With tools like Wattenberg's Baby Name Wizard, there are now amazing resources to help you with the search. While reading the Times article, I learned about Kick to Pick - a newly released iphone app that claims to let your child pick their own name. Also available for iPod Touches, the app " generates names while monitoring the baby's movements. Any kick detected will then stop the generator at the baby's chosen name, ready for the parents to accept their child's choice or dismiss the name and start their search again." Available for .99 cents, it's definitely a game-changer to think of your baby participating in picking their own name.

If you are interested in upholding more parental control, here's a simple method. You and hubby can make separate favorite lists from a baby name book, narrowing the search to a few alphabet letters that honor loved ones (deceased or alive depending on your tradition). Hopefully there will be at least one name in common on each of your lists. No matter how you do it, possibly combining several of these methods - have fun!

I don't know about you, but I believe in divine intervention.  It was that kind of moment, when Monique from Fort Bragg, NC wrote to me on our Belevation Facebook page. Several months ago, we decided to add a XL size to our line of Belevation Maternity garments.

We began making Support Bands and PettiPants in the new Plus, pre-pregnancy 16-18 size. Everything was going well, but two problems dragged out the process of adding the new size range. For one thing, my husband/our technical director - is a perfectionist. Months had gone by while he continued to perfect our seamless Belevation Support Brief.  

I began to wonder if we would ever be ready to add our new XL sizing? Finally, after much attention - perfecting the brief, it was time to find a fit model to give them a test run. And then that evening, out of the blue - I received a note from Monique.

"Are you going to add plus sizes ever" she asked? Monique is herself an army veteran, a military wife and the mother of six boys ranging in age from 21 to 1!  Twenty-four weeks pregnant with her seventh, Monique explained "that depending on if something runs large or small", she wears anywhere "from an 18-20 to a 22-24 (or 2x/3x)".

Unsure how our new Belevation XL size would measure-up, we sent a package to Monique, in Fort Bragg. One of the largest and busiest military complexes in the world, Bragg is home to almost 10 percent of the Army's active component forces. We were glad to help Monique and were hopeful that she would like what she received. An email arrived from her in my inbox around noon time the next day. "I received the package and I love them! I will say that its definitely NOT a 16-18. Its more like a 20-26 That is my normal size for most maternity clothes, and I fit in these just fine with room to grow the belly and no pinching etc. These are sooo comfortable! I am really impressed!"

Monique's feedback was an affirmation that our new Belevation XL size will be comfortable for a wide range of larger women.  I guess all that special attention to detail paid off. And our other problem, our X-large labels had gotten lost on their way to us and had to be remade. Well - finally they arrived today! With patience and a bit of divine intervention, all things are possible. Just ask Monique about patience, as she is soon to be the mother of her seventh boy! Please give our new Belevation Plus size a try. We definitely know you'll like it! 

Last night I had a real treat, an hour long conversation with cookbook author Karen Gurwitz, owner of New York based Mothers and Menus. "Created to support new mothers and their families during the hectic few weeks before and after the birth of their child, Mothers and Menus provides clients in the NYC area with healthy, home cooked meal delivery." I discovered Karen's 2007 book, The Well Rounded Pregnancy Cookbook while doing research on prenatal nutrition. 

As I looked over the 100 healthful Mothers and Menus recipes Karen shares with her readers, I felt as if I had found a kindred spirit. Her common sense approach shines through from the beginning. All of the recipes are made with readily available, healthy ingredients and choices are offered to make modifications based on your preferences.

As the owner of a cupboard full of cookbooks, I have yet to find one as plain-spoken and accessible as this one.  Chapter 2, called Feeding Your Body really covers the essentials of healthy eating, with an emphasis on nutrition during pregnancy.

I know that I will enjoy reaching for The Well Rounded Pregnancy Cookbook for delicious recipes and Karen's great nutritional tips. That said, start looking for product give-aways, like this fabulous cookbook, on our Belevation Facebook Page for folks who become a Belevation Fan.....

What else did Karen and I talk about? Well - Belevation of course!  From my description of Belevation's products, Karen understood right away. What makes our maternity undergarments different than others on the market?  She said it, Belevation provides "Serious Support!"

Whether you're running in a race at 20 weeks - like Nikki in San Francisco, or if life just feels like a race, like mine does. Belevation's Maternity products offer a feature-rich design, with our unique integral Belevation belly support panel. Just what mother has been asking for, that plus a good, hot meal!  Look for cookbook give-aways coming soon on Facebook.

January 2011.  Even South Carolina is looking like a frozen tundra this week.  So, under the circumstances, a bad economy and iced-over roads, the occasion is perfect to dig-into your Netflix account and tour the world for nine dollars a month. 

Who can forget Julia Roberts depicting the true story of Erin Brockovich uncovering information about toxic dumping in her town? Haven't seen it? Well, change that up when the kiddies get to bed tonight.

Another wonderful Mom-Flick that will pull at your heartstrings is the true story of two 9-11 widows who each gave birth shortly after losing their husbands. Through their common tragic circumstances, depicted in the film Beyond Belief, Susan Retik and Patti Quigley made an instant connection with one another.

Needing to get beyond their grieving, they find the strength together to embark on a spiritual bike ride from Ground Zero, home to Boston. Conceived as fundraiser for Afghan widows, this beautiful film chronicals their travel to Afghanistan and the two womens realization that we are all connected. Their goal lives on through the organization they founded, Beyond the 11th.

Speaking about fundraisers, another personal favorite is the 2003 British success Calendar Girls, also a true story about a bunch of old girls who go bare to raise money for a couch in the local hospitals cancer wing.  To date, they have raised more than two million British Lbs. for Leukemia research, leaving the role of a determined woman not to be underestimated. How's that for Mom inspiration on a snowy day?