Several news outlets yesterdays made a controversy out of molehill when they questioned whether the above J.Crew ad featuring a 5-year-old boy sporting neon pink polish on his toenails was “gender bending.

Psychiatrist Dr. Keith Ablow, a Fox News contributor said, “This is a dramatic example of the way that our culture is being encouraged to abandon all trappings of gender identity.” He also slammed J.Crew executive Jenna Lyons, who is shown in the photograph with her own son, Beckett.  “It may be fun and games now, Jenna, but at least put some money aside for psychotherapy for the kid—and maybe a little for others who’ll be affected by your ‘innocent’ pleasure.”

Erin Brown from the Culture and Media Institute called it “blatant propaganda celebrating transgendered children” and accused J.Crew of “exploiting Beckett behind the façade of liberal, transgendered identity politics.”

Whaaaat?

When the ad arrived in my inbox last week, I had the same reaction as Jon Stewart: Isn’t it sweet that a mother and her son are shown sharing a loving, playful moment? My mind wandered even further, and I wondered what type of relationship I will have with my little boy. The photo of Jenna and Beckett made me hope that my son and I will also laugh, play and be silly together.

I can only wonder if critics of this “gender bending” ad would be as up in arms if Beckett’s toe nails were painted a more masculine blue.

What are your thoughts on this mini-controversy?

Since I spend most of my days in sweatpants or pajamas, I’ve only purchased one pair of maternity jeans (Gap’s Always Skinny) and one maternity top that I’ve worn as an outfit once — yesterday. For the most part, I can still get away with wearing size large shirts and leggings. My pre-pregnancy jeans with a Bella Band are no longer a comfortable option.

My mom came to town last Wednesday and was eager to take me shopping for maternity clothing. While I wasn’t particularly looking forward to it (I’m still not completely comfortable with how my changing body looks or feels) , I was happy to share the experience with her. She was really excited about it, and who am I to say no to the gift of clothing?

Our first stop was A Pea in the Pod, which carries the latest trends and designer brands but is a bit pricey. $45 for a solid scoop neck t-shirt? It’s a good thing I only found one blouse that I liked; I would’ve felt guilty about the cost had I wanted more.

For the most part, trying on maternity clothing proved frustrating. Nearly all of the pants were saggy and bunched in the crotch, and my belly (and my boobs) weren’t quite big enough to fill out the tops. It was disheartening, to say the least.

When we started looking at maternity bras vs. nursing bras, I felt my head spin. My mom insisted that I also needed maternity underwear. I explained to her that there is no such thing as maternity underwear – or at least there’s no need for maternity underwear. Why not just buy a larger size of what you normally wear?

Needless to say, we didn’t buy any undergarments.

The next night we went Target’s maternity department. Slim pickings there, although I did find two cotton dresses for $24 each and a tank top to wear under cardigans. If we had more time we could have tried Motherhood Maternity (although secretly I was glad to not have to subject myself to more fitting room trauma). Other than Motherhood Maternity and A Pea in the Pod, there are no other dedicated maternity stores in Omaha. One our three Gap stores has an abbreviated maternity section, but they’re always out of sizes. In fact, my jeans had to be ordered and shipped from Kansas City.

I’ve heard that Old Navy sells cute and affordable maternity clothing, but our stores don’t have that department. And with maternity clothing, it’s hit or miss that the size you order online will actually fit in person.

What did you wear as your body changed shape? Where did you shop for maternity clothing?

{images via gap.com}

Although I have been to Babies R Us on numerous occasions with pregnant friends, Sunday’s visit was JB’s first time. Needless to say, it overwhelmed him.

The main purpose of our visit was to check out their selection of baby gear, but while we were there we decided to start a registry.

I have felt many moments of anxiety since the beginning of this pregnancy. Somehow JB has remained calm throughout the duration… until we were standing among the infant car seats and strollers. Then the feeling of sheer panic took over.

I understood. My husband likes to be prepared. He thoroughly researches every big product before we hand over our credit card. But he hasn’t done any of the car seat and stroller research; I have. And his friends don’t chat about baby products like mine do. He had no idea what he was looking at (or what we actually need), and it freaked him out.

So we walked out of Babies R Us having only added one item to our registry: a Diaper Genie. I have a feeling the bulk of what we want will come from the internet, not Babies R Us. I suppose a Universal Amazon Wish List may come in handy.

A couple of years ago, I stumbled upon this Hurley ad and tore it out of a magazine to show JB. We both had the same thought: If we ever had a boy, that’s what he’d look like. The hair, the expression, the outfit–everything about him seemed familiar. So I saved it in a box with small mementos.

We’ll have to revisit the ad in a couple of years to see how our real life son compares to our magazine one.

Yes, we’re having a boy.

I have to admit, I was shocked yesterday to hear “It’s a boy!” I don’t know if it was because I grew up with a sister, but I always thought I wanted a girl and just assumed I would have a daughter. I hope that one day I will.

For now I have to wrap my head around the fact that I’m having a son and start thinking of boy names and non-pastel colors for the nursery.

Around 9:30pm last night I got the urge to start researching car seats and strollers. Three hours later I narrowed my car seat options down to the Chicco KeyFit 30 (based on Consumer Reports and Babble reviews) and the Britax Chaperone (I think Bethenny uses the Cowmooflage version), but I’m still unsure what type of stroller I need. Traditional? Lightweight? Jogger?

So I started thinking: How often will we really use a stroller, and what will we use it for? It’s not like we live a big city that requires us to do a lot of walking and use mass transportation. I don’t run outside now; will I really feel the urge to jog while pushing a stroller? And isn’t it best to get the lightest weight stroller if you will be maneuvering it in and out of a car trunk?

Too many choices!

The Chicco KeyFit 30 would work seamlessly with the Chicco Cortina stroller, but the stroller looks so bulky and plastic-y. I prefer the sleek and modern-looking UPPAbaby VISTA stroller, which includes an interchangeable bassinet and seat and has an available adapter to for the Chicco KeyFit infant car seat. Of course, UPPAbaby VISTA costs about $500 more than the Chicoo Cortina, so I would really need to be able to justify the price difference.

Britax has its own selection of stylish strollers, but they also cost more than the typical Babies R Us or Target find.

How did you choose a car seat and a stroller, and what do you recommend?