Our Favorite Parenting News Stories Of The Week

Mary Helen Bowers is a professional ballerina and creator of Ballet Beautiful, a prenatal workout program based around ballet. In this interview, Bowers answers questions about her pregnancy and what she does to stay in shape. (fitpregnancy)

In case you hadn’t already accumulated enough new stuff to prep for your coming newborn, you can now get a 3-D print made of your ultrasound photo. Totally tacky or futuristically fun? (FastCo. Design)

Melissa Atkins Wardy, founder of Pigtail Pals, LLC, released her book Redefining Girly this month. The books gives parents tip and advice for how to fight back against gender stereotyping and the sexualization of young girls. (pigtailpalsblog)

In an op-ed that re-examines yet another facet of the debate about a woman’s right to choose, and about what the meanings of life and motherhood truly are, New York Times columnist Frank Bruni shares some provocative thoughts. (The New York Times)

New self-cleaning dishware claims to be safe around food and can make after-meal cleanup a cinch! (Mashable)

Terminally ill children are now living longer than ever–which brings up a whole new world of questions about proper care and quality of life. (The New Yorker)

A father shares his story about the joys and challenges of raising a child with Down Syndrome and sets the record straight about the expectations these children have for the future. (CNN)

When Chicago chef, Grant Achatz, tweeted about a crying baby disturbing diners in his restaurant it re-sparked the debate of whether children should be allowed in restaurants or not. Zagat did a survey on this topic and revealed the results on their website. (Zagat)

One mom shares her perspective on how she regained her true personality in the wake of losing a job her body was telling her “no” to. (Babble)

Remember “John and Kate Plus Eight”? Eldest daughters, Mady and Cara, are teens now and appearing with mom, Kate, on national talk shows. One blog asks if it’s too soon for the young reality stars to be back in the spotlight. (Crushable)

We’re loving this convo in the Sunday Styles between local actresses Cynthia Nixon and Allison Williams–their interview covers everything from child-stardom to growing up with famous parents. (The New York Times)