It's The OSCARS, Kids!

Super-famous, hot, rich people got all dolled up so they could give each other awards. But mostly so we'd have some clothes to talk about come Monday morning. Or, fine, Tuesday night. I'm slow. Sue me.

Here we go!

You might have to hear me repeat this a lot, but I liked Cameron Diaz's dress much better on TV than I do in this picture. In the picture it looks a little washed out, but on stage I think it was really pretty without sacrificing her easy-breezy style. Usually a blond in a cream colored dress can be a recipe for wash-out-ville, but Cammy is so tan that I think it is working. And she finally appears to have gotten her new shorter hair under control. Well done, Miss Diaz! You've started us off pleasantly. However...

Let's get right to the point. What was UP with Angelina Jolie?! I did not see her on the red carpet prior to the show, but apparently she posed like this all night, not just (infamously, now) on stage. I actually thought she looked really beautiful - love the blown-out hair, the dramatic dress, the red lips. But as the night wore on, it was overshadowed by the realization that she was just... suspiciously... cheerful. Every time they cut to her, she was smiling, like full-on with teeth, or even laughing. And posing like the spirit of Lea Michele had taken over her body. Not that she doesn't have reason to be happy, but it was just so shockingly unlike the typical Ice Queen demeanor that we usually get from her at these events. Did anyone besides Heather (my faithful Oscar G-Chatting comrade) and I notice? What say you, readers? Was she high? Drunk? Maybe she accidentally ate some mints and the sugar rush overwhelmed her frail frame? Or maybe she woke up and finally realized that she was a superstar at Hollywood's most glamourous night, quasi-married to Brad Pitt, with eleven (or something) adorable rugrat children and a bajillion dollars to her name? That'd be enough to slap a smile on my face.

A lot of people seemed to hate this on Gwyneth Paltrow, but I LOVED it. Yes, that's right, I loved a floor-length white cape and matching gown. It was so sleek and cool, which is the Gwyneth aesthetic these days. Her cuff is also to die for. The hair was a little meh, but I understand the understated nature of what she was going for.

Maya Rudolph looked swell, don't you think? Love the color, and love how the side-swept hair showed off the beautiful glitzy back. I also love how she told Tim Gunn that she was wearing an insane amount of shapewear. It's doing its job well, girl!

I was bummed about this Melissa McCarthy dress, y'all. She looked beautiful and happy but I don't think the style or color of the dress is doing her any favors. A different color could've rescued this somewhat, but I was overall hoping for more. I'm a big girl, and I get that we have more challenges than just having designers hand us stuff straight off the runway. But I think she had more success navigating those challenges at other events this season. I know they aren't the exact same shape and certainly age-appropriateness plays a factor, but think of Amber Riley from Glee, or Octavia Spencer. They have found a way to really work with their size on the red-carpet, and I hope the same in the future for Melissa. Whom I love. LOVE, I say.

Shailene Woodley is only 20 years old. Why is she wearing this weird, futuristic dress that totally ages her? "Sexy" doesn't seem to be her wheelhouse, which is fine and even commendable, but I don't think that means she can't have fun and be fresh. Shay (can I call you Shay?), you should be wearing sparkles! And colors! Also, I may or may not be able to see your boobs through the... whatever that is on the bodice of your dress. And I'm going to have to insist, young lady, that you put on a sweater and cover that up.

My main takeaway from Oscar night was, "Okay FINE I'll see The Artist already. Stop pushing me!" The lovely Berenice Bejo, who has an awesome name, was wearing this frothy minty green concoction. Very pretty, although I'm not sure it was the exact right color for her. It kind of blends right into her skin, and especially in the arms this gives it an odd effect. I was really distracted by her hair, which from other angles had braided interest, but from the front looked sort of like my hair after I've done some housecleaning. Which is to say, not very fancy.

LOVE, seriously love, this dress. HATE those bangs. It's like the front half of a six-year-old's home-done bowl haircut is eating Ellie Kemper's lovely face.

Emma Stone told a red carpet interviewer that her dress was fuchsia, and I keep squinting at different photos trying to see that, but it just looks red to me. Maybe because in my mental colorwheel, fuchsia is closer to pinky/purple than red. Anyway, I digress. I liked this, actually, which surprised me. The bow is kind of intense, but without it the dress would've been fairly forgettable. She was so great in her presenting bit with Ben Stiller, too.

For Glenn Close, I wrote in my notes, "Wish it didn't have the tail/bustle, but I still like it. Sort of sexy mother-of-the-bride." I think that sums it up. She has an amazing figure.

The Sisters Mara sure seem like they're a bucket of laughs. You can really see the family resemblance in the chin-tucked non-smiles and general air of disdain. Kate (top) and Rooney (bottom) are currently starring in American Horror Story and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, respectively, so I don't necessarily expect them to be prancing around like chipper little cheerleaders, but come onnnnnnnn. You're at the Oscars, not filming scenes in character. It's okay to lighten up a little. Now, fashion. Kate's dress had potential, but what's with the arm threads? That detail, plus the drab color, and it sort of looks like she's shedding her skin. I quite like the lacy ethereal nature of Rooney's gown, and of course it is meant to be high contrast to her severe hair and make-up. But when you get down to it, it looks like her boobs have sleepy eyelids. And I can't get on board with that. I also can't get on board with those bangs. They're minutely better than Ellie's, but I was really hoping she'd get them out of her face as she has in other red-carpet appearances this season. Like, if she was sporting this hair, I might be able to overlook the boob lids. As such, I cannot. I WILL NOT.

I wish Kristen Wiig had worn a color. She beautiful and has such a fun, quirky personality, but she often picks these very plain, neutral looks for the red carpet. Even if this was a rich caramel color or a dusty camel color or anything other than nude. Her hair looked better than it has in other appearances. I don't know, I was hoping for more.

I thought Natalie Portman's vintage dress was adorable. Simple and classic with the fun little polka dot pattern. But I really thought the styling was a miss. The necklace feels too heavy and formal, and the hair seems better suited for a more modern style. A flirty little up-do and some lighter baubles would've been the perfect touch for this playful gown.

I think I'm having Michelle Williams burnout, guys, because I shouldn't hate this dress as much as I do. But I just... loathe it. It looks like a lampshade in an Old West house of ill-repute. Check out this shot of the back. For some weird reason the back panel of the bodice is a nude shade, instead of the red. I have no idea what the purpose of this detail would be. That, coupled with the shape of the top, made her seem like a straight line from bust to hip. I also think I'm over the pixie hair, and specifically over this version of it. I mean, maybe she's over it too - speaking from experience, it takes forever to grow out, and there are so many awkward stages in between. I liked the shortie hair better when she had the longer bangs swept across the front. But maybe between now and next awards season she'll brave the awkward stages and we'll see a fresh look from Miss Jen Lindley.

I kept going back and forth about this look on Sandra Bullock. On screen, it moved very nicely and had a bit more snazz than it does in pictures. But the more I stare at it, the more it looks like some sinister gold hands are creeping around her waist, and they're going to slowly start squeezing.

I also felt like this didn't photograph well. The fabric looks very bridesmaid-dress-eque in this photo, which I don't remember it being on TV. I loved this shape on Tina, and thought her hair and makeup looked splendid. She defaults to black a lot, but this was still a polished, flattering look.

The color is great. I love how it picks up the highlights in her hair. The dress itself looks like a gold bathrobe. And an itchy one, as Heather pointed out in our conversation. Compared to her contemporaries Glenn Close and Helen Mirren, Meryl never seems to look quite as sharp. She's probably not crying herself to sleep over it, though, in her house filled with her 752 assorted awards and accolades. So moving on.

Octavia Spencer looked great. She's not reinventing the wheel, but she's found a shape that works for her shape and size, and that's awesome. Lovely, polished, fashionable. Kudos.

Look, J-Lo looks slammin'. We know she looks slammin', and she definitely knows she looks slammin'. It's tight and dramatic and suggestive and diva-licious, but that is her to a T. The one thing that drove me absolutely bonkers about this dress was the illusion netting in the arm cutouts.

Hair/makeup, gorgeous. Dress color, great. Shape, good. But Viola Davis's dress lost me in the details. The fussy skirt business seems like an afterthought that has nothing to do with the structured top and bejeweled bust. Which appears to be pinching her boobs together rather severely, no? She was the best part of The Help, by the way. And almost completely unrecognizable. That doesn't have anything to do with her dress, but I just wanted to say it.

Stacy Keibler looked really pretty, but for some reason this just rubbed me the wrong way. Isn't it a little tacky, somehow? Maybe I'm letting my personal feelings about George Clooney's string of arm candy get to me. Like, he brought his disposable girlfriend to the Oscars dressed AS AN OSCAR. But if Stacy Keibler doesn't have a problem being Clooney's Flavor of the Month, then maybe I shouldn't either. Who knows, maybe she'll prove to be the Annette Bening to his Warren Beatty. I think I digressed again. To recap, Stacy looked very pretty and I have no other pertinent feelings on the matter.

We're nearing the end! So Miss Elena Gilbert Nina Dobrev here wasn't at the actual Oscars ceremony, but when I saw this picture of her at Elton John's annual post-show gala, I had to include it. And my love for her show The Vampire Diaries aside, she. Is. Killing. It. Have we ever seen a CW starlet look so consistently glamorous and polished? Half the time the pretty young things from that network's lineup of teen shows are photographed looking just ridiculous, but nine times out of ten Nina rises above the fray.

Alright, the moment you've all been waiting for! Congratulations Jessica Chastain, you are my choice for best dressed Oscars 2012! Almost as good as winning the actual Oscar, amiright? The black and gold looks so divine with her pale skin and red hair. The dress itself is dramatic and with all the embroidery work it could have been rather stiff and severe, but from the hips it just falls away in such a soft, elegant fashion. Her simple, soft hair was the perfect style, and the delicate gold jewelry an elegant finishing touch. Slow clap for you, Jessica. You earned it.

If you made it all the way to the end of this behemoth of a post, congratulations! You deserve an award too. Oscars for everyone!

Leave your fashionably fashionable fashion comments in the comments! I need a nap.

Broccoli

My thoughts exactly, little guy.

He Sleeps

Dear companion, fair and funny,

I think I'll watch you sleep.

Oh! You lived inside me!

Do you still know the furious beating of my heart,

memorized from your months swimming in the dark?

Perhaps you hear it even now,

behind your eyes as you dream.

The new day turns over like you,

stretching with toes curled.

Golden Globes Fashion 2012

I love movies... but this year, I have seen so few. I think I went to the theater three times, and two of those were to see Harry Potter. I did catch up with a few more via Netflix and Redbox, but still, I watched this Golden Globes show and found myself saying repeatedly, "Oh yeah... I wanted to see that one!"

But enough about movies. We all know why you're here. Dresses, yay!

For the most part, everyone looked very nice - classic, elegant - but there wasn't a lot of wow factor. Aside from some yellow and a handful of neutrals, it seemed like dark colors and jewel tones dominated the night. Here's my take on some of the night's looks!

Does anyone watch Julianna Margulies' show, The Good Wife? Is it good? I hear lots of positive buzz about it online and in entertainment magazines, but I don't know anyone who actually watches it, and I'm curious about it. Anyhoo, I really love the color and texture on this dress, but I just am not feeling the high neckline. She looks great, but I am just never personally a fan of the style. Interesting textures and high necklines seem to be a trend, however...

There weren't many other dresses with this vibe out on the carpet, and so Claire Danes definitely stood out. I really loved the back of the dress more than the front, perhaps because every time I saw her on screen, it was really clear that she was not wearing any kind of bra.

This is so weird, but also awesome. It's one of the most feminine things we've seen Tilda Swinton wear in a while - almost has a mother-of-the-bride vibe - but it's very dramatic in that way that only she is. Like a dramatic mother-of-the-bride who might destroy you with her stare. I always get a little nervous in the presence of the evil Ice Queen of Narnia.

I don't love this in photographs (it looks like purple leopard print, which I'm pretty sure it wasn't), but on screen I liked it quite a bit. It is very much Michelle Williams' style, but without being too precious, even with the headband. Here's a high neckline again, but it suits her and it isn't as severe as some of the others.

This dress was sooo va-va-voom, Jessica Rabbit-esque, which isn't usually the style one associates with Reese. I guess that is her point! She makes it look good, but I really thought her hair was too casual and I think she could have loaded up with some more jewelry.

I have mentioned this before, but I really try not to watch or read any other fashion reviews until I after I finish writing mine. Even so, sometimes a certain look will be so controversial that I can't help but overhear some of the chatter. Such was the case with this dress that Sarah Michelle Gellar (Gellar-Prinze?) wore. The general consensus seems to be amazing dress, but not the right dress for her. I'm inclined to agree, although I think it could've been saved with different styling. I love the dress, and I love SMG (Buffy 4eva) but something just isn't clicking for me. Maybe if her hair was different? Or jewelry? Or maybe it was just a dress designed for someone with different coloring? What say you, reader? Can you put a finger on what is off here?

Speaking of dresses with buzz, Zooey's was another one. I wanted to like it, and I did like parts of it, and I really like that she went with a look so different from the "adorable" style with which she's so strongly associated. But in execution, I'm finding it lacking. I think it might be the hair? The retro-styled hair seems to clash with the gown, both editorially and literally. I think a sleek ponytail would've allowed the dramatic neckline to shine. I don't think sister Emily fared much better, as her dress is feeling like a frumpy satiny robe meets 80s power suit. Great color, though. And she looks pretty fabulous for someone with a 4-month-old.

I love Melissa McCarthy so much. And I love that she's real-life-married to Secretly-The-US-Marshall that she accosts in Bridesmaids. She looks very beautiful, if a teensy bit like she's headed to a Renaissance Fair.

I love yellow, and I love sequins, so Maria Menounos's dress is seriously doing it for me here. This is the kind of thing that I long to have a reason to wear.

Jessica Chastain is carrying on the high-neck trend. I think this dress is just a little too tight. I've seen her wear some really beautiful dresses, but this one isn't my favorite. Redheads look so beautiful in colors that no one else can wear; I would've loved to see her in something vibrant.

I feel I am staring down a long tunnel when I look at the bodice of Salma's gown. I am also afraid that if she sneezes, things are going to get R-rated in a flash. Pun intended. I would just feel a lot safer if it had straps.

As was mentioned previously, I love yellow, and so of course I love this dress, but who is Paula Patton?

I have been waffling hard over Nicole Ritchie's dress here. But let me start by saying I loved her hair. The styling of her whole looks is flawless. I love the way the cut of the fabric creates the pattern in the gown. I just get a little twitchy with this neckline that looks like your basic work-out tank top.

If I scroll down so that all I see of Lea Michele is from the waist down, then I love her look. Waist up, I have no idea what is happening, but it feels icky.

My apologies to Tina Fey, because this picture is crummy. But I thought her look was truly the best we've seen for her in many a red carpet. Love that it is a color, when she so often favors black. It's nothing earth-shattering, but she looked really nice.

Emma Stone looked gorgeous - doesn't she kind of look like she could be Mila Kunis' redheaded sister in this picture? Anyway, love the dress, love the makeup, love the black accents. You can kind of tell from this picture but when she was being interviewed on the red carpet there were these strange straps hanging under her arms and it drove me crazy. What were those things?!

I don't like this nearly as much in picture as I did on screen. When she presented on stage, I thought this was breathtaking. Incredible details and a flawless fit. Love how her hair color seems to pick up the coppery tones of the beadwork. Well done, Nicole!

I feel like Jessica Biel has a history of picking these frumpy gowns. Girl, you have a smokin' hot figure and you just (allegedly) locked down Justin Timberlake. Let's celebrate that via future fashion choices.

I don't know that I can ever see Evan Rachel Wood as anything other than a woman who used to date Marilyn Manson. However, even I can give credit where it is due. This dress is amazing. A work of art - kind of fascinating how it has these assorted animalistic features, with the feathered bottom and the scale-like sequins in the middle. Weird, that feathers and scales could come together and not be costume-y. One of my favorite dresses of the evening. I wouldn't wear it, but she sure is.

Love this red number on Glee's Amber Riley. The dress isn't reinventing the wheel, but on her it is so flattering and fabulous. As a woman of some size myself, I can say that it takes a lot - literally, a lot of undergarments, but figuratively a lot of courage - to wear a strapless dress. I love that she is wearing it and looking great!

That's all for this tired mama. Who were your favorites? Did I miss any good ones? Talk it out amongst yourselves in the comments! See you come Oscar time!

Baby, Baby, Baby, Oooh

It's always nice to kick things off with a Justin Bieber reference.

It's been a while since I did a proper Hudson update, and since he's accomplished a lot since Thanksgiving, I've got plenty of material.

We had such an amazing Christmas with our families in St. Louis. We got to enjoy time with both sides of the family, and introduce Hudson to some friends who hadn't met him before.

With our new stroller, a Christmas gift from all the parents!

Hudson and Mommy on Christmas Eve

Christmas morning jammies!

With our friends Cara & Cody and Rob & Laura

With his new Magic Mozart Cube

He got some wonderful gifts and with the help of my mom I was able to finish his handmade stocking by Christmas. I love how it turned out and I'm so happy he'll have it to cherish for many Christmases to come!

Hudson is definitely into food! He still nurses like a champ, but in between, he is hungry for more. He is getting used to the idea of texture in his food. Most of the time if he turns up his nose at something, it isn't the flavor but the texture. I'm afraid he may be a late teether, like his mama. I was toothless until I was a year old! I certainly don't see any little budding teeth in his mouth, and none of the other telltale signs, like excessive drooling, are present either. But even though actual chewing might be a ways off, I don't want him to get addicted to the smooth purees, so I try to thicken things up with his baby oatmeal. I also have given him little veggie puffs, and picking them up off his tray helps with his coordination and fine motor skills. He rarely gets one in his mouth (Scruffy ends up with most of them) but when he does, he makes the funniest faces trying to figure out what to do with it! I made him food for the first time the other day (carrots), and that was fun to watch him eat and enjoy.

Now that he is starting to eat larger amounts of food than just a spoonful or two, I think I will be making it for him more often. For anyone else who is interested in making baby food for any stage of baby/toddler, I am LOVING this website which has SO many wonderful ideas beyond just the standard purees.

Sleeping is... improving... slowly. We have been letting Hudson cry in certain situations. It's very difficult, and not a decision we made lightly. But in my opinion, there's a big difference between letting a 7 week-old cry and letting a 7 month-old cry, and as we hit certain milestones in Hudson's development, I became more comfortable with the idea of encouraging him to self-soothe by not immediately going to him when he cried at night. He still wakes up to eat twice, usually about three hours after he goes to sleep and again about three hours before he gets up. If he wakes up in between, I try not to go to him unless he gets hysterical. Now most nights, he doesn't even wake up in between those times, which means if I would just go to bed on time, I might actually get a decent stretch of sleep! He has also stopped going to bed at 6pm, and consequently stopped waking up at 6am, which is a relief to us all! He usually goes to bed closer to 7 or 7:30, and then wakes up for good about the same time the next morning.

He also stopped taking his 40-minute catnaps, and instead takes two nice hour-plus naps a day, usually around 9:30ish and again around 2ish. One frustrating development with naps has happened since he started crawling. Basically, even when he seems SUPER tired, he spends a good 20-30 minutes playing in his crib or pack-and-play before finally going to sleep. There are no toys or anything in there; he just crawls around, sits up, lays down, tries to stand up, etc. I don't know if I should try keeping him up longer or if he is just exercising his new-found freedom of movement and would do it no matter what time I put him down. He will literally be half-asleep in my arms and as soon as he hits the mattress, it's suddenly playtime. He doesn't do it at bedtime, just for naps.

I sort of just spoiled it in the last paragraph, but our biggest news is that Hudson is officially CRAWLING! He was so close for so long and then finally on New Years Day, he put it all together and he was on the move. Tentatively at first, but now he's a regular motoring man. He's a classic crawler, on his hands and knees. Crawling has brought to the forefront the need for drastic, immediate babyproofing. If it is even borderline dangerous, Hudson wants to do it, and fearlessly. Crawl off the bed? Check. (Thankfully that was feet first.) Stick his hands in the floor vents? Check. Chew on an electrical cord? Check. Open junk drawer in kitchen? Check. Lick shoes left out on the floor? Oh yes, yes he did.

Crawling also appears to have unleashed his mobility in other ways, because he can do a whole host of things he couldn't do before. He can go from sitting to crawling and back to sitting again. He can get up on his knees, sort of sitting on his haunches. He has also started the process of pulling up, which has resulted in many, many conks on the head. I wasn't there to verify it, but Ben told me this morning he walked up and down the length of his crib while holding on to the edge. Eek! Unfortunately, he likes to practice his standing during naptime, and once he stands up, he can't figure out how to sit back down, and so he just cries and cries until I come help him.

He's certainly a busy, happy boy these days. I feel like we are flying through the changes week by week, just trying to keep up. We love this little man who keeps us on our toes!

The Hunger Games

Have you all read these books? HAVE YOU?!?! You must. The movie for the first book is coming out on March 23 so you have three good months to get the trilogy read, although you're probably only going to need about three days. I reread them over Christmas break, holding my breath in anticipation just like the first time.

Here's the trailer: