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Nancy O'Dell Used Pregnancy to Her Co-Hosting Advantage

Ramey

For Nancy O’Dell, who tried unsuccessfully for eight months to become pregnant before welcoming daughter Ashby Grace in 2007, the job of co-host at Access Hollywood was often a bittersweet place to be. “I remember thinking, Britney [Spears] can’t be pregnant again, when I’m just trying so hard just to have one,” the 43-year-old admits in the April issue of Cookie magazine. “And then her little sister [Jamie Lynn Spears] got pregnant, and I was saying, ‘Wait a minute!’” Those feelings subsided once she learned she too was expecting, however, and her boss quickly made it clear he viewed Nancy’s pregnancy as an asset and not a liability. “At that point, it seemed like everyone in Hollywood was pregnant or had just given birth,” she notes.

“At awards shows, he’d say, ‘Go stand in front of the platform — no one will refuse to do an interview with a pregnant woman.’ I interviewed Angelina [Jolie] after she had the twins, and it was so different. It was warmer, more personal, not all business. Every female wants to talk about her kids.”

Nancy included! Although she did a “double take” the first time she watched Access Hollywood, 21-month-old Ashby now enjoys watching her mom on television — maybe even a little too much. ”The other day Access came on, and she leaned over and kissed the TV and said, ‘Mama!’ I almost cried,” Nancy shares. “The TV is for Elmo, animals, and Mama. And she gets mad whenever they cut to [co-host] Billy [Bush].” While Nancy herself is happy to be back in front of the cameras, the timing of her return was enough to send shivers down the spine of any new mom.

“I had so much extra energy after Ashby was born. Which is good, because in my first week back at work after three months off, I had to do the Emmys — get into a dress, the whole thing. I was so paranoid, I wore three pairs of Spanx.”

Click below to read about why Nancy was moved to write a book about pregnancy.

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CBB Poll: Which Celebrity Mom Would You Like to Share Mother's Day With?

Over the last couple of weeks, most of you told us that you plan to spend Mother’s Day at home and that your dream Mother’s Day gift is a day at the spa. This week we want to know if you could spend Mother’s Day with a celebrity mom, which one mom would you invite to a Mother’s Day Brunch? (If your favorite mom is not listed, please post a comment with your one special guest!)

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• What’s Your Dream Mother’s Day Gift?
  
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Soleil Moon Frye Dishes on Jagger's First Birthday

London Entertainment/Splash News Online

Birthdays are a sisterly affair for the Frye-Goldberg girls! In several recent entries to her blog, actress Soleil Moon Frye shares that daughter Poet Sienna Rose, 3 ½, was largely responsible for “hosting” a first birthday get-together for her little sister Jagger Joseph Blue last weekend, and it was “a big hit!”

“Bubbles in the air, face painting, crafts and even a puppy petting zoo. There is nothing quite like the vision of kids running around on a candy high laughing while they chase after one another. Smiling little ones full of life and joy.”

The fun didn’t end there, though! Just a few days later Soleil took the girls to Disneyland to mark the special occasion. While the outing was Poet’s suggestion, she didn’t need to do much arm-twisting to make it happen! “Let me start by saying I love Disneyland,” Soleil writes. “Any chance I have to go, I am in…I love it just as much as the kids.” Although she strives to create a “healthy environment” for the girls in their normal day-to-day lives, the 32-year-old actress says she’s also a “strong believer in balance.”

“When we go to Disneyland we indulge in rides, food, fun and even the yummy sweets. It is a special treat for the whole family and something that we all look forward to…I feel so very blessed. I know that this is a real luxury and I am very thankful when we get take the kids on an adventure like this.”

Poet and Jagger — who officially turned 1-year-old on Tuesday – are Soleil’s children with husband Jason Goldberg, whom she married in 1998.

Source: The Little Seed