Latest News

I’ll probably get hate mail for saying this in a town like ours, but I've never been a big baseball fan. 

In St. Louis, that’s pretty much the equivalent of saying I hate America and apple pie. 

Don’t get me wrong – I have respect for baseball and even greater respect for the St. Louis Cardinals. There are so many elements of the sport I’ve loved since childhood – the history and the tradition and the camaraderie. I love the energy as the fans pour into the stadium and the good-natured ribbing of the Cubs fans who enter our midst. 

But the game itself, ehhhh. 

The stork has been busy around here lately! From my North City friend who delivered a perfect baby daughter (at home, sans drugs, you go, girl!) to a South City couple who welcomed the cutest twins ever (via the beautiful generosity of a surrogate mother), my Facebook feed has been full of baby news.

The timing has me in a reflective mood, because five years ago this month − about a year after my youngest son was born − I realized I had postpartum depression.

It all hit me the other night.

The perfect window of opportunity for kids to start music lessons is between the ages of 3 and 10. I’m not sure if the neuroscience research holds up for composing songs during this age too, but there is definitely some anecdotal evidence of it – elementary school students Menea Vladi Kefalov and Ande Celeste Siegel of Reed Elementary School in Ladue recently won first place in the elementary song with words division of the COMP (Creating Original Music Project) contest put on by the University of Missouri-Columbia for their piece titled "War." 

You can hear the repeat winners’ performance on "Show Me St. Louis" here.

Is Adele the new Emma? Is Grayson the new Jason? The ladies at Nameberry, who track popular baby names for a living, think so.

With all the side effects that accompany pregnancy, many mothers-to-be tend to blame stereotypical symptoms, like lower back pain, sudden weight gain and leg swelling, on the hot weather or one too many jalapeno burgers.

Yet, depending on their severity, these warning signs can signal preeclampsia, a condition in which the expectant mother’s blood pressure rises to dangerous levels, potentially leading to a variety of other life-threatening conditions. The disorder often comes out of the blue, and the only cure is to deliver the child, often weeks before his or her scheduled due date.

Jennifer Killion (pictured) of Overland, for instance, was just 19 weeks into her first pregnancy when her blood pressure raced to 220/110, and her kidneys and liver began diving into organ failure.

“My family was told to prepare for the worst, as my doctors did not know if I would survive,” she explained by email.