PPD is what it sounds like: a blog with the sole purpose of bringing a bit of happy news to the good folk of Tumblr. Each day the creator of PPD scours the Interwebs for a bit of joy amongst the chaos and then shares what she finds here.
Sometimes it's genuine news, sometimes it's a piece so fluffy you'll cry, but it's never negative or heavy.
It’s rather easy to get bogged down in all the natural disasters, wars, political debates, activism, and other not-so-good (but oh-so-important) news that floods one's Dashboard, so we here at PPD do very much hope you'll enjoy the change of pace.
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100 Readers: September 21, 2011
500 Readers: February 13, 2012
1000 Readers: June 29, 2012
1500 Readers: December 15, 2012
2000 Readers: March 14, 2013
2200 Readers: May 24, 2013
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Baby born with heart outside her chest is beating odds
(Photo: Mayra Beltran / Houston Chronicle via AP)
A Texas woman received tragic news 16 weeks into her pregnancy: An ultrasound showed that her fetus was developing with a rare heart malformation that almost always proves fatal.
On Audrina’s second day of life, a team of 11 doctors at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston spent six hours performing a life-saving, open-heart surgery to make room in her chest for the one-third of her heart that was outside of her body.
Audrina Cardenas and her mother appeared on NBC’s TODAY on Tuesday. Watch the video HERE.
The nation expects…
(via Duke and Duchess of Cambridge expecting baby – OF COURSE WE HAVE A LIVE BLOG guardian.co.uk)
Newest Face of Gerber Is Native and Latina
The newest face of Gerber, 8-month-old Mary Jane Montoya from Fresno, California, is of mixed heritage. Her mother, Sara Montoya, has Mexican heritage and her father, Billy Montoya, is a descendant of the Yokut Mono Tribe.
They plan on raising Mary Jane with a mixture of those cultures too.
“We’re teaching her Spanish,” Billy said after explaining that his sister and mother are very involved with the tribe and will be getting Mary Jane involved as well. “We want her to know everything about her culture.”
Being the Gerber baby comes with a $50,000 prize that Sara and Billy have decided to put away and save for Mary Jane’s college fund.
“Higher education is so important and we see the value in that,” Billy told Indian Country Today Media Network. “We want to make sure she doesn’t struggle with college…making sure she is able to focus on that,” Sara said. “We know how hard it is to work and go to school.”
Billy is doing that right now. He works full-time and attends Fresno State full-time. He plans to graduate next semester with a degree in graphic design.
“I know first-hand how hard it is,” he said. “I’m so glad I’m going to be able to give her a chance to focus full-time on school.”
Mary Jane was chosen from more than 308,000 entries because her picture demonstrated the visual appeal and expressiveness the judges at Gerber were looking for and was consistent with Gerber’s heritage, said a press release from Gerber.
When she was announced as the winner on October 6, Facebook was abuzz with negative comments from people saying she didn’t look like the original Gerber baby. Gerber has since removed the negative comments from the page.
The negativity didn’t bother the Montoyas though. They are just proud of their little girl and appreciative of the experience being chosen has brought. They got to go to New York City and be on the TODAY Show to meet the original Gerber baby, Ann Turner Cook, who is now 85, and be interviewed by Natalie Morales.
“She [Ann Turner Cook] has that same look and that same twinkle in her eye. She’s super sweet,” Sara said. “They were so nice and so open to talk to us and let us know what it was like for her to be the icon of the Gerber baby.”
The Montoya family had never been so far across the country and were amazed by the fast pace of the city and seeing how a television show is put together.
“Just the process of walking into the building, the hair and makeup, how many people it takes to make the show happen [is incredible],” Sara said. “And to be in New York and feel the city alive—it was a lot of fun, we really enjoyed it.”
“It was just a big whirlwind,” Billy said. “I couldn’t believe how small the sets are and how many people go into doing it—it was just amazing.”
That’s not all. Sara and Billy said Mary Jane actually learned to crawl while they were in New York City.
“We can’t wait till she grows up so we can tell her she was the Gerber baby,” Billy said.
How baby-driven robots could help disabled children
The robot used a Nintendo Wii Balance Board and sonar instruments to help babies navigate their surroundings.
Adele is expecting her first child with boyfriend Simon Konecki.
The singer announced her pregnancy on her official website on Friday.
“I’m delighted to announce that Simon and I are expecting our first child together. I wanted you to hear the news direct from me. Obviously we’re over the moon and very excited, but please respect our privacy at this precious time,” she wrote.
Adele, 24, and Konecki, who is divorced, have been dating since January.
The announcement tops off a whirlwind 18 months that saw the “Someone Like You” singer from the UK become a global sensation with her album “21.” The album is still in the top 10 of the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart more than a year after its release.
Adele picked up six Grammy awards in February, including best album for “21” and record of the year for “Rolling In The Deep.”
Queen Elizabeth welcomes second great grandchild
Queen Elizabeth is a great grandma again!
Peter and Autumn Phillips welcomed their daughter, Isla Elizabeth Phillips, at the Gloucester Royal Hospital on Thursday, a spokesperson for the couple tells Us Weekly. Weighing in at 7 lbs., 4 oz., little Isla joins big sister Savannah, 15 months; thirteenth in line for the British throne, she is Queen Elizabeth’s second great-grandchild.
Peter was present at his second daughter’s birth, the rep added. The royal family is said to be “delighted” by Isla’s arrival.
Peter, 34, is the son of Princess Anne and her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips; he and Autumn got married in May 2008 at Windsor Castle. His sister, Zara Phillips, wed rugby player Mike Tindall last summer at a wedding attended by all the royals — including Prince William and Kate Middleton plus Prince Harry, who even sang karaoke at the bash.
It’s a boy for Hilary Duff and Mike Comrie
The 24-year-old actress announced the birth of her son on her website and Twitter feed Thursday.
Duff writes that she and husband Mike Comrie welcomed son Luca Cruz Comrie on Tuesday night. He weighed in at 7 pounds, 6 ounces and is the first child for the couple, who married in 2010.
Duff says she and Comrie “feel like the luckiest parents in the world.”
Duff gained fame as the star of Disney’s “Lizzie McGuire” and more recently had a recurring role on “Gossip Girl.”
Comrie retired as a professional hockey player earlier this year. The 31-year-old most recently played with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Jared Padalecki and Genevieve Cortese name newborn son Thomas Colton
Born Monday, he is the first child for the couple, who wed in Sun Valley, Idaho on February 27, 2010. Padalecki, 29, had previously told Us they would be taking their time before naming their little one.
“We don’t want to put it out there, like try and turn him into something before we meet the kid,” the actor said in January. “We want to get a feel for who this kid is before we name him.”
Adriana Lima and Marko Jaric pregnant with second child
(click-through for full story)
Neve Campbell and beau JJ Feild express joy as actress confirms she is pregnant with their first child
(click-through for full story)
Caterina Scorsone and her husband, musician Rob Giles, are expecting their first child this summer.
(click-through for full story)
Editor’s Note: Spoiler Warning for Private Practice episode “Andromeda,” which aired February 23, beyond the link.
Nick and Vanessa Lachey expecting first child
(click-through for full story)
Uma Thurman expecting third child
(click-through for full story)
Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck welcome son Samuel
(click-through for full story)
