• March of Dimes Celebration of Babies: A Hollywood Luncheon

New mom Reese Witherspoon is being honored by March of Dimes for being a model celebrity parent.

The 36-year-old Oscar winner and mother of three will receive the organization’s Grace Kelly Award at its Celebration of Babies event Friday at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The award recognizes celebrity parents committed to healthy pregnancies and families.

Witherspoon gave birth in September to a son, Tennessee, with her husband, talent agent Jim Toth. She’s also mom to Ava, 13, and Deacon, 8, from her previous marriage to actor Ryan Phillippe.

‘‘I was very lucky to have a healthy delivery and leave the hospital with a healthy full term infant, but so many families in this country do not get that experience,’’ she said, adding that she hopes her involvement with March of Dimes calls attention to its efforts to prevent birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

Hollywood has a long history with March of Dimes, said event chair and Universal Pictures President Jimmy Horowitz. The tradition continues with this seventh annual celebrity luncheon, where star parents Susan and Robert Downey Jr., Brooke Shields and Chris Henchy, Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman, and Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon are also expected. Cannon will serve as master of ceremonies for the private event.

The March of Dimes is also inducting new celebrity parents into its Stork Club. Members include Amanda Anka and Jason Bateman, Drew Barrymore and Will Koppelman, and Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green.

Reese Witherspoon Says She’s ‘Crawling Back’ Toward Her Pre-Baby Body

After giving birth to her third child in September – son Tennessee James – Reese Witherspoon says she isn’t exactly bouncing back into shape.

“I don’t know if I’m bouncing back. I’m slowly crawling back,” she joked to Extra at the March of Dimes Celebrates Babies event in Beverly Hills on Friday.

She’s also still fighting a case of “baby brain.”

“I couldn’t remember, the other day, what you call that thing that keeps the food cold. It was the refrigerator,” said Witherspoon, 36, who’s also mom to Ava, 13, and Deacon, 9. “I couldn’t remember the name of it!”

But the Oscar winning actress is not worrying too much about any of it.

“You just have to be gentle and patient with yourself,” she adds, “and slowly get back to your health.”

As for the reason behind all of this, Witherspoon says her newborn son is “great. He’s wonderful, healthy, happy.”

– People.com

Reese Witherspoon on Baby, Holidays and Mindy Kaling

“Extra’s” Terri Seymour caught up with Reese Witherspoon at the “March of Dimes Celebrates Babies” event, where she accepted the Grace Kelly Award.

The new mom dished the holidays, the possibility of working with her friend Mindy Kaling – and getting her body back to normal after having son Tennessee James in September.

Witherspoon explained, “I don’t’ know if I’m bouncing back. I’m slowly crawling back. You know all of your joints feel wobbly and your head is sort of confused.”

She said, “You just have to be gentle and patient with yourself and just sort of you know… slowly get back to your health.”

Reese gushed about her two-month old. “He’s great, he’s wonderful, healthy, happy, so great.” For his first Christmas, Reese said she is looking forward to building gingerbread houses and making their own ornaments.

Terri also asked Reese, who recently had lunch with Mindy Kailing, about working on her show, “The Mindy Project.” Reese said, “Oh, I would love to. I love Mindy, she’s so smart… it’s so great to have such a talented female writer out there, so hopefully we’re going to collaborate soon. I would love it.”

– extratv.com

Reese Witherspoon on Son Tennessee: Heaven “Delivered Us an Angel”

Reese Witherspoon arrives at the March Of Dimes’ Celebration Of Babies at Beverly Hills Hotel on December 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California. Reese Witherspoon arrives at the March Of Dimes’ Celebration Of Babies at Beverly Hills Hotel on December 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California. Credit: Steve Granitz/WireImage

Reese Witherspoon has given birth three times — most recently in September, when she and husband Jim Toth welcomed baby boy Tennessee James — but she’s as awestruck by the miracle of life now as she was 12 years ago, when she became a first-time mom to daughter Ava. (The Devil’s Knot star also has an 8-year-old son, Deacon, with ex-husband Ryan Phillippe.)

On Friday, Dec. 7, the Oscar-winning actress, 36, spoke at the March of Dimes Celebrates Babies event in Beverly Hills, where pal Elizabeth Banks presented her with the Grace Kelly Award. The award recognizes role-model celebrity parents, like Witherspoon, who exemplify the March of Dimes commitment to healthy babies and families.

Accepting the honor, the blonde beauty opened up about her experience with motherhood and what it was like to hold her children in her arms for the first time. She told a story about a friend who called her en route to giving birth, wanting to know what to expect at the hospital.

“She wanted to know how she was going to feel in that moment and what it would be like when you meet your baby for the very first time,” the mom-of-three recalled. “And I was talking to Jim, my husband, and I said, ‘Can you imagine describing that moment of pure joy that happens when your child is in your arms for the very first time.’ I mean, what are the words?!”

“We are parents that know the joy of having a beautiful, brilliant, joyful, perfect baby,” Witherspoon continued. “That somehow heaven has opened up and delivered us an angel [who] looks adorable in every angle of an iPhone photo. And, in my case, looks gorgeous printed on a bag or a pillow or an iPhone cover — anything you can get on TinyPrints!”

– usmagazine.com

March Of Dimes Raises Over $1 Million At Celebration Of Babies Luncheon

Celebrity parents came together to support pregnancy & baby health as Reese Witherspoon was lauded as a role model parent!

March of Dimes, the leading non-profit organization for pregnancy and baby health, celebrated their 2012 honorees at the 7th annual March of Dimes Celebration of Babies, a Hollywood luncheon, at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles on Dec. 7. Over $1 million was raised.

March of Dimes Celebration of Babies brought together and recognized celebrities and prominent individuals in the entertainment community who are pregnant or celebrating the recent birth of a child, and who are role models for the March of Dimes mission to improve the health of babies by helping moms have healthy, full-term pregnancies.

Actor and producer Reese Witherspoon received the 2012 March of Dimes Grace Kelly Award, which recognizes role-model celebrity parents. Cyma Zarghami, President of Nickelodeon Group, was named March of Dimes’ Inspiring Woman of the Year for her accomplishments as a leader in the entertainment industry and as a dedicated mother to her three sons, Liam, Wyatt and Ethan. Medical doctor Bryan Oshiro received the 2012 Elaine Whitelaw Volunteer Service Award. Oshiro, who is Vice-Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Medical Director of the Perinatal Institute at the Loma Linda University Medical Center, has made groundbreaking advancements in health guidelines for hospitals and obstetricians.

Entertainer Nick Cannon served as master of ceremonies. Event co-chairs in attendance included Susan & Robert Downey Jr. and Witherspoon’s husband Jim Toth. Support also came from Elizabeth Banks & Max Handelman and Molly Sims & Scot Stuber, who acted as event co-chairs. Megan Fox & Brian Austin Green were recognized for being part of the Celebration of Babies Stork Club, which is for expecting and new parents. Tom Hanks and industry heavyweights like Universal’s Ron Meyer, DreamWorks’ Jeffrey Katzenberg and producer Brian Grazer attended. Event chairs Joi & Jimmy Horowitz and Paula Kaplan & Billy Goldberg were also in attendance.

March of Dimes has long-standing ties to the Hollywood community. Since its founding in 1938, supporters over the years have included Eddie Cantor, Grace Kelly, Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz, Sammy Davis Jr. and Bill Cosby, to name a few.

The 7th Annual Celebration of Babies was presented by Nickelodeon/Viacom Media Networks and Cheryl and Haim Saban.

– hollywoodlife.com