don't hate me because my baby is beautiful

Yep, that's right. Neal and I have thought long and hard and decided - to try, at least - to exploit Elias's good looks for monetary gain. When you think your baby is the cutest baby ever (and who doesn't think their baby is the cutest baby ever?) and you've taken hundreds of photos of him over the past several months, why wouldn't you submit one of those photos to the Live with Regis and Kelly annual Beautiful Baby contest for a chance to win a nice college fund? A week shy of seven months, Elias - aside from being the most beautiful baby, of course - just barely qualifies for the contest, open to "babies" between 6 months and 4 years (I think the top end of their age range is pushing the definition of "baby" a bit, but that's neither here nor there). Plus, as Neal pointed out, the winners the past four years straight have all been girls. They have to pick a boy this year.

We've picked our own finalists from the past month, per the contests rules and regulations, and we're leaving it up to you, loyal blog readers, to choose the photo you think we should enter into the contest. Here's how this will work: Take a look at the six photos below, then vote for your fave in the poll at the top right corner of this blog. You have until next Wednesday, January 21st (Elias's 7 month birthday!), to vote.

Here we go:

Image 1


Image 2


Image 3


Image 4


Image 5


Image 6


Thanks for participating! I'll keep this blog updated on the winning photo and of course will let you all know how Elias fares in the competition. I'm sure we'll be headed to the Big Apple in a couple of months...