josie bissett
Age: 29; actress, formerly of Melrose Place; married to actor Rob Estes; son, Mason Tru, born July 21, 1999

Labor of love: My troubles were in getting pregnant, but I was blessed with having a really easy pregnancy [and delivery]. Mason was born a day before Rob's birthday. It's funny—Rob was born on his mom's birthday.
Her pregnancy style: I wore Mimi Maternity mostly for casual and Liz Lange for events. I got pretty big, and I could not keep my hands off my stomach. I just loved to feel him move. The bigger I got, the better it got.
How she chose his name: For 10 years I had known that Mason was what I wanted to name a boy or a girl. Still, I found out the sex the minute I could. I don't know how people cannot.
On sleep deprivation: The hardest thing is that Mason's still not sleeping through the night. I'm sort of ready to crack the whip, but Rob is more of a softy. He gives him a bottle and keeps the cycle going.
On the book she's writing with her sister: It's going to have advice from parents around the world. My advice will be to create a lot of family traditions for your children so they can pass them on to their kids.
They've only just begun: One more child would be good. My grandma has 24 grandchildren and 32 great-grandchildren. You can imagine what our holidays are like. —H.B.

jasmine guy
Age: 36; actress; married to investment broker Terrence Duckette; daughter, Imani, born March 28, 1999

Tales from the delivery room: I didn't expect it to take so long to push the baby out. It was about three and a half hours. There's pre-labor, then there's labor. Trying to get her out of the birth canal was hard. I just did what everyone told me to do. My mom and sister were there. When she came out, her eyes were open and she was like, "What the hell is going on?"
How they chose her name: The word "imani" means faith in Swahili.
Puppy love: I have to watch her every minute. She plays in the toilet, she climbs in the dishwasher. My baby eats everything, like a little puppy. She's talking back to me, even though she doesn't have any words. She growls.
How life has changed: The kitchen may not get cleaned, and I have to accept that. I do the important things: I read to her, we go to the park, I cook for my husband, and we all sit down for 45 minutes. That's a good day for me.
The best part of being a parent: I am happier and more focused. ... You have triple the laundry, but there is always this wonderful feeling of knowing that you will never be alone again. I was in a sandwich with my husband and my baby in bed the other night and I thought, Wow. I can't move, but I am very, very happy. —Monica Corcoran

ray liotta & michelle grace
Ray, age 45, actor; Michelle, age 30, actress; daughter, Karsen, born December 21, 1998. All three appear in the upcoming film A Rumor of Angels. (Producers cast Michelle and Karsen after seeing a family photo.)

Ray on the delivery room: When she started coming out, I got light-headed. I had to sit down. There's nothing like that in the world. When she started crying, I said, "Karsen, it's OK," and she just stopped crying. She knew her name.
Michelle on Karsen's silliest nickname: I call her Best Friend, and now everyone calls her Frenny.
Ray's pet names: There's Boo. And when she's bad, we call her Punky.
Like father, like daughter: If she doesn't get her way, she jumps up and down. I can do that too. If she doesn't like something, she lets you know right away. She really watches people. And she's really nice and sweet like Michelle.
The best part of being a daddy: Having a baby makes you mark time differently. You watch the world through your child's eyes. All of a sudden you notice things that you never would have looked at twice. It's nice.
And the scariest part: I'm worried about the brutality of other kids. Kids can be so mean and cruel. I know that I can't always protect her.
Grandfather Liotta knows best: My dad told us that we shouldn't force her to walk. I'm not sure what that means, but we didn't do it. She walked on Christmas Day. It was so great.
Ray's fondest wish for her: To feel secure, and to feel she can do whatever she wants. —M.C.

nia peeples
Age: 38; actress, Walker, Texas Ranger; married to stuntman Lauro Chartrand; son, Christopher, age 10, and daughter, Sienna-Noelle, born November 11, 1998

On the children's names: Christopher means "the bearer of Christ," and it just felt right. And Sienna was going to be Harley, but my family pitched a fit. She was going to be named after [actress] Harley Jane Kozak because I thought she would also have a cute, spunky personality, which she does. Then one day I saw the name of a restaurant—Sienna Café—and thought it was great, and I remembered the city in Italy and also the color with the same name. So we named her Sienna-Noelle because it was around Christmas time.
Beauty secret: Simplicity. The thing that most affects my skin, my hair, the way I feel, and ultimately the way I look is what I eat. The more whole, organic food I ate, the better everything was. And I drank plenty of water.
Best piece of advice: There were two. During my first pregnancy, I was told to sit back and enjoy that time while I could because I wouldn't be pregnant with that child again. With my second, it was to get the book On Becoming Baby Wise and follow the advice about regulating your baby's sleeping cycle. It works great.
On the encore: My second pregnancy was very different from my first. I carried Chris very low. He weighed more, but he was more calm. Sienna, I carried out in front and so far forward that my abdomen muscles tore. And she was so active that it scared me. It was like Alien—I could practically see her face! —Maty Foster-Richardson

oscar de la hoya & shana moakler
Oscar, age 27, boxing champion; Shanna, age 25, Miss USA 1995 and actress, most recently on Pacific Blue; son Jacob, age 2 (Oscar's from a previous relationship), and daughter, Atiana, born March 29, 1999

Oscar's tales from the delivery room: I almost fainted. My knees were knocking, and I was excited. Once you realize the baby is out, you start to cry. It's very emotional. Just a beautiful thing.
Shanna on Oscar: He was beet-red and shaking. All I could say was, "Somebody, help him." One more second and he would have been on the floor.
Oscar on choosing a name: Shanna thought of Tatiana. But I wanted her to have a name that was unique, so I took off the T and made it Atiana.
The best part of being a daddy: Watching her walk. Watching her grow. The stages are incredible. To be there and to witness what happens to ... a baby is great.
And the scariest part: I'm afraid that she is so fragile. I'm afraid that I'm squeezing her too tight. But when I saw her hit her head after she fell for the first time, I realized that she's tough. She can take it.
Oscar's fondest wish for her: Whatever she wants to do with her life is fine with me. Except boxing. No boxing! I hope she'll be a ballerina. —M.C.

amy yasbeck
Age: 37; actress and panelist on Oxygen's I've Got a Secret; married to actor John Ritter; daughter, Stella, born September 11, 1998

Tales from the delivery room: I bought Tracy Chapman and Joni Mitchell and Dionne Farris so I could have my own little Lilith Fair. I put on two seconds of one of them, and for the first time in my life it was so annoying because it was just making me think about my uterus. We put on Prince's Graffiti Bridge and there's a song that starts out, "Yo, Stella," and it's this funky, wild song. And I danced for 10 minutes with my sneakers unlaced, because I could not lace them. I kind of danced and swayed and belly-danced to try to make the baby come down faster.
On pregnancy desires: I craved lemons to the point where I had to have them on everything—every salad, everything. It made my husband sick; he said it was like he was eating Pledge. I guess I just couldn't get enough vitamin C. Luckily my teeth didn't fall out.
On pregnancy style: No underpants. My Victoria's Secret ones just kept getting lower and lower on my butt, like I was a repairman with my crack sticking out. And then finally the last couple of months, I just stopped wearing them. I thought, It's not gonna matter when the water breaks—they're just gonna wash down the street. Who cares? —Juliette Hohnen

julie & rob moran
Julie, age 38, co-host of Entertainment Tonight; Rob, age 40, actor, Me, Myself & Irene; daughter, Maiya DuPree, born September 26, 1999