Nicole Kidman is in nesting mode, but she apparently wants a roost that's close to her BFF. Us says the expectant Oscar winner is searching for a Los Angeles property within cup-of-sugar-borrowing distance of pal Naomi Watts, who welcomed son Alexander in July (dad is Liev Schreiber).

Kidman reportedly checked out some houses in the neighborhood on March 15 after enjoying a visit at Watts' digs with her kids, Isabella, 15, and Connor, 13 (dad, as you know, is ex-husband Tom Cruise).

"Nicole had her people call Naomi's next-door neighbors to ask if they would be interested in selling their house -- even though it wasn't on the market," a source tells the mag. The owners took a pass.

Keith and Nicole in Sydney on March 17

The plump-lipped A-lister, who with hubby Keith Urban has home bases in Australia and a farm just outside of Nashville, Tenn., is said to be looking for a pad in the tony neighborhood of $8 million, preferably with views and a long driveway for privacy, a key factor given the two dustups her minders had last week with paparazzi.

"Her favorite property so far is a Nantucket-style home," says the snitch. "Although the home is not on Naomi's block, it is within walking distance."

Nicole is reportedly about five months along, and she showed just a hint of a bulge when snapped walking hand-in-hand with Urban in Byron Bay, Australia, on Wednesday.

A day earlier, she lived up to the "barefoot and pregnant" cliché by ditching her shoes for a stroll along Bondi Beach in Sydney with the on-tour country crooner.

Meanwhile, the obstetricians over at In Touch are fussing over the size of Kidman's belly. An insider says Nicole has added about 10 pounds to her statuesque frame but would "gain 100 pounds if necessary."

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