If you've been following this blog you know that I have a newborn baby, Leo, who is now 4 months old. Leo was born big (10 pounds!) and luckily, he was content and good-natured from the beginning. One thing that Leo did have, however, was a bad case of seborrheic excema that went from his scalp all the way to his toes. It was itchy and red and scaly and it broke our hearts to see the little guy trying to scratch his dry body. Since most cases of excema are genetic, we knew it wasn't anything we had done to cause it. However, I started reading up on excema and also took him to my dermatologist. What I did find out is that anything with frangrance in it can make his outbreaks worse. And if you haven't noticed, frangrance is in everything! I immediately re-washed all his clothes and anything that would touch his skin in "ALL Free and Clear." (I had previously washed them in a "baby" detergent marketed as the pediatrician's choice.. and of course it's doused in fragrance.) I threw out all the popular and well known brands of baby oil, moisturizer and soaps that I had been given or bought myself... Leo is now taking baths in lukewarm water and baking soda only. Besides a cream from my dermatologist, the only other thing that touches his skin is a fragrance-free moisturizer from Whole Foods.

Why am I writing all this? Well, if I had known that Leo would have sensitive skin I would have never used anything with fragrance in it from the beginning. And since you can't predict what type of skin your baby has, I would recommend (as a mom, not a doctor!) to use all fragrance-free products for the first months of their lives. Then you can gradually introduce other products if you choose, but it's a good way to make sure you don't irritate a dormant skin condition. And what's great about all this is that once you take away everything with fragrance, your baby smells so sweet and natural... like a baby, not a baby product! :)

The USPS just released some of the coolest postage stamps I've seen in a long time: the Charles and Ray Eames commemorative sheet of sixteen 42 cent stamps. The married couple is known for their contributions to furniture design, industrial design, art, film, artchitecture and graphic design. If their names don't ring a bell right away, you may be familiar with the lounge chair they designed for Herman Miller. The Eames Lounger was first made in 1956, and has been in production ever since. It's an iconic symbol of modern furniture design, and part of the permanant collection at New York's Museum of Modern Art. The panel of stamps was designed by Derry Noyes of Washington, DC and is available at usps.com. I'll be ordering up a bunch!

A customer who ordered a Hello Little One baby shower invitation was so inspired by the design, she created a totally cool headboard based on it! Leah England, who obviously has some major artistic talent, used the sweet chicks invitation as her inspiration. Check out the photo of her room... I particularly love the distressed wood she used. Great job Leah!

The Social Security Administration just released the top 1000 names of 2007 and once again, Jacob and Emily top the list. Jacob has held a firm spot at number 1 since 1999 and Emily since 1996. The top 20 is somewhat unchanged, but there were some interesting developments in the 100 plus range. For the first time, the name Miley (thanks to tween sensation Miley Cyrus) is on the list, and has entered the top 1000 at a respectable 278. Other notable celebrity inspired names are Shiloh (debuting at number 804) and Maddox (re-entering the top 1000 for the first time since 2003 at number 226), the son and daughter of the continuously growing Jolie-Pitt family. I can't wait to hear what they will name their twins!

Overall, parents seem to take more chances with girls' names than boys. Nevaeh, which is “Heaven” spelled backwards, is now the 31st most popular name. The religious theme was also reflected among these other girl names: Destiny (No. 41); Trinity (No. 72); Serenity (No. 126); Harmony (No. 315); Miracle (No. 461); Charity (No. 673); Journey (No. 692); Destini (No. 914); and Essence (No. 930). For boys, only Sincere (No. 622) and Messiah (No. 723) seem to reflect the same sentiment.

I love looking at baby name lists, and dreaming up names for all my future kids. Remember back when Cabbage Patch Kids came with a birth certificate with their first and middle name (and perhaps they still do)? What a cool job! Happy Naming!

Get ready to drool... The Suzy Diaper Bag by Stef Hammitt is so incredibly cool, even Angelina Jolie was spotted carrying one. I'm not usually into celeb promototed products, but when I saw Pax's mom toting around this work of art, I instantly fell in love. After a quick search on the web, I found the Hammitt collection website and ordered up one in Brandy. Here's the thing: it isn't cheap. At a price tag of around $500, it's a bit of an extravagant purchase. However, when I received the bag, I knew that I had just done myself a favor... I will have this bag forever! The combo of the gorgeous leather, bold but feminine hardware, and perfect sizing makes this tote great for the transition into a travel bag when the little ones ditch the nappies. Always one to rationalize, I figured I was spending less on clothes, plane tickets and wine so I may as well treat myself. I'm sure glad I did!

One of the cutest things in life is seeing a child gleam with pride over their accomplishments. Recently, I got to witness my niece graduate from kindergarten and she was so adorable! If you are lucky enough to have a child experiencing a school graduation milestone, consider one of Hello Little One's hip and modern graduation invitations. They are perfect to both announce your child's accomplishment, and also invite them to the small (or large!) party you are having in their honor. Remember, you will be able to preview your card online with your personalized text before you purchase :) Congrats!

When I found out I was pregnant, one of the things I was most excited about (besides the baby :) was that I could start designing a cool and modern nursery for my baby boy. I knew I wanted to create a room that was unique and hip, but also a source of inspiration for my little one. I enlisted the talents of my mom, a graphic designer at heart and amazing seamstress, to help with the process. I had a rough idea of my colors -- green, black and white -- so we headed off to the fabric store to see what we could find.  We were lucky enough to discover some really cool panels of fabric by one of my favorite textile manufacturers called Marimekko. With birch trees outlined in black set against an aqua and lime sky, the colors served as a perfect palette for my nursery. We decided to make these panels the curtains, and they worked out perfectly.

With the color palette now in place, I had to pick a wall color. Although I was drawn to the greens in the curtain, we decided on a light blue. I know blue is a common color for a little boy, but I picked it to represent the sky, seeing as the curtains had a landscape feel about them. To drive home the sky look, I ordered bird wall graphics from blik. I positioned them across one wall, flying towards the windows.

One of the hardest choices I had to make was what kind of crib to buy. I LOVE all of the modern cribs, and if I had an endless amount of money, I would have been happy with a number of them. However, I wanted to keep the cost reasonable, without sacrificing quality. I finally settled on the Sparrow crib by Oeuf and I love it. It's durable, safe, and super cool. For the bedding, I couldn't find anything pre-made that I was happy with, so I enlisted the help of my mom. We bought some more Marimekko fabric: bold black and white patterns, as well as some green fabric to help tie in the curtains. I have to give a big shout out to my mom for doing an amazing job. If you know how to sew, I would recommend this route--your bedding will be unique and a lot cheaper than a lot of brand name designers (although if I had to buy a set I would head over to Target as Dwell Studio is now designing for them and they have GREAT stuff!)

Finally, for the rest of the furniture, I headed to Ikea. I love their minimalist style and endless customizable furniture. I wanted a changing table, but wasn't happy with any of their nursery furniture, so I improvised. In their collection of office furniture, I found some cool shelving units with doors that were the exact width and depth of a changing pad. I bought two of them and put them side by side to provide excess storage and surface area. When I remove the changing pad, these two pieces look like they belong in a boy's room, not a baby's nursery, enabling the furniture to grow with my son.

I hope this serves as some inspiration as you plan your baby's nursery. Combining ready-made products with creative solutions will give your room a unique and special feel. Good luck and have fun! 

I love cute and unique baby gifts, and one of my go-to online places to buy gifts for new moms is dapperdiapers.com  I was first introduced to these by my friend a few years ago, and I've been ordering them up ever since!  You can order a 2-6 pack and choose the ribbon that goes on each cloth. And of course I love how you can pick the font! Alicia, the owner, is great to work with and also owns a childrens boutique in Scottsdale, Arizona. Check out the photo of the ones that my friend Kate got me for my new son, Leo. So cute!

Having just had a baby, I thought I'd share some tips and tricks about the time spent in the hospital before and after the birth, as well as the first days home. Some of these tips are from friends, some are from the hospital staff, and some are from experience. With any pregnancy and baby related advice, the decisions are yours... these are just some opinions to take or leave :)

The hospital stay: what to pack / bring / expect:

• Have 'birth goals' not a 'birth plan.' My hospital stay was longer than most, due to a 30 hour labor followed by a C-Section (after getting all the way to 8cm!). My number one goal -- to not have a C-Section -- got nixed (and thankfully so, since Leo turned out to be 10 pounds instead of the 8 predicted). Birth 'goals' instead of a ' birth plan' lets you keep in mind that this is the most unplanned and unpredictable time of your life.
• Buy and bring a 'Swaddle Me' Wrap. A friend of mine had recommended these to me. My favorite is by Kiddopotamus and is available at Babies R Us and other baby super stores. I find this to be a brilliant product and having had the C-Section, it made swaddling super easy. My husband, doing most of the work besides feeding, also fell in love with the Swaddle Me.
• Make it clear if you are having visitors. This is a touchy one, but essential. If you are unsure, you may want to say you are not, and then pleasantly surprise those who call to congratulate with an invitation to come and see you and your new little one.
• Ask the nurses tons of questions. They love sharing their opinions and you can take and leave the advice that you get.

If you are nursing:

• Use the lactation consultant. They have loads of priceless information... and leave your modesty at home.
• Let the nursery know not to use a pacifier if you don't want them to. Some hospitals have nurseries that can take the baby during the night if you wish. Make sure they know you are nursing and do not want a pacifer. We put a little note in our bassinet when he would visit the nursery for vitals, etc.
• Bring Lanolin Cream. I like Lansiloh brand (the kind in the purple box / tube)
• Ask for a prescription for APNO Cream before you leave. This stuff is amazing for cracked nipples (which you most likely will get... even with a perfect latch). Note that it needs to be compounded so call your local pharmacy to see if they compound, or go directly to an apothecary. I found this link that explains APNO in more detail.
• Inquire about 'cup feeding' if your milk comes in late. My milk had still not come in by day three (C-Sections can delay the process by a day or so), and my 10 pounder was so hungry. I didn't want to bottle feed and lose the great latch Leo had shown early on. One of the nurses suggest we supplement by feeding him a little cup of formula. It worked like a charm! Even if you know you are going to exclusively breast feed, it may be good to have some formula at home.

If you have a C-Section:

• Take your pain meds. It's better to be on top of the pain rather than chasing it. This will also help you  get up and walk around, aiding in quicker healing.
• Bowels beware. Your bowel system shuts down during surgery, and takes a few days to recover which causes -- you guessed it -- back up. You'll want to have Colace, laxatives and glycerin suppositories at home. You'll be tempted to be embarrassed about this, but please don't. It's a normal (although very uncomfortable and sometimes painful) part of recovery. Everyone I know who had a C/S has had bowel issues for some time after the surgery.
• Recovery is fast, then slow. After the first few days, I felt so much better. Then around day 4, recovery flat-lined for about 10 days or so. I wasn't in pain so much as heavy discomfort, and it was frustrating. I was also back in my home, walking longer hallways, without the luxury of nurses 24/7. Make sure to ask for help from friends and family members, and know that recovery will come in time.

Good luck and remember to take care of yourself!

Please note these are only opinions of Hello Little One and we do not endorse any products or medications without a doctor's consent.

I just wanted to give a shout out to my friend Maureen, an amazing Boston area photographer who just completed a photo session with our new son Leo. Her blog address is createtruelife.com which will give you access to her portrait as well as wedding sites. She works with natural light which give her photographs a magical quality that I love. She's a true talent and fills her calendar quickly so contact her as soon as possible if you are interested in her services.

For anyone who is looking to have a photo shoot with their newborn, Maureen recommends that you schedule your appointment within the first two weeks of your baby's life--before baby acne sets in and while he/she is still fairly tiny and willing to be positioned in various cute poses. Researching and booking your shoot in the last weeks of pregnancy is a great way to pass the time before your little one arrives.