::nursery furniture::

For architectdad and me, other than the actual pregnancy and birthing processes, decorating the nursery was probably the highlight of our entire baby experience so far. After searching all over for the perfect nursery furniture, we decided on the Aerial line from Nurseryworks.

A friend, who is currently pregnant (congratulations to A and E!), asked me which pieces of baby furniture we have. The pieces we bought are the Aerial crib with the toddler conversion kit, the Two Wide changing table and the Sleepytime rocker. All of the pieces are custom, meaning, you can pick your desired design and color for the ends, slats, rails and changing table door. We picked the snow circle ends with bead slats, and snow circle door. The rails for the bed and changing table are dark pine. The rocker is copper microsuede with dark ash legs. The website is interactive, so play around with the different combinations...it's fun! We bought the Nurseryworks bedding in orange Macaroni and pink Sea Holly. For a boy, I love the blue Peaberry. So modern and crisp.

Try buying the furniture from a place that offers free shipping, because you certainly don't want to pay $500 extra for shipping. However, since the items are heavy, there may be a surcharge anyway for handling. Try Design Public...seems like their handling fee is the lowest.

For the walls, we painted it a crisp white and applied wooden circles from FOLD on top. The circles are shipped primed and ready for paint. We painted the circles white, pink and orange to create a custom pattern. You may want to buy more than one set of circles, because each set only comes with 8 pieces. We bought two sets from Design Public; one set of smaller circles and another of larger circles. I also bought some round mirror discs and integrated them into the pattern.

::here comes the sun::

Wow, what a beautiful day it is here! Sunny and 70 degrees...doesn't get any better than this! We are sitting outside on the patio with the beagles and O, watching the neighbors walk by.

O's skin is very fair, so I have to shield her from the strong sun without overheating. I slather on Kiehl's sunscreen for children and put a big floppy hat on her. I bought a couple of hats, just in case she hates one of them. Actually, she went almost all winter without a hat on...that's how much she hates having strange thing on her head!

I bought the A. Tierney infant hat and the fairy dot floppy sun hat by Oink! baby. I bought them a size larger than O needs, so that each sits loose on her head. The A. Tierney hat comes with chin straps, which come in handy on windy days.

I hope the weather is wonderful wherever you are!

::dog food scare::

With all the dog food scare, everyone is being extra careful about what they feed their dog(s). Thank goodness our dog food brand was not affected by this catastrophe. I've been feeding the beagles Wellness Super5 Mix for more than 5 years.

The first listed ingredient is chicken, meaning it is the most plentiful ingredient. The chicken protein is free of added growth hormones and steroids. The blend of flaxseed, canola oil and white fish has kept the hounds' coats healthy. Fruits and vegetables are added as antioxidants; and glucoseamine and chondroitin keep the joints healthy and limber.

I swear by this dog food. My oldest will be 12 years old in a week, and people still think she is a puppy. She is healthy, energetic and happy. She used to have very sensitive stomach, but ever since I started feeding her Wellness, she has not had any food allergies. Taste, you ask? Well, beagles are gluttons for anything remotely resembling food, so I can't really say for sure!

Not all pet stores sell Wellness. We buy ours from Wholefoods or our local pet shop. You could also order online and have them delivered to your door.

::here comes the rain::

Oh, how I hate the rain! It's such a nuisance, especially with a 4-month old baby around. Now that O is supremely aware of the world around her, she wants Mama to carry or cart her around so she can see and experience everything. The dogs have been great source of entertainment for her though. She just loves them...will giggle and squeal in delight whenever she sees them.

While there are tons of plastic/vinyl raingear available for kids, nothing says 'rain' like Burberry. I just love the baby trench coat. It is literally the adult version, but shrunken down by 500%. It is even lined with the signature nova check in cotton. Although at $300 a pop, I think we'll have to pass on this beauty.

In addition to the fancy trench coat, Burberry also makes rain boots and snow boots for kids. Just imagine how cute O would be wearing the nova check snow boots in the Swiss Alps?!?!?! Alright, one can daydream when it's raining outside...no?

::bouncing babies::

Now that O is a little older and stronger, she is ready to sit up and take in a different perspective of the world. We bought the bouncer by Svan which she seems to like. It is made out of bent plywood and the cushion is removeable and washable. The chair back position is also adjustable so that your little one can recline horizontally and sleep in it. The lounger also has a detachable sun canopy for shading, for those beautiful spring days when you and the bebe are out on the patio or in the garden. The chair is also light and folds flat, so you could even take it out with you to the park or Starbucks if you wanted to.

Another lounger that is making its debut, is the Coco Stylewood baby rocker by Bloom. It is also made out of bent plywood, except the cushion looks like it's made of delicious chocolate leather. Its retro styling reminds me of a baby version of the Eames lounger. If you don't mind spending $200 on a baby rocker, this is the one to buy.

Both loungers feature a harness akin to that of a car seat, so there's little chance of accidental slippage. I bought the Svan chair from Modern Nursery. I placed the order over the phone to make sure they had it in stock. The woman assured me that it was and that she would ship it out right away. Two weeks later, no sign of the shipment. I called them again and they sent it out right away. When I received it, the packaging looked beat up, but the chair seemed fine.

Our NYC trip has been postponed once again. We're all bummed. But hopefully we can make it up there in a couple of weeks before the weather goes from pleasant to stifling!

::wikinomics strikes again::

The book I am currently reading, Wikinomics, mentions blogging as an essential component of Wikinomics. Through this blog, I have personally met some new friends and caught up with some old ones.

By chance, I found the blog of a high school friend recently. I emailed D and we are finally reconnected again after 17 years. Whether its MySpace or Blogspot, this interactive webnet not only has increased our knowledge base, it has allowed us to experience the world on broader terms--virtually without spatial or temporal boundaries. While sitting here at the Starbucks T-Mobile Hotspot, I have heard at least four different languages spoken... just imagine the amount of people around the world with whom they're connected via their laptops.

Now, if I could only figure out how to make my first billion using Wikinomics...

::move over kate spade, here comes fleurville::

As a fierce shoe and purse fiend, I find myself transitioning from Prada shoes and Kate Spade bags to Puma flats and diaper bags. However, thank goodness Puma has come up with really awesom designs (architectdad even has a couple of pairs!), and there are certainly plenty of terrific diaper bags in the market.

I have two bags that I use regularly, both are by Fleurville. For the stroller, I use the Re-Run stroller bag (see right). The water resistent fabric is made from recycled plastic, which makes it somewhat environmentally friendly. It comes with its own wipe case and changing pad, as well as an inner pocket for your iPod. The stroller bag attaches to the handle bar(s) of the stroller via two bungee cords with clips. It also comes with a detachable shoulder strap should you choose to carry it.

I also use the Fleurville DJ bag (see left) for longer trips. Like the stroller bag, it comes with its own wipe case and changing pad. While it is functional and aesthetically pleasing, more importantly, it is PVC free. Best of all, architectdad can carry sling-style bag without being embarrassed.

Kate Spade offers many different diaper bag styles, but they are all shoulder bags, and some are actually heavy when empty. There are other brands out there that make cool, understated bags for dads. Skip Hop and Diaper Dude are a couple which are easily accessible in many stores.

You can find Fleurville at Nordstrom and many of the online stores. However, to get the best selection, try buying directly from Fleurville.