When they’re not sleeping, eating, crying and pooping, babies just love to kick back, relax and wonder what the heck is going on. I mean, they’re not in their comfort zone anymore, so they have to contemplate their next steps in life. And they’d like to do it in style, if at all possible. (What? You don’t think babies can be style-conscious? Have you considered that baby might not be crying because it’s past time to be changed? It’s entirely possible those tears reflect the honest emotions of a baby wearing an outfit chosen by Mom, whose sense of style is so last year. What will the other babies think?) That’s where you come in.

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How to Foster Hip Baby Fashion

Save the day with a unique baby gift that’s sweetness and style wrapped in a smile! “Lollipop Loungewear,” brand-new and beautiful from Baby Aspen, is a brightly colored, three-piece layette set for the newborn jet set. The snappy hues are the perfect stimulation for contemplation, and the top-and-bottom style gives baby a break from that long parade of onesies.

What’s more, you don’t need to gift-wrap “Lollipop Loungewear.” The adorable lollipop gift presentation stands on its own, and besides, it would be awful tough to wrap with the lollipop stick tearing through the paper every time you try to wrap it. I’m hoping this is the first of a long line of “Lollipop Loungewear” from Baby Aspen—my sweet tooth is screaming with joy just thinking about all the “flavor” combinations still out there!

We love our baby gifts, but it’s always nice to know that others love them, too!  They’ve been the guest of honor at lots of baby showers, delivery rooms and first trips home from the hospital.  So, you can imagine our excitement when we saw that two of our popular baby gifts were “guests” at the baby shower Jennifer Love Hewitt threw for her sister in law.

Skimming through the latest OK Magazine article about the shower, there they were…front and center.  With our first look at the photo, we saw Jo Jo the Giraffe smiling back at us with his signature Velcro arms nestling the keepsake box that holds the soft, yellow blankie with his image embroidered in the corner.  Then our eyes opened wide to discover Dilly the Duck had come along for the ride.  A great bath time gift set, baby will love snuggling in the hooded towel, slippers and washcloth.

From the looks of the gift table, Jo Jo and Dilly were in good company.  Everyone says they make great baby gifts.  So, if you’d like to have them at your celebration, click on over to Corner Stork Baby Gifts.  Although we’re not entirely sure if the gifts were purchased from us, it’s nice to know we’ve got the stuff she loves!

Hi! HRU? ?4U.  RU OTT when it comes to IM, FB and Twitter?   IMO,  F2F interaction E123 compared to this. KNIM? I feel like an IWIAM. But if this is your thing, MTFBWU.

For those of you who are still ramping up your social media language skills, here’s a translation:

Hi! How are you? Question for you. Are you over the top when it comes to instant messaging, Facebook and Twitter? In my opinion, face-to-face interaction is as easy as 1-2-3 compared to this. Know what I mean? I feel like an idiot wrapped in a moron. But if this is your thing, may the force be with you.

And a powerful force it is. So powerful, in fact, that social media permeates every aspect of our lives—including the world of baby gifts and baby clothes. We just don’t tweet and FB to show you what’s hot in baby fashion. Today, the medium is truly the message. You just have to be a kid to understand most of it.

The younger, the better.  That’s why these two baby bodysuits are a big hit! I have a niece who’s not even two years old, and she’s already going to town on her mom’s iPhone. She has a long way to go to memorize all the text-messaging and chat abbreviations (there are hundreds!), but I’m fairly confident she’ll get there way before I do. Meanwhile, I highly recommend this stylish social media-plugging attire for the nOOb* in your life! BBS!

* Newbie!

In the gardening world, when you plant tomato seeds, you get tomatoes.  The same holds true for just about anything you plant in the garden.  You get exactly what you expect, in most cases.  But, when it comes to our garden of life, you might get a few surprises!

Planting seeds of patience may mean that you’ll have to reap a lot of challenging situations that help you develop your patience skills.  Depositing seeds of faithfulness can mean that you’ll grow into the “go to” person for everyone else’s issues because you know how to get things done.  Yep, you just never know how things will turn out in life, but with Corner Stork’s garden of favors–good things are always blooming!

Favors In Full Bloom

Take our new watering cans for example.  These precious little, liquid life-givers can really pour on the water to thirsty plants, but the real benefit comes when you fill them with a treat for your guests.  Available in pink and blue, the polka dots dazzle the container and make quite a first impression.

If you’re planning a special gathering for your newest sprout, pair it with the Blooming Babies baby shower favor kit. Both the tin and the can are ready to be filled with candy, potpourri, seeds or whatever else you fancy.

When it comes to our do-it-yourself baby shower favors, planting a little time yields a beautiful result.

You probably already know that Baby Aspen tops my list of creative, affordable baby gift designers. Besides being reasonably priced and high quality, Baby Aspen gifts offer the complete package—incomparably imaginative clothes, baby blankets and toys, all with a gift presentation incorporated into the design. This isn’t to say that a few other baby gift manufacturers don’t do the same. Baby Aspen gifts just seem to have the X factor—a certain undefinable quality which pushes a person or a product ahead of the rest. Let me show you what I mean.

Here are photos of baby socks in a cupcake presentation and a bouquet presentation.  The cupcake socks often come in a bakery-style box. Both are undeniably cute.

Now we’ll take a look at a couple of baby socks gift sets designed by Baby Aspen…

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You get the picture. This is a perfect example of the X factor.  On the left are Mr. and Mrs. Sock T. Pus and Caterpillar Crawlers are on the right. If you want to deliver the best baby gifts to family and friends, always look for the Baby Aspen label. And don’t forget to have fun today!

Whether you’re a busy Mom, a stay-at-home Mom, working Mom or just plain Mom, you’ll always have a need for ways to save money, save time or save your sanity!  Next to getting more hours in the day, these 10 websites can help you do more in the time that you have.  Who knows…you may have enough time leftover for some much-needed, ever-illusive “ME” time.

Planning-Fun-Road-Trips.com

Hit the road armed with everything you need to ensure the kids don’t get bored and you enjoy the ride.  On this helpful site, you’ll find packing lists, soundtrack suggestions and even a trip cost calculator to make sure you don’t veer off the road when it comes to your budget.

Kaboodle.com

Bubbling over with all sorts of great ideas for entertaining, holidays and special events, you’ll always be the “Cool Mom” if you incorporate these craft activities, recipes and tips into your party planning.

CornerStorkBabyGifts.com

When it comes to ease of shopping, great selection and affordable pricing, we think Corner Stork Baby Gifts offers all of that and more!  You’ll never have to worry about what baby gift to choose because they’re all hand selected with maximum cuteness and quality.

Peapod.com

No time to grocery shop? Never fear…Peapod is here!  It’s an online grocery store that delivers all the items you’d find in your local grocery store direct to you.  With this time-saving convenience, you’d could shop for sweet peas in your pj’s and have it in the pantry lickety-split.

AllRecipes.com

Being a beginner chef myself, having a recipe that’s easy to follow and turns out great almost effortlessly is a real plus in my book.  That’s thy this is my go-to website for quick and easy recipes.  I can search by food and click on what intrigues me.  There’s always a picture so I know what it’s supposed to look like, and there are always plenty of helpful tips in the reviews from others who’ve made the dish.

WebMD.com

With Web MD at your fingertips, it’s almost like the doctor’s making a house call.  Filled with wonderfully helpful information, you can easily determine what may be going on and whether you need to see a doctor or not.  (Remember, nothing takes the place of a “real” doctor, but in this age of high deductibles or no insurance at all, every little bit of knowledge can be helpful.)

HauteLook.com

Being fashionable doesn’t mean you have to spend a fortune.  For the ultra-stylish Mom, you’ll appreciate this website with blowout specials, afternoon pick-me-up sales at 1:00 pm every day and great deals on high fashion.  But, you’d better get them while they last–there’s a new sale every three days.

CitiesOnTheCheap.com

Go out and have a good time without spending a fortune.  This entertainment website shows you all the deals on places to go, things to do and where to eat in your area.  Simply search by city for insider information about your city’s best deals.

HomeOrganizeIt.com

One day you might just look around and say, “Where did all of this stuff come from?”  If you’ve already had a garage sale and there’s still more stuff, you’ll find some help on this website that offers solutions for organizing your home one room at a time, decluttering and even what to do when your child goes off to school.  Creating a place for everything, you’ll be able to keep everything where it belongs.

TheWellMom.com/blog

Well-nourished, well-centered, well-toned Mom or those who aspire to be, this is a great website that encourages you to hang out the “do not disturb” sign and take some “me” time every now and then.

Heading into delivery with their top choices in mind, some people don’t make the final decision on the name until they see which one the baby “looks like.”  Because it will likely follow them for the rest of their life, parents choose carefully, and it seems they are choosing the same ones.  According to the Social Security Administration are Isabella and Jacob.  Well, Jacob is no surprise.  It’s been holding the #1 position for 11 years running.  (Wow! I guess that means that as a baby gift company we should stock up on “Jacob” for our personalized baby gifts.)  And, Isabella has been in the top 10 since 2004.

Where do baby names come from?

My Mom saw my sister’s name in a dream; mine was chosen because it was unique and wasn’t so popular at the time (that was way back in the day because it’s pretty common nowadays.)  So you can see that the inspiration for baby names can literally come from anywhere.  From company names and beverages to family members and pop culture, Moms and Dads are letting just about everything influence them.  What’s the latest, greatest inspiration?  The movie Twilight.  Cullen has moved up 11 spots partly because one of the main characters is Edward Cullen, and Bella is his girlfriend, which may be why Isabella has had a recent surge as well.

Another trend?  Parents seem to be more creative and innovative with their little girl’s names and more consistent and traditional with the boys.

Who’s in the top 10?

A little more than 22,000 girls born in 2009 were named Isabella, followed by Emma, Olivia, Sophia and Ava. Nearly 21,000 boys were named Jacob, followed by Ethan, Michael, Alexander and William.  Mia was the only newcomer to the top 10 for girls, rising from 14th to 10th. Among the boys, Jayden moved up from 11th to 8th, and Noah moved up from 15th to 9th.

You Name It

Just in case you’d like to do a little “name-dropping” yourself, here are a two of our Top 10 personalized baby gifts–Jo Jo the Giraffe and Patches the Puppy.  They’ve got the cutest names of all!

Going on safari in Africa has been near the top of my bucket list for years. I can’t think of anything more exciting than to see all those beautiful animals up close and personal! If you’re like me, you marvel at the wonders of nature and can’t imagine a world without them.

Unfortunately, the closest many of us get to these magnificent animals is at the zoo, in photos and video, and in replicas like statues, craft pieces and stuffed animals. At Corner Stork, we believe babies and children should grow up with a love and healthy respect for these animals. And they’re sooo cute, we just can’t resist finding the cutest baby toys to help make that happen!

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Meet Jakka and Ekko!

I love these two new lovies from Baby Aspen! Jakka the Giraffe is on the left and Ekko the elephant is at the right! Both are plush rattle lovies with crinkle leaves from Baby Aspen’s Little Expeditions collection. With plenty of textures and sounds to keep baby cozy and engaged, these two baby gifts start that new, little earthling in the right direction!

If you get a kick out of elephants and giraffes like I do, you’ll enjoy this short video showing these giant jungle dwellers living the life!

With all the attention showered on the new baby, sometimes the older siblings can feel left out and unloved.  Thank goodness for Grandmas and sibling gifts!  They’re a great way to show them some love and help them embrace their new role as big brother or big sister.

Gifts can help

Whether only a few months or a few years, your first child has claimed all of your attention and affection.  But now, with a new baby on the way, some siblings feel threatened and shunned as some of that attention goes elsewhere.  Not knowing how to handle the changes, many children feel anxious, but they don’t have to.  Using sibling gifts, like this Big Brother Journal, that honor and educate them about their new role will instill pride and love for their new little brother or sister.  It gives your child a glimpse at what it means to be a big brother or sister while allowing them to share their feelings about the change.  Chronicling the days before and after birth, they’ll realize how awesome it is to have someone looking up to them.

Educate then celebrate!

Being a big brother or sister isn’t all about the responsibility–it’s about the fun!  Having a new playmate, a friend and a confidant are just a few reasons to celebrate the change.  Excited and hopeful, your son or daughter would be proud to have some of these sibling items:

As human beings, all our “stuff” falls into two categories—disposable items and keepsakes. We go through life replacing items that wear out, no longer fit their purpose (or our body!), become technologically obsolete, clutter up the house, or simply fall out of favor with us.

A keepsake, by its very definition, is something we keep forever because it has meaning—a token of remembrance—that symbolizes a unique and special moment or occasion in our lives. Sometimes its the giver we want to remember. Whatever our reason, we treat these items with reverence, taking them from home to home when we move, displaying them proudly or storing them safely to preserve them.

As gift givers, we always have a choice to buy something we know will be in the recipient’s possession for a limited time, or we can select a very special gift we believe is destined to become a keepsake. With baby gifts, there are several gifts that have what it takes to become a baby keepsake gift. It’s easy to see what they all have in common:

AAAAAAAFirst Curl/First ToothAAAAAAAAAAAChristening SetAAAAAAAAAAAAAFirst Pictures Photo Album

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Each one of these gifts either commemorates important milestones (first photos, christening) or preserves something very precious (a lock of baby’s hair, first tooth.) Another keepsake-maker is personalization, which always adds value to any gift.  Like the babies you give them to, keepsake gifts are tiny family treasures!