apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Look who's turning SIX! We hope there's lots of hoopla around your birthday, Vivian!

Vivian loves all things girly. Princesses, dress-up and Barbies are her play. She's also tough, she's in TaeKwonDo and doing great!

We don't need a dresser/changing table and we don't live in Dallas, but we're still tempted by this Argington Picchu piece. The Scavenger dug deep in Chicago and New York as well to bring you furniture finds like a hammock-style bassinet, a Skuut bike, a breastfeeding stool, a modern dollhouse and more...

We once found, stashed in our mother's desk, a pre-school report card in which the teacher noted that we were the only student in the class who didn't know how to use scissors. We imagine Elsa Mora got a better start with scissors than we did.

Welcome Dexter! Mom and Dad are proud parents and couldn't wait to introduce you to your Ohdeedoh friends.

Who's Dexter? Bbrand spanking new bundle of fun and chubb. He came into the world with food and cuddles on his mind. Likes: Dad's burping style, Mom's singing. Dislikes: Wet diapers and gas. Parental units Peter and Alexis are in love.

Have you been fielding tough questions from your kids about the economic crisis? Whether they've heard about it on the news or picked up on it from your conversations, chances are they're aware that something's going on and they may be worried. Slate has compiled a slideshow of children's books suitable for hard economic times: When times are tough, cue the stories about times that were even tougher.

Don't let the low-key photo fool you - Mungo will be unleashing all his spirit and energy today to celebrate his FIRST birthday!

This is an unusually contemplative photo--Mungo is generally a happy, bonkers baby: yodeling, crawling at warp speed around the apartment, banging kitchen implements together. He'll spend his birthday doing more of the same, with lots of friends around him.

We love kids' room that appear effortless, lived in and still beautiful. And we're always curious to peek inside the homes of interior designers. So we couldn't resist a visit to Cookie's Nesting blog to check out 4-year-old Parker's bedroom. She happens to be our neighbor and her mother happens to be the creative director of design firm Minor Details that specializes in spaces for children.

We came across these numbers nesting boxes the other day when we were exploring West Elm's numbers rug and thought they'd be perfect for a child's room or to wrangle toys and gear in the living room.

Amelia Rachel had her very FIRST birthday over the weekend! Her mom is planning a brunch to celebrate next weekend with a "Poodle in Paris" theme - what fun!! Happy Birthday, Amelia!

We're awarding Jason a DIY merit badge for conceiving and building this Oeuf-inspired three-walled crib for his daughter Annabelle. He and his wife Shannon own a small home in D.C. and, like many families, needed to transform their office into a nursery. Being a few inches shy of the space needed for a traditional crib got Jason's DIY gears turning to create a solution that would be both functional and beautiful. We hope this crib solution will inspire others with small or awkward spaces. Click through to see the "before" space, "in-progress" photos and the adorable crib occupant, Annabelle.

Isaac is a very happy little guy, who loves trucks and music and spinning around and around on the kitchen floor. He was born eight weeks early, but you'd never know it now. For last year's birthday party, I taped three boxes of baking soda together and wrapped it in shelf paper, to make a brick that weighed three pounds and was 15" long, just like newborn baby Isaac. He was so tiny, but still very much Himself.

We wish Isaac the happiest second birthday ever!! His mom, Sara, also added that Isaac is having a robot cake this year. While surely fabulous, will it top the "poo-flinging" monkey cake her friends made him last year? We're serious here folks, click through to see it...

Reader "The Diving Belle" wrote in with an interesting DIY/How To question:

A young couple I know (and love) have just announced they will be parents in the Spring. As they are very eco-aware, I'd love to make their baby a "green" teddy bear, using recycled fabric and such. Any thoughts on locating a good pattern and materials? Many thanks! I'm SO excited about this baby!

(Note: Include a pic of your problem and your question gets posted first. Email questions and pics with QUESTIONS in subject line to: nursery(at)apartmenttherapy(dot)com)

Scientists have shown that smiling and giggling increase 28% by age two. Need proof? Emerson Kate turns TWO today and look at her! Happy, happy birthday!