Bubble-icious

It's Tuesday night and I'm sitting at JFK airport jostling for airwaves at JetBlue's free wireless hotspot, while I wait for the 8pm flight back to San Francisco. Robert and I have just had a whirlwind few days in New York City at the hip kids' trade show, Bubble. (Okay, I confess this post is a week overdue).

But Bubble-icious it was! Entirely sheltered from any mediocre swag, this was a tasty sample of the world's creme-de-la-creme of children's apparel, toys and household products. We were rapt to have been selected for participation and the show was a great success for us in terms of strong interest from both press and buyers (and yes, even orders). We were especially stoked by interest shown from the president of FAO Schwartz.

So who was there, and who rocked the show? In line with our objective at Poloppo to develop the website into a creative resource for parents and kids alike, here are some of our most favorite companies from the show. With toys, decor and clothes like these, your wee ones will be well on their way towards learning that creative fun happens well outside the box ...

Hip From Holland. These Dutch lasses located in Boston are cleverly importing into the US some of the hippest kids' products from The Netherlands including eco-friendly and quick-to-assemble cardboard playhouses and interlocking toys. www.hipfromholland.com

Our Children's Gorilla. "Children's imagination is our inspiration" say the Swedish team from this quirky and fun company creating children's paraphenalia. Never thought your kid needed monkey-shaped coat hangers or a ceramic alien piggy bank? Think again. The New York fire station and brownstone doll's houses made from recycled cardboard are especially cool. www.ourchildrensgorilla.com

Lea's Alphabet. This charming chap from France seems to have spent much of his early fatherhood roaming the cities of Paris and New York photographing colorful signage letters (I'm sure he had his first-born daughter napping in the stroller or back-pack at the time). He then takes the letter images and places them next to pics of objects with the same first letter (you know, L for lollipop, A for Apple). www.gregoireganter.com

Romp. You can be sure to bring your kids' rooms to life with these vintage wallpaper shapes hand-cut into silhouettes of safari animals, birds and trees. Originally out of Brooklyn, you can find them at www.rompstore.com

i golfini della nonna. LA-based mom-and-daughter team draw on their Italian design roots with these darling soft toys which they have knitted up in Bolivia. www.golfini.com

Deglingos.These crazy little French critters deserve their own country! So soft and tactile too. www.deglingos.com

Wall Candy Arts.What a fun way to decorate your kids' rooms! www.wallcandyarts.com

Scout. Comfy, colorful and organic with cute artwork (some inspired by different world cultures) ... these ladies are Bay Area neighbors, based in Oakland! www.scoutbaby.com

Like A Bike. This bike looks like so much fun, you'll wish you were four years old all over again. www.likeabikeusa.com

PS Big kudos to Florence and Vanessa for putting together such a beautiful show. Nous aimons Bubble!

PPS Robert is our all-round star industrial and graphic designer, housefrau (no printer is beyond his fixing), and sales magician (resist him if you can!).

Bye Bye Opa

My father-in-law died two weeks ago after a valiant struggle with leukemia. Our daughter Annabelle knew her grandfather as "Opa" and we saw him in Michigan several days before he passed away, knowing it may be the last time we would see him.

To be honest, his frailty and oxygen prongs freaked her out a little but it was nevertheless one of those precious moments you can be forever thankful for. He was so rapt to see us, and especially her. As a good friend said to me, "Can you imagine how nice it would be if you're that age and dying, to hold a little girl in your arms?"

It's an interesting experience to be introducing the concept of death and dying to a child at such a young age. The first time Annabelle really grokked the concept of death was around six months ago, when she was three-and-a-half. I can't recall exactly what triggered the conversation; it may well have been Opa, but what was so poignant was her deep despair and disappointment at discovering that none of us would live forever. I decided there was no point in trying to disguise this fact and that by confronting it head on she would overcome the initial trauma of that knowledge and move forward more confidently. (By the way, don't try this technique at home unless you're prepared for a lot of tears and are able to let your child cry in your arms without trying to quell the emotion - you might want to read psychologist Aletha Solter's books on children and crying for more tips on this method).

In any case, it really seemed to work. Annabelle was able to take the death of her grandfather pretty much in her stride. The day he died she seemed unusually angry for a couple of hours. Once my husband and I managed to talk about it with her she broke down crying and said to her dad, "But he will always be in your heart." (Never mind that this was a line she borrowed from the movie Brother Bear 2 - it certainly worked for us!). She was also a great comfort at the funeral and during the closing of the casket, when her grandmother was peaking with grief, Annabelle impulsively ran up to her and hugged her.

Now that the rawness of his passing has gone, Opa lives on in our hearts, and for Annabelle through a fascination with Jesus (he was a deeply spiritual and religious man). When they put the coffin into the hearse after the funeral Annabelle asked me, "Are they going to put him on the cross now?". Yesterday she was jumping off a stool onto some cushions and flying through the air with her arms outspread. We'd capture photographs of her doing this and at one point she said; "I look like Jesus!" and a minute later, "Does that make you think about Opa daddy?"

That kind of innocence and directness is precious beyond belief.