As real-life mother to daughter Rain, who turns 22 months today (happy birthday, Rain!), Marisol knows very well what it’s like to be willing to risk everything for those you love. “I never knew you could love another person as much as I love this little girl,” she explains. “It’s like having your heart outside of your body, walking around and saying ‘mommy.’”

Mamaista asked the devoted mom what her favorite baby products are and here’s her Top 10 list.

1. Fave baby ride: I loved the Micralite stroller. The ease of the seat positions is fantastic. The ease with which it folds up. The reclining of the seat that’s in there. Brilliant. And it was so comfortable for Rain. She loved it – she took all her naps in it. The only reason I’m not using it now is that she outgrew it. The one I’m using now is a Bertini stroller. The basket in the bottom is huge; it has cup-holders and a place for your keys. Rain takes her nap in it every day. It’s easy to turn, which is great because some strollers don’t turn well. I use it for traveling. It’s a truly fantastic stroller.

2. Fave crib: Her crib is from the Green Cradle. It’s wooden, non-toxic and safe for her. I love the classic look of it too; it’s traditional, classic baby – and I like that.  It’s a baby crib for the ages. It looks like something you could have used 100 years ago.

3. Fave sippy cup: Elmo Sippy Cup by Learning Curve from Toys R Us. It has Elmo all over it – that’s why Rain will drink out of it. I’ve found that some other cups were too hard and she didn’t like sipping out of them. And then some would leak. But this one is fun and cute.

4. Fave high chair:Fisher-Price Zen Collection High Chair. It’s sturdy. We’ve had it since she was little and she’s so big now – and it’s adjusted with her as she’s grown. I love it. It’s fantastic – and comfortable for her.

5. Fave nursery décor item: I love my nursery – it’s hard to decide on a favorite. There’s a mural on the wall of a tree with fairies on it, which adds a magical quality to the whole room. Otherwise, it would just be a room that’s decorated for a baby. When I was pregnant, I was reading Pixie Hollow and that’s what inspired me. I like the idea that fairies are watching over Rain while she sleeps.

6. Fave baby clothing designer: Misha Lulu. Their clothing is so original and creative and just really special. It’s completely non-traditional and has this “I sewed it myself” quality that I love! I literally bought everything I could find in Rain’s size when she was a year old.

7. Fave baby bath: I don’t use a baby bath, but I have this amazing tub bumper, the Tub-Time Bumpers. It’s been phenomenal – it sticks to the entire tub so her head is protected. And she learned her ABCs from it!.

8.  Fave car seat: I’d have to say Graco, because it’s comfortable and she can see out the window. She really likes to see outside. It makes car rides a lot more pleasant.

9.  The one essential baby item you couldn’t live without:
When she was a little baby, it was the Fisher-Price My Little Lamb™ Cradle ’n Swing. She slept in it. It was the greatest thing ever.

Now, Bobux shoes because she walks so well in them. She’s a runner, and in sandals, she scrapes her toes. The Bobux shoes fit like a sock but protect her feet. I also like See Kai Run. They have the cutest baby shoes. And Rain really likes those as well. It’s like “are you kidding?” They’re so adorable, I want to have them bronzed.

10. The one baby luxury item you wouldn’t want to live without: My Rebecca Minkoff baby bag. It’s lined and waterproof inside. It’s got tons of compartments in there so I can categorize all the things I need to bring with me: one for food, one for diaper creams, one for my keys and cell phone. It looks like a purse – you would never know it’s a diaper bag. It’s not too much and not too little; it’s the perfect size. It’s the best.

>Check out Marisol Nichols on ABC’s The Gates, Sundays at 10pm EST.

Photo: Jeff Nicholson – www.theshotphotography.com

Which leaves you with a dilemma commonly known as “writing thank-you notes.”

Groan is right, but how else to properly thank all the good people who spent hours trolling the aisles of Toys “R” Us to find the perfect gift for his royal highness?

Thanks for Everything is how. The wordsmiths at Thanks for Everything need only a few bits of information to express your gratitude in the warmest, most thoughtful way possible. You may even get thank-you notes for your thank-you notes, that’s how good they’ll be.

Best of all, the cards are written in ultra-realistic, handwriting fonts…so no one need be the wiser.

Available at thanksforeverything.net.

>>BABBLE ALERT: Want something else to be thankful for? How about Mamaista’s Fluf Lunch Bag giveaway on Babble? Comment and you could win one of the three new designs!

Almost makes you wish they’d hurry up and hit puberty already…

Then again, why wait for your kids to grow into good taste when you could present it to them on a silver platter with Tin Parade? Started by an art director and an event designer, Tin Parade’s classically-themed party packages are the ideal alternative to the cookie cutter decor you’ll find at the corner CVS. With a Tin Parade party kit, you’ll have everything you need to throw the kind of beautiful, vintage-inspired birthday your little noodle will still remember 30 years hence.

Because your baby should be the star of the party, not Dora the Explorer.

Available at tinparade.com.

“Madonna? Michael Jackson? Bah! You won’t even remember their names when you’re my age. The Beatles. The Stones. Now, those guys know music!”

Why not avoid any such silly disputes by finding common ground? Billed as” Music for Hip Moms and Dads,” the Imagine That! compilation comes just in time for road trip season. Created by Brian Gossett, the free mix features indie songs carefully selected for their appeal to both parents and kids.

As for your dad, you hate to say I told you so, but to this day, you need only hear the first few bars of “Two of Hearts” to know it’s Stacey Q – which pretty much renders his point about the King and Queen of Pop moot.

Available at since78.briangossett.com.

Oh, the things we do to feel young again. Too bad it’s easier to keep up with Kim and Khloe than to stay on top of what the pig-tailed posse is wearing. No sooner do you get wind of it than, poof, they move on.

But thanks to Mama + Me necklaces, you can get in on the biggest cross-generational trend since Twilight right here and now. Made in Italy, the adorable Mama + Me necklaces come two per set and feature adjustable cords and painted wooden beads from a renewable forest.

So you get to feel like a kid while she gets to play grown up – and the word “copycat” need never enter the picture.

Available at shak-shuka.com. Get 10 percent off anything in the store – including sale items!! – when you enter code “MAMA” at checkout through Monday, July 5.

>>Babble Double Take: See more pics and Mamaista’s flipside view of this gorgeous necklace made for two!

No, no…you’re a mom now. And that means only one thing: If you’re going to resurrect the cut-offs, you’ll be pairing them with something tasteful, something you can actually breathe in, like a tunic, or better yet a kurta from Rikshaw Designs.

That’s right. The brand famous for their decadently soft, ultra-chic crib bedding, pillows and clothes for the bohemian baby has now created something for the Boho mom. Made from the same featherweight cotton voile that’s made Rickshaw Designs so famous in the first place, the Indian hand block printed kurtas will give you all that California Gurl style with none of the overexposure.

Available at rikshawdesign.com.

>>BABBLE DOUBLE TAKE! Check out Mamaista’s review and more photos from Rikshaw at Babble.com!

The past few months have seen Alex come out of her shell and tell it like it is. Thanks to her candid comments, Alex and her husband Simon van Kempen have become the show’s couple to watch. And with their new book, Little Kids, Big City, they’re now also the couple to read.

Infused with the same humor and straight-shooting style that’s catapulted this Real Housewife to center stage, Little Kids, Big City is an honest, no-holds-barred look at the journey of parenting sons Francois, 6, and Jonah, 4. “The most surprising thing was that I didn’t feel more grownup or more capable or like a different person,” Alex says. “I’m still the same person I was at 17 and 25 and 30, just now with kids. That was both incredibly liberating and surprising.”

Here are some more revelations from the couple:

Fave baby ride: Bugaboo Frog. We bought one in 2003 and still have it – we replaced all the parts eventually, but never bought another one!

Fave gift at Bethenny’s baby shower: We got her a beautiful little dress and booties by Petit Confection, as well as a basket of practical stuff like wipes, bottles and soap.

Fave kids’ room decor item: With two rough and tumble boys, we swear by the multicolored foam floor tiles that are easily replaced when stained and pad the floor when boys bounce off them!

Fave tips for renovating: Always have a green zone where the kids can play, and keep their favorite items within easy reach. Remind them that when the work is over, they can fall in love with stuff that was packed away all over again.

Fave place to visit in Brooklyn/NYC: On a weekend afternoon, it’s always fun to walk from our house over to the Promenade and then getting ice cream at the Fulton Ferry Landing. We can’t wait for the new Brooklyn Bridge Park to open!

Fave kids clothing line: Small Paul by Paul Frank, Petit Bateau (especially for coats) and Pura Vida. H&M for jeans; no sense buying expensive jeans when boys tear holes in them at the speed of light!??

Favorite toys: Well, we just asked Johan what his favorite toy was, and he said “Your iPhone.” François is partial to his night-vision goggles and toy AMP robot suit from the movie Avatar.

The one item you couldn’t live without: As a mom who works from home, I couldn’t survive without my laptop and cellphone.

The one item you wouldn’t want to live without: My espresso machine!! Mom got me a Breville last year and I use it daily.

Available at amazon.com. For book tour dates and locations, go to www.mccordvankempen.com.

>>BABBLE ALERT: Need a seriously last minute gift for Father’s Day? Check out Mamaista’s Daddy & Son style roundup!

In 2008, Sorenstam decided to hang up her golf bag to pursue other interests, both personal and professional. Within months, she married her fiancé Mike McGee, announcing shortly thereafter that she was expecting her first baby. Ava Madelyn McGee was born on September 1, 2009.

With a new baby and her ANNIKA golf training Academy, her ANNIKA Foundation philanthropy, an ANNIKA fragrance and a line of golf clothes for Cutter and Buck, Sorenstam has her hands full. Mamaista was able to get a few minutes with the supermom to figure out how she does it:

What’s the best thing about being a mom?
I love spending time with Ava. It’s fun to take care of her, the loving and the nurturing part is wonderful. I love teaching her new things and love experiencing the joy she shows. It is special hanging out as a family.  She brings out another side of me.

What’s been the most shocking/surprising thing about being a mom?
It’s hard work. Constant attention and a big responsibility. I think Mike and I “ham and egg” it very well as a team.

Do you have a nickname for your child?
“Lila a”…it means “Little A” in Swedish.

What is your most embarrassing mom moment?
When I can’t read her dislikes or what she is trying to tell us. I am used to figuring out a problem and dealing with it. It is tough sometimes since there is limited verbal communication and feedback.

How do you balance career and life as a mom?
It takes careful planning, but you also have to be flexible at the same time. Things do not always go as planned or scheduled. Mike and I both split time between home and the office or the Academy, so we have to plan our schedules accordingly.

What do you do for “me” time?
Not much at the moment. Between our businesses and then normal house work, there isn’t a lot of time. I like to try and get to the gym or visit with friends if I can find the time.  Usually Mike and I take turns trying to have a little time to ourselves.

What are your favorite clothing brands for kids?
Clothes that are easy wear, soft, and made out of a stretch material. We like Polarn O. Pyret, a Swedish kids clothing company along with a couple other brands.

What are you favorite places to travel as a family?
Most of our travel is business related, but we are lucky to go to some amazing places. We love to go out west to Lake Tahoe. We usually spend a couple months there in the winter skiing and then the entire month of July in the summer.  We enjoy being members of The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club. We go to the clubs in San Francisco, Tahoe, and Jupiter whenever we can. It’s nice to hang out with friends and family as much as possible.

>>SWEEPS ALERT: It’s not too late to win a $500 summer wardrobe from Polarn O. Pyret. Enter Mamaista’s From Sweden with Love sweeps now!

If only they’d had the Mommy Measure! The Mommy Measure is a band that goes around your growing bump allowing you to keep track not only of your ever expanding waistline, but of the baby’s size, their first kick, your morning sickness and cravings, the day you found out “he” was a “she,” anything at all.

Thanks to the Mommy Measure, you can make sure that when your baby grows up, she has access to as much intel as you’re comfortable divulging – even if you’ve long since burned your journals and deleted all those “amorous” texts DH sent you when you were just, um, figuring things out.

Available at mamaista store.

Poor thing. Suffice to say, she’s never volunteered to lead the charge again. All those late payments and reluctant friends? Not even Balenciaga is worth that much hassle!

Fortunately, with DepositaGift.com, you can head up your own collection efforts by creating a highly personalized registry. Unlike department store registries that limit you to their stock, DepositaGift.com lets you register for anything you want. From babysitting services to sessions with the family photographer of your choice to a romantic dinner for two…the sky’s the limit!

And since you’re not bound by the choices on your list, you can always change your mind if you realize that you really do need that mamaRoo way more than a post-partum facial.

Available at depositagift.com.