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Start your birthday party planning efforts off the right way with Elmo from Sesame Street. With Elmo birthday party supplies you don't have to work too hard to put it all together. Miss Noodle and goldfish Dorothy are ready to help any way they can...

Hang an Elmo Personalized Banner and let the red monster give a cheerful shout in words you choose yourself. This banner is 61" wide by 18" high, easily big enough for everyone to see. It provides a great decoration for the party room or outdoors on the patio. It's easy to hang, too. Just use the convenient metal grommets and rest assured it will stand up to wind, weather, or a storm of kids.

The Elmo Invitations featuring the red monster's happy face made sure all the guests got the word of when to arrive. Now everyone is ready to get started. Let them greet the Elmo Airwalker Jumbo Balloon as a half-dozen Elmo Mylar balloons hover overhead.

If the guests get overexcited you can get everyone to sit down if you place a Happy Birthday Coloring Book next to the Elmo Hooray! plate and Yippee! cup. You wn't have to worry about spills because you chose the Elmo tablecloth to liven up the party table.

As you serve birthday cake from the Elmo Cake Pan you can watch their eyes grow as big as Elmo's after it's served. Naturally, each guest should have an Elmo Party Hat. It just wouldn't be a birthday celebration without a hat. Get one for yourself, or just dress up like Elmo the Red Monster.

All done with cake and juice? Terrific! Time for the pinata. At 21" high it will hold a ton of goodies for all the guests. Just let the birthday boy or girl pull the string and watch them cascade down to squeals of delight. Pretty soon the kids will all be saying "Elmo has a question. Where more goodies?"

If you have any question about how to thank the parents and guests, your problem is solved. Just order a few Elmo Favor Boxes and say "Thanks For Coming" in the nicest way. There are plenty of crayons to use with the included coloring book. The Elmo stickers will keep the kids entertained, too. Watch out for that glitter ball, though. You never know where that is going to wind up...

You can provide the guests with a little keepsake by offering each an Elmo Finger Puppets. With one on each index finger they can make up their own Sesame Street episode that describes how great was the birthday party they just attended. There won't be any grouches after this extravaganza!

You can make your birthday party arrangements smooth as Kermit's skin. Just use Elmo supplies. Be sure to save some cookies from the Cookie Monster for yourself, though.

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It's only been in recent years that society has accepted the fact that a substantial number of new mothers become depressed in the weeks and months after the arrival of their babies. Growing evidence is mounting that new fathers also experience nearly the same type of postpartum depression as their partners. They, too, can feel a sense of stress and depression when transitioning into their new parental responsibilities.

Men are now embracing a newfound ability to rise above preconceived notions that they must be the "glue" that holds the family together. No longer do men feel that they must bottle their emotions and put on an appearance of strength. It is now socially acceptable for a man to let his true emotions be known, without fear of being thought of as feminine or "soft", including the feelings of depression they might experience in the weeks and months following the birth of their babies.

"Mommy- Muse" Christy Cuellar-Wentz recently interviewed men's mental health professional Dr. Will Courtney to unearth some valuable insight on this condition that often plagues new fathers. He said, "So often, parents expect this experience of "baby bliss" that everyone suggests parenting is going to be like. Then, suddenly, this screaming, helpless infant is in their laps and they don't know what to do to calm this baby or soothe it. Suddenly, things start feeling a lot more difficult than they ever expected." A rising social mindset is allowing new fathers to express their feelings more truthfully. This is finally shedding light on paternal postnatal depression, unrecognized until now.

For both new fathers and new mothers, parenthood is an undeniably life changing event. Making the transition from being a couple to a threesome in such a short period of time is a lot cope with. Most men report being satisfied with being a father, but also report that the transition period into being a father can be a daunting and frustrating period in their lives. Men's postpartum depression (clinically known as Paternal Post-Natal Depression), in its most severe state, can require that new fathers seek help from a qualified mental health professional who is well-versed in the condition and understand the pressures of becoming a father.

Sadness, loss of interest, and crying - symptoms that might accompany a new mom during postpartum depression are not atypical of the new father undergoing the same issues and dealing with postpartum depression. Men are notorious for masking their true feelings, so a man's outward signs may be a bit hard to detect. The best clues to a possible onset of the condition are signs that something has changed in a challenging way, or a feeling that something isn't quite "right" in his behavior.

Men may also try to avoid parenting altogether, according to Dr. Courtney. "I'm hearing a lot from new dads about the experience of not being able to tolerate being around the baby. They can't stand the baby's cries, the screaming; they say it makes them crazy. Or, they can't stand to smell the baby, or to even see it or hold it. Typically, men feel horribly guilty about feeling that way, and also very confused because this is not what they were told to expect with the birth of their child. All they really know to do is to try to get away from the thing that is kind of making them feel all of these things. They end up spending as much time as they can at the office."

Both new fathers and new mothers can take a proactive stance before the baby arrives (or after the birth) to combat postpartum depression, including: Accept the reality that post-partum depression is a clinically diagnosable condition - not a myth. If a man (or woman) has a history of other forms of depression, mental health counseling should be sought before the arrival of the new baby. Many couples have issues in regards to communication. Counseling specifically to address those communication problems before, during, or after the pregnancy can help to open up lines of communication and allow couples to support each other more easily. Because so much of the stress that families undergo is related to their financial situation, the implementation of a budget prior to the birth of their child is advisable to alleviate some of the issues that the couple has going forward into parenthood. Establishing a network of reliable support is imperative. Decide in advance who can be counted on to help out when the going gets tough.

New mothers and fathers must understand that postpartum depression is a completely natural condition that should be treated, not hidden. There is no shame in being depressed after the birth of a baby, especially considering that millions of parents experience some type of postpartum mood disorder each year. Seeking out treatment for the condition is an admission of being a parent who is willing to do whatever it takes to be the best parent and partner possible.

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