ROYAL CITY — The day begins as any other; waking up to smiles from her 1-year-old daughter, Poppy Lil.

Seila Christensen doesn’t have to worry about being too noisy though, as she knows no sound she makes will disrupt the calm baby. At least not yet.

She begins to get Poppy ready for the day, which would not be complete without her tiny little hearing aids. To secure the aids in tight, Seila places a small headband, adorned with a pretty bow she herself made.

This has been the routine since she and her husband, Riley, received the news of their daughter’s hearing loss. And it was this routine that also inspired Seila’s business, Lil Royal Boutique, as well as her journey to discovery and recovery from her postpartum depression.

Named after their sweet Poppy Lil, the Lil Royal Boutique is an online shop, offering hair bows and clips, headbands, receiving blankets and little boy ties; each one handmade by Seila.

“I hadn’t intended to make a business out of it,” Seila explained. 

After having Poppy, Seila found herself looking for ways to stay happy and take her mind off of any negativity. That’s when Riley suggested she make a list of things she enjoys doing to help find something for her to focus on. Crafting was one of things she listed, and had been something she had always enjoyed doing.

She decided to make crafting a new habit; any time she had a negative thought, she would immediately sit down and start working on a new bow or headband for Poppy. It kept her hands busy and her mind focused on positive things. It was a gradual process, she explained, but it became her thing and helped her to feel better.

“It has definitely helped with my postpartum,” Seila said.

The little headbands helped Poppy too by keeping the hearing aids on tight and making it harder for her tiny hands to pull them out. She wears a headband every single day, only taking it off at night to sleep.

Seila recalls the day Poppy was born; she had failed her hearing tests at the hospital. The doctors assured them that can often happen, and asked that they bring her back for a follow-up examination.

The Christensen’s returned four days later. Poppy was then given multiple consecutive hearing tests, which she failed. Nothing bothered her, no noises startled her, and yet the doctors again told them not to worry too much. But the Christensen’s felt otherwise.

“We just had this gut feeling (that something was wrong),” Seila explained.

The Christensen’s decided to have yet another test done, and at only a month old, the doctor confirmed Poppy’s severe to profound hearing loss. Upon hearing the news, the doctor was surprised by how well they held their composure, Seila recalled.

“We were already prepared for that moment,” Seila said. “And we were already looking to figure out the next step.”

Since that day, the Christensen’s have taken all the necessary steps to make sure Poppy has all the tools she needs for the future, with help, love and support from their family.

Poppy is doing great, she explained. She has her hearing aids, which help her greatly, and a visiting teacher is helping the Christensen’s and their entire families learn sign language. Seila hopes to focus on self-expression with Poppy in the future as well.

“She’s going to be around lots of family and people,” Seila said. “I want her to be able to express herself and be able to communicate.”

As for the Lil Royal Boutique, Seila plans to continue with her business even after Poppy outgrows the headbands.

“I do really enjoy it,” she said. All of the items she sells is also named after children whom Seila knows personally, and have each gone through their own trials as well she explained. She tries to match each item’s color or fabric to the personality of the child she is naming it after.

The Lil Royal Boutique is available on Etsy, Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram.