For Nicole Richie, Motherhood Has Been Easier Than She Once Thought

Although Ellen DeGeneresseems to think that Harlow Winter Kate-- who recently graced the coverof PEOPLE -- takes after her mom Nicole Richie, in an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneresshow last week, Nicole disagreed, admitting that most people think the tiny tot takes after her dad, Good Charlotte's Joel Madden. Giving Ellen the benefit of the doubt and sharing that Harlow, now 9 months, is constantly changing, a clearly elated Nicole is "having the best time of my life" with her new family. After hearing the warnings during her pregnancy to prepare for sleepless nights after the baby was born, for Nicole, the journey of motherhood -- so far -- has been "actually easier" than the 27-year-old had envisioned. "[Harlow] sleeps 12 hours and I'm sleeping," says Nicole, who lovingly refers to her daughter as the "sweetest little angel ever."

As for hitting some major milestones, baby Harlow -- who is "very delicate and very sweet" -- is on the move, learning to crawl and even taking some steps as long as she "holds things." While Ellen revealed her plans to cover her house in foam for any of her future children, Nicole shares that although she is a bit nervous, she tends to not let her feelings show around her daughter "because I don't want her to pick up on that energy." According to Nicole, with a baby on the loose, the couple have baby-proofed their home and jokes that after removing any dangerous objects, they have been left with nothing. "It's pretty much an empty box that we live in," laughs Nicole. In addition to becoming mobile, Harlow has also learned to say a few words, much to the delight of her parents...and Ellen! "She says mama and dada and that's pretty much it...she says Ellen sometimes," Nicole joked with the talk show host.

Giving an update on Nicole and Joel's new project for The Richie-Madden Foundation, the actress shares that with the donations of $5 through a text message, the plans are to "build a mobile clinic to go around and provide children in America with proper healthcare." Going on to say that "20 million children in America do not have access" to care that they need, Nicole revealed Joel's upcoming plans.

"Joel, actually, is leaving next week. I wish that I could go, but I'm still nursing. He's going to Africa and that's going to be a really amazing trip for him."

Source: The Ellen DeGeneres Show