FUNNY PHOTOS OF BABY

BABY SLEEP



BABY with TUXEDO 


HAPPY BIRTH DAY MY BABY



BABY FUNNY


UPS...MY BABY CARTOON

Children's books?

My sweets, Toby and I love to read before bedtime. But we've read the same books over and over and are looking for a few more to spice up our repertoire. Do you have any favorite children's books? Was there a book you especially adored when you were little? We'd love to hear! xoxo

P.S. Two books that crack me up are Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late and Olivia Saves the Circus. Funny for both moms and babies. :)

Jazz Age Lawn Party

This weekend, Alex, Toby and I took the ferry over to the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governor's Island.
A jazz band played old-timey tunes, and there was a tug-of-war, pie contest and Charleston lessons.
People dressed up in fabulous 1920's ensembles--lots of pearls, suspenders and straw hats. (I, of course, wore a nursing shirt:)
Toby mingled with the dapper crowd.
And this girl wore the most fabulous swimsuit (which she had made herself). Yowza!

It was a wonderful day! See more photos here. xoxo

Toby the charmer

Sometimes I wonder if Toby really knows who I am. But yesterday I went to get him after his nap, and this sweet face was waiting for me. It made my heart sing. (You can imagine the smooches that ensued.)

Toby the stinker

I got Toby this new T-shirt at the cheese shop. He was dubious at first...
But found it hilarious once I explained it to him.

Eames high chair

Designer Tim Peet and his friends transformed an Eames chair into this awesome high chair, in an attempt to "break the status surrounding high design objects." Awesome.

Toby's new trick

Toby asked me to show you guys his new trick. It's called the Magnificent Head Raise. He has been working hard on it every day.

Toby's nursery

Now I'd love to share a few photos of Toby's nursery! When I was pregnant, I felt a little overwhelmed by the prospect of putting together a nursery, so I was incredibly grateful to collaborate with Jenny Komenda, the designer behind Little Green Notebook (and mother of three). After discussing a few ideas and inspiration images, we rolled up our sleeves and got started...
One of my top priorities was a black-out shade, since the room gets very bright during the day. So Jenny found a basic white shade and hand-painted clouds onto it. Isn't that amazing?! She also made the grey-and-white striped curtains herself.
We'd always loved Dwell's chocolate-dot crib sheets, and Jenny made a yellow crib skirt to complement them. The white crib is from Walmart (they have a surprisingly nice selection).
My brother and sister gave us this sailboat mobile last Christmas, in anticipation of Toby's arrival. They found it at The Ark in San Francisco, and then embroidered the blue boat with the numbers of our grandparents' Wayfarer, which we sailed during childhood summers in Cornwall, England. (Thank you again, Lucy and Nick!)
Although the room is small, we luckily were able to squeeze in a double bed, in which I've been sleeping since Toby was born. (As a new mom, I can't handle being a hallway away quite yet!) To spruce up the bed, Jenny made the blue-and-white striped fabric headboard. Bonus: It's really soft and comfy to lean against when I'm nursing Toby at 2a.m. (and 4a.m. and 6a.m....) (She also scouted the vintage bedside lamp and the cute yellow stool.)
We'd also hoped to create a frame wall for the nursery, so Toby could be surrounded by photos of his loved ones. Jenny not only scouted all the frames (some new, some vintage), but also figured out the arrangement for hanging (one of the hardest parts of putting together a gallery wall!)
Next to the bed, Jenny put a vintage dresser, which she had painted a soft grey. Three brass elephants live on top, along with our J. Schatz egg nightlight, which scatters stars around the room and makes Toby's bedtime feel magical.
Jenny found a vintage wooden dresser to store Toby's (hilariously teeny) clothes and diapers. It looked world weary at first, but she brightened it up by painting the dresser a bold red, the drawers a crisp white, and adding baby blue knobs. So cute! And the sweet baby deer photograph (by our friend animal photographer Sharon Montrose) keeps Toby company during his naps.A huge thanks to Jenny for creating a warm and happy space for our little man. It was an absolute pleasure working with you. Readers, I'd highly recommend Jenny for any decor consulting you might need! xoxo

(Photos by our friend Karen Mordechai, who does Sunday Suppers, wedding photography, and baby/family portraits)

Toby's first giggle!

Toby giggled for the very first time yesterday! He was taking a bath, and I miraculously happened to be filming a video for my mom at the exact moment. I've now watched the video about 358,435 times.

Want to see? :)

Birth story

My dears, I promise our birth story is coming soon. I have been writing a bit each day, but with a teeny baby, everything takes way longer than expected! Here's a photo from right after Toby was born, which still makes me feel little weepy.

Update: Here's the birth story. xo

Napping adventures

As her maternity-leave hobby, new mom Adele photographs her baby daughter Mila napping. Oh, the adventures she has!

(Thanks, Liz)

Hudson Valley trip

Last week, we took our first family vacation to the Hudson Valley, two hours north of New York City. I'd love to share a few photos, if you'd like to see. We rented a charming colonial cottage in the town of Red Hook...
Alex liked drinking beers in the wooden Adirondack chairs...
...and I loved the swing hanging from an enormous tree.
There was a gorgeous screened-in porch...
...which overlooked a meadow (with butterflies in the morning and fireflies at night).
Seven-week-old Toby approved of the comfy porch furniture. (He even gave us a few toothless grins, which were totally endearing.) And a delicious bonus: The owners of the house left us eggs from their own chickens and buttermilk pancake mix.
Mornings were pretty slow-paced with the baby, but each afternoon, we'd pack everything up and go exploring. One day, we toured the ridiculously fancy Vanderbilt Mansion. We even saw the servants' quarters--the women lived on the fifth floor, and the men in the basement, so as to prevent any hanky panky. Alex and I found it fascinating, but Toby was less impressed and slept the whole time.
We also took Toby on his first boat ride, which motored down the Hudson River past two lighthouses.We sat on the covered upper deck and enjoyed the breezes...
...and did double-takes when we saw this girl's tattoo. :)
In the evenings, we'd explore the charming little towns, and we became addicted to the fish tacos at Sante Fe in Tivoli. (We went three nights in a row.) The trip was wonderful, and, although it was chaotic sometimes with nursing, diapers, the car seat, and the staggering amount of baby gear that we had to bring along, it was really lovely to travel with the little man. I'm so glad we did it. Looking forward to going back. :)

A few tips, if you're heading up to the Hudson Valley...
Where to stay: The Hudson Valley is peppered with adorable small towns, such as Rhinebeck, Rhinecliff, Tivoli, Saugerties, Hudson, Hyde Park and Kingston. We rented one of the gorgeous homes in the area (you can find rentals on homeaway.com, airbnb.com, or vrbo.com), but we also LOVE the Villa at Saugerties (pictured above; we've stayed there in the past; it will re-open again as a bed & breakfast soon). Also, the Saugerties Lighthouse would be a fun and quirky place to stay, and the Beekman Arms in Rhinebeck looks pretty swanky.


What to do: Explore the towns and shops (our favorite was the design store Tivoli Mercantile); take a relaxing boat trip from Kingston; go on a sail from Tivoli or Saugerties; walk to the Saugerties lighthouse (it's really lovely); hike through the woods (this walk looks great); admire a 150-acre Chinese-inspired garden in Millbrook; pick your own fruits and vegetables in Red Hook; tour estates and mansions in Hyde Park, Rhinebeck and Hudson; see a drive-in movie in Hyde Park; go antiquing; and watch an airplane show and fly in an open-cockpit bi-plane in Rhinebeck (we did this once! It was awesome!).


Where to eat: The Hudson Valley boasts tons of amazing restaurants, but we especially loved the crispy fish tacos at Sante Fe in Tivoli, the fresh seasonal food at Miss Lucy's Kitchen in Saugerties, and the burgers and beers at New World in Saugerties. I'd love to try Le Petit Bistro in Rhinebeck, too, which critics swear is the best French restaurant in the Hudson Valley. If you're going on a picnic, Gigi's Market serves great prepared foods (quiche, veggie salads, brownies), and Bread Alone in Rhinebeck has delicious sandwiches. People also rave about the five student-run restaurants at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park; we've never been but I'd like to go sometime.

Have you ever been? I'd love to hear any other tips you might have! xoxo

Oh, behave!

My friend Sandra Juto makes knit plushes. She mailed one to Toby, and I laughed out loud when I opened the package yesterday. :)

Best friends

Before he was born, our good friends Hollister and Porter gave us this rad pig stuffed animal for Toby. Needless to say, he loves it. The other morning, he spent a full ten minutes gazing into its eyes. It was so, so cute to watch. :)

Bathtime

At six weeks old, Toby isn't sure how he feels about taking baths, but he loves his duck towel (and I love him in it). His other favorite things include foot massages, striped pillows and the British National Anthem.