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
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!
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.)
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.
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.
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
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.
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. :)
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.
Not to overdo it on family photos, but I adore these shots of my two men. Toby just stares at Alex. He is totally fascinated by him! It is the cutest thing ever. (In the last shot, Toby had just made some ominous noises, if you know what I mean:)
Hi there! I'm back to posting regularly now and excited to share lots of fun things. Thank you to the fabulous guest posters, and hope you all had a wonderful month! xoxo
A few readers asked for more family photos, so here's one of Toby and me after feeding. He always looks like Wallace Shawn when he's getting burped, which we find adorable and hilarious.
Afternoons with Toby are the best. We sing and read, and one of us loves to stare for ages at a red shopping bag. I am totally in love with his mouth, which goes back and forth between a triangle and a circle. Although I want him to grow up, I also want him to stay exactly the same forever.
I mean, seriously. This might be my favorite photo yet. We try to give him tummy time, but sometimes he is just...too...sleepy....
My darlings! As you may have guessed from the radio silence, I went into labor on Monday night, and, on Tuesday at lunchtime, we welcomed Tobias Paul Goddard-Williams into the world! He weighed 5 pounds 15 ounces and has blue eyes and brown hair. He is tiny and wrinkly and just the sweetest thing in the world. We are beside ourselves and completely in love.
This weekend, Alex and I took a few belly shots at a picnic with friends. At 8.5 months, I'm feeling ready to POP! We're so excited, and Alex has been my hero during this whole pregnancy--cooking pastas and burgers for dinner, massaging my lower back every night, telling me I look beautiful on those days when I'm swollen and bloated and highly doubting it, practicing guitar so he can teach the baby, and being incredibly understanding every step (and bump) of the way. Most baby books bizarrely treat dads like they're babies themselves (giving them only the most basic tips and comparing everything to baseball, groan), but Alex has been such an insightful, gentle, funny, loving partner. A huge, huge thank you, Alexei, and a hat tip to all you dads and dads-to-be out there! xoxo
Last night, my brother and I went for a bike ride, and I roped him into taking a few belly shots. I'm just over 33 weeks (about 7 1/2 months), and I'm so excited to see our baby boy's teeny face in less than two months! I'm so curious about what he'll look like (and if he'll still resemble a Dr. Seuss character). I have to admit, though, I'm getting a little nervous about the actual birth. I alternate between being super calm and being slightly panicky. It makes me feel better that so many mothers have done it before. When I walk around New York, I catch myself staring at strangers and thinking, "You were born, and you were born, and you were born."
Since those Jenga photos a couple days ago mysteriously hid my giant belly, here's a shot that I took that same night to send to my mom. (I wasn't going to post it because I have a weird expression and the lighting is all yellow, but oh well, here you are!) I snapped it in our living-room mirror while Alex was cooking dinner.
