Motherhood Mondays: Would you find out if you were having a boy or a girl, or keep it a surprise?

My darlings, if you were pregnant, would you want to find out if you were having a boy or a girl, or would you keep it a surprise?When I was pregnant with Toby, I was on pins and needles; I would never have had the willpower to wait to find out the baby's sex. I'm a huge gossip by nature (never tell me a secret!), and I wouldn't have been able to wait patiently for nine whole months for the

Vacation photos: Cornwall, England

My darlings, I'd love to share a few photos from our vacation in England, if you'd like to see...Our grandmother lives in a teeny tiny fishing village called Polruan. Our first evening there, we had a drinks party on her terrace. She invited her friends of all ages, and we ate smoked salmon and potato chips.Toby loves a good party...We toasted my cousin and her husband, who were celebrating their

Pea pasta

We're going to make this pea pasta from Smitten Kitchen tonight. I'm embarrassingly excited! Deb is a genius with her simple, delicious recipes.What are your favorite places to find good recipes? Cookbooks? Blogs?

My balance of work/baby/life

My lovelies, last week, seven amazing mothers shared how they juggle work/life, including the ups and downs. It's so wonderful to be honest and normalize what that all mothers are going through. Thank you again to those brave and lovely bloggers!Now I'd love to share my own juggle post. I have to admit, it feels strange to be sharing my own routine because I didn't have a decent schedule figured

Back from England

Hi, my darlings! We got back from England last night, after a wonderful, dreamy, windy, sunshiny week visiting our relatives in Cornwall. I keep gazing at this photo, which my cousin took while we were on a boat to the beach. I wish I could beam myself right back there. :) How was your week?P.S. My own work/baby juggle post is coming up today. Thanks to the amazing mothers last week, and love to

New series: Balancing work/life/motherhood

When Toby was a couple months old, and I started to work again, I was shocked to discover how hard it was to juggle everything....We found a beloved babysitter, but when she would leave in the afternoons and Toby would cuddle up in my arms, my mind would still be whirring with tasks left undone. Instead of nabbing a few hours in the evenings to finish up work, Alex and I spent all our extra hours

What are your dating deal breakers?

Speaking of dating, do you guys have any dating deal breakers? :) My friend recently went out with a guy who wouldn't stop biting her while they kissed, and she woke up with bruises the next day! Isn't that straight out of Sex & the City?Back in my mid twenties, when I was single and searching in Manhattan, I was riding the subway with a guy I was dating, and we were having a nice night, and all

Adventures in babywearing

At our friend's cabin upstate, Toby loved the friendly grown-ups and wanted to be in the middle of the action at all times. But Alex and I could only chase him around and keep him from falling off the dock for so long, so the sling turned out to be a perfect way to keep him happy and immersed. Here, we're fishing with friends--it was the first time for both Toby and me! (We caught nothing:)

Daydreaming

This weekend, we joined some friends at a lakefront cabin, an hour north of Manhattan. Every evening, after Toby fell asleep, Alex and I would sit on the dock, drinking white wine (my favorite) and chatting about nothing in particular. It was so beautiful and peaceful. I want to beam myself back there right now. xoHow was your Fourth? Hope you had a good one.

Riding bikes while wearing skirts

Did you hear this crazy story: In late May, a NYC cop allegedly pulled over a Dutch tourist, pictured below, and reprimanded her for riding a bike while wearing a skirt. He said she was distracting cars! At first, she thought he was kidding, but quickly realized he wasn't when he asked for her ID. How insane is that?! So, as a lighthearted protest, a bunch of girls (and a few guys) came together

Precious moments

Ever since Toby arrived, I've found myself feeling nostalgic for certain things even as they're happening. This morning, Toby was playing with water in the bathroom sink, and, as my heart swelled at the sweet sight, I simultaneously felt sad that one day soon he won't fit in there anymore. Ahh, a mama's heart is a strange and moody thing.

Motherhood Mondays: 8 confessions of a new dad

For today's second Motherhood Monday post, I'd love to talk about new fatherhood. On the three-hour drive home from the beach this weekend, Alex and I started talking about parenthood, and he revealed a few funny and surprising thoughts on our first year with a baby. Here were his eight revelations, in his own words...1. "I didn't bond with the baby right away."The experience of fatherhood is

Pilsner cravings

What happens when you don't let Toby try a sip of beer at the Brooklyn beer hall.

Motherhood Mondays: Has your style changed since having a baby?

My lovelies, for today's Motherhood Monday post, let's talk about style. I've always had a pretty low-key look (cardigans, flats), but after Toby arrived, my style became even more relaxed (read: worse!). I didn't have time to do much for my own look, and I sort of forgot about myself in that way. My focus was so much on sweet Toby. But now that Toby's a year old--and we feel much more

What did your dad teach you?

Happy Father's day to my grandfathers......to my father......and to everyone's dads out there! My sweet readers, I'd love to ask you, in honor of all dads: What's something your dad taught you? How to ride a bike? Be kind to strangers? Swear in foreign languages? xoP.S. What my dad taught me.

My boys

Wow! Alex is officially one of the coolest dads in NYC, according to Refinery29. Exciting. :) But he's really a History-Channel-watching, milkshake-drinking, cheesy-joke-cracking nerd at heart.

Toby's birthday party

For today's Motherhood Monday post, I'd love to share a few photos of Toby's first birthday party. The party was not only a special occasion for sweet Toby, but also for Alex and me, as first-time parents. It was a life-changing, whirlwind, chaotic, rollercoaster first year...and we survived!We decided to have a picnic in downtown Manhattan with the theme "New York City kid." Everyone arrived at

Le petit prince

We were at a baby birthday party last weekend, and Toby fell asleep still wearing his crown. This photo is so sweet to me, it breaks my heart. :)(Thanks, Ashley)

San Francisco vacation photos

My lovelies, I'm excited to share our San Francisco vacation photos, if you like to see. We had such a great time and are in love with the city!As I mentioned before, we were lucky enough to swap apartments with Victoria from SFGirlbyBay. Well, she also let us borrow her sky-blue convertible VW Bug! The only challenge: It was a stick shift, so San Francisco's steep hills definitely tested our

Happy Birthday, Toby!

Happy 1st Birthday, Toby! Today we can do all your favorite things, including walking up stairs, going to the playground, eating hummus and not taking a bath under any circumstances. We absolutely adore you.P.S. I can't believe this was a year ago today.