What should we name our baby?

Seriously. Our second baby is due in less than a month, and we're stuck. Will you weigh in?Read More >

Summer's here!

After a never-ending winter, New York has finally enjoyed a stretch of balmy weather. Aren't you excited for summer? We went to Washington Square Park the other day and waded in the fountain. The water was sparkling clean (officially) and Toby was in heaven splashing around.
And to top it off, we saw a rainbow:)

Hope you're having a good day. Stay dry in all this rain!

P.S. The full Cup of Jo Guide to NYC.

What's your go-to comfort food? (And a crazy story)

The CRAZIEST thing happened at home yesterday...
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Toby's 3rd birthday party (or, the Lazy Parent's Guide to an Awesome Party)

Toby's third birthday is next weekend, but since my mom is in town this weekend, we decided to have his party early. It was such a wonderful afternoon! Here are a few photos, if you'd like to see...Read More >

Vacation photos: San Francisco

We just got back from our week-long family vacation to San Francisco. We wanted to take Toby on his own babymoon trip, so he could enjoy tons of center-of-attention time before the new baby turns his world upside down. San Francisco is truly amazing, and we had the best time. Here are a few photos, if you'd like to see...Read More >

Babymoon trip for the older child

This Friday, Alex, Toby and I are taking a much-anticipated trip to San Francisco! We'll be visiting my sister for a week, and we're thinking of it as a babymoon trip for Toby. Since his world will be turned upside down when the baby arrives this summer, we decided to front-load all our vacations this year and take one last trip as a family of three, during which we'll dote on him, have tons of mommy-daddy-Toby time, and do everything he loves most: planes, trains, playgrounds, a million tacos for lunch:)

I'd love to ask: Do you have any family-friendly advice for San Francisco? Any yummy restaurants, ice-cream shops, playgrounds, museums, toy stores, or overall kid-friendly activities? We want to make it really special for Toby and would be grateful for any insider tips. Thank you so much!
P.S. Toby's first trip to San Francisco, and grown-up San Francisco advice.

(Illustration by Kevin Dart; photo by Alan Levine)

Seven month belly shot

Alex snapped a few belly shots last night. I'm 31 weeks, which means I'm about 7 months along. The baby has started to lurch around in my belly, I'm starting to feel enormous, and we've been washing teeny onesies in preparation. We're getting close! One surprising thing is that the baby feels so heavy, which is apparently normal for second pregnancies. But if I walk more than three blocks, I have to lug my belly up with both hands. My friend jokes that it's like carrying a bag of groceries, which sadly rings true:)

Have you seen the tumblr The Pregnant Husband? Made me laugh out loud a million times.

Hope you had a great weekend. xoxo

P.S. Great book for mothers-to-be, and a pregnancy survival guide.

Sleeping tricks

Last night, I had a hard time sleeping. I kept waking up in the middle of the night obsessing about random things (my specialty). Even my pregnancy pillow didn't help.

My dad, who is a champion sleeper, once taught me a great trick: Pretend that you’re going to fall through the bed. It makes you realize how tensed up your body is and helps you relax. Counting sheep is also helpful, although weirdly I never know where the sheep are supposed to go once they've jumped over the fence. I sometimes make them circle back, so it's just one or two exhausted sheep running around the whole time. Apartment Therapy also found the most relaxing song ever, which actually slows down your heartbeat.

Are you a good sleeper? Any tips?

P.S. Encouragement.

(Photo of Sally Field)

Toby and the violin

Recently Toby became randomly obsessed with violins. Alex and I were trying to figure out where this new fascination came from. A street musician? A Dora the Explorer episode? Thin air? However it started, Toby's love of the violin is a real thing. He draws pictures of violins. He pretends that his books are violins and holds them up to his neck. Every evening, instead of watching a kids TV show, he asks for bluegrass videos on YouTube. (Annie is his favorite.)

Last week, Alex suggested we find him a miniature used violin on eBay. At first I thought it sounded crazy and extravagant (he's only two!), but Alex really thought it was worth it. So we ordered this teeny violin (it's 1/8th size), and Toby was psychotically excited about the impending arrival ("The brown package here yet, Mama?" "You think today the violin comes, Mama?" "We open it with scissors, Mama?") until it arrived this past Friday. Honestly, I have been amazed by how much Toby has played with it, and he even insists on carrying it with him in the stroller and gently cuddling it while we read bedtime stories.

Anyway, it has been such a fascinating turn-of-events. Maybe when he's a bit older, if he's still interested, we could sign him up for some lessons.
The giddy moment we realized that the case could double as a backpack!

Do your kiddos play any instruments? (Do you?) I wish I did!

P.S. The magic of Central Park and a lullaby that actually works.

Weekly Challenge #5

How much do you know about your parents? Obviously, you know the basics, but how often do you really ask them about themselves? Here's the fifth challenge...Read More >

Weekend getaway

We did something kind of funny last weekend...
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My two boys?

Yesterday Toby took his girlfriend for a ride on his motorcycle (aka a lion statue at the playground). These two kill me, they really are in love!
And I had another sonogram at the hospital this week. How sweet is that profile?! I can usually keep it together, but when I saw this little face, I started crying at the doctor's office. I cannot wait to hold this little one in my arms. So the big question remains: Does this look like a boy or a girl? :) (I'm strongly thinking boy.)

P.S. This baby's first sonogram, and Toby's funny-looking sonogram.

Motherhood Mondays: How I changed my mind about baby showers

When I was pregnant with Toby, I initially didn't want to have a baby shower...
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Toby making conversation

Before I had a baby, I loved reading posts by mothers about the cute things their children would say. I daydreamed about the day when I'd hear cute things coming from my own child's mouth. Well, now that Toby is almost three (!), he's been talking up a storm and I love it so much. For example...

* He likes to start up conversations, but doesn’t always get it quite right. He'll say, “Mama?” I'll answer, “Yeah?” “Um.....remember Daddy?” "Yeah, totally! That guy from this morning? He was awesome."

* The other day, I walked into the living room and asked what he was doing. He answered, "Just chillin'." Another day, he answered, "Doing my thing." Oh. Okay.

* When I sing songs and put him to bed, I'll say, "Good night, sweetie," right before I walk about the door. And recently, he'll whisper, “Thank you so much." The sweetness breaks my heart.

* When he had his first bad dream and woke up crying, I asked him what he was scared of, he said ominously, "The restaurant." He wouldn't elaborate.

* The other night, I was putting Toby to bed, and we were lying in the dark talking about the new baby. Toby told me that the baby could sleep in his room and that he would help feed it. And I said, “What would you feed the new baby? Milk maybe?” And he paused, thought about it seriously, and said, “Pain au chocolat maybe?”

Oh, Toby, you're so awesome. P.S. Mamas, this might be a dumb question, but how can you love another baby as much as your first child?! My heart is already filled to the brim.

Staring at the pretzel truck

Oh, Toby! It's hard living in a world where you can't constantly consume giant pretzels and German beer.

Babymoon weekend: St. Lucia

This past weekend, we took a three-day babymoon getaway to St. Lucia, which was a ridiculously beautiful and amazing place! Here are a few photos, if you'd like to see...
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American parents around the world?

I’m working on a little project about parenting around the world. We’re specifically looking for American or Canadian parents who are living abroad with their children. Do you know anyone who fits that description? If so, I’d be really thrilled to chat with them. Please email americanparentsabroad (at) gmail (dot) com. Thank you so much! xoxo
(Top photos of our parents with us in France; bottom photo of a boy in Madrid by The Sartorialist)

Babymoon trip this weekend!

Have you ever been to St. Lucia? Alex and I are heading there this weekend for our babymoon trip! Eeeeeks!!! We're crazy excited and cannot wait to spend a couple days relaxing and doing nothing. The trip will be so romantic and a real shot-in-the-arm after this long winter. I'll be rocking my suddenly enormous six-month belly.

While planning our trip, we almost booked a room at La Haut B&B, which looks lovely, but since we're only going for three nights—and this will be our last romantic getaway for ages—we decided to splurge and stay right on the beach, at Sugar Beach. Our friends stayed there a couple years ago and recommended it highly. (And the photos speak for themselves. Holy smokes!)

Meanwhile, Toby and my mom will be having a fun staycation in NYC. It's always hard to leave Toby, but now that we've taken a couple grown-up trips, I've realized that the worst part by far is the cab ride to the airport. I'm always on the verge of tears, asking Alex, how can we leave our baby??!!! Alex has to talk me off the ledge for the entire drive, but by the time we've checked in and are sitting on the plane with a magazine, the worry has lessened and the excitement of the trip has kicked in. I’ve been continually surprised by how refreshing and revitalizing adult trips are. It's REALLY nice to connect with your partner without a toddler tugging on your arm and asking for more strawberries.

Also, sleeping in.

While we're away, whenever Toby asks for us, my mom always tells him that Mommy and Daddy are on an airplane and are going to bring home a lollipop, and then they launch into deep and lengthy conversations about which color lollipop we might bring. We're so grateful to my mom for helping us take these little getaways now and again.

Have you taken a trip without your child? Where did you go? And have you ever been to St. Lucia?! Any insider tips? I cannot wait:)

(Photos by Sugar Beach and Ashley)

Motherhood Monday: Bringing your child's favorite book to life

Every night, Alex and I read Toby bedtime stories. His absolute favorite is One Sunday Morning, which tells the story of a boy named Minho, who spends the day at Central Park with his dad. Whenever we read the book, Toby's eyes light up. We realized that he was imagining that he was the little boy in the book. Seeing how excited Toby was, Alex decided to actually make the day come true. Here are Alex's photos...Read More >

What are three things you're grateful for?

So, I have a confession: Pregnancy hormones make me crazy. During the day, I feel pretty happy-go-lucky, but as Alex and I lie down at night, my mind starts spinning. Every night, I'm plagued by a new random worry: Is Toby a happy child? Does he feel loved? Does he eat enough fish? Do I eat enough fish? Did I lock my bike? Will the new baby be okay? Is the living-room power strip a fire hazard?! No, seriously, Alex, will you go check the power strip?!!

You name it, I've stressed out about it. :)

In the brilliant Happy documentary, researchers revealed that one way to help increase happiness is to keep a gratitude journal. Even the small act of writing down three things per week can substantially boost your happiness. So, let's do it! What are three things you're grateful for today? I would say: Trader Joe's chocolate covered almonds, early spring days, and chatting with my mom on the phone. Also, the etiquette section of the New York Times. Double dates. Whispering in bed before falling asleep. Swimming at night. Toddlers' beautiful round bellies.

What about you?
(This is what I look like at night.)

P.S. Words of encouragement, and a genius trick for worriers.

(Top photo by First Sight Daily and winter blues illustration by Gemma Correll, for sale here)