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.

How to massage a baby

At three and a half months old, Toby is already a little bon vivant and loves full-body massages. Here's how we do it...

Depending on how luxurious we're feeling, we use pure vegetable oil (which our doctor suggested, funnily enough) or nothing at all. I start by softly rubbing his forehead in circles and tracing his eyebrows...

Then I rub his chubby belly and down his arms...

Next I give him a double foot massage (his fave!)...

And pull up his legs for a satisfying stretch.

Next I flip him around onto his belly and rub his back...

And finish with some light karate chops! It's become a sweet bedtime tradition, even though he is the wriggliest massaged person I've ever met. Do you guys have any other moves you'd recommend? xoxo

P.S. In other baby news: I'll be posting our birth story this coming Monday, September 20th. Thanks for all your sweet notes about it; I'm excited to (finally) share.

(Photos by Brookelyn Photography. Thank you so much, Brooke!)

Dad's birthday weekend

My sweets, I'd love to share a few photos of my dad's birthday weekend, if you'd like to see...

We rented a big house on a frozen lake in the Poconos. My aunt, uncle, cousin, sister, brother, brother's girlfriend, and, of course, dad all piled in, and we built fires, played games and made lasagna. We also went for snowy walks (it was surprisingly wintery!).

We brought 60 candles for my dad's cake, plus another 34 candles for my sister's husband, Paul, whose birthday was the same day.

It was quite a feat.

The birthday boys.

The night of my dad's birthday dinner, I made everyone stand behind a chair to take portraits. A little cheesy, I know, but I love them. (Above is Alex, me, my twin sister Lucy, and our little brother Nick.)

Since we're usually squeezed into a tiny New York apartment, it felt awesome to hang out in a sprawling five-bedroom house. Even the sofa was enormous. Here, Alex and Toby chilled on Sunday morning.

(And one of them drooled a lot.)

Toby was visibly thrilled to be in a huge group all weekend. (One morning when I came downstairs after taking a quick shower, he was happily parked on the sofa between my dad and uncle, watching No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain, like a little couch potato. It was hilarious.)

It was such a great, cozy, relaxing weekend, and made me want to do these types of mini family getaways more often! xoxo Happy birthday, again, Paul and Dad! We adore you!

Motherhood Mondays: Ten tips for traveling with a baby

For today's Motherhood Monday post, I'd love to talk about traveling with a baby (and hear your tips). We just got back from a week in San Francisco, and we also took Toby to California last Christmas. During those long trips, we learned a few things (on the fly!) that helped us travel more smoothly and with fewer freak-outs. :) Here are 10 things that we discovered make traveling with a baby much easier...
Read More >

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

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 comfortable and confident as parents--I'm excited to take some time for myself and reestablish my style. Here are the pieces that are getting me started:

* Red lipstick. Red lips make you feel glamorous and feminine, even when you're driving trucks in the sandbox or changing a diaper.

* Striped shirts. Along with everyone else in the (blog) world, I adore French-style striped shirts, which make you feel like a modern-day Jean Seberg.

* Dark jeans. Around a baby, you run a 100% risk of getting covered in banana, yogurt, sand, spit-up, snot, pee, or something strange-smelling and unidentifiable. Dark denim is the way to go! Spills just magically absorb until you have time to do laundry. :)

* Big bags. Instead of an actual diaper bag, I like carrying big regular bags and throwing everything in. I love this leather bag from Banana Republic. Bonus: It has a magnetic clasp, so it's easy to open and close while juggling a baby.

* Ring slings. I tried a Sakura Bloom ring sling for the first time recently and fell in love. Not only are they super cozy (Toby sleeps so well in it!) and surprisingly easy to put on, but they look beautiful. Instead of wearing a strappy carrier or pushing around a stroller, you wrap yourself and your baby in silk. It's a fashion statement as much as a baby carrier. Also, don't you love how you can see the shape of their big diaper butts? Heartbreakingly sweet. :)

So, I'd love to ask: What are your go-to pieces? How would you describe your style? If you're a mother, how has your style changed since having a baby? Do you ever wear your baby in a sling or carrier? xoxo

P.S. This post is part of the Sakura Bloom Styleathon, hosted by my friend Leigh. Read more here, if you'd like. I'm honored to be a part of it!

(Striped shirt from Chance; layering tank c/o Lilla P; jeans from Emersonmade; sling c/o Sakura Bloom; sunglasses c/o Selima Optique; heels from Michael Kors; bag from Banana Republic)

The Saddest Easter Egg Hunt Ever

Poor Toby is going through a major separation anxiety phase right now (well, he kind of always is). So, on Easter Sunday, when Alex took Toby outside the church to start hunting for Easter eggs (while I stayed for the end of the service), Toby was not pleased. Alex snapped these sweet shots--oh, what a face! Those eyebrows kill me!!!

Luckily, Toby cheered up once I came out to join them. Funnily enough, he didn't really "get" the concept of the Easter egg hunt. Why would he put random eggs into a random basket? But then I told him to help me put the eggs "away," and he got really into it once he thought we were just cleaning up! :)

How was your weekend? xoxo