Our fourth anniversary

Today is our fourth anniversary! Last night, Alex and I reminisced by looking through photos from when we were first dating...
This was the weekend he met my dad. How cute is he without a beard? (Although I'll never let him shave.)
Alex's old Brooklyn apartment had dark red walls in the living room, which I remember thinking was so cool and masculine when I went over there for the first time. We had a Friday night ritual of listening to music, watching movies and eating too much cheese.
Here we were at our friend's dinner party, looking out at the Manhattan skyline. How amazing was the view from their apartment?!
On our first trip together—to Berlin for ten days. I was so nervous that we'd run out of things to talk about! (We didn't.)
Visiting my grandmother in Cornwall...
...and on a walk with my family. (My grandparents' town is so small that if you send them a letter, you have to write "Polruan-by-Fowey" on the envelope so the mail carrier can figure out how to find it.)
Alex proposed on a sailboat in the Hudson River. The boat kept tilting from side to side, so I had to stick my hand into his backpack so he could put the ring on safely!
Saying our vows four years ago. Best decision I ever made.

Tonight we're sneaking away from the babies and going out to a neighborhood Italian restaurant, Gradisca, where the owner flies his mama in from Bologna to make pasta! And of course we'll meet there:)

Happy Anniversary, Alex! I love you.

Anton at eight weeks

Oh, that little face. Since I have to juggle Toby and other responsibilities, I haven't had as much quality one-on-one time with Anton as I had with Toby (aww, the fate of a second child). But yesterday, Anton and I walked over to the water by ourselves and just lay around on blankets together. It was such a sweet hour and just what we needed. I can't tell you how much I love this little man.
(He's really starting to develop a look!)

P.S. We're also trying to figure out how to encourage him to sleep for longer stretches at night. His longest stretch is about three hours. Any tips would be so appreciated! :)

Ergobaby's new swaddler

When we were brand new parents, one of the best tips we got (from nurses, friends and this brilliant book) was that babies love to be swaddled. Wrapping them up tightly makes them feel safe and helps them sleep longer. We swaddled Toby as a newborn, and now we swaddle Anton. And it works like a charm. He sleeps much, much better when swaddled, since his wriggly arms don't startle him as a newborn.

Since Ergobaby makes one of our favorite baby carriers, I was psyched to discover that they now have a swaddler. It's ergonomic for newborns, and keeps their legs loose and arms tight. It's easy to do (I always found the basic blankets tricky) and Anton has been so happy in it (and doesn't bust out in the middle of the night, hurray). And during the day, as soon as he gets fussy, I bundle him up like a burrito and he calms right down.

Ergobaby is giving away two swaddlers, if you're a new or expectant parent or have a friend with a little one. For a chance to win, please visit Ergobaby and leave a comment below. Two winners will be chosen at random tomorrow. Good luck! Thanks, Ergobaby! Update: The winners have been emailed. Thanks for playing.
P.S. What to register for your baby.

(Photos by Julia Robbs for Cup of Jo)

Snacks around town

Now that Anton is almost seven weeks old, I'm starting to get the hang of exploring the city with two little dudes. We've had some chaotic moments (yesterday Toby was stuck in a bucket swing because I was carrying Anton and didn't have free arms to get him out!), but overall things are getting smoother.
One thing that makes things easier is having a stash of yummy snacks. When Anton is hungry, I'll breastfeed in public and always immediately get hungry like the wolf. And my man Toby is always starving:)
This is his "may I please have a snack" face.
Our go-to snacks are from NatureBox. They're a snack subscription service, and they send you five bags of natural snacks every month. Our favorites include guacamole bites, blueberry almonds, banana chips, dried apples and whole-wheat raspberry figgy bars. Toby loves them all, and the snacks are so much healthier than other snacks we’ve eaten in the past. You can choose the exact snacks you want (they have more than 90 different kinds) or let them surprise you.
You can sign up for the regular NatureBox (5 bags for $19.95), the Family Snacker (10 bags for $29.95) or the Professional Snacker (20 bags for $49.95). As I've mentioned before, I initially wondered if the snacks seemed expensive, but they're actually comparable to buying from Whole Foods or gourmet groceries. It works out to between $2.50 and $4 per bag, which is amazing.

Bonus: Get 50% off your first box with the code CUPOFJO (so you'll enjoy five bags for $9.95), if you'd like to give NatureBox a taste; good for two weeks.
(This post is sponsored by NatureBox, whose mission and snacks I adore. Photos by Julia Robbs for Cup of Jo. My shirt and bag are from Madewell, my sandals are Everlane, and Anton's baby carrier is a BabyHawk Mei Tai)

Vacation photos: Woodstock, NY

Last week, we escaped to Woodstock, a charming town two hours north of New York City. And we realized that the secret to a great family vacation is...Read More >

Family photos

Now that we're a family of four, our friend Julia Robbs came over to take a few photos. She shot us at our apartment, just hanging out, as usual.
Amazing to think these two will be brothers and friends all their lives.
Alex and Toby have been spending so much time together these days, and I'm so grateful to watch their relationship grow even sweeter and deeper.
Lucky Toby has also gotten 8 million new "big brother" presents from friends! You've never seen so many toy cars and taxis:)
Remember this photo of Toby? Such a flashback!
Thank you so much, Julia! What a gift to have photos capturing these dreamy, hazy, chaotic, wonderful early days. xoxo

Daddy's boys

How is your week going? To be honest, we've had a few ups and downs. Overall things are good, but sweet little Anton has started grunting (!) in his sleep, and since we share a room, I'm basically averaging 3.5 hours of sleep a night, broken up into half hour chunks. Consider me totally exhausted. Did your babies ever grunt in their sleep? Our pediatrician reassures us that it's normal, but holy smokes, it's not ideal.

But during waking hours, things are great. One sweet thing I've loved watching: Our two little boys are totally enamored with Alex. Anton gazes at him, awestruck, like in the sweet photo above. And Toby thinks he's a total hero. Toby's favorite thing of all time is when Daddy takes him to an Indian restaurant in the East Village. They sit quietly together at a table and watch two men play Indian instruments, and it has become a Sunday ritual. In the video below, Toby tells my sister (whose husband's family is from India) about their dinners...

P.S. I just have to remember: Babies be babies. :) Also, 8 confessions of a new dad, and what marriage means.

Little Anton!

Late one night, I took these photos of Anton chilling on my legs. His little expressions kill me! It has been a pleasure getting to know him over the past three weeks. The other day, Alex and I were half-jokingly trying to spot personality traits, and I said that he seems like a hard worker. It sounds weird, but he really does seem to be concentrating so earnestly on figuring out how how to eat, sleep and generally be alive.

Oh, Anton. You have stolen my heart a million times over.

P.S. If you'd like to see more photos, I post them now and again on Instagram. xo

Have a great weekend.

What are you up to this weekend? We're heading to our friend's house in the suburbs. They'll be out of town this weekend, so they're letting us escape from our tiny apartment and spread out at their house—with a backyard! We're taking these balloon rockets (which actually shoot above trees) and (overzealously) ordered a kiddie pool. Hope you have a good one, and here are a few fun links from around the web...

Just Jack laughing.

Smart tip: How to keep herbs fresh.

Parties we should have instead of weddings.

England now has a Colin Firth statue.

Science tells us how to build a better pie.

Sky art.

What a great shirt. I think it will be my first post-maternity purchase!

Lesson from Martha Stewart: Don't give a damn.

Clever jars.

Cute sandals under $50. Also, these.

Plus, three past posts you may have missed:
* Banana bites.
* Museum touch tours.
* Vintage ad sexism.

Have a good one!

Toby meets Anton for the first time

Thank you again for all the sweet notes about the new baby! I'd love to share a few photos of Toby meeting his brother for the first time...Read More >

The baby is here!

We are so thrilled to introduce our sweet sweet little boy, Anton James Goddard-Williams. He was born on Friday morning at 4:30am after an exciting and quick labor. Can't wait to share more over the next week or two. He has the loveliest demeanor and looks like an 80-year-old man. We are over the moon and exhausted, as to be expected:) Lots of love and thank you again for all the well wishes! xoxo

Cheap date night: Biore strips

Our baby must be cozy because I haven't gone into labor yet! My due date is still a couple days away, but my doctor really expects the baby to arrive early, so we're on pins and needles.

In the meantime, Alex and I have been trying to work in some pre-baby Last Hurrahs—going to a romantic Italian restaurant, hanging with friends, staying up late watching movies. So, last night, we decided to do an at-home spa night, where we drank sparkling water, gave each other massages (and foot rubs), and busted out...Biore Pore Strips.

Have you ever tried them? You stick them on your nose, wait ten minutes and then peel them off, along with all the dirt and blackheads. I know, it's gross. But! They are weirdly awesome and satisfying, and the funny thing is, guys love them. When I was younger, I used to even bring a pack home at Christmas for my male relatives, who would all jump at the chance to compare their used strips. It's a rare mix of guy humor and girly pampering.
(Haha, I spared Alex from posing for a photo.) It was a really fun night, and I'd recommend them if you want to do something amusing and random one evening.
P.S. Just for fun, here's Toby dressed up as Daddy earlier that evening. #nailedit

P.S. 10 NYC dates, including fire-escape drinks and a terrifying trapeze class.