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

The Royal Baby

Last night, I was breastfeeding Anton and reading articles on my iPhone, when I came across this fascinating post about the dress Kate wore when the couple presented their baby to the world. "Kate’s unabashed baby belly busts the last taboo of pregnancy," wrote the Daily Beast.
When I saw the photo of her beautiful high-waisted dress, which unapologetically highlighted her postpartum belly, I was actually surprised to find myself flooded with relief. As a new mom, I found it enormously refreshing that she wasn't trying to hide her shape. You definitely still look pregnant for the first couple weeks after having a baby, and that's normal and healthy. Obviously, this shouldn't really be a big deal, but these days so many celebrities try to show how quickly they bounce back, and, here, Kate was more honest. The dress was definitely a thoughtful choice she made (versus wearing baggy clothes or holding the baby in front of her), since she's so careful about what she wears, and she knows how much scrutiny she's under, and I love her for that. What do you think?
P.S. On a lighter note, George Costanza's response to the baby's name... :)

(Photos by Scott Heavey and Peter Macdiarmid for Getty)

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

Motherhood Mondays: How long (or short) was your labor?

While we're on pins and needles waiting for our second baby to finally arrive, I'm curious: How quickly did your babies come, once you were in labor? A friend of a friend told me the freakiest thing the other day...Read More >

Are you having a boy or girl? 12 old wives tales...

Wondering if you (or a friend) are having a boy or a girl? Here are 12 funny old wives tales that might give you a hint. Take the quiz, below...Read More >

Toby nostalgia

Our second baby is due in less than two weeks, but...Read More >

Our baby shower

Would (or did) you have a baby shower for your second baby? I wasn't sure if it seemed like overkill since we'd already had a shower for Toby's birth, but then Abbey pointed out, "It would be nice to celebrate THIS baby." And that seemed true. So one recent Saturday, I went to my friend Samantha's house for the loveliest afternoon with fifteen wonderful women and a few chubby babies...Read More >

Eight month belly shot

This morning, I snapped this photo in the bathroom of a cafe where I'm working. My belly is definitely pointier since last month.

Also a funny note: I don't usually get cat calls, but waddling around NYC, I've been getting tons of pregnancy cat calls from doormen and bike messengers shouting "Hey, Mama!" "Eight months?" "Look at that belly!" Taxi drivers will even roll down their windows to weigh in: "It's a girl!" It's a funny part of being pregnant in NYC.

Just a couple weeks left. I'm excited and nervous. Labor doesn't hurt that much, right? :)

P.S. Also really looking forward to this. Oh how I've missed thee.

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 >

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.

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...
Read More >

Gift idea for new parents: Jeni's ice cream

When Toby was brand new, Alex's office sent us a package of four pints of Jeni's ice cream. It's made in Ohio with luscious milk and cream from cows that eat grass, and the explosive flavors range from salty caramel to brambleberry crisp.

I still remember how decadent the ice cream tasted, especially to bewildered new parents. When you're spending all day taking care of a tiny person, it felt good to have a blast of something just for ourselves. We spent the entire time saying, "This is so delicious, oh my goodness, try this one, oh my gosh..."

What were your favorite gifts when you were a new parent? Do you remember the food people brought?
P.S. 8 more gifts for new parents.

(Photo of Toby as a newborn)

Breastfeeding idea: Everlane scarves

Recently I ordered a Everlane scarf and was surprised by how soft, light and breathable it was. Not only would it look pretty with spring outfits, but I realized it would also be perfect for breastfeeding in public. I'm a big supporter of mamas who want or need to nurse their hungry babies in public (Toby chowed all over Manhattan) and breastfeeding is actually naturally modest because the baby's head covers anything booby and interesting:) But if you'd like extra privacy, this scarf would be a lovely way to cover up without having to lug around a bulky nursing apparatus!

What do you think? xoxo

P.S. Breastfeeding in public, and more about boobs.

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...
Read More >

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)

HATCH spring collection!

My friend Ariane designs HATCH, the beautiful maternity brand, so when she invited me to her showroom to try on some new spring pieces, I jumped at the chance! Last week, I rode my trusty bike to Soho and arrived ready to play dress up. Here are a few photos...Read More >

The new baby

Last week, we went to get a sonogram for the new baby. Seeing its little profile made me teary. Lying there in the hospital room, I couldn't stop repeating, "What a sweetheart, what a dollface." I also noticed that the baby's sticky-out top lip looks exactly like my grandfather's, which made my heart swell.

About halfway through, the doctor said she was going to look at the legs and write the gender on the screen, so—since we're waiting to find out—she told me to close my eyes. Lying there, I tried to count how many times she punched the computer keys, but of course I couldn't tell a thing. (Do you think the profile looks like a boy or a girl?:)
(My grandfather with his signature lip)

We love you so much already, little one! We can't wait for you to join our family.

P.S. Toby's sonogram looked like a Dr. Seuss character...