Flying Home

I'll post more about our journey soon...

Scenes From the Opposite Coast

Our Whereabouts

My posts (especially those with a personal bent) have been a little sporadic lately because there's been a lot goin' on in the house of the Marvelous Kiddo. Because I've been lax in keeping on top of the updates I am now reduced to sharing via bullet-pointed overview:

• The teeth. They've been a breakin' through all week! This is exciting because they're so cute, but let me tell you, the Kiddo continues to pay a high price in terms of the Agony of the Gums. Therefore this milestone is also a heartrending one to witness.

• The Kiddo Speaks! Two nights ago. He said "Mama". Three times. Very specifically. While gazing into my eyes. Then he said "Dada". Once. Very fast. Followed by a string of Kiddogiberish.

• Transcontinental travel. Yesterday the Kiddo flew for the first time (Tand I came, too). I'll have to write a whole entry on the experience, as any reasonable description would defy the conventions of the bullet-point format.

• Kiddo's first meeting with his paternal grandfather, step grandmother, and aunt. We're visiting T's dad, step mom, and sister in La Jolla, California for the first time in over two years. The event (which happened this morning) was copiously photographed and videotaped, so I'll post a bit of that later. In the meantime, savor one of my favorite vintage photos of T and his father.

Rock Stars

Grace over at Designsponge just posted a marvelous roundup of covetable rocking chairs in a variety of price points. Check it out!
image via Designsponge

Toothy Cuteness

After months of chewing, gnawing, drooling, and chomping on everything in sight, the Kiddo finally has something to show for his efforts. A single, newly minted, pearly white. And boy, can he work the daylights out of it with that smile:

Flamenco Mama

Because this just made my day!

Haute CoSleeper

Personally, I enjoy having kiddo cuddled right in with us in our bed, but the Fashionista in me can't help but admire this mod new Italian design for cosleeping in style. See more details here. What do you think?

Window Watching

One of my favorite New York City pastimes is keeping track of the ever-delicious array of visual treats that pop up every few weeks in the windows of Barneys and Bergdorf's. Yesterday the Kiddo and I were in the neighborhood, so I swung by Bergdorf's to see what was cooking.

This window was my favorite. The image of George Washington is rendered entirely in post-it-notes!

Calder's Circus

One of my favorite pieces by one of my favorite Artists. Enjoy!

Monster Couture

I just have to share this marvelous Monster Skin Rug from Longoland. So original and whimsical, it made me smile!

Finish this Post

"If I saw this man and this baby during my morning commute, I would ________________"

Another Gorgeous Day

So, everyone knows that this whole global warming thing is happening and that it's a bad thing, but I have to say that the last two days of beautifulness have come and gone and I haven't heard anyone complaining. The Kiddo and I set out to spend as much time as possible outdoors again today, so we met T for lunch near his office. Afterwards, we strolled around the city before winding up at a mailing party for the Our Time Gala save-the-date-card. Our friend Cliff kindly allowed Our Time to use his office for the labeling/stamping party. This is the view from Cliff's office:
And here's the Kiddo and T mugging in front of the vista like a couple of adorable tourists:Thanks Cliff!

Daily Dose of Cute

it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!

Yesterday was an unseasonably balmy day, so the Kiddo and I did what anyone would do: we headed straight to the park! Once we were there, I decided to let the Kiddo try out the swings for the first time in his life, and that led to a whole buncha fun...
I think he was a little bit smitten with that cute girl in the pink coat one swing over. I know I was :)

Woot.

Who: Me and the Kiddo
What: Chillin'
When: Today
Where: Jon Bon Jovi's personal recording studio in Jersey. (We accompanied Our Time Theatre Company to the studio to lay down the tracks for their upcoming album. Stay tuned for more on this!)

Thanks for the photo, Nina!

Must-See Cinema

I was thrilled to find the current issue of Mothering Magazine in my mailbox this week, featuring Ricki Lake and her new film The Business of Being Born on the cover. This publicity dovetails with the New York theatrical premiere of the film on January 9th at the IFC Film Center. I was fortunate enough to see The Business of Being Born at a private screening back in May, and I have been counting the days until its release ever since.

The film takes a riveting look at maternity care and childbirth in America and raises extremely provocative questions about the way women and babies are treated in the conventional hospital setting. We live in a society where pregnancy and birth have been institutionalized to an extreme degree and yet the US has the second-highest newborn death rate in the developed world. The film highlights this fact and explores the myriad differences between hospital birth and home birth. I think it is an absolute must-see for everyone, but particularly anyone who is contemplating having a baby, or who cares about the rights of women and the health of babies.

Check out the film trailer here, and an excellent interview with Ricki Lake conducted by Mothering Magazine's Peggy O'Mara here.

Most importantly, go see the movie!

Scenes From the Kiddo's First Christmas

Happy New Year!

I'm back to the blog after a wonderful holiday break and I just thought I would share a few highlights.

I snapped that picture, above, as soon as the Kiddo awoke on Christmas morning...obviously he indulged me with a sleepyheaded smile, but I was definitely the one who was most excited about hurrying into the living room to open presents:
Here's the Kiddo having fun with his new Djembe drum: This was on the subway platform on our way home from Rockefeller Center on Christmas Eve, where we checked out the tree, watched the ice skating, and tried not to get trampled by the hoards of people!The Kiddo's marvelous grandmas bonding on Christmas morning:The Kiddo's marvelous grandpa treating everyone to his trademark read-aloud version of The Bear's Toothache:
A snuggly, post-Christmas dinner nap:My brother and father chillin' on the sofa:My sister, documenting -- and getting cracked up by -- the always wacko family sing-along of The Twelve Days of Christmas:A couple of shots of the Kiddo in all his holiday cuteness:The whole gang!