Baby food

Now that Toby is eight months old, he has been eating more solid foods. We've given him pretty basic foods so far (carrots, bananas), and I'm not loving the baby-food jars. Then yesterday I flipped through this inspiring book, which encouraged a surprisingly wide range of real foods for young babies, including pork chops to teeth on and egg yolks with salt.

Fellow mamas, I'd love to ask you: What did you feed your babies? I would be so grateful for tips!

(Clip-on high chair by Phil & Teds; kerchief bib from Bink & Boo)

Photos of Toby

Just 'cause. :) He's almost eight months old, I can't believe it!

Vacation photos: Palm Springs

On our Christmas vacation, after spending the four days in L.A., we headed to Palm Springs to meet Alex's mom and sister. We all stayed together at this rental house. The house was totally tricked out--with a huge pool, a waterfall, a hammock, a fireplace, and toilet seats that automatically opened when you walked into the bathroom (seriously, they had sensors!). Bonus: Crazily enough, it was actually cheaper per person than a budget motel.
We took Toby swimming for the first time. He sort of loved it for a few minutes...and then decided he hated it. :)
One morning, I took a quick shower and came outside to find Toby and Alex playing "helicopter."
I have to say, it made my heart swell a little bit :)
Here's the Toby-eye-view!
Toby loved chilling with his grandma. And check out the mountain views! The desert is so gorgeous. (We heard a freaky story about a now-infamous tourist couple who took the tram up the mountain and then decided to stroll back into town. "It's just a short walk," they figured. "Doesn't our hotel look close from up here?" All they had was a pack of chewing gum, and no maps or hiking gear. Five days later, they were rescued.)
Right before Christmas, we thought it would be cool to take a family photo, inspired by these old shadow shots. It didn't really work, but we tried!
Another morning, we went to Ruby's Diner, and Toby tried mashed banana for the first time.
Despite a valiant attempt...
...he was not impressed. (His expression cracks me up.)
Another afternoon, Alex, Toby and I snuck off for a couple hours and went to the Ace Hotel & Swim Club, which has a rad pool and is amazingly family- and dog-friendly.
Alex immediately got a beer and parked himself by the hot tub.
Toby and I hung out on deck chairs...
...and dipped our feet into the gorgeous pool. Everyone there was really friendly and chatty; it felt like being at a party. :)
And on the walk home, Toby fell asleep in the stroller...
...and since he'd wake up if we stopped moving, we had to keep going...
...so we walked in circles around a cul-de-sac...
...over and over...
...for a half hour...
...ahhh, vacations with a baby! :) It was a wonderful, restorative trip and made us much more confident about family travel and, honestly, parenting in general. Sometimes it takes a break in your routine to show you what you can do. Thanks so much for reading! Have you been to Palm Springs?

A couple other favorite things: Renting fat-tired bikes, everything on the lunch menu at Cheeky's, and the local speciality: delicious date milkshakes. Any other tips, my lovelies?

Vacation photos: Los Angeles

My darlings, I'd love to share a couple photos from our Christmas vacation. California was a great place to travel as a family. As a new-ish mom, I was a little nervous about such a big trip with the baby, but the warm weather made things soooo easy and fun; Toby loved all the action (and avocados), and we could take walks on the beach while he napped in the stroller.
One afternoon, we went out onto the Venice pier. I was impressed that the surfers were going strong in December--the water was freezing that day!
It was really nice to be out and about with nothing to do.
Guess what Toby got for Christmas? His two front teeth!
After a while, we stopped so I could nurse Toby next to a bunch of guys playing basketball. Of course, he wanted to watch the game afterwards. :)
Whenever we're in L.A., Alex always wants to stop by Stronghold, an hipper-than-hip store with selvedge jeans, Filson bags and friendly salespeople. Toby loved rolling around on the rug and trying on the hats. (He looked awesome in a fedora:)
Bonus: They have free whiskey, so you can pour yourself a drink!
Late that afternoon, we met up with our friends Michael and Caroline at the restaurant Gjelina. We sat in the back garden and got pizzas and salads.
I love this photo of Toby. Doesn't he look like such a player? :) He's like, "Yeah, I'm chilling in the arms of an older woman, no big deal."
Now we're secretly fantasizing about moving to L.A. :) It's such a fun place, and we can't wait to go back!

A few of our favorite places in west Los Angeles, which we've been to over the years:
* Huckleberry Cafe for lunch. (The yummiest salads and sandwiches and desserts. I could eat here everyday.)
* Blue Plate Oysterette for lunch. (Fish tacos in a breezy little nautical restaurant across from the beach.)
* Tavern. (Big, beautiful, understated room with trees indoors. We think we spotted David Hockney at the next table. Their adjoining bakery sells delicious desserts, including chocolate-chip cookies made two ways: crispy and chewy. Genius!)
* Gjelina. (Dark, bustling, sceney. Fun vibe; sexy lighting. A fire pit in the back garden.)
* The Tasting Kitchen. (We had such a romantic date here. Dark, lovely. Don't miss the bread pudding.)

Have you ever been to L.A., or do you live there? Any favorite restaurants or tips? I'd love to hear. xoxo

Next up: Palm Springs...

(Photos taken with the Hipstamatic App on the iPhone)

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas from (sunny!) Palm Springs. I can't wait to catch up next week, and I wanted to say a big thank-you for everything this year. It has been a pleasure having you here, and I feel so grateful and lucky to have such wonderful readers. Hope you have a fabulous holiday. Love, Joanna (and Alex and Toby) P.S. Where are you spending Christmas this year? It's so funny to have a warm California Christmas after growing up in Michigan!

Hello from California

Hope you had great weekend! We're now in California, and the trip out here was a million times easier than I had expected. Toby was super mellow on the plane and slept in our arms most of the way. He only freaked out at the very end, during the drive from the airport to the hotel. Whew! The weather here is grey and rainy (just an observation:), but we l-o-v-e our hotel, which is cozy and comfy, and it's just nice to have time to chill. Here's a photo of Toby hanging with us in a cheesy-but-fun Mexican restaurant at the end of the Santa Monica pier. Kisses to you all, and thanks for your sweet encouragement about the flight! xoxoxo

Toby's new sleeping position

Butt firmly in air. I love it. :)

Saturday morning

Toby had a bit of a tummy ache on Saturday, so we spent the morning lounging around. It was really fun to lie around doing nothing except playing with his bird toy and giving raspberries.

P.S. You know when you were a little kid and your parents were your safe haven? It's strange/amazing to be that for someone now. Sometime I think, wait, I can't be a mom, I'm just a random person, I don't know all the answers! But I guess our moms were the same way? I still sort of think my mom knows everything.

Toby rides a bike

Alex, Toby and I went on a walk last weekend, and we couldn't help posing Toby on a rad Bianchi road bike. We just wanted to plant the seed. :)

P.S. Note the hilarious disproportion of his upper body and lower body. I love babies!!!

Toby's new hat

Introducing the world's least intimidating wolf. :)

Breastfeeding in public

Yesterday, Alex, Toby and I went on a leisurely walk around the West Village. (It was such a pretty fall day!) Toby breastfed a couple times while we were out, and Alex took a few photos, which I figured I'd share.

Since Toby was born, I've met so many wonderful moms who are nervous about breastfeeding in public--they worry that people will give them weird looks or say something negative, or they just feel uncomfortable baring a boob.

I totally understand that, and when I was pregnant, I thought I might be shy, too. But once Toby was born, I actually found myself feeling surprisingly passionate about breastfeeding in public. After all, I figured, I'm feeding a child, and what's more important than that? (Also, it's cool in France!:)

I was also really encouraged by my friend Leigh and her blog (she writes a lot about breastfeeding). When Toby was one week old, I breastfed him in public for the first time, and I actually texted Leigh to thank her for inspiring me. She wrote back, "You fierce, fearless mama! You go right ahead." I loved that. :)

When I was pregnant, I had also read a few stories about restaurant owners or random passersby saying negative things to nursing women now and again, so I came up with a phrase that I'd have at the ready, just in case. Want to hear it? :) I planned to say, "It's my legal right to breastfeed my baby anywhere in public or private; if you have a problem with it, you can look away." Haha, sounds dramatic, but I felt good knowing that I'd have a reply, if the situation ever arose! Luckily, strangers have actually been great. You know, 99% of the time, people don't even notice that you're breastfeeding (it's so subtle!); and when they do realize it, people have even walked by and said, "Aw, that's so sweet," or "Isn't that beautiful?" which was a nice surprise.

Overall, I'd love to encourage women to feel proud to nurse their sweet babies in public. As you can see from the photos, it's really modest (the baby's head covers up almost everything; and I'm also wearing a Boob nursing shirt). At this point, I've ended up breastfeeding Toby all over the city, and it has been a wonderful, fun, cozy, intimate, freeing experience. Now I barely think twice about it! I just bust out the boob!

Anyway, I want to give a huge thumbs up to all you mamas out there, no matter what you choose to do! If you don't want to breastfeed in public, by all means, don't; but if you do want to or are thinking about it, please feel encouraged to go for it. And know that I'll be here in the blogosphere, rooting you on. xoxoxo

P.S. Here are a few fascinating blog posts on breastfeeding in public.