Memories, Brooklyn treks, and monkey toes

My new goal is a simple Monday roundup. Once a week. A recounting of the highs and lows. A sharing of key moments and observations. It’s doable. I will try (except next week. I will be on vacation – hurrah!). I hope you will come along with me.

So. It was another beautiful week. I think this summer goes down as one of the most perfect on record. It’s a bit steamy at the moment, but for the most part, it’s just been sunny, in the 80s, always with a refreshing breeze. You can’t ask for more.

My good friend, chere Sarah was in town from Paris and we had dinner at the delicious Andrew Carmellini restaurant, Little Park. I had a few minutes at the bar by myself before she arrived, which felt awfully indulgent, and then the conversation with and the sight of her brought back a flood of Parisian memories. God, those were great years and experiences. I seriously think about that time, those two years, and it was such a gift. I see so much of it with such clarity. My memories are so acute. It’s hard to believe it was me and my life, so changed are things now and yet how vivid and special those times were.

Now it’s all about the peanut. It still makes me anxious and emotional sometimes, how much I love her. But I do. I just love her.

It was very much a Brooklyn weekend. Andrew and I tried to go to the Jazz Age Lawn Party, just to see everyone so nattily dressed, but the line for the ferry out to Governors Island was crazy-long. We would have been standing under the beating sun for probably an hour so we high-tailed it back to Brooklyn. A little stroll through Brooklyn Heights, lunch at River Deli, another stroll to Gowanus, a drink in the backyard of Lavender Lake with Bennie, and then home. It was great to be out, walking and enjoying the summer.

That was the idea on Sunday as well. I met my girl Mel in the park and it was a glorious day, in the shade of a tree. Suddenly, as we were packing up to leave, it started raining. We ducked under a tree, expecting it to be the fleeting summer sprinkle, over in five minutes. But what ensued was the craziest, fastest storm. It came out of nowhere, bringing flash floods, sideways winds and panic. 

But in the end, it made for another unforgettable memory.

A good week

Parker rocked her first pair of jeans this weekend. It was occasion to go to the local playground so she could strut her stuff.

Lol. She doesn't have to do much to make me laugh. She's crawling everywhere. Gnawing on bagels. And she's taken to playing peek-a-boo. Such a big girl.

Beyond the world of Parker, in which I reside normally, sadly with blinders to happenings in the rest of the world, it was such an amazing week for our country. I'm so proud of our increasing acceptance and fight for equal rights, moved by the idea of possessing grace and hopeful that minds will continue to open and hate will cease.

Freedom in the park

Saturday mornings in Prospect Park, the dogs run free.

Let's all find the utter joy in being free.

The sweet side of life

Man, it was a tough week. I've been sick for about 10 days now. Then Parker got her first fever and cold. And our nanny was out four days, sick. Needless to say, work didn't slow down (though thankfully it wasn't a super busy week and my boss was very gracious about me working from home a couple days. I hope the rest of the country catches up on flexible work arrangements very soon). None of us were sleeping great. It was tough.

But then my mom came to town and watched Parker for us.

 

My husband secretly bought and served us Levain cookies. (Seriously.)

And then there is this girl. This girl.

She is just magic. She's this happy little peanut who makes my every day brighter.

Needless to say, the week ended on a high note. It's beautiful here in Brooklyn. The streets and parks are alive with people. I've been surrounded by the love of my husband, daughter and mom for days, and have received amazing notes from friends everywhere. Best of all, I got to spend my first Mother's Day with my own mom and my baby girl.

I feel like ever since I had Parker, I'm especially prone to clichés. But I'm just so grateful for this beautiful life!

Spring training

So here we are. Another couple weeks have passed. Work is busy-busy-busy. It's spring in Brooklyn. And Mlle. Parker is doing great.

Nearing 17 pounds, she has started eating solids. No surprise, she loves food and has not turned down the banana, avocado or sweet potato we've offered. It, and she, is hilarious. 

She really enjoyed my piece in the Times this week, 36 Hours on the Left Bank, and now wants to go to Paris. But first, we're going to warm up with a long weekend in Puerto Rico.

I miss writing and exercising. I miss going out for cocktails with friends. I miss being lazy and not having to think about things. But I am so in love and can't imagine life any other way.

What a year

Let’s see—I started 2014 with few expectations. Andrew and I had moved into our Brooklyn apartment and were beginning to explore wedding venue options, having been engaged for two months. My job was going well and freelance, if lighter than in previous years, gave me the occasional jolt of creativity and excitement. Things were nice and comfortable. I was happy and conscious that my life, overall, was mellowing out.

It was a brutally cold winter. In February we journeyed up the Hudson Valley to Rhinebeck for President’s Day weekend with friends (have you ever been? Super cute town!) We came home and, my sore breasts nagging my conscience, I took a pregnancy test. It was positive. Everything changed.

Springtime became a flurry of doctor and wedding venue appointments as we decided to move the wedding up. (There was time in Miami, London, and a lovely week inParis, too!)

Being of “advanced maternal age,” I had to get frequent ultrasounds to make sure the baby was okay. We heard her heart beating. We sawher 3D photo in the womb. We passed critical tests and milestones and, after holding our breath for months, knew this was our baby.

In the meantime, we threw together our wedding weekend, a celebration filled with such love and joy. It was an ode to this great city of New York and, cliché but true, one of the happiest days of my life.

After a honeymoon in St Bart’s, we spent the summer lazing about Brooklyn and visiting Connecticut, Boston and Pennsylvania.

We cooked a bit, saw some music, and watched some baseball.

We reoutfitted our second bedroom/office into a second bedroom/nursery.

And then on October 8^th, we welcomed Parker Anninto this world.

The two and a half months since have been filled with wonder. Just as the first couple weeks were tough—recovering from a c-section, not sleeping at night, not knowing what I was doing, and trying to figure out breastfeeding—and there are days that I can’t help but question my identity and if I’ll continue to write and travel and be motivated by all the things that made me happy in my thirties, I am experiencing a whole new chapter that I couldn’t be happier about. I love that little girl so much, it makes me cry. She is the sweetest, cutest, most delicious peanut in the world. We are so lucky.

Who would have thought that I’d be a bride at 41 and a new mom at 42. And on the eve of 2015, I can’t help but feel excited to think about how life will unfold, surprise and challenge.

Happy New Year, friends!