and then there's this...

Perfection!  Via the wonderful Rosa Pomar.

Photo of the Day

Bottle.  Pacifier.  Giant pram.  

Totally not my baby style.

Still.

How irresistibly cute is this photo?

They look like they're on a joyride!

Kick-ass babies in Copenhagen courtesy of Facehunter.

Our Celebration

Last night Taro surprised me for our anniversary by taking me to dine at this magical establishment located under the Brooklyn Bridge, called the River Cafe (that's the restaurant in the photo above, actually floating in the East River with the magnificent span of the bridge flying overhead!). We had never been there before, but Taro had really done his research, so it proved to be one of the most perfect, romantic settings that we've ever dined in.  This was the view from our table (we watched the sun set over Manhattan):
For dessert they brought us their signature confection, a delicious cake adorned with a miniature chocolate model of the Brooklyn Bridge...

When we returned home, our friend and babysitter, Naudia, kindly took the following family photos to commemorate the occasion.  Since yesterday marked my 32nd week of pregnancy, these two pics can also serve as this week's belly shot:

Note:  For our date Taro wore the very same custom-made suit he wore for our wedding, and I wore one of my new Butter By Nadia dresses.

When we got home we followed our yearly tradition of repeating our wedding vows to one another.  I will leave you with those vows that we wrote six years ago, words which continue to shape our marriage every day:

 I vow to be faithful to you in mind, heart, and body.

I vow to be honest and share my true self with you. 

I vow to be a good communicator, to have patience, 

to listen to and be supportive of your dreams, 

and share my dreams with you.

I vow to be open minded and open hearted.

I vow to forgive your imperfections and to be able to ask forgiveness for mine.

I vow to be your teacher and your student.

I vow to be humorous and playful.  

I vow to be unselfish, to put our relationship first.

I vow to be the best parent that I can to our children. 

I vow to value your love and not take you for granted.  

These are my joyful vows.

Six Years Ago Today!

And now you are mine. Rest with your dream in my dream.

Love and pain and work should all sleep now.

The night turns on its invisible wheels 

And you are pure beside me as a sleeping amber

No one else, Love, will sleep in my dreams.

You will go, we will go together, over the waters of time.

No one else will travel through the shadows with me,

Only you, evergreen, ever sun, ever moon.

--Excerpt from And Now You Are Mine (Love Sonnet LXXXI) by Pablo Neruda

Photos by Robert Mayer and Shannon O'hara.

Happy 4th of July!

Photo via flickr.

The Kiddo Says The Darndest Things

Mere moments ago the Kiddo requested a snack of peanut butter on saltine crackers.  As I handed him the plate of munchies, the following dialogue ensued:

Kiddo (in his most cavalier tone):  Thank ya, baby.

Me (rather taken aback):  You sound like Elvis!

Kiddo:  I know!

Me:  How do you know that?

Kiddo (defiantly): I just KNOW.

This wondrous exchange reminded me of a great idea I recently ran across on the stellar blog, Simplesong:  Mama-blogger and letterpress artist Suann Song created a beautiful and ingeniously-useable journal of her toddler son Ike's funny statements.  You have to check it out, here.  What a great way to archive all those priceless Kiddo insights and observations.  I'm inspired!

My Summer Reading...

If my posting has been rather light here over the last few days, that is in part because I have been chipping away at my summer reading list. Since I'm knocked up, my interests have gravitated to the topic of pregnancy and birth. At this point, I have focused on the books pictured above, Your Best Birth by Ricky Lake and Abby Epstein, Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, by Ina May Gaskin, and Pushed by Jennifer Block.

The only one I have finished so far is Your Best Birth, which was an excellent, accessible read that I would recommend to anyone who is expecting, no matter where you plan to give birth.  It provides a wealth of information about maternity-care options in the US, and it really empowers women to take charge of the experience of pregnancy and childbirth.  

I'll post more about the other two once I've finished them!

What books have you read about pregnancy and childbirth?  Are there any titles that especially influenced/enlightened you as you prepared to give birth?  I'd love to hear your recommendations!