4 foolproof ways to make your baby laugh

What are your tried-and-true ways to make a baby laugh? What always works? Toby and I made a video about four things that crack him up. We hope you like it!

"When a new baby laughs for the first time a new fairy is born, and since there are always new babies, there are always new fairies." -- Peter Pan

Prat falls (aka pretending to trip) always seem to make babies laugh. The parenting book The Happiest Toddler on the Block explained that apparently babies love it because someone else finally looks like the idiot. Babies are always the shortest, slowest and clumsiest people in the room, so they love to feel like the smart one, for once. How cute is that?!
The video was kindly sponsored by mOmma, a brand of beautifully modern children's mealtime products, designed in Switzerland and made in Italy. Toby has used their sippy cup for the past six months (ever since he transitioned from his bottle), and it's the best sippy cup we've tried, hands down. It doesn't leak, is easy to use, is aesthetically pleasing, and can double as a ball to roll around while he's waiting for dinner. I've recommended it over and over to friends. So, I was thrilled when mOmma wanted to work together.

Plus, a giveaway: mOmma is also giving FIVE lucky winners FULL sets of all their products, including a diaper bag. For a chance to win, please visit the mOmma website and leave a comment below. (Also consider visiting them on Facebook or Twitter, and you can buy them here and find deals here). Five winners will be selected at random tomorrow. Good luck! Update: Our winners are Melisa R., Jenna K., Seana, Catherine A., Samantha S. Thanks for playing. xo
(Video sponsored by mOmma; video directed by my friend Steve Pappin "Son of Shark Pig," thanks to Elizabeth for letting us use her house (and for doing prat falls!); song by Elizabeth Mitchell; my beloved pink jeans are from J.Crew)

Toby says Night Night.

Alex and I usually put Toby to bed, but when we went out at dinner last week, our babysitter took this video of Toby saying goodnight. My heart swells whenever I hear his little voice--it's so magical to witness your child start to communicate! I can't wait to talk to him more as he grows, and hear what's going on in that little head. xoxo

Sleep well tonight, everyone!

P.S. Five more Toby videos, since I can't help it:)

Motherhood Mondays: One woman asks: "I'm not sure if I want kids or not. How do you decide?"

My good friend Corrie Pikul, a 36-year-old magazine writer and blogger living in Brooklyn, has never been sure if she should have a child. She doesn't for sure want one, but she also doesn't not want one. She's completely 50/50. So, as she gets older, how will she make the decision? Here, Corrie shares her fascinating story...
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A NYC weekend

New York City can feel so dark and dreary during the winter (puddles! gray buildings! umbrellas whacking you!) that it's always a restorative breath of fresh air when the sun comes back out. Everyone pours out of their cramped apartments, and the city comes alive. This weekend felt like summer, with blue skies and cool breezes. Hope you had a great one, and here are a few photos we snapped this weekend, if you'd like to see...
On Saturday, we rode bikes across the Brooklyn Bridge (this was the view from my bike seat!)...
We headed to the glorious Brooklyn Bridge Park in Dumbo. You can see the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridges jutting out from each side, and hear the subways rattling noisily across them every ten minutes. (Our friends got married in this park a few years ago, and they had to pause their ceremony whenever the subways clattered overhead:)
We chilled in the grass (and I showed off my newly orange toes:), while Toby ate raisins and gazed at the enormous historic carousel that opened last summer...
So, we decided to buy tickets (the attendants' T-shirts say "Pony Up $2!") and take a spin on the carousel.
As we climbed on, Toby suddenly got freaked out by the horses (he cried at first!) so we sat together on the sleigh. (Note the other freaked out baby sitting behind us:)
Look at the rad backdrops in these photos!
We met up with our friends and headed to a nearby playground to hang out...
Dumbo is such a spectacular neighborhood. (This was just a random view we had when we walked to the deli to buy a snack!)
The next day, we headed to the Transit Museum in Brooklyn Heights, which is chock full of vintage subway cars. Toby's head almost exploded.
Taking photos was tricky because he was so excited and giddy that he literally ran everywhere. Just ran!! A little boy's dream come true:)

Oh, New York, sometimes we forget how great you are in the winter, but then summer comes, and we feel guilty for ever complaining. We love you! xoxo

(Toby's plaid shirt at top by Pearls & Popcorn; overalls by Carters)

Motherhood Mondays: Cutest bunny

Sir Hopsalot is too flipping adorable.

(Via EastSideBride)

Toby's almost two

Toby is just a few months away from turning two, and he's gearing up like a champ. He's been nailing the whining, fussing and general malaise that comes with being two years old. The word "no" is his motto, and, through his eyes, everything is either the worst or the absolute worst. Here, Toby gets carried to the playground (since naturally he didn't want to ride in his stroller), but was distraught because he wanted Mommy to carry him, not Daddy!!!!!!

Alex says he wants to write a biography of Toby's year called "A Portrait of Courage." It's so hard to be a baby! Keeps making me laugh out loud.

Motherhood Mondays: Baby Names & Faces Book

Pinhole Press has a brilliant new baby photo product: Big Book of Names & Faces. You make one with photos of your child's favorite people. My mom made us one as a gift, and it has become Toby's favorite bedtime story. Since our relatives live around the country, this book helps Toby remember them between visits (and happily recognize them when he sees them again), and I love that the book helps him learn words and names, and show him that he's part of a family that cares about him. Bravo, Pinhole Press!

(Thanks to my friend Laura Ratliff for taking these photos. You might recognize Sharon Beesley's kids in a photo. Pinhole Press is my friends' company and one of my beloved sponsors. )

Toby goes gallery hopping

We went to a few Chelsea art galleries when my dad was visiting last weekend, and this photo keeps making me smile. :)

Toby becomes a New Yorker.

We were taking a cab across the Brooklyn Bridge the other night, and Alex and I were feeling winter blues-y. We looked at the Manhattan skyline, which usually inspires us, but instead we just jokingly sighed a Debbie-Downer-ish "Wah waah." One minute later...that's all Toby would say. Babies don't miss a thing.

Here, Toby reenacts his skills the following evening:

How to raise kids like a French woman

Have you heard these rules of French parenting? I'm dying to discuss...
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Roald Dahl stamps

British author Roald Dahl wrote the nuttiest, wackiest, most magical children's stories, and The Royal Mail just released this rad set of stamps to celebrate him. What's your favorite Roald Dahl book? (Mine's The BFG.)

Motherhood Mondays: Toby's lovey

When Toby was teeny...
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Motherhood Mondays: Family travel

Since 2005, English photographer Tom Robinson has photographed his and his girlfriend's feet as they've traveled the world. (Remember this post?) Well, in 2011, they added a third set of feet: their daughter Matilda. How adorable and adventurous are these photos?

P.S. Tom's other genius project, I'm Going to Be a Dad.

(Via Double Takes)