Happy Thanksgiving!

On the Hunt: Northern Spy

I would wager that it’s a rare weekend that passes without our missing one of our dearly departed brunch favorites, 202 (and its heavenly French Toast). It’s especially been a blow since Hudson arrived–do you know how rare it is to find brunch fare available at 9am here!? Even my mother-in-law, while visiting recently, requested that we return to “that lovely place in the Chelsea Market” and I had to, with lowered eyes, break the news that they had closed.

So while we have Frankies’ French Toast to console us, we’re on the hunt for an alternative to fill the hole in our hearts that 202 left. The challenge: not only does the French toast have to be delicious, but there needs to be a savory dish that we equally love–for splitting, and the space has to be baby-friendly. Any suggestions?

We had been to Northern Spy, a not-to-be-missed, seasonal restaurant in Alphabet City, for lunch and dinner, but never for brunch. Their French toast was delicious and decadent (with sugar-coated pecans for topping, no less), but it was less custardy than 202’s and won’t become our new #1. Still, I imagine few would be disappointed with this one. They were super-accomodating with Hudson (giving us the corner booth usually reserved for larger parties at such a busy hour), but I wouldn’t say it’s ideal for babies (very tight/too tight to bring in even a folded stroller). However, what was outstanding was the little afterthought we grabbed to go: an apple fritter. We only live a few blocks from the restaurant, so we cheated by heating it once we were home, but it may now be our #1 apple fritter.

P.S. Hudson is four months old! You of course know what he looks like, but see his monthly photo and hear about some milestones, here.

Have a great weekend!

Four months

Hudson is four months old today. I realized that it was also exactly a year ago today–the Thursday before Thanksgiving–that we learned he was on his way. I can’t believe he is four months old, but I really can’t believe he has been in our lives for a year.

This week has been a tough one. I’m pretty sure Hudson caught my cold and that, combined with his new sound–something between a screech and a scream (ouch!)–has made for some very long days. The screaming started a week or two ago; sometimes it comes out to mean he is excited about something, but more often than not it means he is frustrated or getting tired. With his cold, he gets tired pretty quick.

It has also been the second week of Aron’s new schedule. He’s at a different hospital for the next four months and he needs to be at work at 5:45am and then doesn’t usually get home until 8 o’clock that night. So Hudson and I are pretty much on our own these days. I feel sorry for all three of us, but especially Aron.

Overall, however, this month has been pretty amazing. The biggest change, right after he turned three months old, was that Hudson started going down to sleep in his crib at night (without crying) and sleeping anywhere from 6-8 hours! It meant that we had our first night out with a babysitter. Since then, we’ve even had one night of 10 hours straight (but 6 or 7 is still more common). He wants to go to bed around 6pm and wake up at 5am, however–so we’ll have to work on that one day. We celebrated his first Halloween and Aron’s birthday, cheered on runners and escaped falling branches in a freak October snow storm, and we took some family photos on the Highline. The car seat ceased to be known as the “dreaded car seat” and is now just for the car: we’ve graduated to the chair in the stroller.

His first week this month brought lots of kicking. Once he discovered his toes, he started to figure out how to use those feet! And sometimes he waves his arms and legs so frantically that it’s as if he is  making “snow angels” in the comforter. He also rolled over! For about two or three days, it was all he would do. I would put him on his back and–pop–over he’d go. He’d end up on his tummy, look around proudly, and then start to squeal in frustration. He has taken a break from rolling over since then, but I think it might be time for me to think more seriously about baby-proofing. This is all going faster than I’d expected!

One of my favorite new things (that I’m sure I’ll feel differently about soon enough) is his starting to grab for things–especially my face. I love watching him examine my face when I bring it close to his and then feel him reach up with tiny little outstretched hands to feel my lips and nose and cheeks. And of course, I love making him smile.

Oh, yes… And taking lots of pictures.