Last weekend, my beautiful sister-in-law and best friend hosted a baby shower for me and Mark. It was small, intimate, and absolutely lovely. The afternoon consisted of a proper tea party, fit with scones, macarons, fruit, and itty bitty triangle sandwiches. Paper flowers adorned the gorgeous apartment as the sunset poked through the high-rises and into the apartment's windows. It was truly the golden hour.

After the tea, we moved on to some fun games (who knew baby shower games could get so competitive?!), and then opened gifts for Baby Ratto. I loved that the shower was co-ed. Not only did I get to celebrate with Mark but also with my father-in-law, brother-in-law, and my brother-in-law's father. It was truly a family affair...and the most perfect way to shower the baby.

Although many friends and family couldn't join us, we felt their love and support from many miles away. Wrapped gifts landed on our front door weeks ahead, politely requesting to be opened at the shower and not ahead of time. As hard as that was to wait, it was so much fun seeing what came in those mysterious packages.

All photos are courtesy of Maria, with the exception of the ones she's in. :-)

[Guests wrote letters and filled out cards to the baby, 

which were placed in this beautiful Rifle & Co. notebook.]

[The beautiful NYC view from the balcony.]

[Opening gifts!]

[Mark claims the Ergobaby Carrier.]

[Yummy skincare products for baby & mama.]

[The cutest chambray bear one-piece I ever did see.]

[Baby jeggings...need I say more?!]

[Protective papa goes, "Is this a dress?" He doesn't approve of the length. Good thing it's a shirt.]

[A priceless expression.]

[I don't know what this face is, but I make it a lot when things are simply too cute to handle.]

[Uncle Martin & Auntie Kay...half of the hosting dream team!]

[Our dear friend, Evelynn, on the left and Grandpa Tommy on the right.]

[The other half of the hosting dream team and best friend, Maria.]

[Martin's parents, Linda & Val, who graciously opened their lovely apartment for the shower.]

[Had to snap a quick photo before the beautiful sunset disappeared.]

As you can see from the photos, it was lovely in every sense of the word. Mark and I went home, full of delicious food, love, and warmth...the best feeling, if you ask me. Thank you to everyone (near and far) for making the shower such a beautiful expression of love for our little one. We love you guys!

Until next time...
Elysabeth

keeping record.

I've done a terrible job at documenting this pregnancy. I've written, maybe, five journal entries about the baby, which should serve as no indication of how excited we actually are. It's sort of ironic, really, being writers and all. Let me just say, I had the best intentions. I'm going to do that weekly questionnaire, I told myself at 13 weeks. I'll take pictures of my growing belly every week, I promised myself (which I've barely stuck to—minus a couple weeks here and there—because one of my best friends swore she needed every week's picture for something she was working on related to the baby shower. I don't even know if that's still in the works.) I'm going to buy a journal and write letters to my unborn child, so that she can read it someday, I convinced myself when I first found out I was pregnant. But all of that—minus the photos—didn't really go beyond that initial thought. And now, 33 weeks pregnant, I'm banging my head against the wall, asking myself, "Why not?!"

All that to say, I am inspired to, at least, document the last 45 days until my due date. Why 45 you ask? Well, I was resolved to do 60 days until my due date, but days 60 through 46 came and went, and 45 sounds like the next nicest/cleanest number for a series. And it also happens to be tomorrow! So beginning tomorrow, I will be taking pictures on my Instagram with the hashtag "#45daysuntilbabyratto" in which I will be addressing our sweet baby girl and letting her know how mom and dad are preparing/anticipating her arrival. Then, I hope to turn those photos into a small album I can print, so that I can successfully say I documented the pregnancy of our first child. I'll try my best to update the blog with this series, but if you don't want to wait, you can always follow me on Instagram (@elysabethratto) or, if you don't have an Instagram account, view the photos here.

I am determined to stay committed to this! If you see me failing, just send me a friendly email with the subject header as "Helloooo?! #45daysuntilbabyratto." I'm pretty sure that'll kick me in the butt to keep going. ;-)

Until next time...
Elysabeth

sabbathing together.

As we've transitioned into life here, we've been able to set aside one day a week of sabbath, where Mark and I unplug from the world and simply be together. We learned the hard way that spreading ourselves too thin caused us to not only get frustrated with each other, but also ourselves, our quality of work, and basically the rest of the world. It's something we constantly have to check ourselves in, as busyness is always a temptation...especially in New York. We found that one day of intentional rest is enough to refuel us for the upcoming week.

I have been pleasantly surprised at how sacred we keep these sabbaths. Mark and I seem to be on the same page about not letting any other plans or circumstances get in the way of our one day. And as a result, they have been so fulfilling, so fun, and quite honestly, the perfect way to prepare for the newest addition of the Ratto clan. By turning off our emails, our Facebooks, and our Instagrams (that's not to say, we don't take lots of photos and post later), we have an opportunity to be fully present, which results in a lot of silliness and gasping-for-air laughter.

Naturally, we love to discover new places, so our favorite thing to do is go to a new neighborhood of Brooklyn and, simply, walk. Not only has it made us absolutely smitten with the diversity of Brooklyn, but it gives us an excuse to try out new restaurants ice cream shops. On rare occasions, we'll venture into Manhattan and do something really touristy, like go to a museum, or we'll hop on a train to the beach for a few hours. Then, we typically head home for a yummy home-cooked meal and a loving foot massage for the pregnant mama, who usually doesn't wear the right shoes for all that walking. We end the night with a movie, a favorite TV show, or (as of late) a Dodger game. Here are some photos of our recent adventures:

The Met

[I had to creepily snap a photo because of this woman's fantastic orange hair!]

[A pregnant lady means always having snacks on hand, like blueberry pancakes.]

[A lemonade stand near Central Park.]

Prospect Park

Brooklyn Bridge Park

Rockaway Beach

[Maybe I should do a photo essay of my burgeoning belly 

in various locations. It can be titled, "I Promise I'm Not Naked."]

And some obligatory selfies along the way...

I know not everyone can afford a full day's sabbath. And our definition of sabbath may very well change when the baby arrives. Full-time parents, people who work seven days a week, the list of "exceptions" go on and on, but I don't think the key here is the amount of time; rather, it's the intentionality behind it all. Even if it's an hour or two, that time of intentional rest does wonders. Try it & lemme know how it goes. :-)

Until next time...

Elysabeth