Baby boom

Yesterday, we went to a baby shower in the East Village, in a beautiful loft apartment ... the building didn't look like much on the outside, but the apartment had a high, wood-beamed ceiling, an old, slightly warped wooden floor, and, in a small alcove near the bathroom, a big wooden reel with an old rope wrapped around it, with a large hook on the end -- a relic, I theorized, of the days when the building was a warehouse, and the hook was used to raise merchandise from the ground floor. This is one of the things that I love about this city: even nondescript buildings can be really interesting inside.

The party was for our friend Elfranko's wife, Sarah, whose baby is due three days after Mango [correction: 4 days before Mango!]. Laugh and the world laughs with you ... and it seems to be the same story with procreation. (I hasten to add, though, that "with" should not be taken literally in this context.)

In addition to Sarah, our friend Jelena is about to give birth, our friend Diahl recently did, and one of Greta's friends, Liz, is also with child. It's nice to know that Mango will have some peers available for playdates.

The following ridiculously cute photo is of another recent arrival: Sadie, progeny of Andrew and Sandy. You will note that she is visibly psyched to be dressed as Miss Mousy (from the song "Froggie Went A-Courtin'", of course!) for Halloween.