Hurricane week: photos

How are you all doing? Is everyone OK after the hurricane? The photos of the aftermath have been shocking, and we've been thinking so much about everyone who was affected. How devastating for those who lost their homes, and this story was utterly heartbreaking. We feel so, so lucky to have gotten through the hurricane unscathed. Lower Manhattan still doesn't have power, so our apartment is pitch black, but we're safe and fine. Here are a few of our photos from this crazy week, if you'd like to see...
On Monday, the day the hurricane was heading our way, Toby and I went for a little morning walk around our neighborhood, along with his Thomas-the-Tank-Engine umbrella and a peanut butter sandwich. I wanted to give him a run-around before we got stuck inside for a couple days. His enthusiasm was contagious. Little kids can be so blissfully (and beautifully) unaware.
During our walk, most businesses were closed, except for the pizza place (hurray! of course we ordered a large) and the children's pharmacy, which has a train table. Party at 10am! As a special treat, Toby was allowed to have a purple lollipop, which basically made his whole life.
That afternoon, the rain started, and trees bent over almost halfway in the wind. We ran over to our neighbors' house, where they built a fire and made Negronis and pasta. Toby and their one-year-old daughter spent the afternoon running up and down their hallway and...that's pretty much it. They loved that hallway.
That night, we ran back across the rainy street to our house, and the power went out shortly afterward. We lit candles (including this pumpkin one, which is officially The Coziest Candle in Candle History) and Toby fell fast asleep with his adorable little tractor PJs sticking right up in the air.

The only real bummer was having to throw out everything in our fridge, as Toby was dismayed not to have his morning and bedtime milk. The next morning, I gave him a sippy cup filled with orange juice instead, and tried to make it sound exciting: "Toby! I have a special treat for you! Juice for breakfast! Just like at Meriwether's house!" But after smiling indulgently, he said, matter of factly, "Mat." (=Milk). I was like, "Well, we actually get to drink juice today!" His reply: "Mat." He would not be fooled.
Yesterday, Alex and I walked up to his office in midtown, which had power, so we could check emails, work and recharge our electronics. A whole conference room ended up being dedicated to displaced spouses.
We grabbed Chinese food after work, and everything felt almost normal. But the cab ride home was SPOOKY. As we drove below 31st Street, the city plunged into complete darkness (you can see the view from the taxi window, above). The buildings were towering gray shapes against the moonlight. Suddenly nervous, I asked Alex if we were crazy to go back home, but there were lots of people walking around with flashlights, and a general feel of camaraderie, so we forged ahead.
The French restaurant down our street was actually open! Glowing with flickering candles, the room looked really romantic, and couples were enjoying wine and sandwiches.
Meanwhile, we all agreed that the best decision was for Toby and his beloved babysitter Naudia to take a cab to her apartment in Brooklyn, which had power, so they could have a sleepover! He was so excited.
Naudia was SO sweet and bought a clown costume from a drugstore so they could go trick-or-treating. Toby was Mr. Clown, and she was Mrs. Clown. His friend was a dinosaur. I almost keeled over from the cuteness of her photos, and then almost burst into tears because I wanted to beam myself there so much. How delicious does he look? I can't wait to hear Toby's full recap of the night. We chatted quickly on the phone this morning, after he woke up, and he kept saying, "Silly! Fun!"

Really hope you are all doing OK and hanging in there! Here are a few more photos from the news...
And did you see this rainbow arched over the city after the hurricane? Our hearts go out to everyone affected by the storm. Here's a great list of ways to help. All our best wishes to you and your loved ones. xoxo

P.S. I'm bumping the challenge series to next week, thank you! xoxo

(Bottom news photos from The Boston Globe, The Atlantic, Gothamist, MTA's flickr stream, Inga, Reuters/Lucas Jackson and Andjelicaaa's Instagram)