Holiday Highlights

our home was christened this year by the first christmas.
some of my favorite moments are:


trivial pursit smack downs

watching christmas movies

not leaving the house for 4 days

making and decorating sugar cookies

eating said sugar cookies

christmas eve dinner

baking apple pie

staring at the tree with my dog neice Bella on my lap

giving presents to my favorite people

the endless ribbing of my sister and brother in law to produce a cousin for our baby
[amy, if you're reading this, know that it won't stop until you call and tell me you're pregnant]

being 8 months preggs kept the fawning at a maximum and the chores to a minimum [SCORE]

giving my husband the best gift ever- a beautiful guitar



it was a sweet sweet christmas indeed!!!

one month and counting...

I am SO excited to share that we have ordered our La Bassine birthing pool. Leigh from Marvelous Kiddo used the same one, and I consider her an inspirational mama and birthing guru, so naturally it was the first pool I looked at.

I'm busy collecting the remaining items we need for our home birth, and I feel like I need more time. Yet...it seems like it can't come soon enough. I can't wait to meet you Baby Brink.

le sigh!

Confessions

The 'Confessions of a Pregnant Woman' series has been really fun for me. I've enjoyed sharing the ins and outs of my pregnancy with you all. But you know what's crazy? There's only time for one or two more of them! So without further ado....

1. Every day (and sometimes hourly) I voice the same phrase as though I have never said it before: 'He is coming soon. He is going to be here soooooo sooooooonnnnn.

2. We are calling the birth 'D-Day'. Um, What? Doesn't the WWII storming of the Beach of Normandy, France conjure up thoughts of a serene home birth to you?? Ok, so not exactly. But it works for me...

3. I have been carrying my sister's dog around in my sling, to practice babywearing.

4. Baby is growing big and the room in there just doesn't seem as adequate as before!
Now I have little toes jamming into my ribs. However, his head is down which is great because it's likely he won't be breech. I will take inflamed ribs any day!

5. He has hiccups every day. So funny. I tell him not to be scared. Don't you think hiccups might be scary to a baby?

6. I am starting to get uncomfortable. Like oh god I can't breath uncomfortable. Thankfully he dropped a little yesterday so I can breathe a little better, but my bladder is not impressed!
Maybe the twice nightly peeing is the way the body prepares for nighttime feedings? It's saying get used to this sister...you have a few more months to go.

7. Honestly, I do feel beautiful. My husband tells me so every day, which helps.

8. I really miss my skinny jeans.

9. D-day is 36 days away according to the ticker, but earlier would work just fine for me.

10. I love to hate Braxton Hicks. I have them daily, and I'm glad my body is warming up. I think I might be dilating a little bit, so maybe he will come a little early? Fingers crossed!!

best. christmas. ever. (a.k.a. how do you spell 'recession'?)

What a beautiful, lovely, perfect, sweet, and delicious Christmas it was!
Chris and I hosted the family Christmas for the first time in our little house.
His parents, sister and brother in-love, and Bella, their Chihuahua came to spend the holidays.
(Technically Bella is the first grand baby, or grand dog as we call her. We love her, and she is quite cute and lovable for a small yappy dog. We like to play with her and awww at her cute tricks. But we have started to warn her that soon she will not be the center of attention anymore...there will be a new Little Sheriff in town. Baby Brink will come soon, and he will certainly steal the limelight. As he should! :)

We all seemed to forget how to spell 'recession', which was evident by the ungodly amounts of presents that poured out from the under the tree. When your love language is gifts and you have a family who is the same, it's easy to go overboard. I understand how quickly it can be all about the gifts and have that be the focus, but really when you do it out of a good place of love, then it's not the focus. It's just...the joy of it. I was so happy to see everyone's face light up when they opened something that they truly needed, enjoyed and wanted.

My favorite gift this year was the one I gave Chris. I secretly saved up (and by saved I mean scrimped. Every penny. It's hard when you don't work!) and bought him a beautiful Taylor acoustic guitar. I was crying when I gave it, and he cried when he saw it. It was the best gift I've ever given. And not because it was worth a lot of money, but because it was so heart felt. My husband deserves the world for taking care of me and our house, for selflessly going to work every to provide for our family. He needed to be thanked, and sometimes my words just can't do justice what is in my heart. I wanted to do something for him that he would never do for himself. He is just too selfless. In this season of our lives as we prepare for our baby to come, the needs are ever increasing. So spending so extravagantly wasn't maybe the smartest idea, but it needed to be done. He is worth that much to me.

So as I gave it to him all I could do was cry....I could hardly spit out the speech I had created. I just watched him in awe as he was overwhelmed, and he was speechless too. I can tell you, this 'love' thing....is really SO much better, and deeper and amazing than I expected.

My favorite gift I got? An hour long prenatal massage (thank you chris!!) Other favs included a Jelly Cat alligator for my son. He and Ardi the Arvark will be great friends. What else... Oh!! A harddrive from my dad. So now I can finally free up some space on my overly full computer, restore some order, and begin blogging again. (I would've gone to the library like I said I would, but we had quite the snow storm, and I've already slipped once on the ice. So I don't want to take any more chances.)

There is so much more to write about, but I have to end it here. Coffee and Saturday is calling. I must comply. Future posts: new belly pics & 'Confessions'

LOVE & LOVE, Cheers, Bliss, xo,
Yana

i'm baaaaaack!!!

Holy. Majoley.

My long blogging break was not intentional! In the spirit of the holidays, let's hold hands and thank my overloaded and extremely slow and old computer, that has totally ruined java script and cookies. BAHHH.

So much has happened since my last post!

Firstly, let me say......holly jolly merry holidays to everyone!!!

Secondly, I am becoming somewhat of a spectacle, belly wise. Loves, there is just 7 weeks till my due date!

Once the holidays are over, the leftovers are gone and the in-laws have returned home, there will be just 5 weeks remaining. Which means =Operation Major Nesting will commence. I CANT WAIT!

I really want to post the pics from our recent "babymoon" to San Francisco, but I'm not sure my computer can handle the pressure. It was an amazing and restful vacation.

Augh! I'm bursting with holiday excitement, thankfulness, burgeoning belly, happiness, and many many blog topics. I will be back, I promise. Even if I have to go to a library and type on a dirty keyboard, I WILL blog again. and soon.

love and miss all you readers and friends!!!

xx, Yana

Hallloooowweeeen

Chris and I don't have any plans for Halloween this year. But if I did, my costume options would be limited to the following fatties:

Do you have fun halloween/costume plans??

I WANT!

I want this Ardvark for my son!

We shall call him Ardi, and he will be part of our family.

How stinkin adorable is he!? He's orange...and an ardvark. Can it be any cooler than that?

[from Oompa Jelly Cat]

Barefoot Contessa

my favorite tv chef, Ina Garten has impressed me once again! I made her Company Pot Roast this weekend, and OH MY HOLY STARS it was to die for.

It was my first attempt at making pot roast and if I do say so myself, it was impressive with a capital I.

I highly recommend it. For the record, I omitted the cognac and added potatoes. Delish!

I'm moving!

Friends, family, & loves...pack your bags. We're Moving Tomorrow!!
[not to the barbie dream house] but to:

http://www.myheartgoboom.blogspot.com/


so goodbye, yanabanova.blogspot....you've served me well!

cheers and see you other side!

xo, Y


[Edit: welcome to my new domain! You'll find the same fun, wit and charm, just a different name!]

he's destined to be an artist.

when I paint [be it a canvas or room] I can't help myself- I *always* get paint everywhere.
My hair. my ear. my butt. my toe. my elbow. my fingernails...

I can now add 'belly' to that list.

pretty funny.

"Cry Me a River' ... of embarrasment?

Two days ago, I was in the grocery store, doing my housewifely thang.
When in the meat department, my heart lept - - -

Justin Timberlake's [insert girlish sigh here] 'Cry Me A River' began playing on the store's loud speaker.

Then ---

I scored an amazing 2 for 1 special on Pot Roast!

At this point in the story, my heart was so full with joy, that I couldn't help but begin to shake it!
Oh.my. There's nothing better [in my wifely book] than hearing mah Boi, WHILE scoring cheap meat.

I was flat out doing the happy dance.

At this point in the story is when I notice a man staring at me, smiling, and chuckling.
[I'm sure my pregnant dancing self was a hilarious sight]

I burst into nervous laughter...spun my cart around with impressive force, and ran to the dairy aisle as fast as my legs could carry me....except to pause for a moment at the end of the meat aisle to find my favorite peppery bacon, which was another amazing 2 for 1 deal. And at seeing that, I threw my arms in the air, exclaiming "YESSS!!!" [what can I say, I love myself some cheap meat.] I'm sure he saw me.

le.sigh.

[if you share my love for this boy, then cry me a river]

when I feel gloomy from the winter weather...

...I listen to Louis Armstrong's 'la vie en rose'. It gives me the warm fuzzies & happy shimmeries. It makes me want to put on a dress, drink a glass of wine, dance in the living room and fall in love alllll over again.

le sigh, le sigh.

26 weeks

The little prince and I at 26 weeks!
Two more weeks and I'm in my 3rd trimester. mahh goonness!

same name, new place

I've wanted to change my blog address to heartgoboom.blogspot, but it has been unavailable until now! yippee! I know how to change my address, but how do I keep all of you lovely readers?? Is is easy to ask for you to follow me at a new address??

Those of you who are blog saavy out there, if you have a better way please let me know! I'm clueless!

xo, Y

eff me.

rowr!

I'm having one of those days where pulling out some hair would make me feel a lot better.

Not my hair, but his hair:

I enjoyed googling for 'Donald Trump Hair' pictures so much.....now I'm laughing and honestly not very upset anymore. Thanks Donnie.

[i was going to blog about how overwhelmed in every way that i am. That we are over committed and don't have enough time...and that i'm 'only 25 and childless, how can I feel so overwhelmed already????' But. thanks to Don. And to small projects/victories that I accomplished today, I CAN handle it all. maybe just today's worth of battles, but as least I can handle today.

ah, victory is mine!

bachlorette memories

Let me preface this post by the following:
my friends are weird.
like me.

for my bachelorette party (june 08) my best friends planned an amazing 80's bridal photo shoot instead of taking me to a sleezy bar or hiring a stripper. The plan was to do the photo shoot, get drunk on margaritas, and finish the night off at the bowling alley. We ended up having SO much fun taking pictures, drinking and having a group demonstraion of the Carmen Electra's Dance Stripper DVD (that one of the girls gave me) that we never left to bowl.



My sister-in law:

Channeling a soap opera feel:

Attempting to tease my hair as big as possible:

jump!

Mah gurlz iz so ganzta

The young and the restless cast:

This is my best friend in the whole world, and also the brains behind this whole operation:

Cupcakes. [there were phallic shaped cupcakes, but that might be too R rated for this blog.

The party traveled outside:

...which lead to a pinata filled with thongs, lube, x-rated trinketts and mini alcohol bottles.

[the best part of the pinata was the bottle of lube broke and it was spinning around shooting liquid everywhere. I couldn't figure out 'why the heck am I getting wet and sticky!?' i screamed.

we laughed a lot.

the end.

confessions, part 4

1. yesterday I found a picture of myself in a bikini and sighed, then almost cried.

2. babie's r us is a scary place! registering took me 3.5 hours, and if Jessi hadn't come to help me, I would've ended up in a puddle of tears and frustration.

3. so it's quickly becoming apparant that the only two questions [almost with out exception] that people ask me anymore is "When are you DUE?" and followed by "Do you have any names picked out??" auuuuugggghhh. Ok, clearly I am pregnant, but I'm beginning to feel a little lost here? Like when I was engaged, I was lost in the 'when's the wedding' question. I was SO glad to get married and not get asked that anymore. Once our son arrives, the next question will be 'SO when are you having #2!?' Sigh.

4. strangers are beginning to touch me

5. my order of mace is being shipped via Amazon

6. i love chocolate, especially hot

7. #5 was a joke...mostly

8. someone told me [when they saw my belly] 'wow, he's gonna be a big fella'
um, excuse me? Is that a compliment in New Hampshire?

9. gaining weight is really a lot harder than I anticipated. Pre-belly, when I'd hear a pregnant woman complaining about her weight I would say 'no, you look amazing! it's all for the baby! it's a good thing! don't stress about it! the weight will come' But now that I'm wearing these shoes myself, I feel like eating my own words. [see! eating! It's all comes full circle] But dont fret loves, I am eating a plenty for the both of us.

10. on a very serious note, I am so very thankful to be having this baby. Life truly is a miracle, and my heart goes out to a very close friend of mine who miscarred this summer, along with a blog friend who I've been reading for over a year, miscarried last week. It's heartbreaking and my prayers truly are with them.

24 weeks

here we are at 24 weeks! we're growing growing growing! as they say, time flies when you're having fun. I just hope that I can savor every moment of my little son's life...[before he grows up and leaves me, and makes me a mother in law, and makes someone else pregnant, haha]

yesterday was my second check up with my midwife, and so far we both seem extremely healthy! Good blood pressure, good weight gain, good good good. Except....for the strange phenom that my right knee doesn't reflex...what? I know. I'm perplexed too! We were laughing hysterically that my knee wasn't responding!

soon I'll be back with another 'confessions'...they've been a-brewin.

ciao loves! xoxox

snuggies . need . burning .

if you own a snuggie, and you are not over the age of 60+ [aka senior citizen] and it was NOT bought for you as a gag gift, you need to get your head examined.

i mean, i would be happy to cut holes into new blankets and sew tubes to them and sell them for triple the money...but seriously? they are one of the worst, most lazy american inventions ever.
and snuggies for dogs?? come on. they have fur!! ugh.

oh. how i love this parody.

babyyy roooom

Oh the joy's of renovation.
My baby's room never knew that joy, until now. Last year while we worked tirelessly on nearly the entire house for nine months, by the time we finished with the 'uber important top priority must finish in order to live rooms' the baby's room....(aka the storage room, second closet, random things room) got left alone in it's pitiful un-redone state. After all, it was the 'future' baby room. In other words, we full well didn't intend to USE it as the BABY room for a few years. 4 pregnanc sticks, laughs and tears later, surprise surprise!

So here I am, looking at 4 months left on the calendar to make a space for our little dude, and thinking I gotta get movin'!! So I did! I've begun fixing the walls, and as I type, the rooming is drying and waiting for a second coat, hooorah! I need to repaint all the trim and doors. I knooowwwww that people say don't paint, VOC toxins, blah blah. BUT I HAVE TO! I can't wait for help. I'm wearing a mask and well ventilating....any other tips? For paint colors, I've been hanging around the 'oops' paint section at our hardware stores. For 5 dollars a gallon, I can't complain! And it's kind of a fun game to see what they'll have!

The next big thing is the Crib. Where the heck do I find a cool inexpenxive crib? I've scoured Target, Babies r us, Craigslist, Ikea....and I'm hardly impressed. The ones I DO love are over 1k. Ack! Any suggestions???

white house

... and this would be my barbie dream house.

le sigh.

confessions of a pregnant woman, pt III

1. It has begun. The wearing of the dreaded maternity jeans has begun. [they are so stinkin comfortable, might I add. Still a tad ugly, but at this point, comfort is crucial]

2. 24 weeks tomorrow, and every day has been lovelier than the last. [if you would like me to pray for your pregnancy, I offer prayers for a nominal fee. kidding.]

3. I CAN'T BELIEVE THERE'S ONLY 4 months LEFT. HOLY S@&#. [I'm trying to control my tongue around the babe, but lucky for me he can't read yet.]

4. Baby Room Demo has commenced. Walls are being patched and repainted. Yippee!

5. um. ? [I lose my train of thought sometimes.....]

6. name searching...whittling down the options. I think we'll keep it a surprise once we choose!

7. After I birth brink jr, I'm seriously considering taking midwifery classes...

8. some days I feel really sexy, and some days more whale-esque. On the former days I smile. On the latter I try not to cry as I get dressed. On those days every article of clothing is sprawled on the bed or floor.

9. He seems so happy in there, rolling around. [let's hope he isn't content to over-extend his welcome to my uterus. Prince Brink, this is your mother typing. If you stay in there till 42 weeks, you're grounded.

10. I'm gonna go roast a chicken and enjoy overheating the house, and over-eating my own house.It's fall and I'm pregnant. What else is there do? :)


CIAO LOVES!

I am woman, hear me roar.

TLC's a 'Baby Story' is improperly named.
It should be call TLC's 'A documentation of creepy hospital's, painful deliveries, and OB's who are idiots Story' It doesn't make me want to have baby, on the contrary, it scares me. Am I alone in this??

Instead I am surrounding myself with good thoughts, words, books and stories. At this point, I am SO inspired to deliver, in a healthy physiological natural way. I am believing for the BEST. So many people tell me I'm 'so brave' and they could 'never do what I'm doing'. But really that just makes me think, WHY ARE THEY DOUBTING THEMSELVES? Why not believe in yourself? Maybe I've just read too much, but I am totally confident in my ability as a woman, as a creation of God, to deliver this baby in a happy, calm, safe enviroment. I am woman hear me roar!
I shoudn't let negative assumptions of delivery dictate my feelings and cause me to fear. I will just let what happens naturally...It may be better, OR WORSE than I'm expecting. But it's best to assume, the best. I am believing for a supernatural birth. I may sound foolish to you, but for me it's easier to believe for the best and take what I get. To use my faith in a way that makes sense. Why believe for 'less pain' or 'better than average' when faith is intended to be used for the impossible??? I DO think that a pain-free quick delivery is impossible...that's why we're believing for the supernatural to kick in. It doesn't make sense to the mind, but that's how God works.

Ahhh. That makes me feel so much better. I am woman, hear me roar. I can and will do this!

23 weeks

23 weeks down, 17 to go.

time is flying and crawling.

due date: jan 27th.

four months from today.

!!!

itching to move.

so there's a house.
that I want.
that Chris wants too.
it's gorgeous.
and white.
french style.
with a gorgeous back yard.
and a garage.
and a workshop.
and a patio.
[and a high price tag]


it's not that I dont LOVE my little starter house...the one that we worked on endless every night and weekend and free moment, and non-free moment. The one we bled for, and cried for. And sweat for, and put lots and lots of hard earned money into. I LOVE IT. But...we live on the edge of the ghetto. Not in it, but it's all around. Before the bump, I didn't mind, but now that this little life is ours to care for, my maternal instincts are up the wazoo and I want a safe haven to raise the prince in.


So...it's not that I don't LOVE our house...it's just.....I dont want to live in a neighborhood where rap music blares and we keep a bat by the front door in the umbrella stand.

100th post.

[i'm going to ignore my feelings of lameness, as it took me 2 years to hit 100 posts. eeesh. slap on my infrequent blogger wrist.]


Happy 100 posts to me! Today I'm sharing with you the books I'm currently reading, have read and plan to read. I only have 4.5 months till my bun is finished cooking, so I must take advantage of all this quiet free time I have!!

I am currently reading Baby Wise & Pushed. So far Pushed is awesome.........I'm not totally digging Baby Wise though.

Next on my reading list is Ina May's Guide & Your Best Birth. I've heard both are incredible.

Two others I've already read and enjoyed are Supernatural Childbirth and The Bradley Method.

The first is a liiiitle cheesy, but contains some great insight and scriptures. I really did not like the Dr. Bradley's writing style...AT ALL. I like his method though, so we are thinking of taking the birthing classes soon.

I've devoured a few others, inluding A Thinking Woman's Guide to Childbirth. That was an eye opener....especially as it was the first book I read. Pretty influential to me.

And there you have it. If you have any other suggestions, please throw them my way.

Love, and happy posting!

Y.

walkin' on sunshine

the last few days of summer linger on, and I'm savoring every inch of it. I've never cherished a summer so much in my adult life! Lazy evenings with my husband, and being pregnant have made this such a special summer for me.

knowing that this time next year I'll have a little crawler on my hands makes me smile! Another reason so savor this last season is that it will be my last with Chris...with just the two of us. So goodbye sweet summer. I will savor fall with every ounce of my being and enjoy the snowfall and being cooped up in my house. I will NOT complain that I have nothing fun to do. I will enjoy it all.

my belly grows every day and my little boy moves, kicks and nudges me throughout the day. I am the happiest pregnant person alive!!

what else is on my mind? the unknown of it all. yet, oddly I have no fear, no anxiety. Which if you know me, is SO unlike me. I love to know what's next around the bend, and how to anticipate it. But i feel like having a child is so unknown. In a moment's notice my life will change. In just a blink of an eye I will begin loving another person more than my own life....

My friend katie said that having kids is like watching your heart run around on the outside of your body. Watch out world...I'm growing up.

The Little Prince

oh.my.word.

I'M HAVING A LITTLE BOY!!! And let me tell you, we were so stunned. All three of us thought without a doubt, girl. It's in the bag. I even disregarded the midwife's comment about not performing circumcisions...I thought, oh no worries there. But, we were wrong. Happily wrong.

You couldn't find a disappointed face in the room. We were all smiles. [seems to be a trend...]

The ultrasound was beautiful. I could've watched him move for hours. The 3D images of our son amazed me. He's already SO CUTE!! Ahh! He was a-movin' and a-groovin', and I kept laughing, which btw, doesn't help the technician get a clear shot. But how could I NOT laugh when he was flexing his muscle at us? He was saying 'look dad! look at me! I'm strong too!' He already has his dad's chin, and my nose. Wow.

I couldn't fall asleep last night as my mind was a flurry! Everything is different now. I was picturing flowers, and dresses...and lambs, but not anymore! Bring on the Forts. Dirt. Bugs. Hammers. Water balloons. Tents. Swords. Tree-houses.Trains. Trucks. Superman capes. Legos.

It's actually not a far stretch from my own childhood. Don't get me wrong, I loved my dress-up clothes, Barbies, and Princesses just like any other girl, but growing up without silbings and only boy cousins, I was kind of outnumbered in the girly department. I became a pro at dirt, wrestling, GI Joe fight scenes, jumping off roofs, and playing Ninjas. I had a permanant tooth knocked out during a sword fight with a PCV pipe. Not so fun. We had contests to see who could climb the OUTSIDE of the house the longest, as well as the who could climb on the furniture on the Inside with out touching the carpet. We were monkeys...houligans at best. But it was FUN.

So maybe I'm not clueless as to how to raise a boy...well except for the whole potty training penis part. Thank God I have some time before that comes.

There's a party in my belly! and it has a little peepee. heehee.

he/she

Today is THE day.
At 6:30, Baby Brink, Me, Chris and my Mom [glam-ma CoCo] are going to get the long awaited gender ultrasound. What will baby be? A hamburger, or hotdog? Innie, or outie? Princess or Prince? A mini-me, or mini-Chris??

I AM ALLLLLLL SMILES. ear to ear. grins. laughs.

It's currently 12:03 and I have successfully wasted the morning away...and will continue to find things to do to waste more time until 6:30...facebook, blogger, checking my puny bank account, facebook, more blogger, watching Barefoot Contessa & What Not to Wear.... Something like that.


In other FANTASIC HAPPY WONDERFUL news: we have found our midwife!!! PTL and halle-stinkin-lujah!

So ladies and gents, cast your votes and place your bets. Have any guesses on the gender of Baby Brink?

to be continued....

I'm all smiles

i gotta admit...

i L.O.V.E. feeling my baby kick.

and wiggle. and turn. and see my skin move.

i makes my heart go all jingle jangle wacka-doodle spazoid!

big.happy.sigh.

To cloth....or not to cloth....

that is the question of the day. of the week. of this pregnancy.

my first reaction to cloth diapers for my kid: "hell. to. the. no. I'm going to have enough on my hands with a newborn, feeding, not sleeping, trying to feed myself and husband....cleaning house will be out the window in a flash. How will I have time to wash diapers daily???"

and then I read 'Pacing the Panic Room's post on cloth diapers. And I said: Oh crap. I knew diapers were a environmentally unfriendly item, but 'at the end of 3 years of using nothing but disposables, that messy mound would weigh as much as an elephant driving a town car' is how 'PtPR' describes it.

BAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

When I first suggested this idea to my husband his nose curled up too, but when I told him it would save us hundreds of dollars per year...he heard my tune. I am VERY open to the ways of the cloth, however I need to some guidance! Some feedback! Tips and suggestions from you beautiful mammas and pappas out there who have tried and true and found your favorite cloth diapers!!! Feel free to email me at yana@riverlution.net if you prefer.

So, 'PtPR' has a random drawing to win some (one size!) FuzziBunz cloth diapers and I'm hoping I'm the lucky winner. Cross your fingers!!!

Alright loves... ta ta!

XO, Y

flashlight & fire art

our friend mike invited us to go 'light tagging' with him under a bridge in downtown.
thanks to a slow shutter, we captured these. who knew flashlights and flaming steel wool could be so awesome?

chris kissing my baby belly:

my Chihuly inspired piece:

here's where we got competitive. May I introduce Darth Vadar:

Pac-man:

And my MJ 'thriller' pose:

tulips:

week 19

...it's amazing to me that I am nearly halfway there. I have so much more to go/grow! ;)

confessions of a pregnant woman, pt. 2

1. all I think about is baby.
2. I am half-way there next week! 20 weeks.
3. eeeeee!
4. I grin and squeal often.
5. baby is movin and a groovin, especially when dad plays guitar.
6. I cry at nearly every happy/sappy thing on tv.
7. I've been Soooooooooooo enjoying this pregnancy. Sometimes I think 'why does anyone think this is so hard? It's amazing!'
8. I'm LOVING the second trimester! no more naps!
9. I AM frustrated that my jeans are getting really tight, but I am avoiding the maternity jeans I bought... they scare me!
10. hahahaha. I laugh a lot. I want my baby to be really familiar with my laughter!

I'm a steel trap. Don't get me down!

Chris and I have decided to have a home birth. It was pretty much decided all along, but we had to find a midwife, and I think we've found our woman!
This topic of 'homebirth' has stirred up alllllllllllllllllllllllll kinds of reactions from people. Some good, mostly bad. [such as the following:]
"WHAT?!!? But that's so dangerous."
"Homebirth's are illegal"
"Well....You don't know any better!!"
"I love my epidural. Why would you choose pain???."

People act like I'm a deranged one legged super hero who is trying to save the world with sunshine. It's discouraging and unnerving, and more aggravating than Rachel Ray's voice. Grrrrrrr. Some reactions are good, but people few and far between have actually been encouraging [and for those of you that have, I salute you!!] So, somewhere, somehow I need to muster up enough balls to be a steel trap of confidence and attitude about the healthy, wonderful and exciting choice my husband and I have made together. I have read so many books already that promote home births, and at times that's all I have to keep me going.

If any of you have good stories/encouragements/book suggestions to encourage the homebirthing tiger in me, please pass them on! And if you don't have anything nice to say, than keep yo negative nancy opinions to yourself. I just dont need em! :)

I just needed to rant. There. thanks. i feel better.

Tomorrow I take my 19 week belly pics...hope to get em up soon!

xoxoxoxox

when it rains...

...it pours in my life. Last week after the biopsy I had 4 house guests (mostly unexpected) & a 7 month old stay over. then monday I got a horrible respiratory infection thing and thoughts of a family of phlegm dancing in my lungs. awesome. no time, hence the lack of blogging.

but i have great news!! : the fibroadenoma in my breast is benign! Healthy boobs are happy boobs. the procedure was simple and the doctor was very nice. Nice doctor, rare? i think yes.

ANDDD I felt the baby moving for the first time! It was so exciting! My heart was racing.
On the 14th of sept we have a meeting with a midwife (woohoo!) and on the 15th...we find out the gender! Exciting weeks ahead!!

Annnnndddddddddd today I am packing for our camping trip this weekend with our favorite adopted family. Canoeing, biking, smoreing, campfiring, relaxing, and a phone free weekend here I come!

love to you all. have a blissful weekend.

ciao! yamba

feel your ta-ta's!

hey doves, uber quick post today:

Yesterday during my routine prenatal visit, I showed the [male.]OB a lump on my breast that has developed this last month. It's quite hard and painful. So after few people felt me up, and an ultrasound, we found that it is a cyst. I am certain that it is benign, however a biopsy has been scheduled for tomorrow [th] afternoon. blah.

I feel like a loaded gun. I am so chock full of emtions that I could just go off... laughing and crying in the same breath. Please pray for me, or if you don't believe in prayer, send me your quasi-good-feeling-organic-yoga vibes. I need it very much. [i get results on friday]


okie. big big love to you all. and remember: feel your ta-ta's! it's important.

warm fuzzies

'From the moment I heard my first love story
I began to look for you
Not knowing how foolish that was
Great lovers don’t finally meet
They are born into eachother all along'

-Rumi

A stranger on a plane shared that Rumi poem with me a few years ago, and it changed me.

I'll never forget that lovely day.

R.I.P

fyi, there was a death in the family recently.
fuego, my hand me down fish died Sunday morning.
he popped. quite literally.

sigh.

he asked me to not take his picture in his last days....he was looking kind of phishy.

the end.

new baby in town

Welcome to life EVA!
My beautiful friend Sam gave birth to her first daughter Eva on July 30th, with a short and easy delivery of only 2 hours. She is the hero of my life right now. Read her beautiful birth story on her blog Baby Moist

on my end of things, blogging has been a little slow because not only have I been busy sleeping, but all that's on my mind is baby Brink. I don't want to overwhelm you readers with non-stop- all-things-baby....but what can I say?? I'm excited!! It's all I think about and pretty much all I feel like writing about. Hope you don't mind. If you do, mmmm get used to it. Once my little joy bundle gets here it will be non stop pictures, breastfeeding updates, questions and 'they slept a 4 hour stretch' happies.

ok lovies. ciao.

confessions of a pregnant woman

Greetings from the tail end of the first trimester-ebbing one week into the second trim. I'm still waiting for the infamous and illustrious energy and oompf that is supposed to accompany it.

This may be brief, but I have many confessions.

• Firstly I haven't been blogging because, I've been sleeping. Quite frankly, I'd rather be sleeping than do pretty much anything. However, I HAVE managed to clean, do laundry, and cook a decent meal for my husband. It just involves lots of naps, sitting down and couching.

• I am starting to panic a bit. Like the 'I have aboslolutely NO IDEA how to take care of a baby' and then my wise husband reminds me that 'no first time mothers have any real idea of what to do....but they learn.' Ah thank you God for giving me a wise man.

• I begin to hyperventilate when I think of how much crap there is in the basement that needs to be sorted through and chucked out. Can I accomplish that while sleep walking??

• All our houseguests and the insanity-of-too-much-activity-jammed-packed-into-two-weeks has finally passed, but I'm still exhausted even after a weekend of nothingness. We've sworn off house guests forever (or until my best friend Kate visits in September) That's what happens when I make my guest room up so cute. People overvisit! lol

• I've been thinking SO much about the birth. Where we want it, who will be here... it will be such a precious time in our lives and I want to plan it well.

• 15 week belly pics were taken today, so I'll post them soon. I didn't like my 14 week, which is why I didn't show em!

ok doves, time for me to ready dinner. love to you all.

xx, Yana

totally. elated.

last night one of my all time favorite people in the world stopped by for a surprise visit.
Niki, with freshly printed ultrasound in hand, announced that she is 9 weeks pregnant.

This is a miracle baby! In a condesed form of a nutshell: After a decade of marriage and never wanting children, Niki's maternal alarm clock went off and told her "i want to make babes" but there was the complication of unovulatory cycles, which made it impossible. 2 years later, she's sqeauling with me in my living room....it's a miracle!

:) I am SO elated for her, as a friend and woman. I've seen her heartache these past two years, and now that is behind her. We are due one month and 2 weeks apart! Our babies will be friends!! You may remember my January post about Niki's amazing work Happy Clay. Be sure to check her out!


On my end of things, everything is going smoothly. No naseau. Just a two day bout with heartburn after a [regretted] chicken burrito from Taco Bell. Road trips make people do dumb things sometimes. I'm mainly just really sleepy. Waiting paitently for my second trimester and the ellusive energy that supposedly comes with it!

love to anyone reading!

xx, Y

13 weeks

'thar she grows!'

[hah! the change from 12-13 weeks is quite noticable, don't you think? Tomorrow is week 14, so more pics to come soon. xoxo]