Brink party of 4!

Here's a sneak peak at Amelie's newborn shoot with the amazing Claire Pelella.

5 days 'fresh' !

ps. Where is Rue, you may be asking? Well. 

We did attempt to include our son in this shoot. Attempt, is the key word here.

He was quite hyper. Quite. He would get on the bed, stand up, jump, do a barrel row and fling himself off the bed. Sitting still for two seconds?? Out of the question!

So, we are not pretending that our daughter is perfect and that we don't have a son....

honest!

Photos courtesy : Claire Pelella

this is what Joy looks like

We had the privilege of working with the super talented, amazing, creative, lovely, sweet [shall I go on??] photographer Brittany Fray, of Brit Fray Photography. On saturday night we took our family photos, with baby girl at 20 weeks. It was a gorgeous day, with the golden sun and beautiful broken down barns as our backdrop. Here is a sneak peek.

It's a GIRL

Just home from our ultrasound & celebratory dinner; cheeks hurt from smiling all night.

We are having a GIRL! A little baby girl, who at present looks just like her big brother did when we first saw him at 19 weeks. A little girl that we will raise into a woman; that I will get to dress up and clip bows into her hair. Dollies and tutus and sweetness, oh my.

I have a daughter.

le sigh.

baby kisses are caffeine

12 weeks & 6 days preggs. Feeling good. But on this particular day I'm tired & lazy. Sitting on the couch all morning, watching Sesame Street, Million Dollar Decorators, the Food Network, and What Not To Wear. No playing energy, whatsoever. Out of the blue Rue climbs onto the couch and kisses me on the lips. And then again. And then again. About 12 kisses later, I am a happy teary mess. And surprisingly full of energy. I was in a playing mood.

Kisses in the morning are SO much better than even the best cup of coffee.

It is possible to pause this moment and hang on to it forever?

10 weeks preggs

We saw Baby #2!

Happy strong heartbeat.

Baby is in the right place.

Legs kicking, arms swimming.

Everything looks perfect.

Relief.

Peace.

Happiness, schmeared all over my heart. Mmm, schmear. Now, I want a bagel with cream cheese. Oh food. I love you.

Grand debut/ETA: January 22, 2012 [one week sooner than I calculated. Awesome!] Grow baby grow! See you in 30 weeks!

Anniversary #3.

Did I seriously miss blogging about my 3rd anniversary? On June 8th? As in 2 weeks ago? Yes, yes I did. Ah, well. Baby news certainly trumps all other news. Regardless of my tardiness, that doesn't change the fact that I'm a wife who is still 'ooh la la' in love with my husband and that deserves a post, late or not.

So here it is.

3 years baby! woo! We have seen a LOT of life in three years. A kid, one in the making, a major renovation, a new job....that's just the major stuff. There have been many hurdles in between.

But I love you more than I can say and I guarantee I could never find a better match, friend, confidant, father, lover in the world. You are my supreme. My crème de la crème. My joyeux sur le dessus.

Cheers to the next 3. And the next 30. And maybe the 30 after that. That would make us 66 years married and ........ almost 90. Sounds good to me.

love you babe.

xo

not sure what to title this one...

The news of baby #2 is settling deep into my heart, and psyche. I am feeling it's great joy.

The knowledge that I am going to bring another human into the world is so huge. Even though baby is only the size of a raspberry and the weight of a paperclip, I know that baby's personality and habits and character are already forming. With each day that passes, I know there is a big countdown, ticking, down down down the days until our little blob of a baby will arrive and change our lives forever. I like that I have less fear than I did with Rue. There was just so much unknown then. And true, while I don't know how I will handle two babies, I am confident that I will do a great job and I will be a great mama even when I fail.

It's a beautiful season I am in. There is a rest and peace in this time. I am not anxious for number 2 to get here, but rather I am really enjoying my time with Rue.

On a less emotional/ethereal/dreamy note, pre-nesting is kicking in big. Changing around winter/summer/maternity clothes, purging, organizing closets, and cleaning the radiators with a toothbrush. You know, normal stuff. My belly is growing. First trimester sleepiness or rather, fatigue, is biting me hard. But no morning sickness so no complaints here. I am feeling better than I did though- the first 3 weeks were very painful. I didn't know subsequent pregnancies could be so painful and uncomfortable. Thank goodness it's over.

Friday is our first ultrasound. We will get to hear a swoosh-swoosh heartbeat and figure out a due date. I am eager to find out that baby is healthy and growing in the proper place. The pain had me worried it was Ectopic. But I'm sure everything is A-OK.

Thanks for the congratulations and well wishes. We are so excited!

love, Y

number 2.

There was no time for deciding 'to try, or not to try'. No time to plan for a hot date night, put on my bedroom eyes and get it on till the break of dawn.

[ha! it rhymed. I had to.] Nope, no time for me to think I held the reigns on this one. When I wrote my 'itchy-itch' post, little did I know...

I was already.

I am currently.

Pregnant.

!!!

6 weeks and a few days.

If you could only see my face! It's pretty much ONE BIG PERMA GRIN. Ya'll, I'm sooooo happy.

I am so ready for this next phase. For the new life growing in my belly! For the baby brother or baby sister that Rue is going to love. [really, he looooves babies] For the bump...which is already popping out. Say WHAT!?

So...yeah. There it is folks. Fertile. Womb fruit. Preggo. Gahh!!! :)

xo, Yana

itchy itch

I wrote this post a week ago and it's been sitting as a draft. Waiting. Waiting for me to hit publish. After a week of processing and pondering aaand....more processing, I'm ready to hit publish.

So...here goes.

I am getting the baby itch.

I see pregnant bellies and my heart swells a bit. In the card section buying a 'congratulations on your baby boy' for my cousin and her son Luca I got a little misty eyed. Then I got a smile and a big-big-oh so big lump in my throat. I told my husband and he said 'well... you are already at a better place than the first time. Cause we weren't ready at all then. See how I spun that for you?'

So.

I don't know what this means exactly! I don't know if this means: let this little seed/idea simmer and culminate and grow and take over our hearts and if we get pregnant, celebrate? Or...should we decide 'let's make a baby' and put on my bedroom eyes and get husband to jump on me and give me everything he's got before we have a chance to change our minds? Haha. [I hope that made him blush]

I'm curious friends, what did you do, if I may ask? Did you decide to try? Or just let the chips fall where they may? Did you try for a specific gender?

.

.

.

Well, regardless, I'm just glad I'm finally at this place. Those of you who have been around HGBB for the last year or so can vouch that I never thought this day would come. And for my real life friends who I haven't told yet...well, now you know!

Big heart swells, xo.

Y

the little [big] things.

Last week an epic thunderstorm blew into town. Something about the crazy wind and thunder and lighting rolling in the distance got me thinking, got my heart churning. Standing on the balcony next to Chris I blurted out:

'why is it so hard to live in the NOW of life??'

Like most people, I spend a lot much time thinking about the future. About our next house. The next baby. The next horizon. Thoughts like 'when that one thing comes through...when that one thing changes...when those pieces to fall into place.' Dreaming is crucial, of course. Without dreams we would be hopeless. But dream too much and you lose sight of now. Of what's your reality. So I question, why can't I just live in the 'now' and be satisfied? I propose that maybe the day-to-day, the ins and outs of daily life can be mundane. Tunnel vision of sorts. But I don't want to wake up in 10 years and realize my babies turned into kids while I was sleep walking.

Truly, I want to embrace and savor this life that I HAVE, not the life I want. The life that is staring me in the face, daring me to enjoy the little things and not just the grand moments. The life that is messy and crazy and beautiful and challenging.

Rue woke up at 12:30 [thank you tooth #8] and at first I was in a mumble-groan-gripe-exhausted-bad mood and tried to get him back to sleep with no avail. So, I picked him up, and for the next hour or so, I snuggled him in the rocking chair and ran my fingers through his hair. I stroked his little cheeks and stared into the deep darkness of his eyes. He stared right back, and talked to me, in his sweet little mumbo jumbo jibberish language. He rubbed my arm. And then one moment he cupped my cheek so gently and just held my face in his hand. My heart exploded into a million pieces and I couldn't find a trace of bitterness that I was losing sleep and that I would probably be useless the next day. I was enjoying and savoring and soaking up every second of our little nighttime rendezvous.

Today, I am certainly tired, but ohhh so satisfied. I enjoyed a little [big] thing.

favorite photos of late

we snuggle, every morning. it's tradition.

breakfast sweetness

baby model much?

At the park, spinning his favorite toy

just call me dirt boy

three 'snaggle' tooth grin.

bebe booty. can't get enough.

He's a classic boy: loves to be naked, and knows it's funny. He runs around laughing hysterically, wagging his little peepee

Le pout. So endearing.

Spring walk with Dad

Get away from the street Rue.

'Impressed with birthday balloons!

Unimpressed with mom's baby sitting strategy while shoveling: bundle him up so tight he can't move.

Playing with his John Deer tracker while naked. Like I said....classic BOY.

Bathtime

Swinging! Shrieks! Silly!

'weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!'

Stairmaster

Circus of Love

My super talented friend/brother-from-another-mother Benjamin Dunn is an amazing musician and he recently released his latest album. Along with my husband our closest friends, I had the privilege to participate in his first official music video. It was so fun! You can see me standing behind the drummer. Chris described me as 'as the girl doing high-claps'.

Also, his website and his album is available for sale on iTunes.

cheers!

Y.

Mr. Moo-moo & the sled brigade

We [finally!] had our first snow day of the year!

A little powder, a new fuzzy hat and a brand new sled from the G-P's made this fun afternoon possible.

Mr. Moo-moo L-O-V-E-D his first sledding experience and we loved being the reindeer that pulled him around. Isn't that a funny thing about being a parent? You actually don't need to have fun yourself, but when your kid has fun, you do too!?

Donned in a super dense 3-6 month bear cub sleeper [you think I should update my kids' winter wardrobe?] little man could hardly move but that did not keep him from having a blast! Kicking his feet, giggling, and flashing us his 2 pearly whites. Oh, be still my heart!

10 months [alternatively titled 'Hide Your Daughters']

eat your heart out world, my baby is TEN months old today!

Kiddo, I spend my days watching you grow, learn, fall down, and relearn.

You are breath-takingly adorbs.

With each day you seem to take on new words, new babbles, new phrases.

Just today you sang to me nearly verbatim the tune of 'oh christmas tree'.

I only started singing you that song YESTERDAY.

(although strangely enough, you STILL don't say Mama)

You have just 2 teeth, count em, 2.

You are a FOODIE if I've ever seen one!!!

You actually get MAD at me if I don't give you the food that I'm eating.

So far the only thing you have ever spit out in disgust is brown rice cereal, which I assume is because quite simply it's tasteless and awful.

I find that so endearing ;)

Someday we will travel the world together and you will learn all the names of amazing foods and we will eat it ALL.

Until then, I will keep giving you my lentils and watch you chomp with glee.

I love you Rue Rabbit.

Alooooha!

A happy hello from the land of the hula!

Chris, Baby, my Mom, Dad & I have been having a delicious, sea salty, sun-burnt heck of a good time here on the island of Molokai. We arrived Tuesday morning and have blissfully frolicked in the waves, snorkeled, sunbathed and grilled our hearts out. Tomorrow is my birthday [hooray!] and to celebrate we will be grilling fresh fish we bought off the back of a local's pickup truck & popping champagne for mimosas on the beach. Should be quite the 26th birthday!

As much as I have missed my bed, my blog, my friends...I really don't want to come home. I quite enjoy smelling like coconut suntan lotion, sans makeup, bikini's only & swimming daily. I will miss sleeping on the veranda, star gazing and listening to the constant sound of the lulling ocean waves. Seriously, would YOU want to come home either?!

cheers friends...be back soon.

year two!

two crazy kids fell in love.

the bees and birds buzzed.

they had a baby.

they became a family.

all in two short years.

to be continued...

oh california

Last December [yeah yeah, I'm just now posting the pictures. Don't hate.] Chris and I took a pre-baby-moon-vacation to San Francisco, California. It was an amazing trip.

There were SO many photos to choose from, but here are a few of my favorites.

Fun rental:

sun kissed self portraits

Beautiful scenery

hot tubs

the breathtaking SF

the highway 1 coastline

admiring great views

sweet and fattening breakfasts on the deck

sunsets

babymoooon

gorgeous redwood trees

fires

lovers

twin peaks

coast

pebbles

more trees

our rental house

beach wandering

snuggling

touristy things

incredible crepes

the golden gate in her glory

the whole reason we took this trip:

the belly