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!

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

up

Things are UP.

Feeling up.

Looking up.

Shaping up.

It's amazing how some sunshine, the arrival of Spring and a glorious weekend with my main squeeze erased the memories of a rotten week.

Baby is happy again, and I am feeling 1000x better. Correct me if I'm wrong, but 5 days stuck in a house with a whiny sick baby will drive anyone to the edge!? I just wanted to thank you friends for all your sweet comments, encouragement and love. You are the best!

xo, Y

My Best Friend's Wedding

it's a pretty big deal when your best friend meets a guy named Joe.

it's a pretty big deal when your best friend falls head over heels in love with Joe.

it's a pretty big deal when Joe proposes to your best friend at the grand canyon with a *huge* rock.

it's a pretty big deal when your best friend gets married to the man of her dreams.

Kate [my best friend of 12 years] married Joe in a Los Angeles garden two weeks ago. I had the pleasure of standing by her side on that happy day. She was a gorgeous bride, a vision in champagne. The wedding had a vintage 20's theme, complete with parasols, flapper bridesmaid attire & the reception was at an Art Deco restaurant downtown. The food was the delicious, the band was in full swing [literally] and all 50 guest donned vintage attire.

It was a beautiful, elegant yet simple wedding.

Congratulations my sweet Kate. I mean...MRS. Petrick!

My little Ruester in his fancy H&M suit, 5 months!

xo, Y

spring has sprung

my crocus have bloomed

I'm shouting it from the rooftops:

I LOOOOOVE SPRING!!!!!

Today has been an incredible day! 70 degree weather. A long napping baby... [my baby? napping??] Egg sandwiches for brunch. Coffee, of course. Exchanging my winter for summer clothes! My husband cleaned the bathroom and is raking the yard, as I play on my new computer! It's just too delicious not to. Later today, we may be breaking out the brew and the grill. Oh joy!

And to think there's still one more day of weekend!

my post delivery gift

Earlier this week my husband said to me:

"I got you something. It's a surprise. "

I said:

"oohh! I love surprises. Well, I have a surprise for you too! [dinner.]

Today the surprise arrived:

I think he won.

I haven't thrown the baby out with the bath water...

Doves, hello hello!
Welcome to my blog, new and old readers!
I want thank Leigh from Marvelous Kiddo for featuring Rue’s birth story as ‘birth story of the week.’ I’ve read her fabulous blog for over a year and been inspired many times by the beautiful pictures and words of mamma’s and their birth experiences. I feel blessed to have joined the ranks of women who have brought life into this world. Hopefully I can and have already inspired someone with my birth story.

For those of you who have been following HGBB for a while, you know I’ve been infrequent in my posts since the babe was born. Oops. It happens to all new-&- really-sleep-deprived-moms right? I seem to have about….an hour of free time a day, and it’s normally not at the same time! When the babe actually lays down for a ‘catnap’ my brain goes something like this:

“He’s sleeping………………………………
!? !?
Sigh.
What should I do?
Sleep?
Eat.
Pee?
Wash a load of dirty baby clothes?
Put away the clean dishes?
Load the dirty dishes that are piling up?
Dry the load that I washed two days ago, that’s been sitting in the washer and is probably musty by now??
Pluck my bushwacked Freida-esque eyebrows?
Brush my teeth today?
Put on ‘real clothes’?
Take out the dirty diaper trash that’s stinking to high heaven?
Blog?
Shower!!!

By the time I have figured out what to do, I’ve wasted 5 minutes of his naptime, and somewhere between the toilet flush and burning the grilled cheese sandwich, he stirs. I hear his little cry calling to me ‘come hold me mama!’…So I shove a piece of blackened bread in my mouth and I run to grab him. That’s love folks.

Well, what can I say about being a new mom? It’s beautiful, and exhausting. I’m so in love. My arms are getting stronger by the day because he loves to be held 24/7.
We don’t sleep much and we both have cried a LOT these first 4 weeks, but it’s getting better. I’ve heard that 6 weeks is a milestone for newborns, so my fingers are crossed. I hope to have more ‘me’ time in the coming future, for one, to blog. I’ve missed it, and I really love to stay connected to you all. Thanks for all the wonderful sweet comments! They are the butter on my bread!!

Stay tuned for a new series: Confessions of a New Mom.

All my love,

Yana

Ruehl at one month!

living in a dream world

It's 2:26 am.

I can't sleep.

It's not that I ain't tired.

I just can't stop thinking about him.

When i'm awake I dream of him.

I feel like I'm cliff hanging.

It's the midnight hour.

He WILL be here soon.

I don't want to sleep, my heart is too full of excitement, and anticipation.

I feel like i will burst.



I had some tea, toast, a juicy pear, and some search time for cloth diapers.

At 2:26 am, I am exhausted and thrilled for these next few days/weeks of waiting.



I'm living in a dream world.

Best of 2009

My Favorite Moments of 2009:

Buying our first house!

Moving in. Hah.

Meeting baby Naomi & becoming Auntie Yaya

Celebrating my Mom & Mom-in-law at my house on Mother's Day. Little did I know, we concieved that day. So technically I was a mom too, and didn't even know it!

The shocking second pink line.

[this would also fall under the category of most scary moment of 2009]



One year Mawwied! Weekend trip to DC







Secretly filming his parents as we reveal our big surprise











My 25th birthday bash. Pregs. So much fun!

A visit from my best friend Kate. I'm rocking my 20 week bump, and she was rocking her new Rock, from freshly proposed fee-yawn-cay, Mr. Petrick.

Going to see my friends Mute Math in concert.

My Baby Shower. The gifts were great, the female chatter was roaring, and the food was bangin'. My mom rocks.

Our trip to San Francisco!

Our 'Last-vacation-with-out-a-baby-for-a-few-years-trip' to San Fran.

2nd mawwied x-mas. First in our home, and first ever pregs.

Giving my sweet man his guitar

There are many many more beautiful memories that only my heart holds.

ok, 2010. What'chu got? Bring it!

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]

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.

'The story of the littlest Brink'

Wow, I didn't expect to burst into tears as I sat down to type this. I really wasn't expecting that at all.

But, alas, I am, expecting. A little baby. My first. A child. My child.

I'm 9 weeks pregnant!

I'm suddenly, so overwhelmed seeing the words written 'my child' that I can hardly type.
You can't see how long I'm taking to write this, but take my word for it....

I am so: excited, happy, nervous, anxious, dreamy, shocked, processing, amazed, in-love, overwhelmed........and so many other emotions that I can't even put it into words.

This is not another 'chapter' in life...this is more like whole new book. With beautiful, crisp, blank white pages, waiting for this little story to unfold and change my life forever. Welcome, littlest Brink!

I. couldn't. be. happier.

xx, Yana