BabyFroo

This is where we were a week ago, today. In total awe and gratitude over the birth of our new beautiful baby girl, Yehudis.

While she looks like quite a chunkster in this post-birth photo, she only weighed-in at 5.13 :)

And it's the most precious 5 pound bundle on earth.

While Freida adjusts to her new baby doll sister (she is over the moon about the baby, not so much about the changes), and I rest up here at home while bonding with the sweetest big-eyed, button-nosed little lady, I just wanted to let you all in on the birth of our newest family member, and let you know that, thank God, we are doing just great!

For now, my mom is here taking care of us - feeding me nonstop and spending an impeccable amount of time playing with Freida and giving her heaps of much-needed attention. I've been sleeping and sleeping and trying my best to stay off my feet and listen to my mothers orders. :)

I really want to write up the birth story (as well as finally write up Freida's birth story), and post a few pregnancy posts that have been sitting in my draft box for over a week! I hope to do so as soon as I'm up for a bit more screen time, but for now I'll just leave you with a few pictures of the new baby, and a promise to write more about it all later...

LOVE.

There's no denying that this little equation is the absolute best thing about love!

While browsing the web this afternoon, I came across 3 lovely love-themed things I'd love to share:

So many one-liners I'd love to type up for these little felted fortune cookies!

These love-struck brownies have got to be the easiest V-day dessert ever!

I would just swoon over getting one of these in the mail!

Hope you were all able to spend some special time together with you love today...

Belly Art

Have any of you mamas out there ever done pregnant belly art? I'm so intrigued by the concept! I've been seen henna-decorated bellies since my pregnancy with Frieda, but never thought I'd actually go for it! Perhaps it's due to the fact that I'm currently on a decorating-stint with nesting our new home and all... or maybe I just like the fear-factor of messing the thing up and being stuck with some gnarly brown design on my stomach for the next 2 weeks. :)

In any case, I'm totally smitten by the ritual and plan on picking up a henna set and letting my husband go wild with his middle-eastern side this weekend - right onto my growing belly. Here's to celebrating the life we grow inside - through random and far-out rituals!!

Painted Pink

I've been coveting the concept of a pink accent wall for at least a year now, and while we never had the guts (or the need) to re-paint our lovely green living room wall in our previous apartment, once here surrounded by "renter's white" - we  finally gave it a go! We launched 2012 in a super-bright way this past Sunday - via a coat of hot pink paint in the living room!

I won't deny that once the day went on and the pink shade deepened, I did start to freak out a tiny bit. :)

I kept wondering if it looked too dollhouse-y next to the white walls and couch, or thinking it totally clashed with the orange-y wood flooring, or that it simply wasn't a "hot" enough pink. Thankfully, I already know a thing about painting walls - you almost always freak out from the color at first. It takes a few days of living in it, and a few different light settings before you can truly decide if you like it or not...

After living in it for almost a week now, the only thing I know for certain is that I really love pink as an accent, and that I really to change out my lightbulbs for white light - the slightest yellow tinge against this color looks just awful! :)

That evening a friend of mine (thanks Layla!) sent me an email linked to the Apartment Therapy pink round-up, and it just  reinforced my love for this warm girly hue! Here's why:

And if you find yourself falling in love with the pink but overwhelmed with the concept of wall color, try accenting:

We'll be continuing our redenzvous with color throughout the house tomorrow (including bright yellow in the kitchen!), and I'll make sure to post some pics of the complete pink wall once it is finished (read: furnished). :)

3 Cheers!

Last Sunday we celebrated Freida, and her arrival at the big 3. There are so many things to be grateful for when a child reaches a new age, a new year... but the most important thing to celebrate is the child themselves. I can't even begin to describe the magnitude of joy that having Freida in my life has brought about for me. When we named her Freida (yiddish for joy), I did so with my great-grandmother (her namesake) in mind - there was nothing quite as joyful to me as the memory of the intense joy that older women portrayed when I met her as a young girl. She twirled me in circles singing Hava Nagillah with the brightest of smiles lighting up her warm and wrinkled face. I so wanted joy like hers in my old age as well, and so I named my firstborn daughter with what I hoped would be a guarantee for giggles, good nature, and great big smiles. This little 3-year-old blessing has in fact brought such intense happiness to every moment of my life - and while days surely go by when I take this for granted, her very special day of birth serves as a concrete reminder as to how much appreciation I truly have for the gift of birth, life, and for the special little birthday girl herself!

Naturally, having my mother in town to celebrate her with was the icing on the cake. I just kept thinking of the day after Freida was born - Shabbos morning - sleeping in my hospital bed, cuddled up with my sweet sleeping newborn, and opening my eyes to see my mother sitting there on the chair just watching us sleep... There really is nothing even close to the bond of a mother-daughter relationship, and I feel so blessed to be so close to my own mom, and even more grateful to be given the gift of a daughter!

We gathered the gang of family and cousins together for a little afternoon backyard princess-gone-medieval party :)

Freida took the "no bouncing without a costume" rule very, very seriously. To get into that bouncy house you must don some dress-up garment or accessory. No two ways about it.

Happiest Birthday wishes, little lady!! I can't believe I've only known you for 3 short years - and yet can't believe you are 3 years old!! Looking forward to sharing many more bright moments through your sweet blue eyes in the year to come! Happy Birthday!