So, why did I name my new blog Nirvana Mamma?  4 reasons:  1.) I wanted an easy to remember name with an available domain name , 2.) I wanted the name of my blog to be positive and fun to keep me from taking myself too seriously (because I always take myself too seriously), 3.) I wanted the name of my blog to be positive and fun to keep others from taking me too seriously (because I honestly don’t really know what I’m talking about), and 4.) I wanted the name of my blog to really connect with the type of content I will post on it.

On that last point, this blog will be entirely about me following my bliss.  My posts will be about what I REALLY want to write about at the time, not what I think I SHOULD write about, because I’m always worried about what I SHOULD do in order to make other people happy.   This will be a bit of an experiment, actually.  If I put myself out there–WAY out there–what will happen? 

There will definitely be posts about motherhood, because that’s my life right now.  But, I will probably be prone to sharing my deepest thoughts on life, which MAY turn some people off from my blog because I  have a different outlook than most people.  I will also be prone to blogging about esoteric topics like reincarnation and astrology which will DEFINITELY turn some people off from my blog.  I’m sure 90% of you just deleted my blog from your reader.  Which brings me back to the 4th reason for the name:  Nirvana Mamma sounds like a great name for a blog that only hippies would read.

But, I think the cool thing about this blog will be that it’s not going to be your average mommy blog.  And I plan on being a bit tongue-in-cheek with it.  I’m going to have tons of fun with it.  Again, I’m going to try to not take myself too seriously, and I’m hoping you won’t either. 

So, GO LIVE on NirvanaMamma.com will be May 17.  The design will probably still look exactly like MommyInProgress.com, but I have an itch to write again.  So, writing will come first, and the design second. 

I hope you’ll join me in my little personal experiment…even if you’re not a hippie.  Because, REALLY, I’m not a hippie.  I just think like one.

I’m still here!  Well…I’ll be moving on soon which I’ll explain in a sec.  I just wanted to update everyone on our little family.  Aidan is doing well!  He’s fairly HUGE which is so weird for me since Devin was always in the 50th percentile.  He’s just like Devin in that he fusses quite a bit if he’s not being held or talked to (I never luck out in the easy baby department – I must be on the LIST titled “Needs to learn patience”).  But, he is easier than Devin  in that he’s usually easier to console and smiles A LOT which is totally adorable. 

 Lack of sleep has been hard, but I’m really excited about my little family right now.  Having 2 is definitely more work, but it’s so much fun seeing both my boys interacting with eachother. Devin has adored Aidan since the beginning which has been a real blessing, and Aidan seems to love watching the antics of his big brother.  I may just have to have another one!  We’ll see, right?

I wanted to let everyone know (yes, all of you 5 readers out there!)  that I’m moving on to a new blog.  I never really liked the name of this blog and I finally found an available domain name I like.  I’m designing it myself which is taking awhile because I have to learn about coding and design software – fun!  I will post the link to my new blog on Mommy In Progress once it’s live.  This blog expires on April 15, so that is my deadline, but I’m hoping for March. 

Oh yeah – my birth story will be on  the new blog.  So late…I know!  But, I’m all obsessed with designing this new blog.  At least that’s my excuse.

Aidan Derek Hill

Born October 29, 2009

3:16am, CST

6lb 15oz, 20in

Birth story coming soon!

Ojai and Art

My Dad lives in a cool, little town called Ojai, CA.  It’s a small town that has a bit of a hippy, artist vibe.  Plus, it’s just far enough from L.A. that several movie stars live there so you never know who you’re going to see:  Jake Gyllenhaal, Bill Paxton, Reese Witherspoon.

My Dad’s passion is art, so Ojai fits his style perfectly.  He does have a day job as an HR exec at a company, but I keep telling him he should retire and focus on his art because he’s exceptionally talented.  Check out his art at rayhardingart.com (A few drawings are of nude models, so please ensure you’re 18+).  Some of my favorites are in the “hand series” and “new drawings” sections.  The gumball machine will blow your mind as it looks like a photograph, but it’s really a drawing.  And…no….I don’t have a drop of his skill in me.  But, Devin is showing signs of being ambidextrous like my Dad, so I’m hoping he got the mad artist skills.

Visiting with Dad

We got to my Dad and Debi’s a bit late, but were able to grab some dinner and snacks at the local organic market and walk over to the park behind their house.  Every Wednesday they have the Ojai Band (orchestra) play music in the park for the locals.  It’s a wonderful family affair of music, local talent, balloons, and popcorn that really speaks to what a neat little town Ojai is.

The next day (my Birthday) we took Devin to a local water park.  There are only 2 things that will keep my son entertained for more than 10 minutes: music and water.  So the water park was a big hit, and even though he was shivering in the end (because contrary to popular belief, California is not that hot), he had a blast.

We had my Birthday dinner at a restaurant called Bodees and sat outside by their little creek. I had the best and probably most healthy meal of the trip here (baby veggies, wild rice, and a light yellow curry sauce –YUM!). Devin was a little antsy, so we did have to take turns playing with him in the parking lot, but it was still a wonderful Birthday dinner. And I even had a sip of some amazing wine – don’t tell my husband! 

The Happiest Place on Earth

The next day we were off to Disneyland, “the happiest place on Earth”.  Kind of ironic that Disneyland, the “happiest place on Earth”, is in L.A., don’t ya think?

Yes, I’m an 80’s rocker chick, and No, I’m not ashamed to admit it!

My friend in California is seeing Def Leppard in concert tonight and I’m insanely jealous because they’re awesome live and they’re one of my all time favorite bands.

And here is one of my all time favorite songs.  Love the hair!

Home, Sweet Home

My Mom’s house is the house I grew up in since I was 10 years old, and consider it my childhood home.  So when I come back to it, I automatically feel comforted and secure.  My inner child loves that!

We didn’t get to my Mom’s until very late as we were having too much fun in Sacramento, but we still got up early on Monday to go to an amusement park with my cousin, Keri, and her son, Wyatt.

Gilroy Gardens

If you have children under the age of 8, and are in the San Francisco Bay Area, I highly recommend checking out Gilroy Gardens.  It’s an amusement park for younger kids and every time we go Devin has the best time.  The rides are the perfect size for him, the landscaping is phenomenally gorgeous, and the park is NEVER crowded.  We like it better than Disneyland because of the lack of crowds and kid specific rides.  Plus, they also have a great water play area.  Here is Devin on one of his first rides all by himself.   I was so nervous he was going to cry on the ride…but nope…he cried when I took him off the ride.

It’s a great place for kids and was actually more of a break than I expected as Devin was enjoying himself so much. And there are plenty of rides adults can ride with the kids, so it’s fun for the whole family. And don’t miss your chance to eat some deep-fried artichokes. SOOOO bad, but SOOOO good!

Dinner with Friends

The minute we got back from Gilroy Gardens, we picked up my husband and were off to visit some friends for dinner.  Which was a lot of fun, and great to see our friends, but after the dinner I was cursing myself for planning so many things on this trip.   Being almost in the 3rd trimester at this point, I was feeling it.

Birthday Dinner

The next day we decided to relax at my Mom’s house – yay!  After Devin’s nap we took him to the park and then met my brother at Sinaloa’s in downtown Morgan Hill for some awesome Mexican food for my Birthday dinner. My birthday is actually my sister’s birthday, too, because we’re twins, and luckily we both agreed on the dinner spot because Sinaloa’s is my absolute favorite place to eat in the world.  It’s been around forever, and reminds me of my youth, and so I definitely consider it my comfort food.

Coffee with Kathy

After dinner I was able to meet up with my best friend in the world, Kathy, because I know I probably won’t be seeing her for at least another year. She’s been my friend since junior high so we reminisced about how we used to torture some of our teachers (we love you Papa Smurf! aka Mr. Renouf), and about our crazy prom dates (um…we don’t love them so much). It was too short, but lots of fun, and I know she’s only a call away. Now I just have to get her on Facebook!

The BBQ had great food and some yummy leftovers (cupcakes!) from the wedding.  A lot of the younger crowd, including the bride and groom, went tubing down the Truckee River as it was a gorgeous day, while we got a bit of a chance to hang out with my MIL and FIL.  Here’s a picture of the entire “Hill” clan (and, yes, I look extremely white compared to my husband’s cousin):

A Miracle

What is pretty much the worst thing that could happen the day after a wedding?  One of the rings gets lost, right? Seriously…The groom’s ring fell off while tubing down the Truckee River!   Luckily, my husband had his swim goggles with him (he’s pretty much a fish) and my cousin’s boyfriend, Jim, used them to search the river.   Not 15 minutes passed by, and Jim came out of the water with the ring.  Nobody could believe that he found it!!!  So crazy!  But, thank goodness!

The Missing Uncle

We got a chance to talk to the missing uncle a bit at the BBQ, but his wife was feeling fairly sick to her stomach, so Brian’s parents had to drive them back to Reno.  I felt really bad for them because with the chock full wedding schedule, they barely got to see Devin at all, so we made plans to drop by their house in San Luis Obispo for lunch on our way down to my Dad’s house in Ojai.

Sac-Town

We stayed at the BBQ for 2 hours and then had to leave to make it to Sacramento for dinner with some friends before heading to my Mom’s house in Morgan Hill in time for bed.

Our friends went all out cooking a delicious BBQ for us.  I felt like this was the first time I could REALLY relax in 4 days because Devin actually had toys to play with.  They were all various shades of pink, but as long as he was cool with that, so was I.

It’s so much easier for me to relax around people who have young kids because THEY GET IT (it’s so easy to forget as kids get older).  They understand the chaos inherent in raising young kids, and that spills, accidents, and tantrums come with the territory.  And they DON’T JUDGE.  They know that pretty much everything is a stage that kids grow out of.

So it was lovely, and I really wish we could’ve stayed longer, but it was off to my Mom’s and a busy day the next day.  Here’s a pic of Devin playing the piano while his new little friend sang (so cute!):

Makeup and Hair

Brian watched Devin as I got my makeup and hair done.  As usual, I regretted letting another person do my makeup. Never…under ANY circumstances…let a person talk you into wearing fake eyelashes.  “It will look great for the pictures!” she said. Um, yeah…but if anyone got within 10 feet of me, I looked like I had spiders attached to my eyes. And it felt like it.  So after the ceremony, I happily pulled them off.

Also, the bride said she wanted our hair curled.   So, me being very unimaginative when it comes to doing my hair, had the hair person fix my hair the same way as in my wedding.  Except that she made it extremely puffy and curly.  When she wasn’t looking, I hastily tried to calm it down.

Oh well.  At least the bride looked beautiful!

Last Minute Details

I felt really sorry again for my MIL, because as we were all getting our hair and makeup done, she was finishing up the flowers for the wedding.  The Mother of the Groom was supposed to get to the wedding site early and help but didn’t show up until lunchtime.

The groomsmen and the groom decorated the reception hall (they did a fabulous job), and the bridesmaids rinsed out the favor glasses and dried them.

By the time we were all done, it was time for lunch, and the Mother of the Groom showed up with sandwiches.   Yay!   Except for the fact there were no vegetarian sandwiches.  Luckily I had some snacks for Devin that held me over, but by the time the ceremony was over, I was exhausted and in serious need of calories.

Pictures and Busy Toddlers

If you want a child in your wedding wedding party, it’s a good idea to make sure the child is either extremely mellow or at least 3 years old.  Once we got Devin in his tux, he wanted to slide all over the floor with it.  And I totally didn’t blame him because it did look like fun, but Brian and I had a hard time keeping him clean for the pictures.

The photographer decided to take the pictures with Devin first to get them out of the way.  But since both Brian and I were in the wedding party, we couldn’t keep Devin occupied during the rest of the pictures.  Finally, it became too much of a problem, and Brian took Devin up to the reception hall to see if someone could help watch him.   Grandpa stepped in, thank goodness.

An Intimate Ceremony

The ceremony was beautiful as it was set on a manicured lawn surrounded by pine trees.  Also, the weather forecast was wrong as it didn’t rain until about 11:30pm when everyone was too hammered to care.  Devin didn’t throw the ring pillow as expected, but as he walked down the aisle, he kept swinging it around by the ribbon attached to it.  But…hey…he made it down the aisle and I was happy.

The bride and groom said their own vows, and what they said was very touching (I would’ve cried more if my eyelids weren’t in danger of fusing shut due to the fake eyelashes).  They also made the ceremony very intimate and personal by having some friends and family members sing a few meaningful songs.  Makes me wish Brian and I personalized our wedding ceremony a bit more.

Time to Party!

The reception was also really well done as music played in the background while delicious food was served.  Just like in our wedding, they presented a slide show of pics of the couple which included old family photos.  It was fun to see old pictures of my husband with a bowl cut and wearing plaid pants.

Once the D.J. started the dancing, I was stoked because if there’s one thing that keeps my active son in one spot, it’s dancing.  At first he had a few older women (I think they were both around 5 or 6) fighting over who could dance with him, but the more aggressive girl won out.  I’m a bit shy myself, so I felt really sorry for the other little girl.  Poor thing.

Devin really partied on until they switched to salsa music, and then he crashed.  It was about 10:30 and we still had to change for the hour ride back to the cabin.

Almost Home

The rain and thunder finally rolled in, and we were about 10 minutes away from the cabin when Brian got a phone call from his Dad.  Apparently, Brian had all of the blankets in our trunk that were supposed to be left for the wedding guests staying on-site at the wedding.

So, poor Brian, who thankfully didn’t drink much that night, had to drop Devin and I off at the cabin and drive back up the windy mountain road in the storm.  I was a nervous wreck!

He planned on staying at the wedding site that night instead of trying to drive back late in the storm.  But, halfway up the mountain his Dad called him again saying the hammered guests would make due.

Which is a good thing, too, as we had another unexpected trip to make in the morning…Here are a few more of my favorite pics from the wedding day:

I was hoping Devin could get some face time with the grandparents that morning, since the ladies in the wedding party didn’t have to get our nails done until 11, but my MIL decided to leave early to pick up the bridal gown and go to the grocery store.

Murphy’s Law

Even with the early wake-up call, I should’ve known the easy morning wasn’t going to last.  I was late getting to the nail salon because it was very hard to find from the road.  As I walked up to the salon, my SIL was crying and the other girls were trying to console her.  Oh, no!!  Please tell me the wedding is still on…

Having been a bride myself, I knew the stress she was under and that Murphy’s Law is always alive and well during weddings.  Almost every other bride I knew had cried at least once the week before their wedding (including me).  I just hoped it wasn’t the worst—a fight with the groom.  I was actually relieved when she said her mom might miss the nail salon appointment because the dress shop opened an hour later than expected.  She really wanted her mom there, and I totally get that, but…Whew!  Wedding was still on!

A huge group of ladies walked in ahead of us, and by the time we actually got seated in our lovely massaging chairs, my MIL showed up, alcohol was consumed(except by me, of course), and all was well with the world.

Our time at the nail salon was a nice relaxing hour.  I even chatted up a kind-hearted lady about her working ranch.  She owned and worked a full ranch with only herself, her husband, and her son and they were having trouble making ends meet.  My heart went out to her because she saved abandoned animals and even paid for their veterinary care.  We both had lots of fun coming up with ideas to make money with her ranch; the woman was sitting on a gold mine and just didn’t know what to do with it.  I love it when I randomly meet cool people like that!  I just hope I helped her out a bit.

The Rehearsal

The rehearsal was 45 minutes away at the wedding site so I drove up with my SIL and MIL.  Luckily, the super-thoughtful husband of the Matron-of-Honor had bought us all sandwiches; otherwise I would’ve turned into a very cranky pregnant lady.

On the ride up, I found out that my MIL told my FIL about the fender bender and he was not too happy with her (to put it nicely).  But, by the time the Rehearsal came around, my FIL seemed to be in better spirits.  Thank goodness, because I was worried.

The Rehearsal went pretty well, even though it started fairly late due to the morning mishaps.  Devin thought it was much more fun to throw the ring pillow instead of carry it, so I knew the actually wedding ceremony was going to be interesting.  And I have to say, that even though the wedding was SOOOO freakin’ far away, it was being held at a gorgeous spot in the middle of the forest.  Very majestic.  Now we just had to hope the rainy weather forecast was wrong.

The Rehearsal Dinner

The Rehearsal Dinner was another 45 minute drive down the windy, mountain road to the Cottonwood Restaurant in Truckee (which is an adorable little restaurant).

On my side of the family, we always invite the extended family to the Rehearsal dinner (Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Grandparents, and kids), which I think is an awesome tradition as long as someone can afford it (Thanks, Dad!).  My SIL did the same thing, which made it a lot of fun because there were so many people there.

The food was excellent but the night did last a little too long for Devin to sit still (anything longer than a 20 minute meal just doesn’t work for us yet).  But he had fun romping around with his 2nd cousin out front in the lovely garden.  Here is my favorite pic from the night:

After the dinner, Devin and I rode home with my in-laws while Brian partied with the young and not-pregnant crowd (sucks!).  It was a fairly late night again, but Devin continued to be a trooper with no melt downs.

Now I just had to hope my husband didn’t drink enough to be hung-over, because I knew I was going to need his help the next day: the Wedding Day!