these are some of the pieces of gold in my tray-zure chest.

when cory was in the car in front of us

and i could see him dancing to "shake it off"

and i couldn't stop laughing because he shakes it so great.

when we got out of our cars in the mall parking lot

and cory said, "i saw you rocking out to bohemian rhapsody."

and i said, "how did you know?!"

and i knew it was true love because we both changed the stations

in our separate cars from today's pop to classic rock without knowing.

when jude grabbed cory's face with both of her

chubby little hands and gave him a big kiss out of nowhere.

when jude says, "mmmmmm!"

every time i put her in her high chair

and every time she wants more food.

jude's baby shakespeare hand.

sitting in the dark living room 

after cory gets back from young men's

and talking about our life and our plans

and how we should decorate our living room.

watching an episode of "the office" 

each night and squeezing each other's hands

when pam and jim are cute.

even though we know they end up together,

the suspense kills me e v e r y t i m e. 

in other news, jim is about to transfer to stamford

and i just hate karen so, so much. 

one am is basically an all-nighter for us now.

last night was one of those nights

that makes any day infinitely better.

cory got back late from work

so we had a quiet (read: jude-free) dinner, talked about our days

and decided to pair the brooklyn nine-nine premier with ice cream.

after a solid premier (new girl and mindy could learn something from jake peralta),

we took our cold medicine, said our prayers, kissed each other goodnight

and rolled to our respective sides ready for those zzz's to take over.

sleep did not come as quickly as we thought it would.

as exhausted as we were, 

i'm so glad the sand man stayed away. 

we stayed up until one talking and joking and laughing.

it was basically one giant ginger snap.

oh the lawlz that were had! 

last night was a testament to my belief

that the little things in life are what make it so wonderful.

late night jokes and talks about absolutely nothing

were just what i needed.

even if he did keep singing "shake it off."

last night was such a simple reminder 

of why i fell in love with cory,

why he is so good for me,

and why i am so blessed to have him in my life.

i love that boy.

and i really, really love being his wife. 

ginger snaps.

"sweetheart, i love you,

but if you keep singing that song, 

i'm going to push you down the stairs."

- cory's thoughts on fancy

literally two days later.

c: i'm so fancaaaaay

b: excuse me? didn't you just threaten to push me 

down the stairs if i sang that song again?

c: yeah... but it's my jam now.

i-g-g-y. i-g-g-y.

"peanut butter juju time.

peanut butter juju time."

"your teeth are like little marshmallows i can eat."

"i'm too tired for you to be doing this."
please note, this was addressed to me not jude.

08|09|14

saturday morning,

i fed jude in the big orange chair

while you mowed the lawn.

i looked around our gray living room

and stared at the pictures

still trying to find their homes on shelves. 

my senses were overwhelmed by my surroundings. 

i could almost smell the grass being cut

while jude gulped down six ounces

so fast she could give kobayashi a run for his money. 

i love this life you've given me.

thank you for this life you've given me.

for the love that bounces around the walls in our home

and the laughter that makes everything light.

i mean it when i say

i couldn't have dreamed of a better man 

to have by my side for eternity.

you are everything i have ever wanted.

you are everything i will ever want.

thank you for loving me,

for accepting me,

and for pushing me to be better.

only you would know to get me a book

on writing and a means to write.

thank you for believing in me

and encouraging me to stretch myself.

my dreams will never die

as long as i have you by my side.

i love you forever, cory.

i love you with everything that i am.

thank you for picking me.

i am so glad you did. 

three at home. that's the way it should be.

after a ridiculously long week without cory,

saturday was wonderful.

jude laughed more in two hours with him 

than she did the entire week combined.

we spent our entire weekend 

telling each other how much we missed each other

and snuggling and watching jude wave and climb and eat.

it was perfect.

the older i get,

the more i realize it's the little things and the simple days 

that make life so beautiful. 

ginger snaps.

cory: i have to take a picture of this.

brissa: of what?

cory: of you two. i just love my life so much.

brissa: is it time to eat one reese's stick each?

cory: uhhh...it's time to eat two reese's sticks each.

i've been waiting all day for you to say something.

*cory while he adjusts my bangs*

"ooh yeah. you look like a 1950s heartthrob.

a boy that is."

"jude, you can be lazy or fat. 

you can't be both."

the following is a lyric from an original song 

written by cory, for jude.

"jude's got, thuuuuunder thiiiighs."

ginger snaps.

"you'd be surprised how lumpy cat semen is."

brissa: do you want some greek yogurt?

cory: gross. no. why would you ask me that?

that's like going to someone and offering them dog poo. 

"oh, you don't want this dog poo i found on the street? weird."

*another car blaring their horn at us*

"do NOT get mad at me!

oh. i guess there was a stop sign there..."

"i don't think that looks bad!

i mean, bobby flay would  throw up in his mouth, but..."

"the internet thinks i'm a dick."

cory: you look like a rabbit.

brissa: aw, like a cute bunny?

cory: no. like a rabbit eating a carrot.

brissa: *sad face*

cory: now you look like a kardashian crying. 

wiiknd: just the standouts.

when cory got home from work,

jude freaked out in the cutest way.

as soon as she saw him,

she smiled and giggled and kicked and squealed

and made it obvious he is her favorite parent.
it was the sweetest thing.


saturday morning,

jude leaked her poop juice on our mattress.

and she got really focused on her scoot-crawl training.


"i think bumbos were invented
for skinny babies." - cory

everything is the worst. except not really.

cory had to go to the middle of nowhere for work today.

which means he won't get back until late.

which meant i was flying solo tonight.

which is kind of intimidating. 

but, i did it. 

i did it and i feel like a champ.

i fed jude rice cereal. 

alone.

it may sound simple, but it's a big freakin' deal.

homegurl always tries to twist her way out of her bumbo

so one of us usually has to entertain her while the other one feeds her.

i fed her and wrangled her and took pictures of her while she ate.

i felt like friggin superwoman.

i gave her a bath.

alone.

this is a medium deal.

i've done it before so it's not too bad

the only scary part is trying to get a slippery baby in a towel

without completely soaking myself in the process. 

other exciting things to note about today/tonight:

the weather was perfect.

the windows have been open all day. 

we went on a walk and it brightened my soul. 

jude rolled over from her back to her right side for the first time.

she did it for a bottle. little chunk.

i straightened up the house.

vacuumed the basement.

washed the dishes.

including those annoying little baby bullet containers.

thought about folding laundry. 

binge watched bunheads. 

blogged.

some of those things were done throughout the day.

which is also kind of amazing

because with the amount of tv i've watched today,

my house should not be this clean. 

i feel like i've talked about tv more than i've talked about jude.

does that make me a bad mom?

whatever.

i miss cory.

nights are far too productive when he's gone

and i eat greek yogurt instead of ice cream.

i am lost without him. 

i'm grateful for a baby houdini.

last night, for the first time in a long time, i brought jude in bed with us.

it was four o'clock and she kept baby-houdini'ing her way out of her swaddle.

as soon as i picked her up, she stopped fussing and i knew what needed to be done.

i brought her in bed and snuggled her close.

i put my left hand on the side of her head and played with her hair.

she held on tightly to my index finger 

while her other hand searched my face, 

occasionally grasping my nose or cheek with her freakishly strong baby grip.

when she was only a few weeks old, 

i used to bring her in bed every morning.

her body couldn't even stretch to my belly button.

now her little toes kick against my hips. 

her arms know how to reach

and her fingers know how to grasp.

i spent the next two hours watching her and cory sleep.

they both had an arm resting up against their forehead. 

their breath steady and slow.

their faces calm and unchanging. 

i spent those two hours falling more in love 

with each of them.

my sweet, patient husband

and my adorable, feisty baby. 

they are my people.

they are my world. 

wiiknd: driving long distances with a baby sounds more fun than it actually is.

road trip prep.
on the road.
baby nap.
stop in scipio.
stop in beaver.
saint george.
big macs ftw.
hgtv.
fancy stroller dreamin'.

walk to kohl's.
capriotti's.
baby swim fail.
shay + swig.
red rocks.

olive garden.
squawky baby.

drive home.
park break in fillmore.
longest wait ever.
mediocre food day.
sleepy baby.
home sweet home.
sweet potato hash.
jude's first night in her crib.

roadtrip hangover.
family walk.
early mother's day dinner.
porch swing weather.
best carrot cake ever.
pillow talk.
seinfeld.

happy birthday to my sweet boy.

i am nothing without you. 

ginger snaps.

"jude, i like your hair right now.

it kind of looks like a little baby monkey."

"veils are out right now."

threatening cory with natural childbirth and having ryan gosling as my doula. 

"when you spend 48 hours in labor,

anyone can see your boobs.

so long as i don't have to be there with you."

brissa: why did you text me a frowny face?

cory: because i was busy and wanted the conversation to end.

your boobs are enormous right now.

they almost look like a cartoon butt.

on sunday,

cory gave jude the sweetest blessing.

it was such a beautiful day.

i was so overwhelmed with love.

from everyone and for everyone.

especially for my jude and cory.

these two are the best thing

that has ever happened to my little life.

ginger snaps.

"don't do that.

you're not felicity."

"it must have been hard

being so dramatic growing up."

brissa: man tip! no woman has ever

started an argument with a man who was dusting,

vacuuming or doing the dishes.

i'm going to come home angry more often.

cory: come home from where, sweetie?

"i hope you weren't planning on getting lucky tonight.

you burped and it smells like china."

"that's what socks are for!

they're napkins you wear!"

brissa: hey! you didn't kiss me goodbye!

cory: i walked in the room,

looked at you and jude sleeping

and fell more in love with you.

ginger snaps.

"ahh...you're kind of an idiot."

"what was that face? 

don't make that face again.

let's put that face on our do-not-make list."

"hubba hubba, chihuahua toes."

i was literally in the middle of a sentence.

*shoulder shrug*

"i don't care."

every time i get frustrated with candy crush he sings

"i don't think you're ready for this jelly."

"remember how candy crush took over the world

and now i'm a part of it?!"

a maniacal laugh followed by

"oh gaga, you get me."

brissa: did you text and drive today?

cory: nope!

brissa: yyeeaaa--

cory: i read part of a usa today article....

"sweetie you look fine.

you're pregnant and you kind of look like a movie star."

cory + jude = true love forever.

i'm not even jealous.

i gladly accept my position as their third wheel.

their love is the sweetest thing i have ever witnessed. 

i thought i loved cory before,

but watching him with jude has made me fall in love with him all over again.

i feel so blessed to call both of them mine.

photo cred: anna james.

prepare for some serious baby spam.

and can we plz take a moment to appreciate those thigh rolls?

wiiknd: i forgot how absolutely awful december shopping was.

last friday.

bow making.

the sing-off.

walking + talking matie.

pie deception.

seinfeld.

last saturday.

ultimate cleaning day.

costco + smith's.

snackie stock up.

string cheese.

fancy bacon = on sale = buy two.

blt's. 

1940s gangster ryan gosling.

pillow talk.

last sunday.

"so you didn't have a baby last night."

church snacks.

swollen feet + ankles = lolololololol :(

poppers.

"i just want my baby."

youtubing labor inducing pressure points.
belly conversations.

monday is the dream
but stubborn, comfortable babies
have a mind of their own. 

wiiknd: eat all the turkey sandwiches & watch all the movies!!!!!

thanksgiving.

not enough stomach room.

never been kissed.

football.

comas.

too many leftovers.

"brissita, i don't want you to cook for days."

his & her chores.

black friday.

old navy = 50% off everything = baby clothes.

crab artichoke dip.

death to all the fence ivy.

baby swag shopping.

god bless gift cards.

christmas vacation.

sleepy tears.

copy nightmare.

overcoming timid tendencies.

tearful testimony meeting.

spicy jalapeno poppers.

"it's for the baby. hurry out baby!!"

laundry.

pacific rim.

another earth.

realization: final weeks as two.

real talk.

"can you just hold me?"

fourteen days.

cue internal freak out.

ginger snaps.

*giant burp*

"did you have diarrhea today?"

brissa: fine. i won't talk anymore.

cory: promise?

after i used one of my many famous accents

"don't. don't ever do that again.

ever.

don't tweet it. don't blog it.

don't instagram it. 

don't."

"the real thing i was trying to do

was make you feel bad and stupid."

"why are you getting your drama voice?"

"don't tweet that.

you'll sound like a beezy."