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Friday, December 23, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Happy 2nd Birthday Princess
OH MY Heavens! Our princess is 2 years old today. Last night TJ and I were laying down, cuddling, which I loved because its been forever (I miss you babe), and we were reminiscing about the day we were at the hospital awaiting Rhowan's arrival. It just seems so weird that it was 2 years ago...and even more weird that since then we had another baby, our princess #2, Harloe Grayce! Oh my, how time flies. This morning daddy had to leave very early, but he got to see his princess before leaving, yes, at 5:30 am, which mommy wasn't totally excited about, but I was so sad he was having to leave that I went with it! :)
Rhowan had balloons awaiting her this morning and cupcakes to take and share with her friends at daycare. Then mommy picked her up to have dinner and ice cream cake (thank you auntie) at Oma and Papa's. Gringa, Ampa, Auntie, Uncle Anthony, Nate Nate, Lexi and Oma and Papa all helped celebrate her special day. Thank you "Gringa" for the yummy dinner and Oma for having us all over and for completing the dinner for us! It was a great evening and I know she was as happy as can be! I feel so sad that daddy couldn't be there, but he got lots of pictures and updates throughout the night and we sang to her on speaker at least 3 times today! :) She's got it down pat that today was her day! :) She will probably take after mommy and celebrate for a whole week in her college days to come! LOL...She loved her new bike, helmet and rain boots. It was a great day and I couldn't have asked for more from our family, so thank you. The day she came into our lives two years ago has forever changed me as a person, our marriage, our families and everything in my being. We love you princess, more than you would ever know!
"My Bike!" Ok Lexi, you can get on the back! LOL
It's my Happy Day!!! :)
What an amazing day I had!!! You can't see it but she still has her Minnie necklace and bracelet on with her sunglasses in her hands! :)Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Harloe 4 Months Old
Oh my how time is going so fast. I know that is so cliche, but really, where is the time going? Next week, OMG, next freaking week Rhowan will be two years old...I have started showing her how to show that she is two, but wow holding all her fingers down except two of them is hard! LOL...she keeps saying one, but we will work on it. She is just too smart for her own good and the best big sister ever. She takes care of baby...when Harloe is crying I will walk in and Rhowan is already tending to her trying to give her the pacifier or one of "baby's toys cause baby cry." :) She has such a big heart and just loves baby Harloe so much. This morning we were getting in the car and she started jumping up and down saying, "it's raining!" I said, "No mommy, it's foggy." She said, "oh, foggy?" then I put her in the car...all my bags in the car and third trip, baby in the car (Rhowan refers to her as baby, so we'll see if Harloe ever learns her name!) She grabs Harloe's hand and says, "baby, it's foggy. You gringa's too?" Oh my, she is just too freaking cute!!!
Harloe will go to the dr next week for her 4 month old check up and shots, so no stats to report, but stay tuned. Then the following week we will be back at the dr for Rhowan's 2 year check up. I just introduced Harloe to rice cereal Sunday for the first time. This past week she was waking up every 3 hours through the night, so I though growth spurt, but then thought it was time to start rice cereal. I am still trying to nurse as much as I can, whenever I am with her, however with me back at work, I don't have time to pump the way I did with Rhowan, so I see myself nursing less and less already. It makes me super sad cause I went 7 months strong with Rhowan. But I am learning a lot is different the second time around when you have a toddler/baby around! Which is a good thing, just different :)
I am starting to feel human again. The girls have a bedtime routine FINALLY, wow that was the hardest thing to get down with two wanting me to lay with them, hold them, Rhowan wanting to read, both needing a bath, making dinner for me and Rhowan while Harloe wanting her dinner too, Rhowan being needy while I was nursing...phew, it was rough figuring that part out. For awhile I was thinking to myself what I was going to do because I was having to call someone over just about every night just to help me get them down. I knew it would come within time and it did, it finally came. Watch, now that I say that it will all change!
Harloe is such a good baby, very low key and easy going and happy! She has transitioned to her crib very well and wakes up 1-2 times at night to nurse, which isn't too bad! Rhowan is still waking up too to come to mommy and daddy's bed and then most nights she hears me get up to go feed the baby and comes in and lays down until I put the baby back down and take her back to bed. :( I feel so awful because she is waking up too, but what are you gonna do? I keep telling myself, Survival Mode, screw what "The Books" say! Yes, you heard me right. Mrs. over analyzing, want to be perfect mommy said, "SCREW the books!" LOL...Any of you who have two, under two, in diapers, can relate and don't judge me for saying that. :)
Harloe is very alert, already pushing herself out of her swing and vibrating chair, forcing me to strap her in now. She has been on many trips to Disneyland already, and a trooper at that. I still do get that sense of guilt that I don't have the down time to really get to enjoy her and I alone time the way I did with Rhowan. I think that is natural though? So at her 3 or 4 am nursing is when I take advantage of our quiet time together.
I am still struggling finding the balance between work and being a mommy. I want to lesson plan all day and night to do everything I can in my class, but just don't have that kind of time on my hands. Then I want to come home and be with my kids and not worry about doing school work and feel I am not giving them my 100 % when I should be. So it is difficult...I know I will never get this time back with my girls at this age so I want to cherish it, but feel like most days I am just going through the motions to get through that day because I am so exhausted and stressed with wanting to be the best mom and teacher.
I feel like I am all over the place right now, but just a little update with pictures to follow. I have to download my most recent pics off of my brand new, professional camera TJ surprised me with. I now think I am the paparazzi so watch out, I have the big lenses that come on and off and everything! :) Love it...
Monday, September 19, 2011
Many Changes...
Wow, I am blogging, can you all believe it?! Change, seems to be the theme in our lives for the past year or so...change is not always a bad thing, its a time to adjust and count our blessings. I like to look at it as a positive thing because of what all the changes have brought to our lives. Since the day Rhowan has blessed our lives we have been confronted with change after change...just before she turned a year old we found out we were pregnant again, at this time I was a stay at home mommy, having just finished a few long term sub jobs. Then along came my office job that I started and worked through my entire pregnancy with Harloe. I was not the happiest there, but thankful for the financial stability it brought to us. I just realized in doing this job that I wasn't an office gal.
Working through my pregnancy I knew I wanted to stay at home after Harloe with daycare so expensive and work schedules not giving me the balance I wanted of being mommy and working. As we are going through my work changes, we are blessed with Harloes presence. This is a major change for all of us and adjustment period. Just as I was feeling like I knew what I was finally doing with two babies under two, it seemed another blessing just fell into my lap, literally. It all worked out being at the right place at the right time...and here I am now, a full time, working, teacher, in my own classroom! Teaching 7th grade at our home parish that we were married at and have grown up going to, what a full circle. I can honestly say, that I believe God has been holding out on me for this opportunity and that this is where I am meant to be. Now I just hope it becomes permanent, right now only being a long term sub position. However, I have not been treated that way and have been doing everything just as it's my own class, which I love!
In such an unfortunate situation with my MIL being laid off, she has been able to provide the best care for our children and even better, it's free! :) Not to mention my girls much prefer to go see "Gringa" (Rhowan's version of Grandma). It warms my heart to have her be the one to watch the girls for me so that I can not feel guilty for leaving them every morning and know they are in the BEST care! Thank you MIL, I couldn't put into words how much it means to us and how blessed we are. Not many people have it so easy with their parents right down the street and on the way to work, all less than 2 miles away from home. Can you say God has been looking out?! :)
So with all the changes have finally come a calming to the craziness. I feel like we are where we need to be. TJ getting his 2nd year contract with UCLA, Rhowan will be turning two and is quite the princess, and then our newest and most precious addition Harloe is almost 4 months old, while I finally get to take on my passion of not only being a mommy but a teacher in the classroom! :) So all the challenges and chaos have been worth the pay off!
Meanwhile, I got to end the summer with an amazing family vacation in Hawaii, (and we already have our trip for next year in the works to go back!) but our annual girls trip was this last weekend. Thank you again MIL and "Ampa" for watching the girls all weekend long, with the help of daddy of course in between his million and one games to recruit, etc. I tell ya, recruiting is busier than actual baseball season! We had such an awesome time in Temecula on our girls trip, wine tasting! Much needed girl time, as guilty as I felt going and being away from the girls it was so nice to have "me" time and girl time. So the pumping breaks in all the bathrooms throughout our wine tour was well worth the pay off of some much needed "girl time." LOL...
That is pretty much a recap of the last few months for you all. I feel like things never calm down in our crazy lives, but for once I feel like we are right where we should be and have worked so hard to be at and waited so long for. I am looking forward to getting on a routine with work and the girls and having some, hopefully, relaxing weekends ahead after an eventful summer.
Wishing this update finds you all in good spirits and health.
God Bless,
The Bruce Family
Saturday, September 10, 2011
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