Thanksgiving Weekend

Thanksgiving Celebrations

We did an early Thanksgiving with TJ's family as our previous post talks about and then celebrated Thanksgiving day with my family in Apple Valley. It was also my sister's 30th Birthday, so we celebrated her BIG 30 on Saturday with our closest friends, whom we call our 2nd family, and friends. It was our first big night out away from our princess. And yes, I was very nervous, but she was in good hands. She actually did really well and took the bottle while the Debelak Family all pitched in to watch her! She has just started taking a bottle of breast milk every few days to get her used to me going back to work, so that has been my biggest concern with leaving her. We still have a lot of kinks to work out as for pumping and getting her really used to taking the bottle, she would prefer the boob, but I have to work. :(
It was so nice having TJ home all week, he was off from baseball, we got to spend a lot of QT (quality time) together with our little family of three. Sunday we finished our weekend off by going to church, having our family pictures taken in the park (Rhowan didn't cooperate as well as I'd hoped for, but you can't ever predict or time those things perfectly, so we'll see how they turn out!) and then going to see his grandparents, Rhowan's Gigi and Papa to spend some time together since we didn't see them this year on Thanksgiving.
We hope you all had as wonderful weekends as we did. We are looking forward to this holiday season with our new bundle of joy. Keep checking as I continue to be obsessed with my camera and will continue to post pics! :)

love to you all,
The Bruce Dugout! :)

What Are You Thankful For?...

First and foremost, Happy Thanksgiving to all our family and friends. Wow, what a year it's been and holidays are already here. We had Thanksgiving dinner at TJ's parents on Sunday with his immediate family (minus Kate since she is at school) and that was really nice. We had a really nice dinner, very intimate and nice to share one of Rhowan's first Thanksgiving with the family. We all went around the table sharing what we were thankful for, that was Uncle Brian's idea, which I do have to say, was a great idea! And wow, it was so nice to go around and share our blessings and how happy we all were to have Rhowan as a part of the family this year among other things. When it came to TJ's turn, he spoke as he held our beautiful little daughter, and boy did he surprise me with what he had to say. It was so heartfelt and compassionate and just brought me to tears. Thank you hunny and don't be mad that I am sharing that! :) So it brings me to say this:
I am thankful for the year that God has given me and had me strive through. Yes, it was one of the hardest years I have had in my 27 years, however, if I didn't go through the things I did I wouldn't be as thankful for what I have today. We all take things so for granted, but not this year, it won't be possible, I know how it feels to lose things and people you love out of your life and am so happy to have the family of three I do today. Rhowan was our blessing this year for many reasons: She brought a love in our lives (her daddy and mine) that I never experienced or knew existed and has made our marriage so much stronger, dependable and loving than what it ever was. I hope that didn't come out wrong, but when you bring a child into your marriage it can be really hard and trying, which I am sure it will be in the years ahead, but the love we share today for each other and for our daughter has brought us closer in our own relationship with each other and I couldn't be more thankful.
To my husband, we just celebrated three years of marriage and a year of hardship, laughter, love and blessings. It is for you that I am thankful for this year. The strides you have made as a husband, friend, father and coach. You have learned to balance one of the busiest schedules I know all while supporting us, being a full time daddy and husband and working two jobs. I never say thank you enough and I just want you to know that us having our beautiful daughter and starting our family has been one of the best things that has ever happened to me. With all we've been through we wouldn't have the marriage and wouldn't be learning to be the parents we want to be without it. I love you and thank you for being the man you are today.
Happy Thanksgiving to all our family and friends. I know we are all spread out during the holidays but our thoughts are with you all and we love you all.

Rhowan's Photo Shoot, 4 weeks old

Our little girl is growing so fast...

Hello Everyone,

Rhowan was one month old yesterday and will be five weeks old already on Tuesday. I can't believe where the time goes. I am already not wanting to go back to work. It's so funny how being a mom changes you. You have all these great ideas and ambitions before the baby is here on how you think it will be and how you see things going and then when your little one arrives, that all changes! I know, I know, so many of you are saying, "I told you so..." right now. Well I've always been that girl that has to learn it on her own! :)

Rhowan is getting so big. She is just so aware and alert of things around her. She will follow you with her eyes and wakes up full of smiles. At her 2 am feedings when I'm barely keeping my eyes open, she is all smiles...how can you be upset of losing sleep at a precious face like that?!
She had a photo shoot last Friday with a friend of mine who brought props and all her stuff here to do pictures of Rhowan. Let me just brag for a moment and say we have the cutest little girl around. Oh my goodness, they turned out adorable. My friend took some really great shots, she had amazing ideas of back drops, etc. and photo shopped them all for me to order prints on line. I am so happy with the outcome. I wanted to order prints for all the family as Christmas presents, but I am not sure if I can wait that long to give them out because I am just so in love with them. We are going to do family pictures next weekend, so I am looking forward to that.

We used one of the shots for her announcements, which came in the mail yesterday, once again I know, I am very late on those! I really loved the backdrop we used, a leopard print, well those were the last shots we took after about 2 hours of pictures and a few feedings in between, so needless to say Rhowan was DONE! She was ready for a nap! Well I bribed her with her plug (i.e. pacifier) for a few more smiles. So the picture we have on the announcement her lips are all red and perked out from me grabbing her plug out just in time for the picture. Well...daddy says she looks like a porn star and the family says those pictures are "Whoa, provocative and she won't appreciate them when she is older." :(
Well yes, she is naked, but she is 4 weeks old in the picture, everyone does naked pictures and I never thought anything of it, but how precious my princess looked in them. So that's the picture I chose and now I am second guessing even sending them out! :( I was really bummed to get that reaction and just don't know what I am going to do, after spending so much money on them!
Anyway, all the pictures turned out adorable and I will post some (non provocative) ones later! :)
Until then...toodles.

Rhowan's Big Outing...

We traveled up north for TJ's best friend's wedding. The car ride wasn't too bad beside having to pull over a few times for feedings and changings. Let me just say, you all were right, traveling with a newborn is a LOT of work! However, it was well worth it. The wedding was beautiful and we had a good time. As Rhowan's grandpa would say, she was the best kid there! Of course she was, she was passed out in her stroller the entire reception! :)

Rhowan's First Bath