rushley & crew

I always assumed that Russ would be a good dad. In fact, one of the very first things that really attracted me to him was when he told me he'd decided against being a pilot because he wanted to be home with his wife and kids -- he really values family. But I never imagined he'd be THIS good a dad. I just love to see the way he adores Ada and the way he takes care of her. He doesn't shy away from changing her diaper, feeding her, or putting her down for naps. In fact, while she was in the NICU, he changed way more of her diapers and did almost all of her bottle feeding (I was still breastfeeding at that point, so that's the feeding I did :) ). I felt really insecure about my mothering skills in the beginning (due in large part to all those hormones ), but he always seemed so confident with her. I thought he was so much better at parenting than I was (in the beginning; now I just feel like we're both the best parents we know ho

For our four years of marriage, we've rotated which family we spend holidays with. This year it was time for a Holmes Thanksgiving. Planning ahead, I knew that I probably wouldn't want to drive up to Boise (where Mom and Dad live, 6 hours away) with a new-ish baby, and I also knew I wouldn't want to host. But my sister-in-law Lacey, who lives just under an hour away, just bought a house this year, so I thought maybe she'd be interested in hosting. Lucky for me, she was! So she hosted Mom and Dad Holmes; Lance, Mackenzi, and Zander; Russ, Ada, and me; and Russ's cousin, Amber. Having a baby sure does change things. Maybe not everyone is this way, but I felt kind of distracted/preoccupied because of her. Thanksgiving happened around her worst nap of the day, so Russ and I kept having to go in to calm her because she was screaming. We also took turns holding her while actually eating Thanksgiving dinner, which we hadn't really done up to this point (hadn't he

Dear Ada, It has been so fun to see you grow up over the past two months! I love seeing you smile at me and your mom. I love your sleepy sounds when you are finally falling asleep -- they are so cute, and they make me smile every time. I love to watch you sleep because you are so peaceful. I love to watch you when you are awake because you look around at the things around you and your eyes open so big and they are adorable! I love you, sweet girl. Love, Dad My sweet girl, Another month has already gone by! It is so fun to watch you grow. I was blown away when I looked at your 1 month and 2 month pics side by side -- you already look so different! I wish I could have had a newborn photo to start with but . . .  you weren't really a newborn by the time we got to bring you home. You were already the cutest baby ever, but this month you became a lot more interactive which has only increased your cuteness! Daddy and I say about a hundred times a day (probably not even