She knows her name!

It's so adorable!! For the first time, this morning I knew Callie understood I was talking about her when I said her name. It made me so happy!! Her back was to me and I was talking to Mia. Then I said, "Cal-lie" and she turned around and smiled at me. It was so cute!!

Where does the time go??

These past two months have flown by so quickly! On my last post, I noted I was home with the girls on a snow day. That trend has continued as we've had an unusual winter. Last week the girls had two snow days and another early dismissal due to ice. In one week there was a snow day and school was delayed every other day that week due to snow or severely cold temperatures. We've been cooped up a lot this year and if Mia didn't have gymnastics, I think she'd be losing her mind!

Looking back to December, Callie turned 8 months and started eating table food. She gobbled up everything we tried, including edamame, which she loved. She saw Santa Claus twice. She saw him when he visited her classroom. Mommy, Daddy, Nana and Papa came to take pictures of the big event. She also saw him with her sissy at a Christmas party with Nana, Cara and Ramsey. She also became very sick. The night of Mia's Christmas play we ended up in the Emergency Room and she was diagnosed with the flu. Two days later, we were back and added RSV. She was one sick little baby. But she made it through in time to enjoy her first Christmas. I can't even begin to describe how overcome with happiness I was on Christmas morning, as we sat there opening presents with our two beautiful girls. It was a whirlwind of visits, since we had so many places to go, but that didn't mean I wasn't silently giving thanks all day for the blessings of our family.

When she turned 9 months, Callie began using a "big girl" sippy cup at school and at home. She also got her two bottom teeth and began crawling, pulling up and clapping her hands. She always has that big beautiful smile on her face through it all. She's such a happy girl and we can't get enough of her. Other adorable things about Callie:

• She loves to grab onto her diaper when she's being changed. If I don't watch it, she'll grab ahold of the front, yank down then pull up, ripping it off. This seems to happen most often when the diaper is full of poop.
• She hates just laying on her changing table. She likes to roll side to side, put her legs up on the wall, hang her head off the side, or use her feet to push herself backward until her head and neck are hanging off. She thinks these things are hilarious.
• She loves the dogs! She's constantly crawling to them, trying to grab their hair and "pet" (hit) them. The other day she crawled up to Grace and layed across her neck, petting her and squealing. I guess all the squealing was too much for Grace because she stood up and Callie's feet went flying into the air and she flipped right over onto her back. It was so unexpected and funny that Mia and I began laughing, so Callie did too. She always follows her sister's lead. :-)
• As much as she is crazy about her mommy, she's even more enthralled with her daddy. She gets so excited to see him, kicking her legs, squealing and now clapping her hands.
• She is now saying "bye bye," "dada" and "mama." She's also saying "dada" for the dogs.

Mia is doing great in school and in gymnastics. She's reading up a storm and does great with art, writing and math too. We're signing her up for soccer tonight so she'll have that and gymnastics going on. It's difficult for her to walk around the house without incorporating a cartwheel or handstand into her movements.

Snow Day!

Home with my girls today because of snow and ice. I'm working but get to play with them in between emails and calls.

Mia is so wonderful with Callie, playing with her, talking to her and entertaining her. Callie just babbles away at her sister, "Dadadada, mamamamama, bababababa". It's adorable!!! Callie is getting close to crawling, so she is trying her best to climb all over Mia.

Callie is the little light in our world. She is so happy, always smiling, talking and laughing. We are all desperately in love with her. Every struggle we endured was to bring her to us and my God, she is so worth every moment. She is what we waited for and our hearts are so full now that she's here with us.

Some things about Callie:

• She loves to eat. She eats about four containers of food each day and only drinks her milk out of her sippy cup. She also eats yogurt bites and puffs and does well with picking them up. She just still has trouble getting them into her mouth, as she pushes them back into her fist after she grabs them.
• Callie's a very consistent sleeper, unless she's sick or going through a growth spurt. She goes to be right around 7 each night, after her bath and Mommy or Mia reads her a book. She typically wakes up once around 4 or 5, plays and talks for a bit, then goes back to sleep until about 6:30. We all get up at that time for school/work anyway, so it works out perfectly.
• Callie also falls asleep very easily. She rubs her eyes when she's tired, doesn't really want to snuggle much, just arches her back and you know she wants to be put down. I rarely put her down when she's already asleep.
• She's super ticklish on the little fat rolls on her legs. She will squeal and belly laugh if tickled there.
• Callie had her first ear infection last month. She barely made a peep about it, although looking back, we're pretty sure she had it for awhile. We ended up at the doctor because she had a fever and kept tilting her head to the side.
• Callie LOVES her rattles! She will play with rattles more than just about any toy. She loves to shake them and say, "Dadadadadada". She also plays a lot with the little people and toy house at Nana and Papa's. She puts the people on the shelves, then takes them down, then puts them up again. She just may be getting one of those for Christmas!
• That girl is obsessed with jewelry! If she sees a ring, earrings, necklace, etc., she will pick at it and get super excited, kicking her little legs. She knows where my rings are and if I'm close, she's looking for them.
• She saw Santa for the first time last week. She was not afraid at all. She just sat there with Mia, smiling and staring at him. She did try to take some of his beard with her as a souvenir, but otherwise, it went very well.

Some things about Mia:

• Mia is doing very well in school. She's gotten a free dress pass for her reading, and has all As in school so far. Her first report card was excellent. We just need to work on how she writes her letters (for example, sometimes she starts at the bottom when she's supposed to start forming the letter from the top) but otherwise all was well.
• Mia has had some trouble at after school care. She and Cara are getting into it, saying mean things to each other. Missy and I aren't sure if they're just acting like normal kids or if we need to be concerned. We've told them if they can't get along better, they aren't going to be able to play together as much outside of school. Mia has an odd reaction to Cara. All she talks about is wanting to play with Cara, then when she sees her she's cold and/or mean. I don't get it and am not sure what to do about it. She's like that with her daddy too. We'll have to see how this develops. I've kept her home from after school care the last week or so to give it a rest.
• Mia continues to have recurring UTIs. Plan to take her to the doctor to investigate further.
• Mia is learning a lot about religion at school and is very interested in Jesus and his mommy. We say our prayers together each night and I'm going to church with her and her class on Wednesdays. We were all at Dad's the other night for dinner and took a walk to see the Christmas lights. Every time we saw a nativity scene, Mia and Cara would make the sign of the cross and say the dinner prayer. :-)

Callie - Six Months Old

Words can’t begin to express how in love I am with my little Callie. Her infectious smile lights up the whole room, and Mia, her daddy and I can’t get enough of her. Our little baby turned six months old yesterday. I can’t believe how quickly she’s growing up. It’s been a blur, there has been so much going on. I’ve had to travel a lot with my new job, and I feel like each time I come home, she’s even more alert and has changed significantly in just a day or two. • Callie’s now sitting up very well. She loves to play with her “stage” toy, which has a mirror, music and buttons for her to push. She smiles a lot at the pretty baby she sees there. • She’s eating baby food such as carrots, squash, green beans, prunes and mixed vegetables, and tries to take the spoon from me to feed herself during dinner. • She is really doing well picking up objects (particularly her paci) and getting them to her mouth. The other day she picked up her paci with one hand and realized she had picked it up on the side that should go into her mouth. So she switched it to her other hand so she could pop it in. So advanced!! • Callie loves her feet, and they are constantly in her hands. She tries to put them in her mouth but her chubby baby legs won’t let her get them up that high. She isn’t daunted by it though, and just smiles and waves her arms and legs up and down in happiness. • She’s also ticklish under her arms. Her little baby laughs fill the house when I hit the right spot! • She’ll stand for a couple seconds at a time holding onto furniture. She loves her jumparoo, and I think that’s really strengthened her legs. • She’s making many more noises now. It sounds like she’s saying “hi”. But her favorite is still to blow spit bubbles. She does that ALL THE TIME!  • She’s sleeping very well lately, only waking up once at night, around 2. We put her paci back in her mouth and she goes right back to sleep, not waking up again until 6:30 or 7:00. She is such a happy girl, smiling and laughing all the time. She and Mia are nuts about each other. Mia reads to her, plays with her, tickles her, sings to her, and the other day, even played school with her. Callie is captivated by Mia and just hangs on to everything she says. I think Callie may be a Daddy’s girl. She absolutely lights up when she hears Mike’s voice. I am trying not to get my feelings hurt by it. I think about all the years I spent struggling to have her, and everything I put myself through physically and emotionally just to bring her into the world, and I’m just so grateful we have her at all. But Mia was such a Mommy’s girl that it’s noticeable Callie prefers Mike. It’s a new experience for me. Regardless, I am captivated by her, and find myself just staring at her in awe. She is beautiful, healthy and happy, and I just can’t get enough of hugging and loving on her. She’s a blessing to our family and my world now feels complete with her in it.

Callie - Four Months Old

What fun we are having with our little Callie Girl! She is getting so big! At her four month check up she weighed 16 pounds, 8 ounces (95%), and was 26 1/2 inches long (95%). She now sleeps on her side, all laid out in a "C", just like her mommy. She has mastered the art of grabbing her paci and pulling it out of her mouth, which pisses her off to no end! We go in numerous times a night, because that "other, mean baby" keeps taking her paci from her. :-) She has rolled over once that I've seen, and is nearly sitting up on her own. She loves to play in her Jumparoo, this week finally learning how to jump. She is starting to grab anything and everything and pull it into her mouth. Today she starting trying to get her feet in there. I'm sure she'll have it worked out by week's end! We're eating baby food with our evening bottle now. Green beans, carrots and squash have all been hits so far. We're still adding oatmeal cereal to all her bottles to help with the reflux. Callie is the happiest little baby. She lights up when anyone talks to her. The only time she really cries is if she's hungry or tired. Or sick. This weekend she's had a low grade fever so when the Tylenol wears off, she gets a little grumpy. Otherwise she's laughing and smiling all the time. I took advantage of her not feeling well to stay home with her and snuggle. I let her sleep in my arms, whispering sweet mommy love to her. I also sang my favorite Callie song to her, "Wagon Wheel" by Darius Rucker. She always calms down when I sing that song! She loves playing with Mia. Today we were giving her airplane rides on my legs while Mia gave her kisses. Yesterday Mia played library with Callie, letting her pick out four books to take home. :-) They are so precious together and I whisper to Callie all the time that she was worth every moment of struggle I ever had to get her here. She and Mia are the most amazing gifts I've ever gotten. I just can't say that enough. I'm crazy about those girls.

My greatest joy is being their mother...

I sit here today feeling overwhelmed by my blessings. I have a new job I enjoy and that allows me more free time to devote to my family. My family and friends are healthy and happy. I have an amazing husband. He is a true partner, encouraging me to realize my dreams, while supporting our family with his presence and involvement in a way many men still don't. I love him more today than I ever have. And I have two healthy, sweet, funny, beautiful girls. I am overcome with emotion at the depth of my love for them. Knowing I brought these two amazing creatures into this world is my greatest joy. The other day I heard Christina Perri's "A Thousand Years" and I cried as I listened to the lyrics. Although they are meant to describe a romantic love, they describe how I feel about my girls. As a child, teen, and young adult I had trouble picturing my life, what I wanted to do, where I wanted to end up, and whether I would end up married or single. The only thing I've ever know for certain from the time I could form the thoughts is that I wanted to be a mother and I wanted little girls. So in my heart, I have spent all my life waiting for them. All along I believed I would find them. I have loved these girls for a thousand years, and I will love them for a thousand more. There is so much I hope for them in life. I am graduating tomorrow with my MBA. I absolutely struggled to finish my education while enduring miscarriages, working full time, caring for Mia, being pregnant with Callie and finishing while she was just weeks old. I did that for them, so they will know the tremendous value in education. It will open doors and create paths for them that never will appear otherwise. I want them to know that even if they are unsure where to head or where they want to end up, they will find answers simply by getting their education. They will learn so much about their strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes, and they will have a piece of paper afterward that will grant them more respect and possibilities than without it. If they are uncertain what they want to be, I believe you can't go wrong with a business degree. After all, any job they could possibly perform will in some way be a business. Those skills will be valuable anywhere life takes them. I want my girls to be sure of themselves. Mia already demonstrates high intelligence, wit, kindness, spirit and leadership skills. I will do everything I can to help her use those skills to her advantage and for the good of others. She has the support and encouragement of a loving, extended family who believe in her, and she should listen to their advice and use it to guide her. She's a bit boy crazy right now, so I hope she learns to reign that in and focus on strengthening herself and her female relationships. I hope she develops interests and skills because they are what she enjoys, not because they are what others are doing or what she thinks others would like her to do. I hope she stays silly. That girl can make me belly laugh in ways I never imagined a child could. She is old enough now to get my silly side and sometimes it's like we have our own little comedy show together. My sweet Callie will be four months old tomorrow. She's beautiful and smiley. I hope she continues to find joy in things like smiles and tickles. She adores her sister and her sister adores her. I pray they will maintain this beautiful love and friendship throughout their lives. The love of my sister is the very reason I wanted two girls. They will always have one another. I hope they can follow our example and also develop a strong network of girlfriends. Not mean girls, who judge and criticize others, but good-hearted, funny girls who value kindness and generosity. I hope my girls are able to find lasting friends like we have, who become their extended family. I also hope Callie doesn't feel like she has to stand in her sister's shadow. She is her own person and will have her own strengths and talents. I can't wait to see where her interests lie, where she finds joy and happiness. Sometimes my anxiety gets the best of me, and I worry something will come along and take away all these blessings in my life. I spend my prayers now thanking God for the life he has given us, and praying that we will always have one another. We worked so hard for many years to get this family. It's so precious to me and I will never take it for granted.

Callie Girl - 3 Months Old

Oh, my little Callie Girl. How in love with you I am! You light up my world with your sweet smiles and your infectious giggles. Your dad and I are so smitten with you. We sit and just look at you, marveling in our little miracle. And your sister...well she can't get enough of you! She reads to you, sings to you and last weekend had a fashion show with you. She brushed your quarter-inch hair and put you in a tiara and bracelet. You just let her dress you up, grinning the whole time! You are getting so big so quickly. I know I don't post here nearly like I did when Mia was a baby. It is partly due to having two children that need my attention. There aren't very many free moments with a three month old and a five year old. I have also just started a new job last week and leaving my former job to transition to this one has been challenging. I was in Las Vegas last week and am typing this from Chicago. When I'm home I want to interact with my girls, not just write about you. But also I was much less confident in my decisions as a mother when Mia was a baby, and I wrote to work through my insecurities. Now I'm confident and more relaxed and just simply enjoying your babyhood even more than I did with Mia. You've had a rough couple of weeks that have challenged my heart though. Two weeks ago on Sunday you spiked a fever of 101.3. I called the pediatrician and they told me to take you the emergency room. With Mia, that temperature wouldn't have necessarily caused much alarm, so daddy stayed home with Mia. But apparently that level of fever in a child less than three months is a big deal. Quickly after our arrival a catheter was inserted to draw urine, an IV was inserted to draw blood and administer medicine if needed and a chest x-ray was taken. I was soon in a state of panic, over what may be wrong with you and over the level of pain you were experiencing from these procedures. You were too small to get anesthesia and I was desperate to find out what was going on and to eliminate the need for so much pain. After the chest x-ray your daddy arrived and I held you for hours as test after test came back negative. But you were still fussy and still had the fever, and the NP decided she wanted to do a spinal tap to test for meningitis. What a horrible decision that was for us to make. I had just had an epidural for my c-section with you. I was terrified of a physician inserting a needle into my own spine. To do that into the spine of a screaming, wiggly baby was beyond my comprehension. But I read up on your symptoms while we sat there, and you were definitlely exhibiting enough of them to cause concern. Meningitis can kill babies quickly, so we knew we must find out to keep you safe. We waited in the lobby while you had the procedure. Granny showed up while we were out there, midnight by that point. I cried and cried in fear for you, but hours later the tests came back negative again. We went home and by the next day your fever was down. Then on Wednesday I was at a going away party with my work friends when I received a call from daddy that he had been in a wreck with you and Mia in the car. All he kept saying was for me to get there and that he "thought" you were okay. My friend Beth drove me to daycare in rush hour traffic while I sat there in panic, wondering if you were all really okay. When we pulled up, we saw daddy's car and it was obviously totaled. It had been a stormy afternoon and a woman decided to pass in the median. She crashed right into the front driver side as daddy pulled out of the daycare parking lot. Daddy appeared to be okay, and when I went into daycare you girls appeared to be okay as well. However we knew we needed you all to be checked out at the hospital to be certain. So papaw took daddy to the adult hospital, and mommy, granny and grumpy took you girls to the children's hospital. Daddy had a sore back and some burns from the airbag. You girls had a couple of bruises from your seatbelts. After x-rays determined you were okay, we took you home. I've never seen your daddy so shaken up and he cried when he walked into your hospital room. In fact, many tears were shed by mommy and daddy in the days after that accident. You girls are the most precious gifts we've ever received. We love you both with all our hearts and souls, and would easily give our lives to keep you both safe and healthy. It's hard to know what that feels like until you are a parent. But always know we love you more than anything. In the past week you have started to giggle. You love when I kiss and "munch" on your belly and your big, hearty laughs make me laugh out loud with you! Two days ago you started reaching for toys. You love to sit in your swing and reach for the little dangling toys that hang from it. You are also really pulling your head up a lot to look around you, and you no longer need to be swaddled at night. You're sleeping through the night in your sleep sack. We still have you in the elevated sleep sling instead of your crib. Until your reflux stops I want you elevated. But otherwise you are one happy, content little girl. And you have your mommy's heart in your hands!