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!

My Baby Girl

My Callie Girl

Before Mia was born, I'd never called anyone "Punkin" in my life. But somehow, that became my nickname for her and it's stuck. Similarly, before Callie's birth, I'd never referred to anyone as "Sweet Pea", yet my girl is definitely my little Sweet Pea. I love her to pieces! She did great at her appointment today, even though she had to get four shots. She cried for less than a minute, just snuggling into me as I talked to her and calmed her down. Before that she was smiling at everyone, cooing and even giggling twice. Oh, how I love that girl! She weighs in at 13 pounds, 2 oz, (95%), is 23 1/4 inches long (80%) and her head is 15 1/2 inches (85%). She's right on track!

Two Months Old!!

I can't believe my sweet baby girl is two months old already! It's gone by so quickly. This is my last week home with her and I'm so sad it's over! I spent the first six weeks of her life finishing my MBA, and was completely overwhelmed, trying to adjust to my girl while working 20 hours a week on my capstone project. I finished with a 499/500 on my final paper, so I was very proud, but by the time that was over, I had just four weeks home with her. I've tried to cram in as much quality time with her as I can, but she's had a rough road with her belly. After trying five different formulas, Callie is now on Similac Soy, which is what Mia ended up on. She has reflux so we thicken it with rice cereal. She will surely be a huge baby before long, but at least she feels better. It's been a tough ride for her and her belly, trying to get this all figured out. She still has pretty bad gas, but at least she isn't choking and throwing up. Callie is a sweet, beautiful baby, and her smile melts my heart. We are all absolutely in love with her! She started cooing and even giggled in her sleep the other night, so I try to get her to "talk" to me every chance I get. She loves her sister too, and Mia calls her "Little Baby Bunny" and sings to her all the time. She's not a consistent baby during the day. Some days she sleeps, others she's awake nearly all day. But she sleeps great at night! She's usually ready for bed by 7 or 8, we wake her for a "dream feed" at about 10, and she's out for the night. She wakes up once for an additional nighttime feeding, these days anywhere from 6 1/2 hours to 10 hours later. But she doesn't cry in the middle of the night otherwise. Mommy and Daddy sure do appreciate that! Callie had her first beach trip last week. We went to Destin with Dad, Sue, Emie and her friends, and the Farfsings. It was not much of a relaxing trip, since Callie was awake so much during the day, but it was fun regardless. We did so much with Mia, Cara and Ramsey. They did an obstacle course, bumper boats, miniature golf, ferris wheel, a pirate cruise, and of course played on the beach and at our pool. They were exhausted by the time they got in bed each night! Callie rode down with Mike and me, and I had to sit in the backseat with her almost the entire trip. She was just fussy. Mia rode with Dad and Sue and was great. She watched movies, so she was fine. I'm sure Callie was uncomfortable sitting that long, so I tried to get her out as often as I could. But it's hard to explain that to an 8 week old! We are heading to the doctor for her two month check-up here soon. I will update afterward.