Just another day

A Few moments from today

-Xander came up with a new title for himself..."Dr. Xander". He gave his sister a thorough examination to make her feel better and after checking her heart rate, blood pressure, giving her a shot, and testing her reflexes, she checked out alright. He even gave her a kiss to help her to get on the mend a bit quicker

-Cally's new favorite way to be held is in the Moby wrap. It keeps her snuggled very close to me and comfy cozy. I can only imagine that it feels a bit like being in the womb. Nonetheless, it is her happy spot right now.

Poppy...Grandpa of the World

Well, it was solidified tonight, Larry St. Lawrence is Poppy of the World. Not only has he maintained being a number person in Xander's life, but he is on a fast track to be being the same for Calista.

We stopped by Nana and Poppy's house tonight when we were finishing our walk to say a little hello and give snuggles. While Xander was distracted, Poppy was able to get a little undivided time with Cally and secured his spot as Captain Cool. He got her to talk to him, smile at him, copy him by sticking her tongue back out at him, and then coo some more. Cally never took her eyes off of her Poppy and thus began her relationship with her Poppy.

I am sure there will be many more moments for Poppy and Cally to share, but it was pretty special to watch her bond with him in such a short amount of time. Dad has always had the hearts of five girls, but now he will have a sixth one. Just watching Cally stare at him tonight, I saw such adoration in her for him. I couldn't ask for a better guy for one of Cally's first loves...her brother and daddy of course were her very firsts.

Nanny and Poppy

This is what I over heard this morning while working on the computer...

Xander to Cally: "I'm going to be Nanny and Poppy. Here I am Nanny and I'm giving you flowers. (hands Cally a pretend bouquet of flowers) Now I'm Poppy and I'm giving you things. (puts his bear and baby doll in the swing with her) I'm such a nice Nanny and Poppy. Love you!!" (runs away from swing)

Xander's nicknames

My son has become the king of nicknaming people/things lately. Mostly he has just come up with names for his sister, but there have been other things as well. Sometimes the names are in his own language, which has yet to be interpretted, and sometimes he uses real words. His latest interest has been names for himself. Whenever Cally cries, he comes tearing through the house to find where she is at yelling, "Xander Daddy is here, Xander Daddy is here!!!" However yesterday he changed and yelled, "Mommy Xander is here!! Mommy Xander is here!!" It is so endearing to watch Xander becoming such a caretaker. He becomes more and more interested in the well- being of his sister with every day.

Fears

There are a lot of fears that run through your head and heart once you have babies...Will I be a good mom? Will I know how to teach them the things they need to know? Will I be too strict? Will I not be strict enough? Will they know how much I love them...and on and on. One of my biggest fears has been that my babies will grow up not knowing and having a relationship with their relatives...specifically thier aunts and uncles. A while back I made a decision to not let that fear control me and I realized that I had the power to make sure that Cally and Xander would not only know their aunts and uncles but have a powerful relationship with each one. However, about two weeks ago that fear came flooding back with such force that I temporarily felt very powerless.

Uncle Jon and Titi Bug came up for a way too short visit in February and informed Dan and I that they were moving from Arizona to NYC. Yeah for them, not so much us. As soon as the words left their lips I felt like a freight train of emotions had made a permanent stop in my heart. I suddenly felt very alone, very discouraged, very lost. I had been spoiled having them in Arizona and being able to take the direct flight from here to there a couple of times a year and Nessa was able to do the same. Now I felt like we would never get the opportunity to see each other.I think the thing that was the hardest is that Jon and Vanessa have played such a big role in Xander's life that I am afraid that my daughter won't get to have the same experience.

All in all the news made me realize how important not only Jon and Vanessa were to me, but how important all my sisters are to me. It is the desire of my heart to see my sissies every day, but since that can't happen, I have to figure out a way to keep them in my heart and alive in my spirit. I have to develop a way to make sure that Cally has the opportunity to love her aunties as much as Xander does and that both my children develop stronger bonds with their aunts and uncles with every day that they get older. I am determined to not let my sisters just become cards in the mail for birthdays or simple calls at holidays. I love all 3 of you very much!!

Ralph...our other new addition

Alexander Lawrence Brody would like to announce (via Mommy) the newest addition to our family. Ralph Brody arrived at about 7:40pm on Wedneesday night by way of the Poppy Express to the Brody household. He is about 3 1/2-5 pounds and is roughly 3 feet tall. He has beautiful green fur with patches of orange hair and also splashes of purple and yellow. His eyes are a gorgeous shade of yellow with fabulous furry green eyelids. Ralph is excellent at eating the pretend cakes Xander bakes and also enjoys being carried/dragged around by his horns. He makes for an excellent sleeping buddy for Alexander. He also demands hugs and kisses before bed, just like Alexander.

Thank you Auntie Abba for providing such a fabulous new friend for Alexander's Valentine's Day gift. You always know just the right thing to get!!!!

I NEEEEED to hold her

It seems that every moment lately marks a momentous time in my life that I need to record. At first I was starting to feel a bit ridiculous that I wanted to record every new thing that my children were doing. Then I thought "Oh goodness, is it just my hormones that are making me feel like a need to keep track of every minute that I have with Alexander and Cally. After a few hours of pondering I realized...why the heck shouldn't I cherish every moment? Why shouldn't I think that every new thing my children say or do is a small treasure? Why shouldn't I record my thoughts and how my kids impact me for the better every day? It is then that I decided to embrace being a parent with all that I have and to truly see each day I have with them as a gift. Afterall, God gave me two unbelievably amazing children and I am determined to see to it that I am reminded of how miraculous they are with every passing day. So here's to Cally and Alexander...Babies of the WORLD!!!!
Speaking of my babies...I am reminded of a little moment that happened one week ago. Lately, Xander has been in desperate NEED of everything lately. When he wants me, he NEEDS me right now. When he is hungry, he NEEDS a snack. When he wants to stay up later, he NEEDS to play toys. So NEEDLESS to say, we are in constant NEED at our household. Last Sunday, Xander decided he NEEDED to hold his sister...BY HIMSELF.
With the feeling of sheer terror coming over my entire body, I relented and watched as we helped him to get his sister. A million things went through my head...he's going to drop her, he's going to forget to hold on to her, he's going to let her fall, he's going to...And then I looked up and saw that all Xander was doing was holding her as tightly as he could to make sure that Cally was safe. He was determined to protect her by himself. He then looked at her and said "I love my Callyboo!!"
So what did I learn from that you may wonder. I learned that my 3 year old son is much more deserving of my trust than I give him credit for and also that there is something special about a big brother's love. I need to learn to give him a little freedom to express his love to his sister and pray that he never looses that desire to want the utmost for his little sister and that his heart grows bigger for her all the time.
It is a hard pill to swallow to realize that your children that are not even in kindergarten can teach you so much about life, and yet so gratifying that I have the opportunity to learn new things every day. I hope I will always stay open to the things they have to teach me.

BOOBS!!!!!

Nothing makes a woman feel more glamorous than having her 3 year old son stare at her boobs while she is nursing and ask "Mommy, what are those?" or "Mommy, what ARE you doing?" Boobs seems to be the big topic of interest at our house since bringing Cally home and it never ceases to amaze me the things that Xander will come up with to ask regarding them. Questions like: "Do I like mama milkies?", "Do I want to try mama milkies?", "Can I make mama milkies?" We have informed Xander that only babies like mama milkies and when he was a baby he like it a lot too. But...now that he is a big boy he only likes big boy milkies out of the refrigerator. He quickly then informed his sister that she is way too little for milkies from the refrigerator and only HE could have that. She seemed alright with not getting refrigerator milk.
Two nights ago was a first though. I was putting Xander to bed and we were giving hugs and kisses when he picked up his baby doll and let me know that it was very hungry. He asked if I would please feed it so it could go to sleep. Trying to hold in my giggles I had to break it to the kid that my boo boos could only feed our baby Cally. Xander gave me a very perplexed look, almost as if he was saying..."You selfish mommy this baby is hungry!!"...and said "I will feed it then." He held the baby doll up to his button on his jammies and fed it on the button. The button milk must have been good because the baby was able to sleep through the night.
Last night we had the same sequence of events and the same look of disappointment in me when I couldn't feed the doll. Thankfully my son is very resourceful and was able to nurse his doll on his belly button.

Dear Uncle Ty Ty

Dear Uncle Ty Ty
Thanks for the green elephant face painting you did for me and my brother. I love to look at it when I am on my changing table. In fact, I can be throwing the biggest fit and if my mom or dad brings me into my room and puts me on the changing table so I can see the painting I calm right down. It is my favorite and so are you!!!
Love, Cally
PS Tell Auntie Summie we love her tons and tons too!! And kisses to Maddie

A Historic Day

Cally is officially one day away from being one month old and big things are happening for this little lady. Last night marked the first time that she would take a pacifier. She was able to calm herself down with it and the night went very smooth. We were afraid that she would not take the paci from me, but this morning after Dan left for guard drill, we had a successful pacifier mission. Hurray!!!

Message in a bottle

Do you ever have one of those moments in life that you wish that you could bottle up and keep forever? A moment that you hope so badly you can remember what it felt like, what it smelled like, and how it made you feel twenty years from now? Today while I was sitting on the couch holding Cally and watching Oprah, one of those moments happened upon me.

Holding little Callyboo's hand, I realized I had been stroking it the whole time we had been sitting together. Her hands were so soft that at times I wondered if I was still touching them. Then I thought to myself, will my daughter know that I fell in love with her, just by touching her hands?

I then leaned in to give her a little smoochie on the her cheeks and as I leaned in I smelled the sweetest smell of her little baby breath. The scent was so soft and so tender that I found myself lingering just to breath it in one more time. And I thought to myself, will my daughter know that I fell in love with her, just by the smell of her little baby breath?

I sat back up and looked down to admire the amazing and beautiful little being I have been blessed with and paused to take in how she felt swaddled in her little blanket. The precious little bundle was so perfect and fit just so in my arms, that it almost made me wonder if my hands had been created just to hold her. I reminded myself over and over in these few minutes what it is like to have my baby tucked away safely in my arms...with her little bum fitting just perfectly in my hands and her head resting ever so softly on my shoulder. And I thought to myself, will my daughter know that I fell in love with her just by holding her for five minutes?

Once those quiet moments passed all to quickly, Cally started to make her small baby noises. The tiny squeaks were some of the most beautiful noises I have ever heard. If I listened really intently, the coos almost sounded like a little melody only written for a mother's ears. And in that moment, I wondered, will my daughter know I fell in love with her just by listening to her small baby noises?

Looking down at her, I discovered that she was now grasing onto my shirt with all the might she could muster up. I hope that I will learn how to hold onto her throughout her life...tight enough that I can guide her but loose enough that I will know when it is time to let her go and fly on her own. And in that moment, I wondered if my daughter would know that I fell in love with her just by the touch of her hand?

Through the span of maybe ten minutes, my tiny, gentle, precious girl had sent a million thoughts roaring through my head. The thought that sticks out the most is this...Will my daughter know that no matter what she does, where she is at, or who she turns out to be, I will love her more with each day, stronger by each hour, and more fiercely with each passing minute? The answer to that dear friends is this, yes she will know.

Cally's pet names

The following is a list of names Xander affectionately calls his little sister:
1-Sissy
2-Cally Boo
3-Stinker Baby
4-It
It has been so amazing to watch as Xander and Cally have already begun to develop their own special relationship. Cally is VERY tolerant of her brother and his yelling, stomping, rough housing, etc, etc. She watches him with bated breath and turns to find him every time she hears his voice.
It is so special to witness the adoration in each of my childrens' hearts for one another. My biggest prayer is that as each day comes and goes, Cally and Xander's hearts will grow bigger for each other and also that their respect for each other will become greater and greater.
I feel very blessed that my son and daughter have amazing examples of love for siblings in my sisters and I. With each rising of the sun, I think about how amazing my sisters are and how much I love and value who they are and their influence in my life. I know how lucky I am to have three people who care about my well-being, my happiness, and my health as much as they do. I hope Xander and Cally can see and appreciate what they have in their aunties as much as I do.

Xander: "Mommy, I am not going to flush Sissy down the potty."
Mommy: "Oh good Xander, Mama feels much more at peace now."

All By Myself...

Today marked the first day that Cally, Xander and I spent all by ourselves. Last night proved to be a very anxiety ridden night as I tried to prepare for a hard day of figuring out how to do two kiddles. However, when the morning arrived by way of a three year old announcing his presence at my bedside, things proved to be much different than I had anticipated. Xander watched his morning movie and I decided to take that opportunity to start laundry and check emails. We had a very nice breakfast all together and then went on to a morning tubby. While Xander was in the tub I got myself ready for the day and also managed to get Cally all "cuted" up. I realized that having two babies just means managing time very wisely and taking advantage of each spare moment. Maybe this won't be as daunting as I thought...(knock on wood, cross your fingers, etc., etc.).
Warm you heart moment from the day: I was in my bedroom getting dressed as Xander stood watch over his sister while she was in her swing. All of a sudden I hear a symphony of kissy sounds that sound pecuriously like they are coming from my son's mouth. I stepped out of my bedroom to find my beautiful boy on his very tip toes kissing his sissy on her lips. I stood watch at the corner just long enough to watch him whisper into Cally's ear, " Callyboo is such a pretty girl. You are so pretty." Then he noticed I was there and smiled only a smile a little boy with a glowing heart could smile as I tenderly wiped a tear from my eye as only a mommy with a glowing heart could.