Calla Has Something to Say About Meeting Auntie

So excited!

She is 12 Weeks! & Calla's First Getaway

Let's start this blog post shouting with joy to the Lord and praising Him for this little life, Calla Grace. She is now 12-weeks old today, and I am so thankful for her. I could never have asked for a sweeter, easier, or more adorable baby. God has blessed us indeed! Look at how much she has grown in 12 weeks... the first picture is from her very first bath, and the next 2 pictures are from this evening's bath. A benefit of being home is being able to take spontaeous mid-week getaways! Darby decided to use his birthday money on a Bed and Breakfast in Jefferson, TX. Why Jefferson? We were wanting to check out East Texas, having heard that it's green and pretty, so we did some internet searching and came across this cute little town. East Texas lived up to its reputation. As we drove eastward, the trees grew bigger and bigger and became a richer green. We were a little unsure of driving 4 hours with a little baby, but she was perfect! We are so thankful to the Lord for such an easy and sweet baby. She slept a lot of the way, and her only crying fit was after we had already stopped to feed her.

Our first experience at a B&B, we didn't know what to expect. We stayed at the McKay House, a very old home with fancy antique rooms. Our room was very cool, and it felt like we were living in the Victorian era with all its furniture. There was an extra bed for Calla. She slept quietly through the night (8 hours) both nights... we had to wake her up one morning so we could feed her before breakfast. Breakfast was amazing!! Homemade butter, syrup from the local store, fancy french toast, elegant egg soufle, and fresh berries. The following pictures/video are Calla looking adoringly at her Daddy. She likes to talk to him when he gives her lots of attention!

This is our little sleepy head.

Calla's Latest Trick Caught on Camera and a Visit from Suzie

This evening, Calla accomplished a big milestone - she rolled over, from tummy to back! She is only 10 weeks old, we are so proud of her!! She started by rolling off her doll that was under her to help prop her up. She did this for Daddy the first time on July 18, but I still hadn't seen it, 'til today! After doing it twice off her doll, I took the doll away, and she rolled unassisted. I'm so gald I caught it with the camera!

The other excitement of note is a visit from Steph and Suzie Sanderson. We were so blessed by their visit, it's been so long since Steph and I have been able to hang out for a long period of time like that! We had so much fun with our babies and want to try to make it a yearly thing. For those of you who have been following our blog for a year, you will remember Suzie from previous posts, when I asked for prayer for her. She was born 3 months early, and God has magnified His name through Suzie's life, first of all keeping her alive and now helping her to develop so well and look so good!

God is So Good

One of the first simple little songs I sang to Calla after she was first born is the one that goes, "God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He's so good to me," then I would replace "me" with "Calla." Well, God is good indeed. A few months back, when I was still pregnant, Darby and I decided that we would pray for God to make it possible for me to be home with her after she was born, rather than returning to work. God provided abundantly, more than we asked for, and it was through living off of my income and saving Darby's income. Despite God's provision, I continued to be stubborn and seek my own way, and decided that I would go back to work anyways, to keep our cushion of comfort bigger, and Darby would stay home with Calla. The day I would return was set this Monday, and I was excited about it. I would go back less than half-time, and Darby would watch her while he tried to study when I was working. That afternoon, Darby prayed for continued direction on this matter, even though for me the decision had been made. Well, after Darby sought the Lord again on the matter, that evening I suddenly felt my conscience stinging and felt guilty. I started thinking how weird it would be for me to be at work pumping my milk while Darby was at home trying to get her to take some through a bottle. And thinking of the opportunities I would miss taking her places and playing with her, while I was at work playing with other children. Well, all these thoughts started going through my mind, and I spoke with Darby about it that night. Tuesday morning, we sat down and thought about how God had provided more than what we had asked, and I felt convicted that I wasn't trusting Him and instead trying to make my own way. We made an instant decision that for us, it was more right for me to stay home with Calla and helping Darby through his last semester. I called my work Tuesday, and they called me back today - Wednesday - and I gave my notice. It's a sad day for me as well as a happy day. I have been a Child Development Specialist for 6 1/2 years, and truly loved my job! I worked with amazing families and children and coworkers, and learned so much that I can pass on to my daughter. I'm full of joy and excitement embarking on what is essentially a new career. Look at this picture, who wouldn't want to be with her all day?!?

Here are some recent pictures of Calla. Calla's auntie Robyn came to meet her and nicknamed her the "Calla-rrito," because she looks like a burrito when she's swaddled. Calla was a little fussy during her time here, but Robyn did get a few smiles! I loved seeing my sister and getting her all to myself. I was sad for her to leave us. Look at this chubby tummy! At Calla's check-up, she weighed 11 pounds! She's 50th percentile for weight, 75th for height and 75th for her head circumference.

I let Calla take her naps with her arms free, as long as she promises not to scratch her face.

At the botanical gardens, Calla got stung by a bee and her hand swelled... :0)Of course, I straighten my hair on a rainy and humid day!

Today Darby made this lantern structure for Calla to look at from her bed and changing table. This picture does not do it justice, it's so cool! I call it her "planet." She loves looking at it already.

Shots from our new camera

We haven't uploaded recent pictures in a few weeks, and a few weeks is a lot in the life of a baby. We were busy with her Grammy visiting, and now that Grammy is gone, Mommy is busy taking care of baby with no help! It makes me thankful even more for the time I had help. She likes to be held a lot and of course I like to hold her a lot, but things are slower with one free arm! Also, Calla is calmed by sucking on Daddy or my finger, which also makes it difficult to do much! I am just trying to enjoy this time with my little baby and not worry about getting everything done that I want to get done! I have been using my time to learn about shopping with coupons -- something I'd never before had time to do! Yesterday, I bought: 3 boxes of cereal, 2 jars of mayo and 2 pints of Starbucks ice cream for about 6 dollars! And praise God for Swagbucks, we were able to buy a new digital camera just from about a years' worth of regular internet searches. It's a really nice Canon, which replaces the one we lost. Here are some pictures of our little beauty.

Doing playtime today. Wearing her little hippy outfit that we bought at Kid to Kid.
This pic below is from when Grammy was here. We kept telling her about the "price of fashion," because she likes to complain when being dressed.

This is from yesterday when Daddy was interacting with her. She has long periods of alertness now!I decided to read Calla her Brown Bear book. She was very intent on looking at the pictures and make little sounds while she was concentrating.It's like she's dreaming of being a princess in her sleep!

Some Videos of Our Girl

We've updated a few videos of Calla on our youtube account.

This one is Calla's most recent bath, she is very calm, alert and happy.

This one is of Calla's movements and cuteness after her very first bath.

This is Calla's first video, after birth when she got the eye gunk smeared in her eyes.

These are from the Dodger's game: Video 1 and Video 2.

This is Calla meeting her Grammy.

This is Calla with her Grandpa.

First Father's Day and 30th Birthday!!!

Today is a very special day for Darby. It is his very first Father's Day, with a little one-month old baby girl who he loves dearly. And it is his 30th birthday! I am so proud of him as a daddy -- he started being a great father even before Calla was born. He went to all of her prenatal visits, and took wonderful care of me to make sure I was rested and to help me make it through my work week. He cooked, cleaned, shopped, let me take naps, and all this in addition to working so much and being in school full time. And getting straight A's again!! Then through the labor and delivery, he proved what a good Daddy he was -- by my side, coaching me when the doctor was distracted, and even getting the doctor back on track when needed! Then as soon as she was born, he was in love! He loves holding her, and misses her when he is gone working so hard. He continues to be involved in everything, from doctor's visits to being up late at night, from diaper changes to burping the baby. And he continues to serve us in so many ways. We thank the Lord for such a great Daddy! I posted some Daddy-Daughter pictures in honor of him.

We are blessed yet again with more loving family to help us through days with a newborn. Calla's Grammy -- Darby's dear Mom is here to visit for 2 weeks. How special that she could be here for Darby's big day! We celebrated on Saturday by going to fancy seafood at Pappadeaux and then going to the park.

Oh, on Friday, we surprised Darby with a party for his 30th birthday. He was totally surprised, so trusting and easily deceived by his lying wifey and Mom! The most blatant lie was after we had shopped for all the food and had cake and everything in the car. We knew when we got home that Darby would want to help us carry everything in, but we didn't want him to see everything. So I called him and told him that we were on our way, but his Mom was going to shop at one more place and would drop me off so I could watch the baby and he could leave for his music internship time. So she dropped me off and cruised around the block until he left. He had no idea!