In Ten Years...

In ten years...

I went from being a mom of one to a mom of two.

The day I came home from the hospital after having my sweet Cali girl, Chris left me with both Averi and Cali while he went to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription for me. I remember thinking to myself (while Averi uncharacteristically was bouncing off the walls and Cali was laying in her bassinet that Averi was about to tip over), "What have I done?"

I was an old pro at being a mom to one. I knew Averi. Everything about her. But here now is this baby who is completely different than Averi was. She was A LOT bigger. She had NO hair. And she was a funky yellowish, orange color. But she was so, so beautiful...just like her big sister.

I didn't know this baby. Yes, she grew inside me for the last nine months, but I didn't know if she was a mellow baby, a fussy baby, anything about her, really. And I couldn't devote all of my time and attention to just her because I had another child to care for. I knew Chris wouldn't be around a whole lot to help because at the time he had a very demanding job where he had to travel often. My mom wasn't available to help me. I just wasn't sure I could "do" two kids. Too late now, huh?

Anyways, I think back to that moment because these last ten years have been the best years ever. What was I thinking being all scared and overwhelmed? I remember back to the late nights where it was just me and my babygirl. Chris was either gone or asleep, Averi was asleep, and it was just us, Cali all snuggled up nursing the night away. And one particular thing I remember about those times was feeling complete. I was complete, my family was complete...it was just a sense of serenity, that everything was good and all was right with the world. And my world was exactly what I had hoped for.

God blessed us at just the right moment in our lives with Cali. He knew we needed another daughter to love, cherish, nurture and adore. I think of all the souls in heaven, He picked the very best one to become Cali Amanda Campbell. She has brought so much sunshine to all of our lives.

Here's some things I absolutely love about Cali:

-She is the most snuggly thing ever. I love that even at 10 years old she still prefers to sit on my lap and have me hold her as to anything else.

-She is so loving. She always has to kiss and hug everyone goodnight...sometimes more than once. And she always makes sure she gives Mamaw and Papa Jim and her other grandparents or relatives a hug when she sees them.

-She is very thoughtful and generous.

-She has a really good personality and has lots of friends.

-She tells me her dreams EVERY morning and some of them are real doozies.

-She is strong-willed (I know this sometimes is a real pain in the butt for me, but I think it is a good trait to have, and it is a trait that I admire because it is so NOT a trait that she gets from me.)

-She is a reader. She loves books and she loves to read. Sometimes she will read 3 books at one time. I love to read, so I really LOVE that she loves to read. Plus, now I have a Borders buddy.

-She's kinda shy, but she's kinda not...she is not afraid to get up and perform.

-She is Chris through and through...she looks like him, she acts like him, she thinks like him...no wonder I love her so much!

-She keeps her room pretty clean.

-She loves to be playing outdoors...riding her bike or scooter, swinging, exploring.

-She's one super, sweet, silly mama's baby.

If the next ten years are as joyous as the last, I'm bound to be one happy mama! And here's to 110 more years with Cali O'Malley the Alley Cat aka Cali BoBo aka BoBo Skinny aka Peepers aka Cali Amanda Campbell!