Dear Callie. (Otherwise known as Family Part 2)

Dear Callie,

This year was your first Christmas. We had a lot of people. A lot.

Grandma (or whatever you decide to call her) made you a stocking.







See this picture? This is your family. Your daddy's family. Grandma and Grandpa. Aunt Liz, Uncle Glenn, Aunt Lyd, Aunt Charissa, Aunt Cilla (that's me!) and Aunt Sarah. Do you see yourself over there in the corner? You did a great job learning to cope with us. It was a bit of a culture shock for you, to switch from your quiet life with just you and Momma and Daddy to being around us all.

Luckily, your entire family loves you and did our best to work with you and try not to overwhelm you.

We let you sleep a lot, and were always available to hold you.

It was so fun to watch you sit and stare. I could see your eyes, taking us all in. You looked around the room, deeply. You were searching and putting pieces together. It was so incredible to watch your anxiety melt away the more time you spent with us. You learned the surroundings, you learned our faces. You had little worry lines in your forehead that relaxed as you learned how to appreciate an entire room full of people focused on you.

We did our best to make you feel comfortable by making sure each of us let you have time to get know us personally. It was such a strain on our part to spend time holding your precious little self.

You got to meet your Great - Grandmother too.

Usually if you got real overwhelmed you'd need to back off and spend some time with Momma or Daddy.

When we weren't doing our best to help you adjust, we were teaching you by example how to have a Gray family Christmas.

Eating a lot is a must. Always a variety. Our best times were when we just spread it out on the tables. Cookies, cheese, guacamole, crackers, and that disgusting summer sausage your Aunt Lyd likes so much.

Also important is talking along with eating. We talk about everything. Classes (because five out of 8 of us are in some sort of school), telling stories about people, music recommendation, movies, struggles, joys, plans...we share. We always have. Your Momma says that it's something that overwhelmed her a lot when she came into the family. She says that none of us fully realize how close we are. I think I agree, and we just keep getting closer, because we just like being around each other.

Sometimes we did hijinks. Like trying to stuff you in a stocking.

You weren't a big fan of that.

We played games too. Like tabletop shuffleboard.

You should be proud of your Daddy. He pretty much dominated. Sometimes we unseated him. But not very often.

We also went for walks. You feel asleep.

You slept really well, and we're pretty sure you grew about an inch in one day.

Okay I exaggerate. (Something else your family is prone to do). But you did grow a lot.

Grandma, likes to read books to you and work on your development. She was very impressed with you.

We basically all believe you are a genius baby.

You've yet to prove us wrong.




Most of all, no matter what happened, we laughed. A lot.

Sometimes your aunts decide to call the ham, "Roast Beast" and make a show out of carrying it to the table as a team.

This was one of my favorite moments. When we danced together. Remember that I will always dance with you. Especially when you are feeling upset, like you were that morning. I was proud of you. We put on Lena Horne's "Walking in a Winter Wonderland" and went to town, dancing your tears away.

You really liked your Uncle Glenn. He's the only uncle you have right now, on our side. And it's so much fun to watch him with you. I have this video of him planning all the fun times you are going to have together. He says that now all you do is hang out and look at the ceiling fan, but later you'll go out and get ice cream, and "something girls like" maybe, go to the park, but for now, it's mostly all about taking naps.

We also have traditions, like watching Elf. Your Aunt Charissa loves that one. Look how happy she is. We all say that watching her watch this movie is the best part. A dozen times in and she still laughs so hard. 

This is Grandpa Bo. He's a goofball. He loved acting out for you. This is his victory dance. He did this one for us. 

Here you are sitting in Gramp's lap while he makes faces and noises. I momentarily distracted you with a camera. 

Sometimes you made the same faces.

This is the most important part. 

These two people. 

They are your parents. 

They love you so much. 

Callie Ann, I've known your daddy my whole life. I have never ever seen him so enraptured with anything. He loves you. He is captured by you. He is proud of you. He is so protective of you. You completely amaze him. 

I've known your Momma for a few years too. She has taken her penchant for learning, for teaching, and channeled it completely into you. She buys books, and reads them. She thinks about helping you adjust to noise, to things on your head. She reads about how you are developing. She researches, she talks to Grandma, but my favorite thing that your Momma does is fight for you. She will tell people to back off. She fights to know you, and then she fights to make sure you get the best that she knows. 

Above all, both of your parents fight for you Spiritually. They pray. They know, they see you as an amazing gift, and you are. To your parents, to your family, to whoever God plans for you to encounter. 

Plus, look at you. Could you be any cuter?!

Finally, because I told your Aunt Charissa I would, here is a sample of some of the things that make us laugh. Along with dancing, your Aunt Cilla likes writing. So I take notes of things people say sometimes. Here is some of the random, quirky, sarcastic and dry things your family says. Believe me, it's better in person.

(Charissa) “I love boundaries. I’m such a three year old. Boundaries are Great!” 

(Me) “You filmed? I’m proud of you!” 

(Charissa) “Thanks...there may have been 30 seconds when I forgot to open the cover” 

(Me) “Didn’t you notice it was black?” 

(Charissa)”I thought it was the sun”

(Charissa) “Sarah! What’s your guessies for your prezzies?” 

(Lydia) “Our freezer is full of oats. We’ll use them for sandbags in case of a flood.”

(Sarah)“I thought horses sleep standing up.” 

(Lydia) “They do unless it’s cold, then I think they sleep lying down because they wish they were dead.”

(Glenn - talking about their future daughter) “Basically we want her (Lydia’s) internal organs and my physique.” 

“You really like that fritto cheese dip that comes in the can?” - Me

“Yep, little can of heaven.” - Glenn

(Sarah) “Wasn’t Benjamin a disciple?”

(Pam) “No, he was joseph’s brother.” 

(Sarah) “Eh - same thing.” 

(Lydia) “I was teaching her vowel sounds durning her wiggle time. I’m all in to your child’s development.” 

(Glenn) “I don’t match tones (vocal tones)....others match their tones to me.”

(Lydia, after seeing Dad's victory dance) “That’s how dad’s gonna go. A heart attack at 92 doing that.” 

(Bo) “Alright...New Years. Callie will be gone and Glenn will be the center of attention.”

(Lydia to Glenn) “I am sorry your team lost. I want you to achieve, as I did.” 

(Charissa) “Because when nothing else cuts...you go for the blue.” - Charissa

(Me) “What...?”

(Charissa) “I’m doing a commercial for my jacket.” 

(Charissa)“Selfish!” 

(Sarah) “Who?”

(Charissa) “The rest of Andrews. They ate all the peppermint ice cream.” 

(Liz reading the subtitles that keep saying, “Soldiers speaking indistinctly”) “These soldiers need to learn to speak more distinctly.”

(Charissa)“If Mom told you she was pregnant right now, what would be your response?” 

(Bo) “I’d change my name to Abraham.”

(Mom) “Bo, you look so cute.”

(Dad) “What?”

(Me - Louder) “You look cute Dad.” 

(Dad) “Uh -that’s my goal.” 

(Lydia) “You should have visited them.” 

(Mom) “We had no money.”

(Lydia) “Credit cards. Sell a kidney.” 

(Lydia) “I did crush some boy’s hearts. But not Glenn! I lift Glenn’s up so it can fly.”

Callie, you are precious, and I'm already so proud of you. I am so excited to watch you grow and see how you participate and add to our family. 

Sometimes your aunts are terrible at filming. So the only record I have
of myself at events is the classic mirror shot. Someday they will learn to
open the lens cover.