5 things and a photo :)

After "all" the sleep I've had this weekend, this is about all I feel like doing (see picture below). :)

However, my friend Erin tagged me, and I hate to disappoint. So here you go:

5 Things
Instructions:1) Answer five questions with five answers.2) Tag five people

1. Where were you ten years ago?
I was halfway through my sophomore year at Mississippi University for Women. One of my favorite people and closest friends had died tragically that October, so it was a long, sad road to spring. I was majoring in public relations and minoring in social clubs. ;)

2. What is on your to-do list for today? Oh wow-- are you ready for some excitement? Let's see.....bathe both girls before bedtime, take a shower (yes, it actually makes the to-do list as an accomplishment when there's a new baby in the house), send my hubby to the store, keep the baby awake so that MAYBE she'll sleep better tonight, and call my mom. The end.

3. What five snacks do you enjoy? I am quite the junk-food addict, so try to keep your judgements to yourself on this one. I love anything chocolate, I'm addicted to cookies of almost any kind, and I also keep a supply of Gobstoppers handy. Yes, I'm serious. I also love chips and dip (again, I'm not picky), and I will fight for candy corn. Oh, and does Starbucks count as snack? It probably should, considering it has more calories than many meal options....if so, I'd like a peppermint mocha, please. :)

4. Where are five places you have lived?
Jackson, MS
Columbus, MS- oh, C-bus, how I miss thee
Southaven, MS
Houma, LA
Inverness, MS

5. Name five things you would do if you were a billionaire.

I would donate A LOT of money to a variety of places. Some, but not all, include: The W, NMS Chrysalis, St. Jude, the March of Dimes (in honor of the LeBlanc babies, of course), the Palmer Home, etc.
I would send Lee to medical school to see what great things he might discover with the oh-so-impressive mind God has given him.
I wouldn't work again until my girls are in high school and are too busy to need me at home all day. However, I would volunteer as often as my schedule would allow.
I would take Libby to Disney World while she's still young enough to believe in fairy tales whole-heartedly.
I would take guitar lessons so I can finally do my Gibson justice, and I would buy a super fancy new camera.

The five people I would like to tag are:
1. Blair M.
2. Heather L.
3. Rox W.
4. Jordan R.
5. Andrea R.

My newest purchase

I LOVE these little waterproof labels! They are perfect for paci's and whatever else your little one might need labeled. I've started giving them as birthday presents; call me a sucker for practical gifts. :) There are lots of places you can get them, but I found mine here: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=38367340

This is what the face.....

....of a proud big sister looks like. :)

Hi, I'm McCall.....

.....and I'm obsessed with mint Oreo's. Never tried one? Don't. They're HIGHLY addictive. Don't believe me? Ok, try and see for yourself. Whatever. But don't say I didn't warn you.

What's in a name?

Ok, so several people have asked how Hollyn got her name. I'm guessing this is about the same reaction my mom got thirty years ago when she named me McCall. I wanted to take a minute to explain. First, just as a sidenote, it rhymes with "Collin". If you've heard the pronunciations I've heard, you'd be laughing with me, I'm sure. Second, Lee and I struggled for MONTHS to name our newest addition. We didn't know she was a girl until about three weeks before she was born, so we battled coming up with not one but two names. We had a solid list of about five names we agreed on, but none of them felt right-- if that makes any sense. I consulted EVERYONE, and I do mean EVERYONE, and then realized that the only opinions that really mattered (no offense to any of you) were mine, Lee's, and Libby's, so I stopped asking. I prayed about it and worried about it and stressed about it and ALMOST pushed Lee over the edge with talking about it. Even Libby said, "Mom- can we just name the baby already? I'm tired of talking about baby names."
And then my mom recommended Holland. I liked it. It was different. However, I didn't want all the country conotations and for her life to be filled with wooden shoe and windmill jokes, but I looked it up anyway. Holland didn't mean anything, but HOLLYN was there, right under Holland in my baby name book that I'd borrowed from a friend, and its meaning really struck me: confident. Of all the gifts I could wish to give my daughter, that is definetly at the top of my list. I'd love for her to grow up and be secure in who she is-- scratch that. I'd BE THRILLED if she grows up to be even OK with who she is, as so many wonderful, beautiful girls never reach that point. Needless to say, that was it for me. Hollyn. It worked, and it stuck. Having a unique name has given me character (at least I'd like to think it has), and I hope it will do the same for her.

Note: this is yet another way my two girls are different. Here's how we named Libby:
Me-- It's a girl!
Lee- What are we gonna name her?
Me- How about Libby? (this name literally just randomly popping into my head out of nowhere)
Lee- I like that. Ok, we'll name her Libby.
Done. It took less than a minute. She might as well have named herself.

So, will Hollyn grow to be confident? Who knows. But I do know one thing-- so far, so good.

Hollyn's space

It just occured to me that I never posted pics. of Hollyn's room. I'm crazy about how it turned out and think you might agree. :) The cross picture was a baby gift from my good friend Megan...she's sells her stuff if you're interested. And her bedding is by My Baby Sam. You can check them out here: http://mybabysam.com/. The bed however, well.....it was mine. :)

Does this little face.....

....not just melt your heart?

Our littlest blessing

I realize it's been over two weeks since the long-awaited big day. Needless to say, I've been one busy girl. Please forgive me...I promise I have a really good, melt-your-heart excuse for not posting sooner.

January 5th is a day I will never forget, nor would I ever want to forget even a minute of it (ok, well maybe the ten or so minutes that I spent overwhelmed with nausea, but other than that, I don't want to forget a thing). Hollyn Reed  was born at 10:33 that morning after what has to have been the easiest c-section ever. Really- we got to the hospital at 9:00 and an hour and a half, an IV, and a few other unmentionables later, I got to FINALLY lay my eyes on one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. She weighed 6 pounds and 12 ounces (yay for 12- it's my favorite number), was 19.5 inches long, and had a head full of dark hair.

Sometimes she looks so much like Libby that I can hardly tell them apart, but she's already proving to be a very different child than Lib in so many ways. She's making her mark as quite the individual. :)

Although I had a section with Libby as well, the two girls made very different entrances into this world. Libby's section was filled with fear, tears, and a whole barrel full of nerves. For Hollyn's, I was calm and felt as prepared as I believe to be possible. To say that she is as perfect as can be is an understatement. Yet an even bigger understatement would be to say that I've fallen madly in love with her. Although those are the strongest words I can find to use to describe how I feel for her, they are nowhere near strong enough. She has filled a place in my heart that I didn't know was still empty...maybe some of the weight I gained during pregnancy was designated to creating this place for her. ;) Regardless, she has joined our family, and I already cannot imagine how we got by for so long without her.

I don't want to jinx us, so let's just say she sleeps well. (Libby didn't sleep more than two hours for ten, yes ten long weeks.) She also eats every meal like she's about to starve and loves to cuddle. She's truly my kind of kid.

She has Lee's hair, my toes, and her big sister's heart in the palm of her hand.

She'll be three weeks old on Tuesday, and I promise to post again by then. However, please understand that my time on the computer is scarce these days-- I'm too busy being in love.

Change is a-comin'

2010 is starting off with a bang. This week, my little life will change forever. First, I will welcome my daughter (sorry but her name is under wraps until the big day). I cannot wait to meet her. For those of you who've never heard the Libby pregnancy story, I was several months pregnant with her before I knew I was pregnant (I know, I know- there's now a tv show dedicated to this very thing). Needless to say, by the time she arrived I simply didnt' feel ready. I mean, her room was complete, her clothes were all washed, her carseat was installed, etc. But mentally, I just hadn't had long enough to wrap my mind around the million and one ways in which my life would change when I became a mom. Well, this pregnancy has been different in almost every way possible. I've known I was pregnant since the middle of May......to say that feels like a lifetime ago is quite the understatement. And now, nine months later, I could not be more ready for this little girl's arrival. I am so ready to see her little face, count her fingers and toes, and squeeze, squeeze, squeeze her. I honestly don't think I've ever been more excited about anything in my life- and if you know me and my HUGE emotions, that's really saying a lot. And in case having a baby this week isn't enough, it's also the week I turn the big 3-0. I'd always thought this event would be spent somewhere sunny and warm, preferably somewhere that includes sand and seagulls. However, God obviously found this quite humorous and had other plans for my big day. I will now turn thirty in the hospital and will forever share my birthday (ok, so we'll be two days apart) with my daughter. The funny thing is- I don't mind one little bit. So, to the few of you who read this blog, my next post is guaranteed to be a big 'un. I'll be a year older (though don't hold your breath on my being a year wiser) and will be the proud mother of two rather than one little girls. I promise there will pictures....probably lots of them, and I think it's safe to say I'll have at least one funny Libby story to post about as well. And if you're lucky, I might even throw in my first blog video attachment. :)