so big

I may be treading on "Mom territory", but I must celebrate and acknowledge grandmotherly joy and love for my sweet Callie. Yesterday, Ruth, Callie, and I made the 50+ mile trip to Ikea in Frisco for a "see what there is" shopping trip. This was Callie's first big shopping trip and the first trip I made with her to a massively populated store.

She was delightful....curious and taking it all in. Watching people, zeroing in on "little folks" closer to her age group and stature. She explored the store in her stroller, holding on to the sides with both hands, leaning in or turning her body to catch a closer look at things/persons she encountered. Of course many people paused and greeted her, saying things like "Oh, how sweet"...or "Isn't she a doll?"

And for each person who addressed her directly, she rewarded them with a full smile, with nose crinkled and eyes dancing. If that person lingered and engaged her in conversation, she would thrust both arms high into the air, kick her little legs, and grin some more.

The arm-raising has evolved from a game that Ruth and Chad play with her while sitting on the floor eye-to-eye. It's played like this: Mom or Dad face her and say "Callie is SO BIG!" while outstretching their arms. She loves that game and has quickly learned to do the same. It's like the touchdown arms in the air we see so often. Callie is full of pride in all the things she learns to do on a daily basis and she receives encouragement and praise from her mom and dad. It reaches down in the pit of your being to see your child interacting with her child and you know that a legacy has begun......

Thank you, Chad and Ruth