The Booker Post

At Panera, where they call names with orders while Papaw is saying the prayer Voice on loudspeaker: Callie! Callie looks up All of us: Amen Callie: They sayin' my name! -- A little while later, while Callie was eating -- Voice on loudspeaker: Callie! Callie: They sayin' my name again! -- After we're done eating -- Voice on loudspeaker: Jessie! Callie: That's my cat! They callin' my cat! Callie talking to herself in the car last night Callie: I get to the hotel, I take off my shoes and my socks and my shirt and I go swimming! (over and over again) At lunch today, Callie's putting on her coat to leave Voice from behind Callie: Hi, I'm Gabrielle. They begin talking, the next thing we hear Gabrielle: I have a unicorn pillow pet at home. Some more talking, and then Callie gives her a big hug! So sweet.

We are so happy to be spending our holiday with our southern family! It has been really exciting traveling around southeast Texas and meeting our new nephew, Oliver, for the first time! Our travels down here went very well -- a welcome surprise considering the headache of traveling up to Mayo Clinic just a few weeks ago. Gabriel rode well, and Callie's always been a champion traveler. Part of it could be the fact that I tried something new while traveling this time. When Gabriel would get fussy on our trip to Minnesota, we'd pull over, I'd nurse him and then we'd walk around for a while. We'd then get back in the car and try to drive again. This time, we walked around holding Gabriel as much as we could first, then I'd feed him right before we got back on the road. It seemed to work out much better, or Gabriel's outgrown his hatred of the carseat ! Either way, I'm ecstatic it went as well as it did! All 19 or so hours of it! We leave tomorrow for Austin ...

(Most of you have probably already seen this on facebook, but I wanted to expand on the thought in my journal so my kids would have access to it one day.) When we talked of the possibility of now being the time to have another child, I worried about having enough time. When we found out we were pregnant, I worried about sibling rivalry and how Callie would deal with no longer being the sole center of my attention. When we found out it was a boy, I worried about raising a son. But most if all I worried about all the love I had for Callie from the moment I saw her -- How would I possibly have the capacity to love Gabriel as much as I did Callie? I felt like my love account was fully maxed and I honestly worried about how I could possibly give Gabriel all the love he needed. But what I have discovered is that I love Gabriel just as much as I love Callie. That God has given me a bonus to my love account. And that I didn't know exactly how I was going to do it, I love Gabriel with all m...