Kallie

Last, but certainly not least....my baby C.  Kallie is fierce....she knows what she wants and is strong-willed.  Ehem, correction....STUBBORN!!!  She might be our "baby," but she doesn't act like it.  As I've mentioned before, her name around here is Lil' Mamma!  And even when she was a baby, she used to give me a look that said, "Really???  YOU'RE my mom?!"

Despite having the will/determination of a hundred horses and being able to throw a temper tantrum that is just short of looking like she is either possessed or having a grand mal seizure, she has THE BIGGEST HEART EVER!!!  She LOVES with her whole being and when she feels so obliged, she will share her most beloved possessions with you - her Lambchop, her money, and her chocolate (and if you're ever lucky enough to get the latter, you better feel pretty darn special).    

  

She's quite shy around strangers and it takes her a while to warm up.  One of our new neighbors has already learned to tell the girls apart by remembering that Emma will always say "hi" to her first.  

She hates the camera and will rarely look right at it and smile.  And most of the time, when she does, you can tell she feels awkward.  That's why I LOVE when I catch her real smile.  I love seeing her happy and comfortable and confident....and the smile that comes from that, makes my heart want to burst!

She used to be a HUGE Daddy's girl.  Even in the NICU, she would do extremely well when Tim was holding her - all of her stats would improve.  If I came around, her stats would immediately start to fall and her machines would start beeping.  I was convinced that she hated me.  But now.....100% Mamma's girl! :)

She's not particularly athletic, but she has recently stated that she is a "really good soccer kicker" and thinks she can "beat Torrie" (a friend who actually plays on a soccer team).  She loves being outside and is the girl always picking flowers and chasing butterflies!  She also LOVES to color, draw, paint, or do anything artistic! I'm pretty sure "the greatest grandma" (Tim's mom) has a small forrest worth of papers that Kallie has colored for her. 

She loves boys and I'm fairly certain she has a crush on her cousin, Dylan.  She talks about him when he's not around and when he is, she's constantly asking him "Are you my best friend?  Do you like me?" And she is crushed every time he says no.  She is extremely sentimental and tends to pick one thing from whoever's house we're at and wants to bring it home.  And this post wouldn't be complete if I didn't mention Kallie's love of comfort.  She has a pair of leggings that look like skinny jeans (I call them her pajama jeans, or jeggings, if you will ;) and she would wear them EVERY DAY if she could!  She has also been wearing the same Tinker Bell pajama gown to bed for 2 1/2 years now (it's becoming more of a tunic with three quarter sleeves).  And you can pretty much tell the time, right before it gets dark and the street lights come on, when Kallie will disappear and then come back downstairs, wearing pajamas, slippers and her hair undone of all piggy-tails.       

  

She's my big sweetie, my little old soul, and every night when I tuck her in, I tell her I love her "tons and tons, bunches and bunches."  I hope she knows what that means.  I hope she knows that I love her more than she loves Lambchop, money, chocolate, her favorite pajama jeans, and her trusty old Tinker Bell gown....combined!