Callie is LAUGHING!

Callie started laughing:) It is the cutest sound in the entire world! I remember when she first started making fun noises...now she's laughing :)

Josh and I do everything in our power to make her laugh everyday - it's the most precious sound to your ears!

Enjoy :) (You can really hear her at the beginning of the video!)

Callie is 4 months old...

After Callie was baptized, she had an extremely busy month!

She attended her very first MN Twins game and was able to meet MN Twins Mascot, TC Bear :) He tried to walk away with her...as long as he brought her into the dugout I was okay :) Hehe!!

Callie had an amazing first experience up at the lakes :) She was able to hang out with both of her Great Grandparents, her Grandma Lynn, her Great Aunts and Uncles, AND some second & third cousins :) She loved swimming in the lake!

On July 8th, we picked up Callie's 3 month photos from Walmart. We decided that we didn't want to spend as much money, so we figured we'd save some by going there....WRONG! Turns out you spend a ton of money wherever you go. After doing the math, Josh and I realized that we would SAVE money in the long run if we just purchased our OWN camera :)

So we did. We are now owners of the new Sony Nex-3. We are having so much fun with it and Callie has been a great model for us! We also had a great storm go through Austin, so we were able to capture some shots from the aftermath :)

Callie is holding her head up completely on her own now. We receive these mini books every month from the city of Austin (Public Health), and they have different activities you can do with your baby each month. One for the 4th month (we're starting a bit early) is to pull your child up from their arms and see if they can hold their own head up. We tried it with Callie, and she was holding her head up on her own. YEAH :)

She is drinking 5 ounces of milk each feeding now and sleeping 12-13 hours straight! She takes 3-4 hour naps everyday!!! She prefers to nap on us...she likes to cuddle :) Hey I don't blame her - cuddling is amazing!

Josh and I played in a 3-on-3 basketball tournament (Gus Macker) with my sister Colleen and her boyfriend Herold last weekend. It was the very first time we left Callie over night away from us. She stayed at my parents house for the two nights we were gone. I know how much my mom and dad love her, and I know how amazing they are with kids (they've had 6 grandkids stay at their house many times without my sisters around...I know they can handle it), but it was so hard to leave her over night. I didn't get to give her a goodnight kiss and hug. I didn't get to read her her story and say her prayers with her. I know she was totally spoiled though. Ususally Josh and I lay her in her crib at night when she's still a little bit awake, and we have her put herself to sleep (this is a great life skill we have taught her at an early age!)-and my mom and dad held her till she fell asleep! We also give her cold milk...my mom heated up every bottle! Lucky girl getting spoiled by her gramma and grampa :)

We ended up staying one more night at my mom's house because we were so tired from the weekend and we just wanted to relax! It was Sunday evening (early evening), and I needed my breast pump from the car. It had just started pouring outside, so I walked into the living room and said (probably in a whiny voice) to Josh, "Oh no, I forgot to get my pump from the car and I need it now." Josh - without any question, go up, put my dad's over sized army poncho on and walked out in the pouring rain! I would have gotten it myself. I think Josh just heard that annoyance in my voice and decided to just do it for me :) Thank you sweetie - you are amazing :)

Today, Callie is 4 months old. I can't believe it myself. 4 months ago, Josh and I were meeting Callie for the first time. It feels so long ago, yet it feels like it was just yesterday. I'm not quite sure how to explain that, but it's been the best four months of my life!

She also started making this crazy scream lately! The first time we heard it, we thought she was mad and about to cry-nope! Callie screams when she is over joyed! Turns out, I do the same thing :)

My sister Colleen has been working REALLY hard to get Callie to stick out her tongue, and just recently she has been doing it :) She copies people, so back in June, Colleen and Herold were working on getting her to stick her tongue out...

In July, Grandma Lynn had a fun time getting Callie to copy her faces in the mirror at Great Grandma Barsness's house!

I'm heading to Anaheim on Sunday, July 18 and staying until Wednesday, July 21. I am going to hate more than anything being away from Josh and Callie for so long. Grandpa Don & Sharon are coming down for a night in there, so that will be fun for Josh and Callie ! It will make the time go by fast at least!

I love my family more than anything! I have the most supportive and encouraging husband in the entire world! He loves Callie and I with all of his heart! He would do anything for us-and I for them :) I thank God every day for the amazing man I fell in love with and married, and for the most perfect daughter!!!

Callie is 4 months old :)

Beautiful baby girl :)

Our family in plaid! You can't see it, but Josh and I have plaid shorts on

Gus Macker Basketball Tournament

4th of July Baby!

Enjoying the lakes

Happy girl :)

TC Bear

First Twins game in the new stadium!

Last time seeing the Bredlow family before they moved to Okinawa, Japan :(

Callie is a Quarter year old!!

Yes you read that correct...Callie is 3 months old! Can you believe it :)

She has been so busy these past three months too! She has grown A LOT...she's still a little peanut, but she is a lot bigger than she used to be. She doesn't have another Dr.'s appointment until her 4 month check-up (which is more shots :( ); however, according to Wii Fit, Callie is about 11.5 pounds! She is really long too! Her 3 month clothes are big on her around her little belly, but they're getting tight length wise.

She is doing A LOT of talking...I have posted a lot of videos on Facebook. They upload so much faster than the blog, so I post more videos on FB rather than on here...

Callie is a good eater! She has been eating 4 ounces of milk every couple hours. We are still adding the rice cereal to help thicken her milk (I'm no long nursing; however, she is still drinking breast milk-we're just adding rice cereal to my milk to thicken it up). It has been staying down in her tummy better, and she isn't spitting up...AS MUCH!

On June 13th, Callie had a big day: She was BAPTIZED!!!

My sister Heidi and her husband Bruce are Godparents, and Josh's sister Kayla and her fiance Mike are also Godparents! Callie sure lucked out by having some great Godparents!

"Shellum" Girls...I love my sisters so much :)

All 7 Grandkids together :)

Godparents: Auntie Heidi & Uncle Bruce

Godparents: Auntie Kayla & Uncle Mike

She was such a good girl on her special day :) Every night before she goes to sleep, I (or Josh) read her the story "Goodnight Moon" and then I say a prayer with her before she goes to sleep. Lately I've noticed that she calms down when she hears me start telling her the story (I have it memorized now). During our prayer, she is looking up at the ceiling, beyond me...and she stares into the same spot every time. I like to think that Jesus is there, watching over her through the night!

Josh's FIRST Father's Day!

Callie sleeping during the Miss MN Pageant...so lady-like

Miss Minnesota 2009, Brooke Kilgarriff was REALLY excited to finally meet Callie

Daddy's softball game :)

She sleep so peacefully! She has been going to bed around 7:30-8:00ish and waking up around 9:00 AM! She hasn't been waking up at all...just sleeping straight through the night for 12-13 hours! We think that is why she eats so much during the day!

Happy "First" Father's Day 2010!

My mom informed me that us "Shellum Girls" were early teethers...and I think Callie has this gene. She is already teething...sometimes it is terrible. She will just scream for no reason. It breaks our hearts...but eventually (usually within 5 minutes) we get her calmed down and she's okay.

Callie has a very busy schedule coming up! Twins games, 4th of July at the Lakes and play dates :) Stay tuned, I will try to keep this updated more frequently!

Callie doesn't like to miss anything :)

Callie has this amazing personality :) In the morning, when she wakes up, she will coo a little to let us know that she is up (we can hear her on the monitor). Then we have some time to brush out teeth, use the bathroom, get her a bottle (because we have to add rice to my milk now...), and come back into her room.

This is typically how we find her in the morning...I had to capture it on video :)

I love her cheery personality :)

Just recently, we stayed overnight at my mom and dad's house. Since we don't bring monitors, the pack 'n play is in the same room as us - so when Callie wakes up, we both wake up!

This is a video clip of Callie at 4 AM...wide awake and chipper :)

Striker...My boy...I will forever miss you!

There once was a time when I had a broken heart. I was living with my parents and it was the summer of 2006. It was the kind of time where I would sit on the couch and my mom would take one look at me, and just knew to grab the cookie dough...men can be such jerks! (Lucky for me it happened...now I have Josh!).

There was a man my dad bowled with who informed me that his cat had kitties (it got out and then got knocked up). I BEGGED my parents to let me have one, but they insisted it was a bad idea - remember, I was 23 and living at home.

Well, my parents gave in :) I picked out the most BEAUTIFUL cat who very quickly won over my heart :) In honor of receiving him from the bowling family, I named him "Striker!"

Mike O'Halloran took this picture when he did our Maternity Session - Thank you Mike, I didn't realize at the time how much I would cherish this photo.

My life was complete! Striker quickly filled my heart with love! We cuddled ALL of the time. He slept under my sheets and would curl up by my feet. Whenever I was feeling sad, he would come and sit on my chest and nuzzle at me.

When I got a job in Austin, MN - I almost couldn't bring Striker with me. My dad was secretively happy as he had grown to love Striker! They took daily naps together :) Striker knew that when he got home from work - it was serious nap time :) But - lucky me - I was able to bring Striker with me :)

His move to Austin was pretty scary for him. He didn't come out from under my bed for a couple days. Then after he finally got used to things, I went and got Cooper...crazy cat!

Striker LOVED having a friend...he loved Cooper and they cuddled and played together all the time.

But as the story goes - Josh and I met, fell in love and bought a house. Things were starting to get a little stressful for Striker-then Kix came along. That dang cat would attack Striker ALL THE TIME!

Striker got so stressed out, that he developed a UTI (Urinary Tract Infection). It got so bad that we brought him to the Emergency Room at the Vet's office on a Sunday night. Had we not gotten him there...we may not have made it. I was a wreck. Striker was my life...he had to get better!

And he did. For a little while...

As you have probably read previously, we had to give Cooper away (you can read about it if you haven't already)...Striker's BEST FRIEND :( I can't imagine what that felt like for him. And then the worst happened...Josh and I brought home Callie. Striker didn't want anything to do with her. He avoided her and avoided us :( He peed again. We brought him to the vet only to find out that the crystals were back.

So we put him on the expensive cat food diet, confined him for 1 month to help him get better, and then we let him out. Josh and I both agreed that IF it happened again, we would have to put Striker down.

Last week, Striker peed in a bag in our kitchen. We both realized he is not better.

On August 26, 2006, Striker Shellum was brought into this world. He was soon in my loving arms and he was my world. On Tuesday, June 8, 2010, Striker McRae was put to rest. He is up in Heaven playing with Winnie and chasing bugs outside :) He probably has his claws back now too!

Striker, you were my best friend when I really needed someone there for me. I believe God gave you to me to help fill the void I had in my heart. I no longer have that void...

Thank you for helping me when I needed someone the most! I will forever miss you - I will love you forever. No cat can ever replace you.

He always took care of the other pets...he was such a good friend.

He loved this darn green frog! Now I'm slapping myself for getting rid of it :(

This was our VERY first picture together! This was the first day that I brought him home!

Playing :)He also had a thing for Butterfinger Blizzards from the DQ! They were my favorite too, and YES, I was letting him lick my blizzard!
Striker LOVES going in bags!
I love my boy!
Striker's first time in the snow :)
Striker next to my bowling ball...this is where he got his name :)
Striker getting a Manicure :)
Striker's First Christmas!

Striker and I when I lived with my mom and dad

Time slips away...

Time is quickly disappearing. I feel like I was just opening up our planner for the summer days...figuring out what was going on, where we needed to be, how long we needed to be there, and who was going to be involved...

Now I have 2 days of cooking and baking until it is Callie's BAPTISM! Seriously...I remember planning this out, thinking - "Wow, when Callie gets baptized, she will be almost 3 months old"...and NOW IT IS HERE :( :( :( :(

There are so many things I am grateful for, but I also know that with time going as quickly as it is, Callie will grow up and soon be too independent for her mommy :( Believe me, I was there. Lucky for my mom...that phase didn't last long and I quickly latched back on to needing my mommy!

If you can believe it, Callie is now HOLDING HER HEAD UP!!! Yes folks, she is STRONG :) We have enjoyed holding her under her armpits and watching her dance around! She moves her little feet, stops to smile and laugh and then keeps moving! She LOVES to dance to music :)

These past 2 nights, I have laid Callie in her crib - AWAKE. I feed her, rock her, read her the same bedtime story, say a prayer with her, and then kiss her. I tell her I love her and that I will see her in the morning when the morning light shines down on us! Then I lay her down...while she is still awake. I don't close her door all the way, just a crack - and then just like that...she's sleeping :) Last night she slept for 12 straight hours! Can you believe it. Josh asked me if I checked to make sure she was still alive...12 hours! I just wish I would have gone to bed earlier - then I would have had just as much sleep!

There are many fun and exciting events coming up for Miss Callie...I will try to do a better job at keeping some updates :)

Shots...

Why hasn't someone come up with a better way to inject medicine and vaccines into small babies? I mean seriously...SHOTS? On BABIES?!

We had finally reached Callie's 2 month appointment...the appointment where our beautiful princess receives SHOTS :(

We arrived at the Dr.'s office and she was LOVING the fish in the waiting room! Luckily they were big and colorful - 2 things that will catch her attention!

"Callie McRae" - Here we go...time to head back...

Everything checked out great! Callie is gaining weight - 10.5 pounds, growing - 22 inches long, and we are going to add rice cereal to my milk to thicken it - meaning I'm done breast feeding :( I now have to pump everything out and we are bottle feeding her.

The first dose of medicine was a liquid, and she took it like a champ :) She was laying on the table so happy and laughing. Then they told Josh and I to hold her arms down so she wouldn't throw them up in the air and have the Dr.'s miss the shots. So we did that and then ...

"1...2...3..." and just like that, Callie had 3 needles jammed into her tiny little legs. The look of TERROR was written all over her face. If you can picture a red juicy tomato, that is what Callie's poor little face looked like. Little tears streaming down her cheeks...her mouth wide open, hardly any sounds coming out :(

Just watching her broke my heart into a thousand little pieces. I was immediately crying. As soon as they said, "Okay, you can pick her up now", I had her in my arms so quickly. It pained Josh and I in so many ways to see her in that much pain. Josh may deny it, but I know I could see his eyes redden. I'm not sure if he cried or not - my vision was too blurred, but the tears were there...he was just as sad as I was.

We quickly dressed Callie, held her, rocked her and loved her - and then gave her a bottle (Tip to new mom's - bring a bottle with to the 2 month appointment...so much faster than breast feeding). Within a few minutes, Callie was quickly in her milk coma - trying to sleep away the pain.

So many friends had told us that their children slept like rock stars the night of their shots. Yeah, now our sweet Miss Callie! No, this young lady wanted to be up EVERY HOUR to let me know just how mad she was that we did this to her. Yes...this was my first night of only 4 hours of sleep. Poor little thing was so uncomfortable. I couldn't find one way to hold her that made her happy. She eventually cried herself to sleep in my arms (talk about taking your heart and stomping all over it.) :( :( :(

We thought for sure the next day would be better...WRONG. Callie quickly was upset. She was crying all the time for no reason. She wanted to be held at EVERY moment - which gets hard when it's just me at home during the day and I, say, have to go to the bathroom...or shower...

The 2nd day wasn't any better. I did; however, get more sleep. Callie and I cuddled and took a nice long nap together! I was even able to get a shower in before 2:00 pm (this is the reason I ALWAYS shower at night...why did I choose now to change that for the day?)

So, I stated earlier that we were now giving Callie rice cereal in her milk to thicken it. This was supposed to help settle in her tummy better so she wouldn't spit up as much. Guess what - IT'S WORKING!!! We are on day 4 and she is doing SO MUCH BETTER! The only problem being...She now hasn't pooped :( Callie has had the worst gas imaginable. Poor little thing would toot and then cry because it started to really bother her (this was tonight). We finally decided it was time to call the Dr.

So, Josh was managing our crying Callie who just needed to poop, and I called the Dr. Right as I started describing our situation, Josh shouted - "SHE POOPED!!!" So I finished talking to her and gathered some information on what to do in the future when this happens, and Josh was taking care of Callie's dirty diaper.

Correction: DIAPERS! Yes, she pooped through 3 diapers in literally 30 seconds! It just kept coming out of her. Josh gave her a nice warm bath to clean her up! We sat down, finished what was now our cold dinner, and Callie pooped...yet again! I was holding her, so I went in to change her. Josh had popped into her room, JUST IN TIME! Not only has Callie pooped a massive load into 4 diapers, she now had an upset stomach. She decided it was time to spit up....no, PROJECTILE...the most we've ever seen. She turned her head to the side (all while laying on her changing table) and it came out of her. It went straight across the room.

This whole evening reminded Josh and I of the scene from Dumb and Dumber...

Our poor girl...

after all of this, she quickly fell right asleep in my arms. We laid her down in her crib where she is now resting so peacefully!