The Callahan Family

Eisley and Ember

2009-11-11T00:26:00.002-05:00

Here are some pictures of Eisley and similar pictures we took of Ember...Do you think they look alike?

Eisley with Daddy

Ember with Daddy

Eisley with Mommy

Ember with Mommy

Eisley

Ember

October 4th 2009....What a day!

2009-11-10T14:03:00.015-05:00

Well, we dodged the bullet! We were so worried that I was going to be out of town or shooting a wedding when Mandi went into labor. God was good, and we got through the thick of things. To celebrate, we decided to go to Carrabba's for dinner with our good friends Brian and Ambre. We all packed the kids in the car for a good evening. On a side note: Mandi and I ate Carrabba's the night before we had Eisley 4 years ago. In the backs of our minds we were hoping that the Sirloin Marsala would do the trick again! Well after a good night of laughing at our kids and stuffing our bellies we headed home, got Eisley in bed, and settled in for a good nights rest.

So now we fast forward to 5am. Evidently Mandi had been up with some pretty bad cramping while I was crashed out snoring. Around 9:20am on Sunday morning she tapped me on the shoulder. I though it might be Eisley telling me that it was a sun shiny day. and I needed to get up, but it was Mandi. She was super calm, but I could tell she was uncomfortable. She told me she thought it might be time. So I popped out of bed thinking we needed to hurry, but Mandi said she was ok and she wanted to get ready. We all took the time to take a shower, and pack up our last minute things. Mandi did her hair and makeup. Eisley got dressed, and I started making trips to the car with the bags. While all of this was happening I noticed Mandi getting more and more uncomfortable and she started to let me know that the contractions were getting worse. We all hopped in the Element and took off. From the moment we left the driveway it seemed like the contractions were getting stronger and stronger, and Mandi wanted to talk less and less. This is when I started pretending that we were in a movie scene. I figured that would give me a reason to drive like Dale jr. on the way to the hospital. I just wish I was in a cooler car!

We arrived at the hospital around 10:20am, and got Mandi up to the 3rd floor right away. I was relieved to be there, and excited about the day to come. They immediately got Mandi into a bed. It was perfect timing because she started to experience some CRAZY pain. They told her that she was already 5-6cm dilated. Everyone seemed shocked that it was happening so fast. Mandi braced herself for each new contraction, and they gradually got worse and worse. I was pacing the floor frustrated that I couldn't take her pain away, and that I didn't know how to comfort her. This is when we started getting really concerned that the labor was moving way too fast to get an epidural. Mandi was literally crawling up the wall in pain, while verbally praying for an epidural. I could see that the nurses were concerned that it wouldn't happen, however, they never let Mandi know. After several contractions, prayers, and pleads with the nurses, an angel named "George" walked into the room. George was calm and cool, and totally took care of us. After prepping his drugs, he prepared Mandi for the epidural. She was fighting like I have never seen her fight. I wasn't sure she would be able to hold still for him to place the needle in safely. She sat up like a champ and flexed every muscle in her body and endured a contraction and an epidural at the same time. After about 15 second her body relaxed and she was good to go! George was the Man! I think Mandi even verbally told him she loved him. I was ok with that considering the situation.

Come to find out that Mandi was already fully dilated and ready to push. JUST IN TIME! Sandy the nurse...(also an angel) started getting things ready for the pushing to begin. I called the family and told them it was happening now, and they needed to head to the hospital. Everyone was surprised. It was almost surreal to be asleep one minute, and then an hour later be in a hospital watching my wife give birth. Things were ready, and Mandi began to push. The epidural definitely did the trick, because she didn't feel anything. Sandy coached her through the first few pushes, while I was watching and doing what I could to help. It was about 15 minutes and 3 pushes later, and it was time to call in the Doctor. Doctor Grace had told us that she was unavailable that weekend, so we had one of her replacements. His name was Dr. Crowfoot. At first we were a little concerned, but as soon as he walked in the door we were very comfortable with him. He came in, got ready, and helped Mandi through the last few pushes. It was at high noon on the dot, and baby Ember Haze appeared! She was gorgeous, and Mandi immediately became more beautiful than ever. She is my hero! I walked over to be close to Ember and watched them get her cleaned up and measured. She was a chunker! She weighed 8lb 9oz and was 21 inches long. We joked that she looked like an Eskimo with her big cheeks, and swollen face. She was the most beautiful Eskimo ever.

We were spending time with Ember Haze while the family was making their way to the hospital. Eisley had gone to hang out with Nana while Mandi was in labor, so she was our first priority to get into the room to see her new sister. Mandi and I have loved Eisley with the most immense, real, dedicated love ever. We talked about how it would be hard to love another child that much. Man were we wrong. It was immediate! Now take Ember and add Eisley to the mix. Can you say "Love Explosion"? Eisley came into the room with biggest blue eyes ever. She immediately melted in love for her new little sister, and life suddenly made sense for me. I sat there and took pictures of my 3 girls in the same hospital bed smiling and hugging and kissing. I cried behind the camera while thanking God for giving me a glimpse of Heaven for just a second. It was the best moment of my life.

Mandi getting ready to have Ember.

Ember Haze Callahan enters the world.

Mommy holding Ember for the first time.

Daddy holding Ember for the first time.

Eisley getting excited to hold her baby sister.

Perfection!

Sweet kisses!

First family picture

Our beautiful little chunker!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

2009-06-27T23:56:00.005-04:00

Ok, so I am going to try this blog thing once again. Hopefully I will have time to keep up with it! :)

I love Father's Day, because it is http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifa day that we get to celebrate what a wonderful Daddy Cory is to Eisley! He truly is amazing! Cory and I work from home so the 3 of us are home together all day everyday. Some people ask how we do it, "Don't you ever get sick of eachother?"...the truth is...No... to be honest with you I would not change it for anything! I love every second we all get to spend together! Since Cory is home everyday, he and Eisley have an amazing relationship! He is so patient and kind to her... He is so proud of her and totally in love with her! It melts my heart to watch them together! She has him wrapped around her finger!

I planned a guys night out for Cory a couple of weeks ago for part of his Father's Day present and they had a blast! He and a bunch of his friends met up at Five Guys and got hamburgers and then they all went out to Fun Spot and acted like kids riding on the Go Karts. Then they got to come back to our house for dessert and "guy time". No kids, no wives, just the guys! He LOVED it! This Father's Day was really low key, especially since I haven't been feeling very good with this pregnancy. We got up and went to Church that morning and then went over to my Mom and Allen's house for lunch. It was a nice relaxing day! We spent a lot of time out by the pool and had a blast!
I am so thankful for all of the "Dad's" that I have in my life. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see my Dad on Father's Day because my little sister had tonsillitis and was contagious so we didn't get to go to his house as planned. :(
Here are some pictures that I love!

This picture makes me laugh!

Attempting to be a photographer for Father's Day

2008-07-15T17:24:00.004-04:00

So, for part of Cory's Father's Day present, I thought I would attempt a photoshoot on my own with Eisley. I took her up to her room and she was very cooperative. I put all the pictures next to eachother in a frame with 5 slots and he loved it! I don't think they turned out awful for my first shoot on my own. I think it helps that Eisley is so cute, I couldn't go wrong.

Eisley during dance class

2008-06-19T18:00:00.000-04:00

Getting Ready for Dance Class

2008-06-18T17:48:00.003-04:00

Eisley is getting ready to start her dance class, so Cory and I took her up to the dance store to buy her dance outfit. She was so excited! First they measured her foot and then she tried on her ballet shoes and then her favorite...her tap shoes. I can't wait for her to start her dance class. Her favorite thing to do at home is have a dancing party, so I know she is going to love it!

Visiting Santa AKA: Papa "T"

2008-06-06T15:33:00.001-04:00

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-06-06T15:18:00.001-04:00

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-06-06T15:06:00.001-04:00

Halloween 2007

2008-05-15T01:02:00.011-04:00

2008-05-15T01:02:00.001-04:00

http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos4267/2/24/8/39/28/6/628390824208_0_ALB.jpg

You Are My Sunshine

2008-05-08T20:20:00.001-04:00

Oct. 30, 2007 Pumpkin Carving

2008-05-06T02:09:00.005-04:00

October 20, 2007 Eisley's Real Birthday

2008-05-06T01:40:00.008-04:00

I already posted pictures of her birthday party, but here are some pictures from her actual birthday. First we went to Uncle Morgan's football game and Eisley had a blast watching the game with Gram-pa, Uncle Michael & Can-Can. Then Cory and I took her to pick something out at the toy store and we went to eat at Johnny Rockets (this is a big treat, because I am not a big fan of Eisley eating hotdogs). She loved it...she especially loved that they sang to her and brought her an ice cream sundae. That evening we had a little family birthday dinner.

November 2007 Amelia Island: Georgia/Florida Game

2008-05-05T03:09:00.013-04:00

Eisley at the Pumpkin Patch

2008-05-05T02:40:00.014-04:00

Eisley's Dancin' Party!

2008-03-08T23:32:00.008-05:00

Anyone that knows Eisley, knows that she LOVES to dance! So, we decided to throw her a dancin' Party for her 2nd birthday. All of her friends came ready to show off their moves. The girls even came dressed in their tutus ready to twirl. Eisley and her friends had a blast! We can't believe she is already 2 years old! She is the most amazing little girl in the world. So much fun and so full of life! Some of our best friends, Matt & Liz Hinkley (of Hinkley photo), came all the way from New Hampshire to come and shoot Eisley's birthday party. They do such an amazing job! You will have to check out some of her moves in the pictures (she even does the robot). Enjoy!

2nd Birthday Photoshoot

2008-03-08T23:29:00.004-05:00

On Saturday, we took Eisley up to Kraft Azalea Park in Winter Park to take her picture for her 2nd birthday party invitations. We are throwing her a dance party, so of course I had to make her a funky tutu and a tank top that says, "I love 2 Dance". Eisley always acts like a rock star when we are doing photoshoots with her. She is definitely use to the camera. It helps that her Daddy is a photographer. She is funny because if you ask her to smile like Mommy she tilts her head to the side and smiles REALLY big. I was not planning on being in any of the pictures, but Cory snapped a few of me trying to get her situated and they are some of my favorite pictures! Eisley has such an awesome personality and we are really looking forward to celebrating her 2nd birthday! We love her so much and we are so blessed to be her parents! Here are a few of the pictures from the shoot.