THE GARRY FAMILY: A NEW ADDITION
July 10, 2009
SEASIDE, Calif. – Less than a month ago, the CSUMB Otter Athletics family welcomed a new addition when Assistant Athletic Director Kirby Garry and head women’s volleyball coach Jody Garry’s daughter, Addy, was born.
With volleyball season a month away, the Garry family has been spending some quality time together.
Jody recently sat down to share a few stories about Addy and her two older brothers, Noah and Ben, as well as what she expects from the 2009 Otter volleyball team.
So your due date was not until the end of July but Addy was a bit anxious to enter the world wasn’t she?
She arrived on June 18th which was five weeks early (due date was July 24th). However, it was great for our family since it gave us more time together before preseason starts Aug 10th!
You and your husband Kirby, who also work in CSUMB Athletics, have two wonderful boys, Noah and Ben. How are they adjusting to having a little sister?
Noah thought we were having a girl (since we didn't find out) and seemed to want one, so he was excited to "get what he wanted." Of course, when I originally asked him why he thought we were having a girl he told me, "well you’re a girl so you will have a girl." When I told him I had him and his brother, he gave me a very perplexed look and said, "Yeah right mom."
Both Noah and Ben have been great to Addy. Noah has a special relationship with her already (he is four so that seems to help) always wanting to hold her and help out. When he wakes up or gets home from preschool he runs to see her, tells her how cute she is, how much he loves her and how "she's growing!"
Besides wanting to hold her too, he has taken a new interest to caring for his own baby doll, wrapping her up in a baby blanket, and was super excited when 'Addy's shoes fit his doll'. His two new activities are strapping his doll to Addy's car seat (when she's not in it, of course!) and placing his doll in the front of his shopping cart to "go shopping."
Tell me about little Addy...
Addy is an amazing blessing for our family. She joined us through an emergency c-section; however seems to be as laid back as they come. She reminds me of Noah with her sweet nature and beautiful deep blue eyes, and of Ben with her skin and hair coloring. Kirby and I are just getting over the "shock and awe" of the whole event, and excited to have two amazing boys and now a girl. What girl wouldn't want two older brothers? Addy is destined to be a tough girl who will always have two doting brothers watching her back. I am amazed at how much "pink" has entered our household, especially coming from a female that isn't big on pink. I will admit though it is fun to have different baby stuff after two boys. My sister and mom are in hog heaven. They both have been dying for a girl in the family and (of course!) came through!
One of the amazing things has been the support from family and friends here at CSUMB and Monterey Bay. From emails, gifts, to dropped off home cooked meals, we have been surrounded by neighbors, co workers and friends offering to help. This has made Kirby and I feel so thankful for where we live and the network of special people we have been fortunate to connect with.
You are about to enter your third season as the CSUMB women’s head volleyball coach, what do you expect from this year’s team?
I am looking forward to working with my new assistant coaches (Maureen Perez and Nicole Deneke) and the amazing team that has taken time and hard work to accumulate. I am excited to work with all 18 players on our team; every one of them has the work ethic, commitment and attitude that will allow us to have a great experience on and off the court. The progress we made this past spring was leaps and bounds ahead of where we were last fall, which empowered our team and motivated them to commit to another summer of training in preparation for the fall season. Our motto the last two years has been WAFEO (with and for each otter) and I am proud to say we have accomplished that, and many other culture changes within the program. We are definitely on our journey from good to great, and plan to have the ultimate student-athlete experience along the way!
