Week 1: Sweet Baby Kate

Our Sweet Baby Kate doing what she did best her first days with us...sleeping.
She could go through a whole feeding and diaper changes without opening her eyes a single time. Very impressive.

James meeting his sister for the first time.
He said she was "so cute" and "so tiny." He loved holding her and rubbing her head. He also thought he would love touching her eyes, but we intervened before he could test his theory.

Our first family photo with our new addition.
Can you see how much James loves his baby sister?
Can you see how much Kate just loves sleeping?

James proudly sporting his "I Am A Big Brother" badge that was given to him by our nurse.

James stayed with our good friends, the Hanbergs, while we were in the hospital. They helped him make a cute birthday card for Kate.

Kate sleeping and viewing her brother's card through osmosis.

Kate all dressed up to go home.
She wasn't a fan of getting dressed at first. She fussed a bit as I put her clothes on, but once I got to the accessories, she stopped fussing. I think this little girl is going to like getting dressed up.

A mother-daughter bonding moment.

Our precious baby girl.

I just like this picture. It looks like Kate is trying to inform me of something very important.

Our attempt at a family picture...I include it here because I think Jordan looks really cute. I just love the dimples.

Our burrito baby.

Our Sweet Baby Kate at 1 week old.

At Kate's 2 week appointment, she weighed in at 7 lbs. 2 oz. and measured 20 inches long. You may be thinking, "Wow. She grew 1 inch in just a week. Impressive." I thought so too for about 20 seconds before the nurse at the doctor's office informed me that the hospital does not use a very accurate method for measuring baby length at birth. So who knows how long she actually was at birth? I sure don't. Some of the doctor's comments about her at her appointment include: "She's very strong." "She has good muscle tone." "She's a very calm baby." At one month, she still spends most of the day swaddled and sleeping, but she is becoming increasingly alert and awake. Every now and then we get a big smile and a coo (started at about 2-3 weeks). We love it. We love her! I can't imagine life without her.

Baby Sister Has Arrived!!!

Baby Kate Eva joined the Cullimore family on Thursday, March 18, 2010 at 10:50 pm (Central Time). Momma Natasha and Baby Kate both performed admirably. Around 4:00 pm Natasha started feeling "pressure like she felt with James." She continued with her daily activities including, but not limited to, cutting fabric for baby blankets, giving James a bath, and showering/preparing for an evening of happy breathing and baby birthing! At 8:30 we called our friend Sean over to sleep on the couch (shout out to Sean and Kate - not the plus 8 ones - for caring for James last night and today...and possibly tomorrow. We are EXTREMELY grateful for your help!). When Sean arrived we packed the car, and headed off to the hospital!

Natasha had time to convey her severe elation between her every-three-to-five-minute "surges" aka contractions.

We arrived at the hospital between 9:15 and 9:30ish and the nurse hooked her up to the contraction reading machine. She then "checked" Natasha, only to discover that she was fully effaced and dilated to an 8 or 9! (For those of us who are not hip to the labor lingo this means "SHE WAS LOCKED AND LOADED AND READY TO HAVE THE BABY!!!")

Consequently, she was directed to her room where she laid down and continued her baby birthing magic. After a few more contractions she felt like she was ready to push, so the nurses called the doctor. The doctor arrived and after a couple pushes and some strategic breathing Baby Kate emerged triumphant from the womb at 10:50 pm! Both she and Natasha performed wonderfully and are happy, healthy, and safely recovering. I was extremely impressed that Natasha conducted herself so calmly and without an epidural. Woah. I'm sure that when things calm down Natasha will share her thoughts and reflections regarding the experience in a subsequent post, but until then, and without further ado, I present - Baby Kate Eva Cullimore.

Dr. Broome cleaning up Kate. Thank you Doctor, and well done.

Kate with Mom and Dad; don't Mom and Little Kate look great!?!

Mommy and the baby..how precious.

The weigh in. Official Stats: 6 lbs. 8 oz. and 19 inches long. The umbilical cord was not measured.

Sweet Baby Kate.

The Second Annual James Jordan Cullimore Birthday Bash

We went to a nice little park. It was warm all day until the time the party started. The wind picked up and it became quite chilly. James was a little icicle. But, we still had fun. James enjoyed watching his friends run around and play on the playground equipment. He loves to watch and run after other children. He's not too interested in playing on the playground equipment yet. He does love the swings though. He was also quite entertained by our friend Sean's kite flying and a stray cat that came to visit. He was super excited for presents and wanted to play with them all right when he opened them. Thanks for the sweet gifts, friends!

We ate pizza, chips, and veggies and enjoyed some dino-themed Texas sheet cake and rainbow-chip cupcakes. It took a couple of tries, but James eventually blew out his candle. This was after the paper plates had been removed that had been shielding the flame from the wind. I may have also blown a tad...but who knows...I think he got it all by himself.

We sure love our sweet big boy James! He brings joy to each day of our lives. We feel so blessed to have him. We love you James!

Pregnancy Progression: Week 39

Well...well...well...so much for subsequent babies coming early. Baby Sister is still in utero. Tomorrow is her official due date. She seems quite happy to stay put for now. I was "checked" today and the doctor reported that there is little progress. I am dilated to about a 1 and she didn't even mention effacement. I'm not surprised myself. I didn't feel a thing with James until the minute labor began and he was born 18 hours later. So, that may just be the way my body does it...nothing and then everything all at once. As far as I'm concerned she could still come tonight, but she could also come in two weeks. I have no expectations. I suppose I may still have time to finish the three swaddle blankets I have left to do.

My doctor is actually out of town this week, so it's probably for the best that she waits until next week to come. James turns 2 on Wednesday the 24th. Every time we ask him about his birthday, his response is the same: "Turn two years old and have a baby sister." So, maybe James knows something we don't know. Maybe Baby Sister will come on Big Brother's birthday. We'll see.

Cullimore Family Expedition

Here is our happy traveler on the road to...

No...not Happy...but we did have to stop to get a picture.
What a great name for a city.

Here is the city of Happy. A nice quaint, unpretentious town.
Life lesson: Happiness is in simplicity and gratitude for what you do have.

Actual Cullimore Family Expedition location: Palo Duro Canyon.

As you can see it has a sort of southern Utah feel to it.
Jordan read that it is the second largest canyon in the U.S. or at least in the running for second. It took 15-20 minutes to drive the loop through the canyon. It's pretty small. But, it was a canyon with ups and downs, vegetation, and creeks. Variety we don't see much of around Lubbock.

We found a nice little area in the canyon to have a picnic and hike around. James was in awe at the openness. He LOVES running around outside.

Jordan's reaction to our visit.
Can you feel the excitement?

James found some nice flora to appreciate.

He really enjoyed swinging on the picnic table bench.

It was a happy place.

James was momentarily rooted to this spot.
Daddy showed him the water that came out of the spout in the wooden pole. It was so neat, he didn't want to go anywhere else.

Once we convinced him that there was more to see than water spouts, he quite enjoyed collecting rocks along our hike. Daddy made him a nice walking stick. He enjoyed poking the ground with it. In fact, he enjoyed poking so vigorously that Daddy had to make him a new walking stick, which he also enjoyed.

And what do you do with all the rocks you collect when out in a nice wide open space?

Throw them, of course!
This is a look of sheer satisfaction after a nice throw.

Now our little trip wasn't all fun and games...

There was a moment or two of terror.

Whatever could be the cause of such concern and dismay?

Let us show you...

Cacti!

Here I am trying to convince James that a cactus cannot harm you just by being close to you. Earlier, Jordan had shown James how you can touch a cactus if you are careful. Then he proceeded to suggest that James try. Well, toddler hands are not quite so agile. He got pricked. From that moment on, if a cactus came into view, he would freeze on the spot and cry for "Mommy." He would only stop crying once he was safely in my arms. We spent some time helping him to see the beauty of the cactus. He was partially convinced by the time we left.

Our attempt at a family picture...
It was a fun trip.
Thanks Daddy!

Football is Fun

Frequent phrases used by James while playing football:
"Touchdown!"
"Go BYU!"
"Tackle 'im!"
"Catch it!"
"Throw it!"
"Runnin'...runnin'"

Pregnancy Progression: Week 32ish

As you can see from the above picture, I am feeling well. This pregnancy has gone by incredibly fast. We had an ultrasound today. I am 32 weeks today; Baby Sister is measuring 31 weeks. She is in the 46th percentile for size. I have been measuring on the small side of normal for this pregnancy, but my doctor is not concerned since she is growing well. He is planning on doing another ultrasound in a couple of weeks. Pregnancy notes: For the past couple of months, I have had to be quite particular about moving when I first wake up or I will get some major charlie-horses in my calves. Maybe I need to drink more water, eat more bananas, ...?

Baby Sister is quite a mover. During our Christmas vacation, I learned that she is a fan of classical music, particularly of the Nutcracker. She began dancing about as soon as the music began, stopped during intermission, and then promptly began dancing about again when the play/music resumed.

James seems to be aware that indeed a baby sister is coming. He points to the ultrasound pictures on the fridge and says "baby sister" "heartbeat" "pah-pum-pah-pum." He likes to "cuddle sister," which means I have to sit down so that he can lay his head on my belly.

A more traditional, non-blurry picture for posterity.