Visiting with Family

My Great Aunt Juanita passed away in the middle of February, so we headed to IN to pay our respects. While there, we were able to 'visit' with family that hadn't yet been able to meet the girls. It was Kalina's first time on an airplane, as was it my first time to fly with both girls- alone. I expected it to be very stressful, but the girls were wonderful on the planes!

Sorry Uncle Carl! Mom took me away from my meal for this picture... I was HUNGRY!!!



We drove down to Indy to see Lola & Pocky before flying out... (I let Pocky off the hook this time- no pictures)

The night before flying out to Indiana, we met up with Uncle David for some dinner...

Pocky B and Grandma Birt came out for a visit just as Kalina turned one month old. We all enjoyed their visit! Here are some pictures from their visit...

Lots of Love

What an amazing two and a half months! I love watching the two girls grow... Tatum absolutely loves Kalina and is the absolute sweetest with her! So gentle when she gives hugs and kisses and when they lay next to each other. Tonight, Tatum actually let Kalina sleep with her 'Melman' (stuffed giraffe- T's favorite movie right now is Madagascar, and Melman is her favorite). Tatum's personality is just so sweet and caring.

Kalina has found her hands! She is constantly holding them together and sometimes one ends up in her mouth. Sometimes she just holds one in front of her and 'checks it out'. She is a very happy girl- smiles all the time, and actually enjoys me singing to her... if anyone has heard me sing, you know that anyone enjoying it is just unheard of! :)

This week she has begun trying to blow raspberries and has begun trying to laugh. It's interesting how with Kalina, I know what the little sounds are leading to, and it's easier to notice what she is doing or what she is trying to do. I love watching her take in her surroundings and even though the ceiling fans are not on, she absolutely loves seeing the ceiling fans/lights. She just smiles like crazy. Likewise, in the morings, she is just so happy to see me! Definitely helps waking up early in the morning! Anyway, here are some photos/videos to enjoy!

Two Months with her puppy

Daddy Daughter Dance for Valentine's Day

Kalina's One Month Old!!!

It's so amazing to watch a newborn grow. I am amazed at how much Kalina has already grown and the changes in her awareness. She has been very observant since she was born- when she lays on our chest (while we are sitting) she just pops her head back and looks around at everything- but it's amazing to see how much she is awake now and just interested in seeing everything. She is definitely a girl who enjoys to be around us at all times- at least in the same room, and definitely does NOT enjoy a dirty diaper! Whenever she gets a bit fussy, it's usually a dirty diaper and as soon as it's changed, she is much better! She absolutely loves her big sister, as her big sister loves her... if she is upset, Tatum just comes up, asks what's wrong, and gives her kisses... When Kalina gets the kisses, she stops fussing/crying. It's just the beginning of the best friendship in the world- sisters.

Tatum has been quite the little helper (laundry) and has started to mirror what mom does...

There is a picture of me doing the same thing when I was little and my mom would be feeding Doug & Liz... lol... Tatum had told me her baby doll was crying, so I told her, well maybe she's hungry... so she set up shop- got a pillow and sat on her couch- and started nursing her baby! :)

Unfortunately, we have realized that Tatum is allergic to our boys- Jackson & Hunter. She has been breaking out in hives after climbing on them. After talking to the pediatrician- asked about it leading to breathing problems/asthma- we made the extremely difficult decision of finding them a new home. This decision did not come without a lot of tears (by me), but it is the right decision for our daughter. We found them a great home with an active family in Golden.

Love and Miss you boys!!!

Welcome, little one

Welcome, Kalina Reese Lumabao Carrington

Arrival: Monday, December 28, 2009 at 8:32 AM

Weight: 7lbs. 13 oz. Length: 20 1/2 inches

Well, our family of three has now become a family of four. The first two and a half weeks have been somewhat of a blur. With Christmas just before Kalina's arrival, it was definitely a whirlwind... but now life is 'slowing' down and our family is adjusting.
Monday morning, Lola & Pocky (Ron and Patti) arrived bright and early to take care of Tatum for us as we were getting ready to head to the hospital. We stopped off at Starbucks along the way... of course for Matt as I was on a no food/drink diet since midnight... and headed downtown to Denver. Things went quickly as they were all ready for our arrival. Our nurse, Jessie, we learned as she was prepping me, that she had lived in Muncie for a while, and of course, Matt knew people that she knew and so it was a very relaxing experience. We also learned, just before going into surgery, that siblings were now allowed to come to the hospital! I definitely got teary eyed... I was a bit anxious, nervous, excited for this day. Honestly, I spent 9 months worrying every day that I may miscarry... sooo... the first good news of the day brought the tears to my eyes. Matt instantly got on the phone with Lola & Pocky and told them to come on down with Tatum. (One of Tatum's 'uncles' (Lifetime Uncle Chad) was going to come over and play with Tatum so Ron & Patti could come down right after Kalina's arrival.)

In we went to surgery... (they started the surgery at 8:28 on 12/28) I was given a Spinal which paralyzes you from the chest down... what a 'weird' experience. I knew what the doctors were getting ready to do and I could actually feel them pulling on muscles/etc... and I braced myself for the 'pain' that should have come, but it didn't come. I could just feel tugging... a very odd feeling! Matt was able to sit near me and kept checking on me... I'm sure I had some weird facial expressions!

"That is not a small child"- Dr. Forschner announces as he first sees our little girl. Once he says this, I feel like I wait a lifetime to hear those first little cries (although from the beginning of surgery to the moment little miss comes out only 4 minutes go by), and as soon as I do, the tears come... What an amazing sound! The first cries of our little girl... I'm getting teary eyed as I write this... I don't know if there is a more precious sound... the first sounds a baby makes as she enters the world. Personally, the first cries of a newborn and the laughter of a child... does it get any better?

They brought her over so I could see her- then started cleaning her up just above my right shoulder, so I was able to turn my head to watch... the nurses bundled her up and brought her over to Matt and I... and together we held her in our arms for the first time.
What a wonderful feeling! We were able to hold her for a while, then Matt went along with the nurses and our little girl to the nursery as they did all of the newborn cleaning and tests. Tatum, Lola, and Pocky were able to watch from the nursery window. (Tatum was not a fan of them making her sister cry!)

Thankfully, Ron & Patti were able to take off a few days from work and be with us at the birth of our beautiful little girl. I don't know what we would have done without them!

That night, Matt and I were trying to decide on a name- Kalina or Reese... we still could not decide, although we were both leaning towards Reese. We called Lola to let her know we were leaning towards Reese and she could tell Tatum, and as she told Tatum- Tatum says "NO, it's KALEEEENA"... After hanging up, Matt asked me, "what do you think about Kalina Reese?" I loved the sound of it and we finally made a decision. Our baby girl- Kalina Reese Lumabao Carrington... how sweetly she lays in my arms and sleeps like an angel.

Auntie Liz was able to fly in the day after Kalina's birth, and was able to hold a newborn for the first time. Liz was able to stay for almost a week and help me out around the house and play with Tatum. I don't know who was more wore out when she left... lol... Honestly, I don't know how I would have held up without her with us as we came home. It was so nice to have her around to keep Tatum busy and to help me get some things done...

A HUGE 'thank you' to Lola & Pocky and to Auntie Liz...

Time is flying

Well, as I write this we have 8 days left before Baby Girl joins our family... what a difference in feeling as we come to this delivery! Having this one scheduled has made time fly by, especially this past month. So many 'projects', so little time...

Since I had last written in here, we took a very short weekend trip to Indiana to see family. Sorry if we didn't get a chance to see you, but we were there for 2 1/2 days. I actually didn't take any pictures while we were there, but I do have a couple that were sent to me. Although it was a short trip, we enjoyed seeing everyone and Tatum was definitely exhausted by the time we got home!

One of our friends invited us over for Thanksgiving... How nice it was to be around a family who were planning out their shopping day for Friday! We've had a quiet Thanksgiving for the past couple of years, it was nice to be a part of a big family gathering! Food was great, but the only odd part, for us, was that I didn't do any cooking, besides sweet potatoes... It was definitely weird to not be cooking a big turkey all day! Thank you to McKenna & Justin for having us over!

We can't have a holiday season without a visit to Santa! Tatum was a bit reluctant to talk to him- she was very shy... and didn't want to sit on Santa's lap without Mom & Dad with her... so it was a nice family picture!

We had a nice visit from Matt's good friend, John- who was on leave from Afghanistan. It took all of two minutes for Tatum to warm up to him and he became her 'playmate' while he was here... Poor John, didn't quite get to 'relax' while he was here!

We then took a trip to Steamboat Springs and stayed at a friend's parents' place for the weekend. Matt was able to go skiing, and we took Tatum sledding FINALLY for her first time. We've had a lot of snow this year already, but trying to get all three of us together while it is still light outside is near impossible. It definitely took a few times going down with Mom/Dad for Tatum to decide that she actually likes sledding, but by the time we were ready to go, she wasn't done going down by herself! I was a little nervous watching her go down the hill by herself (it was a very little hill), because I just didn't want her to 'crash' and then decide she didn't enjoy sledding. As luck will have it, she didn't crash! I forgot how much fun sledding is... although it was a short hill, it was still so much fun and brought back a nice 'rush'. If you haven't gone sledding in a few years, get out and find a hill! It'll make you feel like a kid again!

Tatum is definitely excited to be a big sister! She talks about her baby sister everyday and talks about what they will do together. She's excited to hold baby sister and I'm sure, as you will see below, that she will also read to her baby sister. One day we were in the car and she said, "I'm going to be a big sister, I won't be Tatum... I'll be a big sister". She still shares her toys with my belly (puts them under my shirt for her sister), and gives her sister kisses at the belly button. She often has a baby sister in her belly too!

We are looking forward to family visiting... Lola, Pocky, Uncle Dan, Aunt Kim, and Gracie are flying in on Christmas (Tatum jumps up and down when she talks about them coming), with Lola and Pocky staying until the 30th to be here when Baby Girl arrives. Grandma Potts is coming the following Sunday and staying a week to help here- cooking/cleaning/playing with Tatum. And Grandma Birt and Pocky/Grandpa B are coming at the end of January. I'd like to thank you all in advance for coming out! I know it's not the best time of year for travelling, but it will be so nice to have you all here for the holiday and for baby!