clark wilde : eight months

e i g h t  ♥  m o n t h s

my little valentine just gets cuter every month.  look how big he is!  is he even still a baby?!  I am so in love with him!

as the months go by, I've been taking less and less pictures because I feel like I have no time to stop for a picture!  this boy keeps me so so busy!  it's a different busy than when he was a newborn but no less exhausting.  now instead of nursing him all hours of the day I'm chasing after him!  not to mention still unpacking boxes, ordering things for our home, getting everything all set up and my to do list never ends.  I keep telling Mark I can't wait until everything slows down but he said it's never going to slow down!  things are just going to get busier from here on out.  oh boy, better get used to this mom life!

eight month stats:

weight: 20 lbs (72nd percentile)

length: 29 in. (91st percentile)

head circ: 18 in. (84th percentile)

♥                ♥                ♥

well, it finally happened.  Clark got his very first boo boo :'( he was pulling himself up on the dresser and went to suck on it (his top two front teeth were just starting to poke through) and slipped and banged his top gum on the dresser.  I was freaking out because even though I saw the whole thing happen I wasn't sure where he had gotten hurt.  I picked him up and ran downstairs to get a frozen teether and that's when I saw his gum bleeding!  we were both crying!  I guess 8 months is a pretty long time to go with no accidents though...probably the longest we'll go from here on out with this wild one.

Clark took this!  hahaha "silly face mom!"

Clark also got his first blister this month!  he loves to walk everywhere and has grown out of all his shoes except one pair of sandals.  he hasn't really complained about it (how would I know?) but we put a band-aid on it and have had him barefoot or with socks until it goes away.

f a v o r i t e s

some of Clark's favorite things to do this month are...

 ♥ go to the park (all day, every day!)

♥ push his walker (no pictures because I have to hold him while he pushes it!)

♥ mix up all his puzzles together (in this picture he's just making a mess!)

♥ take the tags off everything and eat them

♥ pull himself up on everything (coffee table, bath tub, crib, couch, ME!)

♥ swing with mom

♥ go on walks

♥ play with his girlfriend Addison

and go shopping with mom & dad!

okay, he doesn't really like the last one but he's a good sport :)

e a t

Clark is a great eater!  we are still nursing four times a day and he has three meals a day and usually a snack too.  he loves quinoa puffs and yogurt melts, anything he can feed himself.  he still eats mainly baby food but some real foods he has tried are blueberry muffins, yogurt (his favorite is Yoplait Light Vanilla because he loves everything I eat!), blood oranges, banana, bread (he takes the Sacrament at church now!), scrambled eggs, and mashed potatoes.  we bought some real macaroni & cheese for me to make him this week!  ahhh, my baby is turning into a little kid!!!

we had our first nursing strike this month!  as usual, I freaked out...called the doctor, texted my cousin, I even thought I might be pregnant and maybe my milk had dried up!  haha, it only lasted a day though.  all day he just refused to nurse...he would start to suck but would pop off after a few seconds and the longer I tried, the harder he persisted.  he was acting like he was in pain because it would seem like he wanted to nurse but then once he would start, he'd scream and push away from me.  I did some research and usually nursing strikes are common when baby has an ear infection, is teething, or has started solids and isn't as patient for the milk to let down anymore.   we think the real culprit was his top two teeth which popped in a day later.  so now Clark has 4 teeth!!

s l e e p

sleep has been sort of all over the place these days...we had one really terrible night, maybe the worst we've ever had, before Clark's top two teeth came in.  he was up every hour starting around 2 am and would not calm down except when nursing.  my mom brought him over to her house twice the next day so I could sleep (so lucky to have her!) but poor Mark had to go to work!  Mark is so amazing, whenever Clark is having a rough night, he is up with me trying to get him to go back down.  most nights when Clark cries out, Mark is the one to go up and give him his paci, rub his back, sing to him, change a poopy diaper, you name it.  he is the best dad / husband ever!!!

shopping for a console table!

typically, Clark goes down around 7:30 and wakes up around 7:30 the next day.  when he isn't teething or going through some major development, he usually wakes up only once, around 5 am and one of us goes up and gives him his paci and he goes back to sleep until 7:30 or 8.  the past few nights he has been sleeping straight through and it's been so nice to have a solid stretch of sleep!  but I'm really not complaining...I hear some babies are still waking up 3-4 times a night at this point!  I don't know how those moms do it.  I'm exhausted by the end of every day and I almost always get a solid 7-8 hours of sleep.  I've learned to never take a single good night's sleep for granted because you never know what the next night will be like!

Clark is still napping two times a day but both naps are becoming later.  he usually goes down around 9:30-10 am and will sleep for an hour and a half or sometimes two hours.  in the afternoon he goes down between 1:30 and 2 pm and usually sleeps for an hour.  now that he isn't napping on me (well, he still has his days) I am so productive during his naps!  I pretty much get through the day by counting down until the next nap, haha.

p l a y / d e v e l o p m e n t

we have seen sooo many changes this month!!!  Clark can pull himself up, sit unassisted, army crawl, and on Valentine's Day he started waving!!  oh my goodness, life is getting so exciting!  I can actually set him down most of the time and he crawls around, explores, and plays on his own.  I'm loving this stage right now!  he is just mobile enough that I have some freedom but not so mobile that I'm worried he could actually get into trouble.  haha, bet that's coming soon!!

Clark pretty much does something new every day.  he dances when we sing ("I love coconuts, bananas, and grapes!"), kisses his reflection, opens the mailbox and holds the mail, self feeds, says "mama," understands so much and loves to imitate.  I think he gets about 50,000 kisses a day from everyone and is SO spoiled by his grandparents!  he is everyone's favorite and is totally in love with his mama ;)  my little boyfriend.  I love you so much my sweet baby Clark!

A Valentine's to Remember

So, a few weeks ago it hit me that this would be our last Valentine's as just the two of us!  It made me both sad and excited for our littlest Valentine to join in on the fun... I even ordered this set of shirts for our next Valentine's Day :)

Since this would also be our last Valentine's Day in LA, the city where we met and got married, I decided we needed to make the most of it!  I planned a Valentine's Day Scavenger Hunt all over the city, tracing back all our "firsts" and old favorite places full of memories.  Mark had no idea until I gave him his present (a puzzle) and his first clue.  He actually opened it Friday night (because I couldn't wait) and had no trouble figuring out where the next clue was...the first clue talked about our first date (where I actually wrote in my journal, "This is the man I'm going to marry...").  So Saturday morning we set off for...

Our first date!

Our table where we sat and chatted for hours as we fell in love :)

Once we got there, I had to pee, per usual, so after we ordered Mark wandered around (suspiciously?) looking for the clue.  I had taped it underneath a bench outside (I would have felt super awkward going inside to hide the clue and then leaving ha!)  He said it was the coolest thing to find it there, just taped under the table.  He was grinning from ear to ear when I got back, proudly holding his clue :)

We actually hadn't been back there since our first date!  I don't know why, their empanada's are amazing!!  Just like our first date, I could NOT decide what to order so Mark let me order for both of us.  We got Chicken, Ham & Cheese, Spicy Beef and Cheesy Spicy Chicken (the favorite!).  All were so delicious!

After lunch we set off for the next clue, where we shared our first kiss!  Mark knew exactly where it was...on the sidewalk outside his old apartment!

Lovely isn't it?

I actually wasn't sure exactly where it was...he had kissed me in front of my car but I was parked on the street somewhere between his apartment and the end of block.  Since I wasn't sure I just hid the clue in the best spot I could find.  Oddly enough, when we got there Mark walked down the sidewalk and then completely stopped right where I had hidden the clue!  HA!  Guess I subconsciously knew exactly where it was?

It wouldn't be an LA Scavenger Hunt without making a stop at the beach!  Too bad it was pretty cold (and I had to pee) so we didn't stay long.  But it's pretty awesome living so close to Ocean Avenue...

Our scavenger hunt didn't end there but that's the last picture I took.  His beach clue led him back to the car and we drove up in the hills and watched a movie, cuddled up in the backseat.  We used to do that all the time when we were dating in an effort to get away from our roommates :)  We watched "Little Manhattan," a perfect Valentine's Day movie about young love and the same movie we watched the night I first said 'I love you'.

What a wonderful day of celebrating our love...going back and re-living all our firsts actually gave me butterflies as I remembered those long good-byes at the end of the night, never wanting to leave each other's side, making out in the backseat of our cars and listening to music, and talking about our "hypothetical" future children.  Now, here we are, three years later with a baby on the way!

Life is just crazy and it goes by way too fast.  I feel like if I blink we'll be 80 years old and all our kids will be grown and it will be back the way it is now...just the two of us.

22 Week Bumpdate

WEEK 22

Baby is the size of a guinea pig!

In love with this little Valentine of mine <3

Total weight gain/loss?  I'm 23 weeks today (but will be writing about the past week) and have gained 17 pounds!  And the appetite increase has just started to kick in.  Also candy cravings!!

How far along?  Technically, 23 weeks...I'm getting slower and slower at posting these each week but I figure it's better to wait until the end of the week so I can evaluate the whole week accurately, ha.

Maternity clothes?  Yup!  I'm having fun trying out different outfits right now with all my new (to me) maternity clothes...I'm sure eventually I will be sick of them but right now it's great!

Stretch marks?  Nope!

Best moment this week?  The sorting and packing has begun!  This week Mark and I went through our storage bins on our balcony and his "bag of wonders" in our hall closet.  I love sorting and getting rid of stuff and a move is the perfect time to do it!  Mark found this camping headlight and strapped it on his head, then randomly turned on screamo music to listen to as we sorted.  Haha, it was fun and he found this old camera of his and showed me some pictures and the mood was just super nice and chill.  Nothing better than just good old bonding time with my hubby!  I love when we turn off the TV and can just be together.

Miss anything?   Energy & not sleeping my days away!  I'm in a terrible cycle right now where I'm up all night and sleep all day.  Preparation for the baby?  Actually, that will probably be more like up all night, up all day!  HA.

Movement?  All the time!  It's the best!  Baby can now sense light and would supposedly respond if I shined a flashlight on my belly.  I don't think I'll be testing that one out though because, so mean!

Food cravings?  Still fruit and sweets!  I have been eating so much candy!  I just have to have something sweet after dinner...and maybe after every meal!  Sour gummi worms have been my go to lately...also mini Twix bites and Rocky Road ice-cream!!  Mmmm but I've always loved those things so not sure if you would call it a pregnancy craving or a Catherine craving!

Anything making you queasy or sick?  Still the indigestion but it's not so bad.

Have you started to show yet?  There is no hiding it now!  I am PREGNANT and the whole world knows it! :)

Gender?  Sean and Kara think it's a BOY!!!  Ahh a sweet mini Mark, we shall see :)

Labor signs?  Okay, Braxton Hicks have officially begun.  I feel like I have felt them before when I wasn't pregnant actually.  They don't really hurt, I just notice them every once in a while (always at night while I can't sleep) and I always do kegels to make them go away.  It just sort of feels like a sore, achy muscle (in my crotch area) that needs to be stretched.  Is that what labor feels like?  I hope SO!!

Belly Button in or out?  Innie over here!

Wedding rings on or off?  On and I am still able to take them off no problem :)

Happy or Moody most of the time?  Kinda moody these days...I have my good and bad days...and moments.  Valentine's weekend was pretty wonderful.  I planned a surprise for Mark that took up our entire Saturday and we had so much fun!  He said it was one of the best days of his life...more about that in another post!

Looking forward to?  Starting the nursery!  Man, I am just itching to get started and get organized but can't because we are moving!!  Whose bright idea was this anyway??  Ahhh, I just want to be settled in our new apartment and get ready for baby!

M&M Bowling & Other Disasters

So last Friday I decided Mark and I needed to have a real date night!  None of this staying in, ordering take out, and watching a movie on Netflix...which we would probably do every weekend!  But something we wouldn't be able to do spur of the moment post baby.  So I decided we should go bowling!  Why?  This I have no answer to and I probably should have thought long and hard about it because it turned out to be an epic fail.

So I read about a fun date idea called M&M Bowling where you follow certain rules of how to bowl based on which color m&m you draw.  Sounds fun right?  Well I bought some peanut m&m's and told Mark to get ready because we were going on a surprise date!  I got all ready too and wore real  maternity clothes, which meant no hiding this growing bowling ball of mine!

Don't you love our heart curtain?!

Do I look pregnant from the front?  I feel like I do!

Oh how happy I look, HA, just wait!

So we headed out for a night on the town with Mark clueless as to where we were going.  I was just a little excited!!  Being an LA native for 5 years, I assumed there would be no parking at the bowling alley so when we found a free parking spot in a side alley half a mile down the road, we jumped on it!  As we headed down Ventura Blvd. who did we run into?  The Sainsbury's from our ward!  She just had her third baby a few weeks ago and we had gone over to her house earlier that week to watch her two boys and give mama a break.  Such sweet, smart boys!  They had run out for a quick dinner, leaving her parents with the boys, and asked where we were headed.  I decided I may as well let the cat out of the bag and announced we were going bowling!  They seemed surprised that there was bowling nearby (remember, we parked half a mile away) and wanted to know if we were good bowlers.  I should have taken that as a sign right there that we should just have turned around and headed back to the car.  But no, we continued on our way to Pinz Bowling Alley.

After 10 more minutes of walking, we made it!  And boy was I happy to find out they had a huge, FREE parking lot!!!  What are the odds...oh well, good exercise!  I started to become a little hesitant as we walked inside and it was loud and bright and there were big groups of parties laughing and drinking and generally having a good time!  I mean, it's a bowling alley!  There were lots of families there with little kids but who did we get stuck to?  A seeming bachelorette party, only the women were all in their 40's and 50's.  They were drinking and LOUD and took up two lanes even though I'm pretty sure they were only bowling in one.  Guess who got the lane next to them?

Now mind you, this is one of the first times I've gone out in public with my bump fully visible, no hiding my pregnant self.  That alone made me feel very self conscious.  Now, remember my m&m bowling idea??  Some of the different "rules" included bowling granny style backwards, kicking the ball with your foot, and bowling with the opposite hand.  Sounds fun and silly right?  Well, I don't know what happened but I suddenly became SO self-conscious and super emotional!  We began to bowl and every time I walked up there with my huge baby bump and a bowling ball in my hand, I felt so incredibly awkward.  I got orange and had to bowl with my opposite hand.  Total gutter ball.  I felt so embarrassed and could feel everyone's eyes on me (not sure if they really were).

Then out of nowhere I LOST IT.  The tears just started flowing and wouldn't stop.  Poor Mark was absolutely clueless as to what was going on.  I told him I didn't know but that I didn't want to bowl anymore and he could take my turn.  Sweet Mark bowled for me, granny style backwards HA, and was all smiles, trying to make me laugh and get happy again.  He kept asking me if I wanted to take my turn but it was all I could do to keep the tears from coming.  He bowled the whole game for us and near the end, one of the ladies from the party next to us said to me, "Did you give up?"  She smiled and I just nodded but felt so dumb!!!

So we left after the one game (p.s. $30 for bowling is a RIP OFF!  Especially when you don't bowl, HA!)  and talked about where to go for dinner.  We walked by Carney's Express (a hamburger/hot dog place that's inside a little boxcar) and I told Mark I always wanted to try that place.  So we went inside...and it STUNK.  It was so cramped and hot and smelled of B.O.  When we walked up to the place to order I turned around and said, "Actually, nevermind," and we walked out.  Mark agreed it stunk in there and all of a sudden I started crying again!  This time, I could not stop, I was just sobbing and sobbing so hard I couldn't breathe.  Poor Mark again had no idea what was going on and just wrapped me in his arms and held me close as I cried and cried on Ventura Blvd. and people walked by and stared at the crazy pregnant girl crying.

We finally ended up going to Lemonade, which is where we had run into the Sainsbury's.  Lemonade holds a special place in our hearts...before we were engaged, we used to go there and one time while we were there, a random man took our picture from outside the window.  I could feel him taking the picture but without turning said to Mark, "That guy is taking a picture of us!"  He didn't believe me but then the man came inside and came up to us and said, "I'm sorry but I'm a photographer and I couldn't help but take your picture.  I walked by and saw you two and thought, 'Wow, that's love right there.'

I'm not sure if we had been back there actually since we've been married (Mark used to live really close to one) so I think going there helped me get a grip, haha!  I of course spent half an hour trying to decide what to get (it's one of those places where they always have new things and everything looks SO good!) but we finally decided to get two fresh portions: Green Beans & Pineapple Chicken w/ Toasted Coconut, Jalapenos, & Jerk Dressing (SO GOOD) and Orecchiette Pasta & Cherry Tomatoes w/ Perline Mozzarella & Chimichurri Vinaigrette along with two hot portions: Macaroni & Cheese (my go to) and Guava Limeade Chicken.  We shared everything and it was super delicious!!

Then we headed back home to eat candy and Mark taught me poker.  It's actually super simple...and HARD...and kind of boring, so we made it strip poker ;)  Haha, which is pretty sexy when your tummy is huge!  I feel so self-conscious all the time and I'm only going to get bigger!  Man, I don't know how many men would have put up with me that evening but my sweet, wonderful husband didn't say a word about it and always looked at me like I was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.  Even when I was sobbing on the street with my big pregnant belly!  Yup, I definitely chose a keeper...