1.11.2017

clark wilde : seven months

s e v e n   m o n t h s 
look at that mischievous little grin!  seven months and Clark Wilde is into everything!  I can't leave him alone for a second.  he isn't quite crawling yet but that doesn't stop him...he will roll, scoot and pull himself towards whatever he's after.  he is so curious I keep waiting for him to fall down a rabbit hole.  don't worry babe, I'll be right there to jump in after you!


so blogging has been the last thing on my mind lately.  we are finally in our new house and the unpacking has begun.  I've been finding all sorts of creative ways to get things done and keep Clark entertained at the same time.  he sits in his high-chair or bumbo and I basically throw him something I'm unpacking every few minutes.  his favorite is the packing paper.  sometimes I put him in a box and let him roll around.  it feels like I end up starting a million tasks and never finishing anything but it's slowly coming along.


we love, love, love our new house!!!  there is such a difference having your own place and Clark and I already have a routine that I love.  I feel like we've grown so much closer just in the past week because now it's just the two of us.  I used to be scared I would feel lonely not being at my parents' where there's always someone there or something going on but it's strangely calm and relaxing.  I feel more like myself and Clark feels more like my baby.  I feel like we're finally home.


Clark has changed so much this past month!  he's eating more, nursing less, down to two naps a day and back to sleeping through the night!  hallelujah!!


seven month stats:
weight: 19 lbs (69th percentile)
length: 28 in. (81st percentile)
head circ: 17.5 in. (69th percentile)

♥                ♥                ♥

f i r s t s

baby's first Christmas
♥ Christmas - Clark had a wonderful first Christmas!  I still can't believe it was just last Christmas that we announced we were having a baby.  and now it's Christmas again and he's seven months old!  craziness.  Clark was so spoiled and got more presents than anybody...but his favorite present was Grandad's hat, haha!


♥ meeting Santa - he was not a fan!  sitting on the lap of some big stranger with a funny hat and hair all over his face?  yeah, I should've saw that coming...

poor baby!
♥ trip to the Galleria - we made our annual post Christmas shopping trip and even though I wasn't able to get as much shopping done as I have in the past (the closest I came was setting aside some things to try at Urban but never actually made it in the dressing room), we still had fun!  I think Clark's favorite part was all the tags on everything...


♥ solid poop - these next few firsts may be TMI but they're a pretty big deal around here.  since Clark has started solids, he's been pooping much more regularly.  about once every other day, but sometimes twice a day (small ones).  the only thing is, his poops have become like little rabbit poops.  I think that means he's constipated but I'm not sure how to remedy it.  I try giving him juice and liquids but he's just not interested.  he will drink (more like lick) water out of a big cup but doesn't like bottles.  I think we're going to try a sippy cup this month and see if he likes that.

♥ poop in the tub - yes it happened.  I don't have a picture and I don't think you'd like to see anyway, hah.  Clark had been straining most of the day but never pooped and the second we put him in the warm water, he relaxed and went.  I guess it's good the first above happened before this one or we would have had a much bigger mess!

♥ New Year's - well he didn't quite make it to midnight but he was a party animal up until 8:00!


f a v o r i t e s

♥ giving kisses - these are everyone's favorite!  I think he does it when he's wanting to nurse but sometimes when you lean your face in, he'll grab your cheeks, open his mouth and suck on your nose or chin!  it's the cutest thing!!  sometimes, he'll flick his little tongue in and out while he's doing it and it's hilarious.  everyone loves kisses from Clark!


♥ taking people's glasses off - he has a thing about grabbing stuff off people's faces and thinks it's hilarious!  my glasses are always falling off my face because he's stretched them out so much but I can't help but laugh whenever he snatches them and bursts into giggles.


♥ his aunts & uncle - Clark met his aunts & uncle on my side when he was still a newborn so he re-met them when everyone came for Christmas and loved them all so much!!!  he thought Uncle Sean was the weirdest, funniest guy in town and of course loved being held by his beautiful aunts, as he does all pretty girls!


♥ being scared - just like his mama, I guess!  I'm gonna have fun with this one the older he gets.  a new scary movie buddy, haha!  Mark is such a fraidy cat ;)


♥ Lucy - that is, my mom's roomba 650 she got for Christmas!  she named her Lucy and Clark loves Lucy!!!  best baby-sitter around!

♥ ice water - I'm not sure if it's good to give babies ice water but Clark is always wanting sips of my water (and I always have ice water!)  whenever he sees me drinking, he stretches his hands out for some.  then he laps it up like a little puppy and puts his hands in to touch the ice, haha!


e a t


so turns out, Clark loves food after all!  I think when I wrote last month he had only tried vegetables and hated them.  well, he still hates vegetables and will only eat them if you sneak a bite in while feeding him fruit, ha!  he tolerates sweet potatoes and sometimes carrots but won't touch anything green!

Clark's favorite food, hands down, is applesauce! he could eat applesauce all day long.  and anything with apples mixed in.  he also loves bananas, pears, and peaches.  he is a very loud eater and makes noises like, "mmm," the entire time.  he's also very impatient and sometimes I try to multi-task while feeding him or eat my own food and he doesn't like it one little bit!  he's always been impatient when hungry...once the boppy comes out, especially before bed, he starts making his hunger sound, "nnnn," and gets so fussy until he's eating!


Clark eats solids three times a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and nurses four times a day (morning, after his morning & afternoon naps - or sometimes during naps! - and before bed).  I love our new nursing schedule!  I still get to cuddle him and feel that bond throughout the day but now I'm able to have 4-5 hours to myself if I need to.  the other day my mom took us shopping and let me go in all the stores alone while she watched Clark!  heaven!!!  why didn't I shop 24/7 before he got here?!?  it's so much easier to shop now that I don't have to worry about nursing him when he gets hungry because she can just give him baby food.

still, it's a little sad that the weaning has begun.  pretty soon he won't need me at all anymore...haha, well I guess that's an exaggeration but what I mean is, he won't literally be dependent on me to survive because someone else can feed him.  hopefully, he still needs me though! :)


s l e e p

he loves holding my hand when he sleeps :)
I'm happy to report Clark is back to sleeping through the night!  the night waking only lasted for a few weeks once he started rolling more and when he was teething.  now he sleeps from 7:30-8 p.m. until about 6:30-7 a.m.  sometimes he cries out early in the morning around 5 (Mark says I do this too, HA!) but usually it's just one cry and then he's asleep again.  sometimes Mark goes and gives him my shirt though.  yeah, Mark is always the one to get up with Clark at night.  he's the best best best.


we have a pretty solid napping schedule down too.  Clark is down to two naps a day, one in the morning around 9:30 and another in the afternoon around 2.  his morning nap is usually short, only 45 minutes to an hour (he will sleep longer if I nurse him when he wakes) and the afternoon nap is like two hours.  then Grandma picks him up after work and takes him home with her so I have a few hours to myself before Mark gets home.  this is my favorite part of the day.  I work out if I haven't been able to, unpack, blog, and just chill until my boys return.

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


Clark has grown up so much this month!  he is basically sitting up, though sometimes he does fall over so I don't leave him sitting alone.  his rolling is out of control, making diaper changes practically impossible!  he has started crawling backwards haha and almost has his forward crawl down...he rocks back and forth on his knees and sometimes can go forward a little bit with help.  before we know it, he's going to be all over the house!  we haven't even baby proofed yet!

he has started talking all the time and believe it or not, says "mamama," when he's crying and trying to get my attention!  I think it's just babble but I pretend he's saying mama and I always pick him up!  he also holds his arms out now whenever he wants to be picked up out of his walker or high chair.  


one hilarious little tick Clark has picked up is Grandma's cough. Grandma was sick for the longest time and still has a cough and Clark is around her so much that he copies it and whenever he wants attention or is getting bored (or pretty much anytime) he starts doing this fake cough.  it's kinda cute for now but I hope it doesn't stay.  he is also always sticking his tongue out of the side of his mouth, it's adorable!!


Clark loves patty cake, being tickled and when dad lifts him high in the air.  when he's tired, he gets in this mellow, happy state, becomes very talkative and giggles at everything.  it's our favorite!  he loves being around kids and getting out of the house.  swinging always puts him to sleep and he is fascinated by animals of every kind.  he is so so smart and wants to see and know about everything, especially things he knows are off limits!  my little mischief maker.  best seven months of my life.

families are forever ♥

12.11.2016

clark wilde : six months

s i x   m o n t h s
today is a special day...it's my birthday and Clark's half birthday!  there is no one I would rather share this day with than my little Clark.  he fills my heart with so much joy, gives my life true meaning and I feel so incredibly blessed to be his mother.  my first birthday as a mom...no sleeping in but lots and lots of cuddling with my sweet baby boy!


this past month has been busy!  busy for Clark and busy for us.  we bought a house!!!  yes, more on that in another post.  we closed on November 30th but we're having it painted right now so I've been using that as my excuse for why I haven't started packing.  but really it's this kid...


I still have nooo idea how we're going to move with him.  I barely have time to get dressed most days and I'm supposed to pack (and unpack!) all our stuff???  I guess I'll let you know how I did in next month's post!

we had our six month well check and Clark is measuring right on track...


six month stats:
weight: 16 lbs. 14 oz. (40th percentile)
length: 27.5 in. (85th percentile)
head circ: 17 in. (40th percentile)

♥                ♥                ♥

f i r s t s

♥ thanksgiving - we went to my Uncle Paul & Aunt Tara's and ate the most delicious feast!


Clark was sooo good during dinner and played happily in his carseat while the rest of us were able to eat in peace!  happy thanksgiving to me!!!


♥ black friday - we shopped till we dropped, literally!   poor Clark was not a happy camper by the end of the day.  he definitely takes after his daddy's feelings towards shopping!  mom, on the other hand, could shop for a living!!


♥ food - green beans!  he HATED them!!!  more on this later.


♥ met my best friend - this month I introduced Clark to my childhood best friend, Sarah!  we have been through everything together and it felt so crazy to have her meet my baby!  Clark loved her and her mom, as he loves all pretty girls :)


f a v o r i t e s

♥ being sung to sleep - Clark's second favorite way to fall asleep (first is the boob!) is with my hand on his face, singing him to sleep.  it's kind of my favorite too :)


♥ rubbing his face with blankets / my shirts - Clark just loves things touching his face!  I guess he thinks it's cozy...and I totally used to love it too when I was little!  my mom says I always had my yellow satin blanket in between my fingers and would rub it all over my face.  I remember doing it too!

Clark also gets the biggest thrill out of having blankets thrown over his head!  one of our favorite things to do with him is huddle in close and toss a blanket up and let it fall down around us.  he holds his breath as long as he can and then lets out a happy sigh when he realizes he can breathe inside our little fort after all!  haha we crack up every time!


♥ water bottles - I'm not sure if it's the fact that they're cold, make noise when they shake or that he's actually thirsty and tries to get the water out by sucking on the outside of the bottle but this kid loves water bottles!  I don't even know when he is allowed (?) to start drinking water out of a bottle!

playing footsie with the soda cup while nursing in the front seat
♥ cough drops - no idea...


♥ Mickey Mouse magnet - my parents have this pretty cool Disney magnet on the fridge with 3D objects on springs jumping out of it and Clark is obsessed with it!  anytime we walk by the fridge he has to grab it!  he has yet to pull one of the springs off but any day now...


♥ Christmas lights - this kid is mesmerized by all things Christmas!


♥ laying under the Christmas tree - obviously!


♥ jingle bells - no explanation necessary.

♥ bows - the present kind.


♥ sitting by the fire - he loves staring at the flames with grandma!

♥ playing the piano with grandad - he loves when grandad sings and plays the piano...it always puts him to sleep, haha!


♥ the itsy bitsy spider - something about this song makes Clark stop whatever he's doing, mid-scream even, and quietly listen to the whole song.  then when I'm done he goes right back to screaming or whatever else he was doing.  but it's a great 20 second break when I can't think of anything else to calm him!  I think it's the hand motions...I'm pretty good at them ;)


♥ walker - a favorite of everyone's!  Clark is so independent and loves being able to get around on his own...and we love not having to carry him or help him walk around!

did I mention these two are obsessed with each other??
♥ Wishbone - also known as "the pooping puppy" because when Clark was little (and by little I mean up until a few months ago, haha) he had trouble pooping and when a week had gone by with no poops and we could see him trying or getting uncomfortable, we would lay him on a changing pad and strip him down to his diaper.  Mark would massage his tummy and bicycle his legs and I would entertain him by jingling Wishbone around over his head.  to be funny, I would make Wishbone encourage Clark that he could do it and told him to push "like this" and would make Wishbone grunt like he was pooping.  well, one time when Wishbone grunted, Clark copied him and was able to poop!  so that became our method for getting Clark to poop for the longest time.  he just copied Wishbone!  hahaha


♥ sucking on tags, sucking his shirts, sucking on anything - what can I say he's a little sucker!  hahaha.  his favorite pj's have this smooth polar bear on them and in the mornings before we come get him, he's always sucking on his face!


♥ plastic bags & anything dangerous - Clark's favorite toys are the ones he's not allowed to play with - fragile ornaments, long ribbons, bags of all kinds, things with tiny pieces that he can break off and put in his mouth, the wrong end of his pacifier clips (the sharp metal part that clips on his clothes), and anything with glitter!  this kid is going to be t-r-o-u-b-l-e!!


e a t


we have started attempted solids with Clark!!!  I think we were all wayyy more excited than Clark about this.  we started out with green beans, per recommendation from the doctor that we should start with greens, and he absolutely hated them!  he gagged twice and made the most disgusted faces.  since then we have tried applesauce, bananas, and rice cereal and he has hated them all!

so we had given up on the baby food but then one day I was eating a cutie and, as usual, Clark was trying to take it from me.  I decided I would let him suck on a section and he happily chewed away on it like a teether.  then when his bottom teeth broke it open and the juice went into his mouth he made a sour face but then wanted more!  and that was how we discovered Clark's love of real food over baby food!  since then he has enjoyed apples, yogurt and smoothies.  he will pretty much eat anything we're eating.  maybe we should start eating his baby food!


in other news...this past month, Clark bit me for the first time!  I had read about babies getting teeth and biting mom's nipple and so many moms said they screamed out in pain and scared the baby so they didn't do it again.  for some reason, I was thinking they were choosing to scream so the baby would stop but let me tell you, screaming is completely involuntary!!  when Clark bit me, it hurt so bad I screamed as loud as I could without a second to even think about it.  I think it was more painful than my worst labor contraction!

it happened near the end of the feeding, which I've read is common.  he started biting down a little harder than normal.  I told him, "no biting," thinking that must be what biting felt like.  ha!  a minute later he bit me for real and I was pretty sure we would never nurse again.  somehow I mustered up the courage to feed him again a few hours later and at the end of that feeding he bit me again, thankfully not as hard!

since then I've learned to pay close attention to when Clark is finished eating, instead of letting him suck on me like a binky.  he still bites on occasion and a few times have been as painful as that first time.  in fact, a few days ago he clamped down and wouldn't let go!  I actually started seeing red and my vision got blurry it was so painful.  all I could think was pain, pain, pain as I tried desperately to unlatch him.  and yet somehow I haven't even considered ending our nursing relationship.  nursing Clark is probably my favorite thing we do together and there's nothing that makes me feel more like a mother or closer to my baby.  I'm so sad to wean him in six short months!


s l e e p


there have been some sleepless nights this month due to a combination of factors.  Clark has started rolling back to belly and sometimes he does it at night when he's trying to fall asleep, which wakes him up.  he has also been teething and we can tell he's been in a lot of pain.


then, there's the weather change.  winter has hit Texas!  unfortunately, Clark's room is the coldest room in the house and no matter how high we crank the heater, it always feels chilly in there.  so we think he's been waking up cold a lot.  we're currently getting up with him 2-3 times a night, usually once before we go to bed, around 10:30.  then again at 1 or 2 and again around 5.  each time we just give him his paci and my shirt and he goes back to sleep.  we've unintentionally started taking shifts and every other night we each take a turn getting out of bed.  I'm not really looking forward to going up and down the stairs once we're in our new house but maybe he'll be back to sleeping through the night by then!  one can hope!

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


it takes a lot of energy to keep Clark entertained these days!  he wants to get into everything!  I'm constantly having to find new things for him to play with and I am so ready for him to be able to sit up on his own.  he's so close!  I think he actually can, he just chooses not to because he has to work out his abs, ha!  he just leans forward when he gets tired of holding himself up but then gets annoyed and wants one of us to help him sit up so he can play.  exhausting!


one of Clark's favorite games is "1, 2, 3"!  when he's laying down, we hold his hands and start to count and he smiles and knows what's coming.  when we get to 3, he leans forward and we pull him up to sit and then he stands up, beaming and looks around proudly like a little gymnast dismounting!


he still loves going for walks, still hates getting dressed.  he's constantly rolling onto his tummy and then screams because he can't always roll back!  he's definitely got a bit of a temper.  at his check-up, the nurse said, "is he always this good?" and I said, "nope!"  a few minutes later when she went to measure his head, he was not having it!  when Clark doesn't like something, he lets you know about it!  he also can change from happy to upset in a matter of seconds!  I hate to admit it but he gets all those traits from yours truly!  oops.


happy six months sweet Clark!!!  you are the best Christmas gift we could ever ask for.