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| t w e l v e m o n t h s |
it's been over a week since my baby turned one and I'm just now getting to his 12 month update! we had a little wild rumpus last Saturday to celebrate King Clark and he had so much fun!
May saw us through sick times, scary times, Clark's last first holiday and his first fear. his personality is coming out more every day and we have one mischievous kid on our hands. Clark is a master mess maker...he can destroy any room faster than I can clean up and by the time I do, he's onto the next room, which basically means I get nothing done all day! welcome to parenthood.
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| tampons...it's the simple pleasures in life |
we spent my first Mother's Day at my Uncle Paul & Aunt Tara's casa celebrating sweet Lydia going on her mission! they threw an awesome farewell with the most delicious food. Clark spoiled me by taking a long nap and letting me eat in peace!
Clark's Aunt Stephy came to visit for Mother's Day and we had so much fun with her. we went shopping, out to dinner, watched scary movies and Clark showed her his dance moves. it's always a party when Aunt Stephy comes to visit!
last month I conquered one of my biggest parenting fears: baby throw up. not spit up. real, actual vomit. the flu and noro virus have been going around so I was sure Clark had caught a bug but it was just a one time episode. right after his bath one night, Clark started coughing and before I knew what was happening, he was throwing up all over me. but it wasn't anything like I thought it would be. I didn't even notice the smell or think about anything other than keeping him calm and making sure he was okay. we went straight back to the bathtub and Clark seemed totally fine afterward. we're pretty sure he just over ate...I nursed him right before dinner and he had a late lunch so it must have just been too much for his little tummy to handle.
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| those cute little cheeks! |
unfortunately Clark didn't escape getting sick altogether...a week later he caught a pretty bad cold / cough and had a fever for a couple days. his first fever! all he wanted to do was lay in my lap and snuggle all day. I didn't mind one bit.
during the week, Clark spends a few hours every day with his grandma. she picks him up around 4 and they go play at her house until Mark picks him up at 6 so I get a few hours to myself each day. yes, I have the best mother in the world!! one day my mom was showing Clark the Beatles pictures in the guest bathroom and she accidentally turned the bathroom fan on with the light. Clark thought the fan noise was coming from the Beatles and ever since then, he has been scared of the Beatles!! hahaha
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| let's hope for grandad's sake he grows out of it |
at his twelve month well check, Clark got 3 shots and was almost as upset about it as grandma! he is growing and developing right on track and we are so grateful for our sweet, healthy boy!
twelve month stats:
weight: 21 lbs (50th percentile)
length: 30 in. (65th percentile)
head circ: 18.5 in. (75th percentile)
♥ ♥ ♥
f a v o r i t e s
if I had to predict what Clark will be when he grows up, my guess is an archaeologist! he is completely obsessed with dirt. take him outside with a nice big blanket and the minute you set him down he beelines for the nearest patch of dirt. the other day my mom said to me, "don't let him near the plants, he likes to eat the dirt." I used to think that was just a normal baby thing but now I'm starting to think it's a Clark thing.
if not an archaeologist, there's also a chance he might become a hip-hop dancer. no one gets as excited about a good beat as Clark. when a good song comes on, he immediately stops whatever he's doing, mid-crawl, to shake his shoulders back and forth. if he's standing, he will bounce up and down while moving his hand back and forth and shaking his head side to side. it's my favorite thing to watch!
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| all ready for his first dance recital, hahaha |
if you knew me when I was little, you'll know I used to dress Sean in my old clothes (including leotards and swimsuits). I did this so often the neighbors thought my parents had two little girls! hahaha. so when Clark ran out of clothes to wear at Grandma's and I stumbled across Stephanie's old lady-bug outfit I just couldn't resist.
if Clark decides not to become a professional dancer (maybe the picture above will scar him for life), then maybe he will become an Olympic swimmer! I really do want him to be a swimmer and he absolutely loves the water so this is also a definite possibility.
e a t
don't be fooled by that smile! somewhere along the road Clark has turned into the pickiest eater! when we first started giving him table foods he would pretty much try anything on my plate. I guess he had one too many negative experiences because now he won't try anything! he pretty much sticks to the four main elf food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns, and sugar. haha, well not exactly but it may as well be. Clark's diet consists of: waffles, almond butter & jelly, fruit (sugary) oatmeal, and goldfish. he will occasionally drink a fruit pouch (sometimes even with a vegetable disguised in there!) and eat yogurt. he also loves bananas and strawberries! but he basically will not eat whatever we're having for dinner unless it's pizza or pasta (he has a thing for marinara sauce). oh and this kid loves his apple juice.
we're still trying to introduce him to new foods but it's just such a hassle to buy food he won't eat or prepare something just to have him refuse to even try it! I used to hear about picky eaters and I would think, "my kids will eat whatever I make for dinner or they'll go to bed hungry!" except that means I get to be up all night with a hungry baby who won't sleep. so I guess for now he gets what he wants.
Clark's palate at 12 months:
pineapple - 😋
smoothies - 😋
chicken tikki masala -😋
ice-cream - 😋
root bear floats - 😋
Grandad's homemade salsa - 😋
cinnamon raisin bread - 😋
cinnamon raisin bread - 😋
banana raspberry mango smoothie - 🤢
Chobani greek yogurt - 🤢
croissants - 😋
Chobani greek yogurt - 🤢
croissants - 😋
we had a pretty scary choking incident this month. Clark stuck an entire rice cake in his mouth and it got stuck in the back of his throat. I could see it but when I tried to get it, I pushed it back further. thank goodness Mark was home. he was so calm and patient and somehow got it out. poor Clark is always choking on things! he is a very impatient eater and swallows before he chews his food enough. my mom only feeds him crumb size pieces of anything and honestly, mealtimes are so stressful I would prefer to just exclusively breast feed him for the rest of his life! haha or at least until he learns not to choke!
s l e e p
right around the time he got sick last month, Clark went through a week-long phase where he started waking up earlier and earlier. he typically wakes up between 6:30 and 7 but one day he woke up at 5:45, the next day 5:15, then 5 and then as early as 4:30 and would never go back down! this resulted in earlier and earlier naps which meant the stretch between his afternoon nap and bedtime was way too long and so we had to start putting him to bed earlier, which only contributed to the early waking! it was a vicious cycle but gradually he began waking up later and now he's back to 6:30 wakings. other than that, he's been STTN about 10 hours each night (when he was waking early he was only getting 8-9 hours a night). so we do have something to be grateful for!
on the other hand, he has digressed a bit in his naps. Clark has started cat-napping in the morning (30-45 minutes max) and then will start crying for me once he hits the end of his sleep cycle. then if I go and nurse him or even just hold him, he will sleep for another 60-90 minutes on me! he hasn't done that since he was a newborn! I'm trying to see it as a blessing...one last phase of napping with my baby before he's all grown up and so over it.
p l a y / d e v e l o p m e n t
Clark's passion in life is CARS!!! his favorite thing is when I start crawling around and drive his cars on the walls and couches, making car noises and pretending not to notice him. he gets so excited and immediately wants to play with me. I really should make an effort to play with Clark more. I'm always running around doing laundry, washing dishes, cleaning his messes, and it's so easy to fill my day with meaningless tasks but when I stop and play with Clark, he is the happiest boy in the world!
at twelve months, Clark can get down from the couch, go backwards down the stairs (with supervision), feed himself with a fork (be prepared for a mess), open the Hershey's syrup and pour it all over himself, shake his head no, throw a tantrum, say "mama," "dada," and "ahmen," and can take a step or two but simply refuses to walk just yet. this kid is pretty stubborn (he gets it from his mama) and when he makes up his mind about something, forget it! I never pressure him to do anything. I know when he's ready to walk, he will and forget about stopping him!
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| one-handed |
these past twelve months have been the biggest whirlwind. every month Clark grows in so many ways and even though I take a million pictures and write everything down, looking back, it's all a blur. what was he like at three months? when did he start sleeping through the night? what did we do for fun before he could crawl or roll over or even sit up? those days seem a lifetime away. and at the same time, it feels like just yesterday I was checking into the hospital, contractions every 5 minutes, both scared and beyond excited to meet my baby for the first time.
now, one year later, and I'm still scared but mostly excited! we survived the first year and now the fun part begins...walking, talking, the terrible two's, becoming a big brother (hint, hint)! I'm so excited for everything to come!!
