10.31.2013 Nine Weeks with Clark

10.31.2013

It's Halloween and the day has been a washout - it has rained all day long, way too wet outside for any kind of walk.  so we stayed in doors and had a pretty decent day! He's a little confused when he's tired...he wants to be put down AND he wants to be held...but he managed to nap (with the help of the sound machine, a swing and a vacuum cleaner) and each time he woke up, he woke up fairly smiley!

We played on the mat a long time - he's reaching for hanging toys and almost grabbing them. While changing a diaper, I offered him one of his socks and he grabbed AT it...and held on when I placed it into his hand.  I don't think he realized he actually was holding anything until it dropped out of his hands..but we had a good time anyway.

As I mentioned in my last post, he gets the bottle thing and is getting quite good at it  Below?  He's not smiling at me or at the fact that he's drinking 4 ounces of milk without stopping..oh no.....

Clark is smiling at his friend, the Ceiling Light. 

They have a wonderful relationship.

:)

Mary and Tim gave him a bath when they got home from work.  

Look at the chub!  

And look how he carefully placed his foot to protect his modesty!

and yep, Clark has a Halloween costume!  He's a chili pepper!  

  

"they give you candy for dressing up like a chili pepper?  WOW!"

10.29.2013 Nine Weeks with Clark

10.29.2013

We're finally settling into somewhat of a routine...he's used to the bottle, he likes the bouncer lounge, I even got him to take a 2 hour nap in his swing, despite Charlotte the cat's diabolical plan to wake him and plunge me into despair!  He falls asleep, she saunters out of the bedroom and thought.".ahah!  he's asleep!  now she can pay ME some attention!"

Because she's somewhat of a weirdo, she didn't come into the kitchen where I was working..oh no, that would have been too easy.  She sat 3 feet from where Clark was snoozing and yowled.  YOWLED.  finally, i chased her back into the bedroom and shut her in.  he woke up briefly during the yowl fest, but managed to suck his fingers until he fell back into oblivion.

Clark is getting used to me, and I'm getting used to him.  I'm seeing his little signs regarding what he wants and I either give him what he is desperately needing BEFORE he shrieks OR I switch his attention to something else BEFORE he shrieks.  Oh yes, it's all about the shrieking.  I'm not liking the shrieking.

I found out today he likes listening to people talk to him over the phone.  He smiled at my friend Scott's voice and he also listened and grinned at Linda Scott, a client of mine.

I took a few pictures today and can't decide on just one, so i'll include them all!

Oh the first one is from yesterday.  Every time I look at it I laugh..so i must include it.  Look at that frown!

being contemplative,  holding onto a blanket he finds very interesting

practicing his vowels... he said coo today and smiled like a maniac after

 we headed out for a walk around 6 while his parents headed out to celebrate Tim's birthday!  He looks really cute in that soft striped outfit, and he charmed the lady at the pumpkin patch down the street with his blue eyes and his big smiles.  He's sound asleep right now, in his bassinet, with his rain storm machine blocking out the sound of Charlotte, the cat yowling in the front room, irritated because she can't get in there.  

10.28.2013 Nine Weeks with Clark

10.28.2013

My Dad would be celebrating his 81st birthday today with cake, peanut butter kisses, and Reeses peanut butter cups.  I know he would have enjoyed making Clark smile. He was always just a big kid at heart.  :)

Clark and I had a good day overall, with intermittent sad face and instant fury!  Midday it warmed up enough to take a walk..Tim called just as we turned the corner 2 blocks down.  He'd come home for lunch!  so we turned around, walked back and after he left, we walked over to the park for a long stroll. Clark slept the entire time, only awake for the 10 minutes we hung out with Tim.

Today I added a stuffed animal to Clark's time in the bouncer.  Clark grabbed the soft puppy with both hands, and would let go with one to smack the smiling monkey..and then grab the softness again.

10.23.2013 Nine Weeks with Clark

10.23.2013  As the day went on, the fact that Clark had picked up a little bit of a head cold became more apparent and by the end of the day;  he was tired and actually wanted to SNUGGLE while he slept.  This is the first time since I've arrived that he was content to roll himself up into a little bundle, cozy his head into my shoulder and sleep.  I hate the reason but loved the cuddle!

He's using his hands to do things he WANTS to do rather than just aimless waving!

 

10.22.2013 Nine Weeks with Clark

10.22.2013

Another Good Day!  He's for sure got the bottle technique perfected and we're settling into somewhat of a routine.  Went for a long walk today directly after a bottle and right as he started getting tired...pushing Clark in his stroller, which was completely covered with a big fleece blanket because it was kind of chilly.  He fell asleep immediately and I decided to go a little further today than usual..crossed Main street and walked around Columbian Park.  It was going so well that i walked a little longer than I should have...and he woke up and was not happy...so he cried that banshee cry for a few blocks on the way home.

BUT he was all smiles after he was removed from the stroller and all was well the rest of the day.  Here's a video of Clark in his bounce chair...

10.21.2013 Nine Weeks With Clark

10.21.2013

First day of Week Two went rather well!  Tim and Mary persevered with the bottle over the weekend, and today, Clark...after some initial grousing...managed to suck down 3 bottles of milk!  He's got the technique down AND manages quite a nice belch all by himself afterwards.

Another big step today,,,he fell asleep unaided while laying on the play mat.  I'm not saying he was extremely happy about it, but he did it!  and when he woke up, he was fairly happy.

Yesterday I visited Buy Buy Baby, a store with a plethora of baby stuff...anything a kid might want..you can get it at this place.  They even sell arm chairs suitable for comfy cuddling and feeding of the child!  So before I drove here last night, I stopped in and picked out a bouncer/lounger type chair for Clark.  This is a sturdy seat that can be put on a counter, a kitchen table, etc...so that he can be near his adult but not necessarily ON his adult.  It also has a little light show, . two pull toys,  and various songs that will play over and over.

I wrote all that so I can log the next big step!  I had work to do today, so i set up my laptop and his new lounge chair on the kitchen table.While I typed, he chortled, listened to music, watched the light show with glee, and occasionally looked out the kitchen window.  I eventually fed him a bottle while he was in the chair, and then voila!  he fell asleep!

And he woke up to the light show and a colorful plastic toucan and a red monkey.  And he was fairly happy.

A Good Day overall!

10.18.2013 Nine Weeks With Clark

10.18.2013

Week Number One just flew by and today was a Good Day with Grand Baby Clark.  :)

Actually it was a WONDERFUL Day with Clark because TODAY was the day we found a bottle that he liked and could handle without choking or swallowing down more air than milk (which results in massive shrieking until the belch can emerge.)  AND we found a position that works for him, a sort of reclining on pillows, feed me grapes kind of lounging.  He sucked down an entire bottle of milk!  The entire thing!

It made us both very happy.  Really, you've no idea how happy I was...NO IDEA..

Instead of an ordeal, it was a happy 20 minutes of swallowing and smiling!  He didn't drink the entire second bottle later on in the day, but we've got a pattern now.  I just hope we can recreate it a few times a day.

It's funny how fast I've turned into a babbling, ambling, swooping, swishing..did i mention babbling?  fool.  Everything we do is fodder for a 15 minute song.  He pooped four times today - this translates into about an hour total today of a song and dance about poo.  He loves getting his diaper changed anyway but I seem to turn the whole process into a 15 minute celebration over his bowel movement!  Oh the anticipation on his face as I remove the diaper verrrrry verrrrrrrrrry slowly...and then AGHGHGHGHG as the contents are revealed!  He chortles, the arms start flailing!  the legs are pumping!

and then as I clean him up, describing to him in all gory detail the mess in his diaper, he gazes in glee at the 6 paintings on the wall above his changing table.  Grandma Lynn had a great idea for the baby shower - each table of attendees created a small oil painting and these brightly colored paintings festoon his wall.  His favorite seems to be the painting created by his small cousins...blue, red yellow all in a wild whirlwind!

Anyway - a full tummy made for a happier Clark.  We took a long neighborhood stroll again today - he slept for most of it. And he played for quite a long time on his play mat.  As you see in the picture, he can grab the ring on the elephant...a good tug and  it plays cheerful songs.  Only three unfortunately (not enough variety there for my liking - i wonder how I'll feel about those 3 songs next Friday)  BUT he likes them and therefore I LOVE them.

10.17.2013 9 Weeks with Clark

Thursday, 10.17.2013.  Overall a good day with Clark!  Lots of smiling, playing, wooing, but also alot of disgust grousing about the bottle.  He much prefers his mother!

Last night I bought this play pad and for short periods of time, he was happy being surrounded by it.  We discovered that if you pull the ring on the elephant, songs play..so that was good.  He actually grabbed hold of the double ringed monkey and finally figured out how to let go. The below picture doesn't have great focus, but he was MOVING...  :)

10.14-16, 2013 9 Weeks with Clark

I'm a Granny!  My favorite middle son Tim and favorite middle daughter in law Mary had a baby boy back in August!  Mary is a teacher, and she contracted to take the first 9 weeks of school off to stay home with Clark Davis.  I contracted with my place of employment to work via computer and cell phone so that I can stay with my favorite first grandchild for the next 9 weeks of his life.

I started this past Monday.

Oct 14…awake around 4:45 and dozed until 6:45 when I pulled on clothes and went downstairs to eat oatmeal before they left.  How was the day?

It was the Best of Times... it was the Worst of Times. 

When he wasn’t shrieking his disgust about the absence of his mother and the milk she delivers, he was either Clark napping (short naps, here and there, when he was overcome with exhaustion from the disgust shrieking) or thankfully, he was a cutie pie...learning how his face works...smiling, frowning, sticking that lower lip out, wooing “haaaaoooooo” or gazing up at the sky in wonder as we walked around the backyard.   I was happy to see 3:30 arrive and I was HAPPIER that he had just pooped, we had just had a few happy moments during the diaper change, and when his parents walked in, there was little evidence that he can shriek like an Irish Banshee.  I went to bed at 8:30, intending to read, but overcome by exhaustion when I laid down.

Oct 15.  Up at 4:45…sigh.  Dozed until 6:45.  Downstairs for oatmeal!  Clark didn’t shriek in horror when he saw me, so evidently he’d forgotten the hell that was yesterday.   We played and then he slept for about an hour…woke up and we went for a stroll!  It worked out really well, and he fell asleep half way thru – so I kept walking until I felt like I was pushing my luck.  I brought the entire stroller up the tilted front  yard and then left sleeping Clark in the carrier – he slept for awhile longer.  He tried the bottle for awhile, but again, not much impressed.  But we’ve had lots of happy smiling time, read a few books, had a few laughs, a few walks around the back yard.  If it ever rains or gets cold, I might be in trouble...

Oct 16.  Woke briefly at some point but went back to sleep and woke when the alarm went off at 5:35…ran downstairs for a shower before the kids started their routine and was back upstairs before they even got out of bed.  Baby slept well and ate well…and then slept for nearly 2 hours after they left!  It was a good day overall…I’ve discovered a trick about the bottle.  If I sit in the soft chair, and have the tv on, he’ll watch the tv with enough attention to overlook the fact that he’s trying to drink milk from a bottle.  He probably drooled more than he drank, but he had enough to get thru the day and he was sucking on the bottle when Mary walked back in the house at 4!  From 2 – 3, we strolled around the neighborhood; he slept for most of the trip and I somehow lucked out that we got back to the house just when he started grousing. Into the house for an hour of diaper table, smiles, and a bottle drool.  A good day overall!