12.20.2013 Nine Weeks With Clark

12.20.2013

Today was my last day as Granny Nanny to Clark.  So many emotions today!  Yes, I'm ready to get back to my own life but am I ready to NOT see Clark every day?  That's got to be a BIG NO, i am NOT ready.   And the bigger question, is Clark ready for day care?  We'll all find that out as he starts day care in 2 weeks, after the Winter Break is over.

Today was a busy day; when he was awake he was practicing his rolling, shrieking, raspberries, etc.  When he was asleep, I was busy washing clothes, packing up stuff, loading up my car.

I wish they lived just down the road from me.

12.19.2013 Nine Weeks with Clark

12.19.2013

Hard to believe I only have one day left of these Nine Weeks with my Grand Boy Clark.  It's been hard, exhausting, and mind numbing and I wouldn't have missed it for the world!

Actually, he slept most of the day today.  I kept peeking into his room to see just what was going on in there - and each time, he was peacefully sleeping.  I'm not used to him sleeping for so long - it made me anxious!  But when he was awake, he was busy, legs moving, arms waving, turning over and over and over, lifting himself up on his arms to better see his world.  And of course, the Shrieking for the joy of Shrieking and the constant raspberry practice.  :)  He's getting pretty good at that actually!

Just chillin' in the kitchen

12.18.2013 Nine Weeks with Clark

12.18.2013  a Stellar Day!  made even better by the fact that Tim didn't go to work until around 10:30.  He attended a training class today, and therefore had a substitute for his normal classes.  So I had 2 of my favorite boys to hang with this morning!

Shrieking along with The Who on the radio Teenage Wasteland!  

He's been practicing the highly prized skill of producing a Raspberry..
...he finally did a few Most Excellent Raspberries!
Complete with Copious Drooool!

and he was VERY proud of himself!  

12.17.2013 Nine Weeks with Clark

12.17.2013 Nine Weeks with Clark

I'm REALLY going to miss this kid.  He's such a PERSON now... ornery, cute, cheerful and crazy and WONDERFUL...I'm so glad that I've been able to do this and honestly, I'm ready to get back to MY life, but wow, I'm going to miss being a daily part of his!

Scott gave Clark some cool socks for Christmas.  You'll see them in the below pictures and video - very colorful, Clark could hardly take his eyes off his feet today!

Clark has become VERY vocal, shrieking with glee at the top of his lungs! 

More Gleeful Shrieking!

        

12.16.2013 Nine Weeks with Clark

12.16.2013

I ONLY HAVE FOUR MORE DAYS.  :(  I will sooo miss seeing his little face every day.  :(

Today I noticed Clark a few times just sucking his THUMB of his right hand and not every digit he has. Kind of cute.  I gave him a teething rubbery thing to chew on, not because he is teething, but just to see what he did with it.  First he scrunched up his nose at it - it must have tasted nasty!  But he grabbed it with both hands and chewed on it for quite some time.  Maybe getting him used to chewing on it NOW would be a good thing, prep for the actual teething process.

so I can't decide on only one picture, so I'm going to include a few.  and why not?  it's my blog!

okay, just the thumb...

More is always better!

Grammmma, you are sooo funny!

Moi?  Cute?

    

Tim got this for a Christmas present from Sam...Clark really liked wearing it!

           

12.13.2013 Nine Weeks with Clark

12.13.2013

It's Friday night and I'm home.  I keep hearing distant Clark crying!

Today?  Clark...the incredible non sleeping child!  Oh sure, today I actually put him down AWAKE for his naps and he actually fell asleep on his own...a MILESTONE.  But both times, yes only twice, he woke up after only @40 minutes of slumber.  Why?  oh heck, I don't know.  Could have been Charlotte the Cat sitting outside his bedroom door yowling; could have been the school bus that screeched past the house; could have been the fact that he hadn't filled his diaper at all, despite the gurgling I could hear coming from his tummy.

Could have been any of those, but really, i have no idea.  Whatever it was, he hardly slept today.  The upside to that was that he was in a great mood all day long, despite his being so sleepy.  A lot of the time he was content to just sit on my lap, or next to me on the floor, happy to listen to me read books. So at LEAST he wasn't awake and cranky!

He's tried a pacifier occasionally, but meh, Fingers are better!

This has been my office since October 14!  Every work space should have a bouncy baby in it!

12.12.2013 Nine Weeks with Clark

12.12.2013
Today Clark fell asleep three times while I wandered the house softly singing silly songs, snug as a rug-a-bug in my arms, with his head resting against my neck. Having him fall asleep content on my shoulder is just the best!  I'm very grateful that I've been able to have this time with him.  I love babies and this little guy is ours to play with whenever we want!

Too many cute pictures to choose only one, so here's a few

Charlotte the Cat staring at Clark, wondering why I brought him into HER bedroom.

Big Blue Eyes!  and yep, he's trying to cram each and every finger into that mouth

I saw him sucking ONLY his thumb today....it didn't last long.
Evidently one thumb is not as great as all 8 fingers

sitting up in his rolling Baby Einstein contraption

12.11.2013 Nine Weeks with Clark

12.11.2013  So COLD outside today - I am not wanting Winter at all, at all.

But inside, Clark was in a find mood today - he had 2 short naps (during which I got nothing done at all) and he FINALLY went down for the Big One just before Mary got home.

We read books, watched a little Peg + Cat ( a cartoon I'm going to miss after I go back to work) played on the floor and drank milk.  Oh and this morning we did a little ARTS and CRAFTS.Crayola has this soft squishy non-toxic modeling clay called Model Magic.  I rolled out a few sections and squished Clark's foot into the clay.  He didn't mind and luckily, the stuff did NOT attach to his foot!

12.10.2013 Nine Weeks With Clark

12.10.2013

Christmas is ONLY 15 days away.  Oh Dear...and that's all I will say about THAT.  I did get one thing on my list accomplished - I crocheted a Christmas stocking for Clark!

Years ago I crocheted stockings for each of the boys - Josh has a reindeer on his, Tim a Snowman, and Sam a Christmas tree.  As they each brought home "The Girl" I crocheted a stocking for her and put a similar decoration on the stocking.

Tim wanted  Clark's stocking to be green, and so it is.  :)

Clark and I made butter cookies today -
I pushed his hand into the last big chunk of dough.

12.09.2013 Nine Weeks with Clark

This just in!  A Video of Clark laughing for the first time!  Oh sure, he's chuckled now and again and of course has big smiles and spurts of GLEE and hilarity, but here is a video of Clark Laughing!

12.09.2013

A good Monday!  of course, there was no time for him to forget just exactly who I am and what our routines are.  I left mid morning on Saturday because my CAR wouldn't start (for some reason, the battery was dead!  I think it might have to do with the remote start) and I returned on Sunday, mid afternoon because the weather was supposed to be nasty and I wanted to get here before it did.

He was a cutie pie today - 3 short naps - long enough for me to get some stuff done but not long enough for me to sneak a nap myself.  We spent a lot of time rolling around on the floor today. Here are the pictures!

evidently he finds me quite amusing

on the tummy!

stuff to look at

12.06.2013 Nine Weeks with Clark

12.06.2013

Today is a cold and chilly day; we did NOT go out for a walk but we did waltz around the back porch a few minutes.  Normally I go home as soon as the kids get home from school, but today?  Nope, I'm staying over - there's a big snow/sleet/ice storm in the Indy area scurrying around right now and tomorrow morning?  sunshine and zero snow.  so i'm heading home early tomorrow.

And it works out - Tim has an Ad Liberation show tonight and I've not seen one for months.  So Mary and I will go to the show and Clark Davis will have a babysitter!  Two in fact!  Mary knows these girls from school - how great to have a pool of babysitters to pick and choose from.  This will be the first time he'll be with unrelated people.  Sadly (or luckily, it's all how one looks at it - he's very particular about his bedtime rituals) he'll probably be asleep before they show up and with any luck, he'll stay asleep until at least after I get home (Tim and Mary will go to a party afterwards.)

So today a medley of Clark pictures, taken within seconds of each other.  He was vocalizing and finding himself fairly amusing!

12.05.2013 Nine Weeks with Clark

12.05.2013  Omigosh!  Twenty days until Christmas! How can that be?  I've got a Christmas Letter to write and send out and about; this year was quite a year, good AND bad.  Presents?  Not so much to worry about these days, but I need to make a list, check it twice and get with the program!

I've only got 11 days more until my Nine Weeks with Clark is over.  And that makes me sad!  But I feel good about my involvement with his little life these past weeks.

Today was a big day for Clark.  He finished what he started days ago - he can now roll over by himself!  oh sure, sometimes his arms get stuck and sometimes he doesn't QUITE make it all the way over but he's now a mobile little guy and we have to be careful where we put him down - he might not be there when we go back!  he's a Man on the Move!

He has a good time on his tummy - things look different from that position!  I should know, I've spent a lot of time rolling around on the floor with him the last few weeks.

12.04.2013 Nine Weeks with Clark

12.04.2013

It was such a fun day - Clark was in a fine mood and we're back in the swing of things after a few days of getting used to each other again.  He took 2 short naps this morning (each only 20 minutes long!) but stayed upbeat and cheerful while he was awake!

He's easier to put down for naps now - he was adamant that I was NOT doing it right for so long, but today?  Once he fell asleep bundled up and cuddled on my shoulder and twice he fell asleep in my arms, watching me as I paced around the house, singing silly songs to him, his head in the crook of my left arm and his legs slung over my right arm.  Nice, eh?

And then Tim came home at lunchtime and that made Clark very happy...

A few minutes after Tim left, Clark fell asleep and slept until 3:30...I was bottle ready!  and when I heard him muttering to himself, I snatched him up, plopped him in the bouncer and when he opened his mouth to let me know how DISPLEASED he was to be in that location, I plopped a nicely warmed bottle into his mouth.!

He was finishing that off just as his Mom got home.  Perfect timing!

He practiced all day long the art of the Roll Over but he's not quite doing it yet on his own.  Since babies are not supposed to be sleeping on their tummies anymore, he's not quite sure what to do when he gets there.  He FINALLY allows himself to put his head down, but usually it's STRAIGHT down, face into the blanket.  sigh.

OH OH, what do i do NOW?

Days like this make me realize anew how lucky I am to be able to stay with Clark for these weeks.  Of course, days like this also make me realize how creaky my back and knees are!

He's either trying to get OUT of that chair OR
he's practicing a bad 80's dance move

12.03.2013 Nine Weeks with Clark

12.03.2013

Today was a Good day albeit a tiring one.  Clark took three naps, but they each were ONLY about 30 minutes long.

We walked over to Walgreens and perused the aisles; he stayed awake the whole time.

We walked home admiring the sky and the naked trees; he stayed awake the whole time.

We played on the floor and read books until I was groggy; he stayed awake the whole time.

We kicked the ball around the back yard until his Mother got home; he stayed awake the whole time.

The three of us walked down to investigate a day care at the Methodist church; he stayed awake the whole time.

Not quite sure if it's a growth spurt OR mebbe it's just the fact that it's another No Go as of Yet day.  But here it is, 5:16 pm and the kid is still awake!

But you know, he's such a cutie pie and has such sweet smiles; oh sure, the SHRIEKING is fierce, but he does make up with it with his smiles.

on the way to Walgreen's...I'm not sure what is causing him such consternation!

Clark sat up for a while in one of those wheeled seats with a tray.
The boys had one when they were little - we called it a Moon Coupe

12.02.2013 Nine Weeks with Clark

12.02.2013  I can't believe it's already December 2.  It means only 3 weeks left to hang out with Clark on a daily basis!

We flew back from Idaho on Saturday - I think I'm still recovering from the long travel day and the time change adjustment because today I'm really tired.  Luckily the work emails were few and I was able to focus pretty much only on Clark today.

Mondays are hard for both of us (especially after a 10 day break for me and a long Thanksgiving weekend for him with his Mom and Dad!)  I'm pretty sure he recognized me - which made me happy.  He missed his OTHER routine and he had intermittent grouchy grousing but he finally took a nice long 2 hour nap ... which let me nap on the couch for a bit.

It's amazing how much a baby progresses in 10 days.  I'm pretty sure he's longer and he is chubbier overall.  He's also vocalizing more and I got a brief chuckle out of him now and again.  He holds himself better and just is so much more of a PERSON.

Mom is reading Romeo and Juliet to Clark!

Back together again at the end of the day

11.21.2013 Nine Weeks With Clark

11.21.2013

A good, but tiring day today!  Clark had a case of the "can't go blues" so basically until those blues were over around 2:30, he could only snatch little 30 minute ClarkNaps.  We were both relieved when the issue was resolved; 15 minutes later he was asleep, just about the time his Mom came home.

Clark and I watched this video today - he was rapt!  He loved the movement and the music and all the faces!  Do we have another musician in the making?

http://www.amazingoasis.org/2013/11/best-coin-ever-spent.html

I'm heading to Idaho to see Josh and Megan for Thanksgiving week, so Clark will just have to handle things without me for the next 10 days.  His Auntie Hannah is going to hang out with him next Monday - Wednesday and then he will be seeing all sorts of family on the long Thanksgiving weekend. I hope I will get a big smile when I see him next in the early hours of December 2 instead of a puzzled look and a "who is THIS?"

Is he practicing his maestro directing moves?  OR
is he trying to coax that spit blanket onto my left shoulder,
which ALWAYS happens before he magically ascends to that aforementioned shoulder?

here is he trying to get that durn ceiling light to respond to all his commentary!

11.20.2013 Nine Weeks With Clark

11.20.2013  As Clark gets older and is awake more and more during the day, I find that I'm more and more tired by the time 3:30 comes around.  :)  He still had 3 naps today, the second of which was a good 2 hours long (with a 15 minute awake break for grousing) but as he gets more and more active, he needs more toys, more floor time, more reading of the books (oh man, is he active during book time!  the arms are waving, the legs are shuffling, smiling insanely!) - too little to entertain himself as of yet, I am his prime source of entertainment during the day.  Stuff he found amazing two weeks ago is not quite as amazing now.  Big Sigh.

BUT a good day today was had by Clark and his Granny.  

Looking at the pictures below, I'm pretty sure we can conclude that Clark has his mother's eyes...  Bright bright blue!

11.19.2013 Nine Weeks With Clark

11.19.2013

Another good day - with only intermittent disgruntled grousing about this and that...from CLARK, not me.  Well, perhaps I groused a bit today as well, but only because he didn't really want to nap.  Oh sure, he NEEDED to nap, but he didn't want to.  Not really.

He did fall asleep on his own on the floor this morning, after a round of not this bed, not that bed, oh NO, not THIS bundle thing, hey, where's the bundle thing??   So I thought ok, I'll turn on the cartoon network and see if he'll calm down.  SO we went into the front room, I put him on the rug/yoga mat/comfy blanket set up, and before I even grabbed the remote, he was asleep.

Clark has this great big smile; not an open mouth smile, but a mouth stretching, cheek bulging smile that is the cutest thing.  I'll try to capture it, but usually, I'm too busy smiling back...  :D

Yep, a Yarbrough Foot

Grousing..not shrieking, just grousing

man oh man, the flash on that camera is bright!  :)

11.18.2013 Nine Weeks with Clark

11.18.2013

because of all the tornadoes and storms in Indiana yesterday, I didn't drive up to Lafayette until this morning. I didn't see much damage along the road I take; I know some communities got hit hard.  :(

The kids lost their electricity yesterday afternoon and it didn't come back on until about 5 pm today.  Luckily it wasn't really cold out today, so Clark and I stayed fairly comfortable.  We spent a lot of time in his room on the floor - it's the sunniest room in the house.

We had a good day today, despite the fact that his naps were nearly non-existent.  Of course, the good side to tiny naps during the day is that he sleeps like a log at night.  So it's all good.


I took a series of pictures today as the light was excellent in the kitchen and his expression changed from second to second.  :)

Please Granny...may I have some MILK?

What?  You say I drank it all?

No MILK?  What to do?  What to do?

No Milk?  Inconceivable!

Hey....whatcha got over there?  I see MILK!

Ho Ho Ho..good one!!

And there it is...and it's all warmed up!!  whoo hoo!