Clark Arthur: seven weeks old

Clark is adorable. He is just so cute. I haven't held but one newborn since Bradley and all the cute of newborn cuddles is not lost on me.

I'll need to write about his birth, but I'll go ahead and say that of all three of if (Bryan, Bradley and myself), Bradley was the one to never skip a beat. He welcomed baby Clark like he was always here. He talks in a high pitched voice when he talks about Clark or to Clark. He gives hugs and kisses and toys. Clearly, he was meant to be a big brother.

Clark is a champ. Little dude is rocking all of Bradley's hand me downs, including the crib. I did buy new sheets and redecorate so instead of monsters, his nursery is nautical. 

Clark's absolute favorite thing is to be held. He doesn't discriminate how or by whom. He just wants to feel the love. Hold him and he won't care about dirty diapers, eating, being cold, being hot, or a house on fire. He's quite a cuddler. I like to joke that he thinks he's a firstborn.

Like Bradley, we've been putting Clark to sleep in his crib at night and for naps. He has been a much less sleepy baby than Bradley usually sleeping 1.5-2 hours. Just at six weeks, his naps started teaching three hours and his first sleep of the night is 4-5 hours long. It is hard having a newborn who doesn't sleep for long stretches when I've been sleeping through the night for two years now, since Bradley was seven months old. I am very ready for longer stretches that just HAVE to be on the horizon.

That being said, Clark is a very happy newborn. He really doesn't cry except to tel us he's awake from a nap, that he has a dirty diaper and rarely (usually 4-5 hrs between feedings) that he's hungry. Mostly, he just wants to be held. Whereas Bradley would cry often and I could fix any problem with a boob, Clark refuses to eat unless he's hungry and won't be calmed by extra nursings, just cuddles.

Clark smiled for the first time (for real) at five weeks! I couldn't believe it, and neither could Bryan. We have a very smiley baby! What? We didn't know they actually existed. Turns out they do. And every time it's adorable. I have not gotten used to his smiles in these two weeks and each time has me scrambling for a camera like I've just sighted Big Foot.

Clark rolled over for the first time yesterday, right at 7 weeks! I couldn't believe it. Bryan was there and Clark was doing tummy time and all of a sudden he flipped to his back. This is so crazy! I have to look it up but it must have taken Bradley at least another month or two do roll over. I wouldn't have believed Clark did it except that I was there.

Clark is already on a schedule that he created. He wakes at 7-7:30, eats plays and then naps from 8:30-10:30. Eat and play, naps from 12-3 (on great days) or 12-2 then 2:30-4 (on good days), then eats and plays until 5. He naps in the bouncer while we eat dinner and is usually up at 6 to share in the chaos of bedtime routine. Most nights both kids are asleep in their beds by 7. Clark has been sleeping until about midnight, then is up at 3:30, 5 and then 7. A lot of sleep but never enough in a row.

His stats for one month and 11 days:

Height 23 inches (92%)

Weight 10 lbs 15 oz (55%)

Head Circumference 15 inches (66%)

Compared to Bradley at one month exactly:

Height 21 inches (50%)

Weight 9 lbs 9 oz (75%)

Head Circumference 15 inches (90%)

Brain dump.

These last seven weeks have been crazy. Full of holidays, travel, newborn sleepless nights and recovering from birth.

I might be baking my feelings. Or maybe I'm in control of them. Baking makes me feel accompanied. Something about taking various pantry items and turning them into something delicious, usually for breakfast (my favorite way to start the day) makes me feel happy. Since Clark has been born, I've baked muffins, cookies, sweet rolls, brownies, blondies, pies, more cookies, and bread. I can't stop myself. 

Clark is opposite of everything Bradley was at this age. It's kind of weird. They look similar occasionally, but Clark is longer, thinner and his face shape is more oval. Bradley was already chunkier, on his way to being my fat baby. Clark smiles all the time! How can this be? I thought babies were apathetic. Nope, just Bradley. Clark is a happy dude.

Bryan is back to work and life with two babies is hard! Especially on very little sleep. I've started drinking coffee for the first time in my life, and it has definitely made mornings easier.

Our house is so lovely. I find myself regularly just looking around and appreciating it. I love the big windows and all the sunshine they let in. I love the paint colors we picked. I love Bradley's little breakfast nook. I love our basement, separate from the kids things and all the hub bub of upstairs. I love my shower. I love the nursery. I love Bradley's Lego room. I feel so lucky to be living in this house, and I know we picked the right home for our family.

I joined the gym this week, and I surprised myself by actually running. Well, for a short bit. I either need a new sports bra or I need to double up. Ouch.

All the good tv shows are back: Thr Bachelor (hahahaha), Parks and Rec, Brooklyn 99, Modern Family, Love it or List it (now in North Carolina!), Broad City and Sister Wives. I love having new things to watch after the famine my DVR had over the holidays. 

What else? That's a good dump. I hope to write more regularly so it's not an obnoxious hodgepodge of thoughts like this post.

Um, hello. It's been awhile.

It's hard returning to something like this blog after being gone for so long. My last two posts were heavy. The last time I blogged was a very sad time for me.

So much has happened. An unbelievable amount of life has been smashed in the seven months between that last post and this one. 

First, my second son was born. My sweet little Clark Arthur who is already growing too long for all the newborn clothes. 

He's not as fat as Bradley was (at least in appearance), but he looks similar. While they look similar, they are opposites in every other way. Clark is satisfied all the time and only cries when he needs something. His top needs: being held, being changed and being fed. In that order. This baby wants to be held more than any I've ever met. He's adorable, and I just love him.

We bought a house. Yes. That American Dream moment. We had been saving since we moved here, living in a small two bedroom apartment, driving just one car and cutting back on spending. We were about a year and a half from having enough of a down payment for a house. We had plans to put little Clark in our room until June or July 2015. 

But, thanks to Bryan's sweet mom, we inherited exactly the amount we needed in September. Fueled by pregnancy hormones and a fuller savings account, we went house shopping. We saw five houses, fell in love with the first house and put in an offer that day.

Our sweet house is really perfect for us. Being stuck at home with this freezing Illinois winter has been pretty great because we are still in the honeymoon phase of our new home. The boys have their own bedrooms and we moved in just three weeks before Clark was born. So we had enough time to paint, in pack, decorate (ish) and do all the moving paperwork before we had Clark and settled. 

Bryan finished his first year at his new university and in the fall, taught three large sections of two different courses, the semester load he was hired originally a year ago to do. He has worked harder than I've ever seen him work, done better than I've ever seen him do and been the most happy about his job that I've seen him be. It has truly been an exceptional career year for Bryan, and I'm so proud of him. And grateful for this position because it has given me the opportunity to be with the boys while they are so young, lovable and sponge-y. 

Lastly, and the one thing I can't really write well about nor do I want to publicly. Bryan's mom passed. It was awful. It is awful. It will continue to be awful. She was the best mother in law I could've wished for, and I miss her. We all miss her. 

So I'm back. I'm ready to blog again. When I stopped, I had to refocus. I had to be with my family. I had to process. I had a lot going on. So I took my time and now I'm ready to share stories of my boys, of my cooking, of my travels and of my thoughts. Anything splattered around in my lady brain.