12 weeks: Family, Friends, Football

I'm realizing that it might be hard to update this blog weekly as I might run out of things to say...Carmen, Randy's mom, asked me last week what Trey and I do during the day and luckily I was able to respond by email so I had a few minutes to think about it...ummmmmm.....Trey naps, eats, smiles, coos, naps, eats, smiles, coos...I feed Trey, try to get Trey to nap, look at Trey, talk to Trey, engage Trey...you get the idea.  We continue to leave the house at least once a day (usually for a walk or a coffee date) but I am spending a lot of time alone with my two month old which leads to a lot...and I mean A LOT...of downtime.

One of the many things that I love about staying home with this baby is that I have the chance to connect with friends who I may not otherwise connect with.  Last week I finally met up with Mindy, a friend from college, who also just had a baby.  I love meeting up with new moms and gabbing about boring stuff like napping and breastfeeding!  I also discovered a new park (thanks to Jen) up at the Rose Garden and hope to visit it again soon.

Mindy and Trey
(what you can't see is Mindy's darling baby Camille who is in her stroller in front of Mindy)

Trey's first time "facing out" in the Baby Bjorn.  Being as curious as he is, this was a great way for me to spend time with Jen while Trey was entertained watching people.

Trey with Jen.  This expression seems to be "Enough with the pictures, mom..."

Trey got to spend the weekend with Grandpa Gerts in Leaburg.  I love seeing the love between them!  We enjoyed some great family time with my dad, Sandy, Julie and Tim; some great time on the deck by the river; some great Duck football; and, of course, great banana pancakes.  Sandy always takes such good care of us!

Enjoying nap time out on the deck.  

Right in front of that tree by the river is where Randy and I said our wedding vows.

Trey also got to meet the rest of Sarah Long's family (Anna wore a special outfit just for our visit).  He spent his first Bronco game with two true Bronco fans in his special Bronco outfit.  Go Broncos!  

Sarah with Trey

Sarah's husband, Chris, whispering sweet Bronco nothings into Trey's ear

Cute husband and cute baby...I have a bad feeling this is what the next several Sundays will look like.

11 weeks: Back to school...not for me!

This past week has been pretty uneventful in the Clark household.  I think we both are getting into the groove of parenthood and had a relatively mellow week.  Trey and I continued to walk almost every day (got to figure out what to do when it starts raining), Trey continues to be a champion night sleeper (don't want to talk about this too much because I don't want to jinx it), and I am continuing to love being a mom more and more.

A strange thing for me this week is that everyone is heading back to school and I am still home.  It's the first time since kindergarten that I have not returned to school in the fall.  On one hand, I feel like I will be out of the loop at work and it will be strange to not be there every day.  On the other, I can't imagine leaving Trey right now and am so grateful that I will be home with him until the first week of December.  As a woman and probably more as a type A personality, I have been thinking about what it will be like when I go back to work and someone else spends the majority of Trey's waking hours with him.  I started to cry at Winco on Monday thinking about this...and that led to me thinking about my mom not being here which made it worse on the way home.  Very odd emotional moment for me...hormones?  Or maybe just the anticipation of another huge life change and this time one I'm not very excited for.  As Randy pointed out, I am home for another 12 weeks and don't need to cry yet...I know, I know.

Thursday I went to lunch with Michele (who brought Esme)

 and Sarah (who brought Audrey and Baby Maya) from work.

Here is Trey with Michele and Esme.  

For those of you who hear me talk about Michele all of the time, this is her. 

I try not to pay too much attention to "the books" (ha, who are we kidding), but I have realized that I am cheating Trey out of his "tummy time".  I've been working on giving him more...one day Tango decided that he also wanted to participate.

On Friday Trey and I went to Woodburn to visit with some Nellie Muir friends.  I love seeing them and I love how much they love Trey.  He was a rock star and slept on the way down and back and was a joy while we were at Ardis' house.  Maria, Dora, and Lori got to meet Trey for the first time which was so fun for me.

Here is Trey with Dora.  

It was a little hot out, so we stripped Trey down to his diaper.  

He was so much happier after that.

I have some more pictures to post, but Randy needs to do something with our computer before it will work.  Stay tuned...well, the photos don't seem to be available...

10 weeks: Shots Suck

Some of my favorite things this week:

- Trey sleeping for NINE hours in a row on Saturday night.
- Wine tasting with some of my favorite people in the Willamette Valley
- Walking for over 12 miles throughout the week.  This included trips to the bank, the post office, the library, the park, and along the river.
- Listening to Trey coo when happy.  This happens the most after he finishes eating or when we are playing with toys.  Just tonight Trey cooed when he saw some of the babies in one of his books.  It was the cutest thing to see his eyes widen and hear his coos when he saw a few of the pictures.
- Trey reaching the 50th percentile for weight - 11 pounds 4 ounces!  I told Trey I was satisfied with the 50th percentile for weight but hopefully he will be to the right of the bell curve on a few other things later in life...just sayin'.
- Watching Trey become more and more alert, engaged, and active throughout the day.
- Having two nights out - one with Julie to see Eat, Pray, Love (not great) and one with Randy to celebrate Kris' birthday at Patanegra.

Visiting Dad for lunch in Salem

Trey with Sandy

This was either the beginning or ending of a smile.

Wine tasting with friends on Saturday.  It was a gorgeous day!

Trey did great for the majority of our trip.  What a trooper!

 Aunt Julie multitasking!

My least favorite thing this week:

- Trey getting his first set of shots.  I knew that I would get teary eyed or cry when he got them, and I was correct.  The nurse was great and did the shots quickly which was good for both Trey and myself.  The worst part was the sound Trey made when he got stuck with the needle.  It was awful.  He didn't have any major reaction to the shots, but he was pretty fussy for about 36 hours.  It felt like Randy and I were back to week 2 or 3 on Thursday and Friday.  I am so not looking forward to the next round in a few months.

I realized this week that I have no idea who even looks at this blog... but for those who are paying attention, here is an update on diapers and sleeping:
I am getting more comfortable with the cloth diapers, although I still only use them during the day.  I bought some fleece liners which I like because they wick away the moisture from Trey's skin.  I also bought some pocket diapers but haven't used those yet.  My project for this next week is to transition from the disposable wipes to using washcloths.
Trey and I spent some good time these past two weeks working on his sleep.  I know it's too early to have his daytime nap routine established, but I am getting a better idea of when Trey needs to sleep and how to help him get there.  The nighttime routine goes pretty well (mostly due to Randy's mad bedtime skills) and we got a lot of praise from the pediatrician for how Trey is sleeping at night.

9 weeks: naps, naps, it's all about naps!

It's hard to believe that Trey is two months old!  I feel like it has been both the longest and fastest two months of my life!  This past week has been a definite bonding week for Trey and I.  We spent most of the week at home working on naps, so while our amount of time together was probably the same, the quality of time was better.  I also think he is less fussy than he was before, more alert, and more engaged than he has been.  Overall, it was a great week!

Two months old

A few biggies this week:

Trey started sleeping in his crib in his own room at night.  I was a little sad about this (as Sarah Long said, it was the ending of our first chapter together) but wanted it at the same time.  Having Trey in his own room has improved the quality of sleep for all three of us.  The greatest part is that Trey is sleeping 6-8 hours at a time on most nights.

We also started the adventure of cloth diapers.  So far the only thing I like about it is the reduction of waste into our garbage can and ultimately the landfills.  Other than that, I think it has been more of an adjustment for me than for Trey.  One day I changed his diaper three times in an hour.  Not exactly how I want to be spending my time!  I also don't like how the wet diaper is against Trey's skin.  I have gotten better already at preventing leaks (we went through four outfits on the first day) and the laundry is a piece of cake.  So basically, I am not a fan of the wet diaper against his skin and the frequency of changing.  On my to-do list this week is to go up to Milagro's (www.milagrosboutique.com - an excellent baby/children's store in NE Portland) and buy some more diaper supplies (i.e. liners for his diaper since he's such a pee-er and soap for cloth washcloths).  I imagine this, like everything else, will get easier with time.

This week was not nearly as social as I tried to stay home and work on Trey's napping skills.  Right now the combination that works best for his daytime naps include the swing, his pacifier, and the Guns and Roses lullaby cd.  I continue to try having him sleep in his crib during the day, but so far that has not been very successful.  At this point, I'd rather have him sleeping and don't care as much about location (as long as it's not ON me).  The lesson I learned this weekend is that Randy and I have to work on keeping his nap schedule in tact on Saturday and Sunday too.  This does not bode well for the types of things we like to do on weekends.  Oh well, another life change...

I did celebrate my 36th birthday this week as well as our 3rd wedding anniversary.  For my birthday we went to sushi with my family.  I can't believe it was the first time I've had real sushi since last fall and Trey has been around for 8 weeks.  For our anniversary, we decided to stay home for dinner.  Randy grilled up some steaks from the cow we bought (www.carmanranch.com) and we had a great bottle of wine from our wine tasting trip to Walla Walla (www.watermillwinery.com).  We were going to watch our wedding video, but I convinced Randy to watch Top Chef instead.  What a good husband!

Julie and Sandy with Trey at sushi

Randy and I were excited about our first night out without the baby.  Julie and Tim came over to babysit, and Randy and I went to celebrate the wedding of Sam and Mazyar.  Sam is a friend from college and it was an honor to be present for her marriage.  It was also super fun to see some old friends from Willamette who I have not seen in a while. 

Heading out for the wedding

Sam and Mazyar, the newlyweds!

With my dear friend Sarah Eggleston Prell who may be the cutest pregnant person ever!  

Due on Labor Day!

Enjoying our night on our own

Accomplishments this week (not counting the things described above...8 hours of sleep in a row):
I spent more time this week reading the newspaper and magazines as I want to be able to talk about other things than Trey's napping and feeding.
I found a recipe for and made the most delicious blueberry muffins from the berries Beth brought me.
Trey and I went on walks every day.  The A&E from the Oregonian just had an article with local walks, so that will be my project for the next few weeks or months.
I spent more time with the TV off...it's hard not to have it on to keep you company when you are home alone (or with a two month old) all day.  I realized that the TV and I needed a break when I started thinking about the characters from Friends as if they were real people.  Clearly, we have spent too much time together.

8 weeks: Survived our first campout!

The highlight of this week was introducing Trey to Grandpa Doug and Great-Grandma Alice.  Doug had not yet met Trey because he spent his summer in Jordan. 

 
We took Trey to Prineville this past weekend for his first Clark campout.  Clarks come from far and wide to gather every summer and spend time together.  It is pretty amazing how this family makes this weekend a priority!  Alison came all the way from Colorado; and Doug and Carmen; Andrew; and Melissa, Ryan, & Kainoa came from California.  Tad, Tanya & their kids; Alice; Duane; Bob & Caleb; Albert, Heidi, & Javan; Toni & Dave; and Rick & Vernie came from Washington.  The only Oregonians were us, Bobbi & Karl, and Ben & his son.  Hope I'm not missing anyone! 

Grandma Alice was kind enough to let us stay in the cabin with her since we had a newborn.  It was fabulous to have a real bed, bathroom, and air conditioning.  I don't know if we would have been able to make it otherwise.  I got in a lot of walks around the campground trying to get Trey to sleep, and Randy got in a little bit of fishing in the Prineville Reservoir. 

 Hanging out on the deck of the cabin with Alice, Caleb, Randy, and Trey

 A rare picture of me...too bad you can't see the baby

 Rick, Toni, and Vernie with Trey

 Trying to keep the sun out of Trey's eyes

Grandma Carmen and Grandpa Karl introducing Trey and Javan

 Trey with Grandma Carmen and Grandpa Doug

 Father, son, and grandson

Randy and I with Trey (2 mos), Ryan and Melissa with Kainoa (12 mos), 

and Albert and Heidi with Javan (8 mos)

Randy and Trey relaxing before a group meal

I just love these pictures with Grandpa Doug and Trey.

Other happenings this week were a great visit from Sarah Long, meeting Sarah from work and Audrey's new baby Maya, and more visits and meals with friends.  I am getting more used to being home with Trey during the day and we are trying to figure out our routines. 

 Sarah with Trey

Sarah with Zander, Kai, and Trey

Accomplishments this week were finishing another book and...that's about it.  Plans for next week include moving Trey to his own room and starting with cloth diapers. 

Seven weeks and loving life...well, most of the time!

Randy and I have had such fun watching Trey grow and become more and more alert.  He spends more time awake now and seems more engaged. 

Here is Trey happy with life...

and here not so much...

This is what life feels like right now at the Clark Household...Trey changes his facial expressions from moment to moment, and we just never know what to expect.  Keeps things interesting! 

But he sure is cute...and getting bigger by the day!

His wide open mouth means he is cooing and giggling at the toys hanging above his head.

On Sunday the three of us went down to the waterfront in Portland.  Trey and I walked along the Esplanade while Randy did some fishing in the nasty waters of the Willamette.  Don't worry...he did not bring anything home to eat. 

Here is a view of the beautiful city of Portland from the Esplanade.

I love this expression of Trey's...I think it's something like "Gee, Mom, you are so weird..."

Can you find the fisherman?

This coming week we are going on the Clark family campout in Prineville.  Be prepared for lots of family pictures and hopefully not too many stories of disaster at the campground!

Week Six: August Already??

 

This past week has been a lot of fun with daily lunches and walks with friends.  Trey has been able to meet some more of the important people in my life, and he has really been enjoying it.  On Monday we went to lunch with Barb and on Tuesday with Gregg.  Wednesday was extra special because Stacy had a get together at her house with some friends from Nellie Muir, the school I worked at for nine years in Woodburn.  Trey was extra cranky that day, so it was awesome to have him held by friends for the afternoon.  

Trey with my good friend Jeanne who was my mentor when I started at Nellie 

and is still someone I go to for advice

Trey being soothed by Ardis, the newly retired secretary from Nellie Muir.

Ardis is like a mother to me in many ways and I loved seeing Trey in her arms.

We were missing a few key people, but these are the dear friends from Nellie 

who I still see regularly despite being gone for three years.

On Thursday I went down to Lake Oswego and spent the morning with Beth while I waited for the piano movers to call.  We are still working on getting my dad's house in Lake Oswego ready to sell and hopefully this time will be successful.  Julie and Tim have been putting a ton of time and energy into some additional projects which should make the house appealing to a buyer.  Being back at the house was a little weird for me as I haven't been there in over two years.  Walking Trey through the different rooms and telling him what used to be there made me a little melancholy and really miss my mom.  Changing his diaper in my old bedroom and feeding him on the front porch was sort of a trip.

On Friday we went to Kris and John's house for a bbq and Trey got to meet some of Randy's friends from work. Trey does well in these social settings which makes us both really happy.

The baby bjorn combined with a pacifier leads to Trey's happy place

 Trey with Elinor

This week I also accomplished cleaning out the garden and pruning the tomatoes.  I attempted making raspberry jam for the first time, so we will see how that tastes.  Being at my old childhood home, working in the garden, and making jam really made me miss my mom this week.  I can't believe it's been almost five years that she has been gone.  Oh how I wish that she was here to be a grandma to Trey and to support me during motherhood.  

Randy had a great week of fishing and has been on a bit of a fish high this week.  He had a super fun evening out with Jason on Wednesday and then an afternoon alone on Saturday.  I think his experience this week has rejuvenated him a little bit.