Hallelujah! The boy can walk!

After 18 long months, Trey has finally decided to walk on his own!  He has been walking holding our finger for two months and cruises around the perimeter of any room he is in.  We have been convinced for the past several weeks that his lack of independent walking skills was mostly a confidence issue.  He took a few steps at Disneyland a few weeks ago, but since he hasn't done it since then, I thought I was maybe hallucinating.  Well, on Friday Randy called me at work to say that Trey was walking on his own.  He has been doing it more and more, and WE ARE THRILLED!!!

The other exciting news in the world of developmental milestones is that Trey has had a burst in receptive language.  He is pointing to a variety of body parts and pointing to a ton of pictures in his books.  Sometimes I even ask him one that I think he won't know and he knows it.  It's amazing!  He also has started to use a few more words (hello, hi, bye bye, mommy, dada, and a variation of Grandpa).  He has been slow to meet his milestones which is driving his special educator-neurotic-worried mother a little nutso.  I am so happy that he is finally starting to show us what he knows!  SO HAPPY!

After we returned from California, we did Christmas with my family at my sister's new house.  Trey was so comfortable so quickly with my dad and that was really awesome. Usually it takes him a while to warm up, but he seems to have turned a corner with that too.

Trey loves to put the phone up to his ear and say, "Allo?"  

Melts my heart every time. 

Trey showing Grandpa his favorite chickens. 

Waiting for dinner 

Checking out his new blocks from Grandpa and Sanny 

Trey is becoming more and more interested in Grady...

especially when Grady is on my lap.

Two treasures - Trey and Grady 

Opening his present from Mom and Dad 

"Look!  A trike!" 

Practicing riding on his new tricycle

For the last few years we have had a Christmas Eve brunch and it has been one of my favorite traditions of the holidays.  This year we were in California for Christmas Eve, so we decided to move it to New Years Eve.  So much fun to have friends and family together in our house.  The party seems to grow by one or two each year (this year it was Grady) and also the kids are getting bigger and bigger.  I think we need a bigger house!

Julie, Grady and Tim 

The kids having brunch - Jackson, Zander, Trey, Camille, and Kai.  

Not sure where Declan was. 

Sarah, Kai, and Zander 

Trey telling Camille something very important 

Camille reminding Trey that they were supposed to look at the camera 

Best shot I could get of two wiggly 18 month olds 

Julie and Grady, almost 3 months old 

Tango has become one of Trey's new toys.  

Today he even tried to use Tango as a couch.   

Tango is such a good sport.

One of Trey's new favorite things is the silverware drawer.  

It could entertain him for hours.  Okay, minutes.  But still. 

Trey has discovered his love for markers.  

Usually, I keep a closer eye on him, 

but this morning he used his face instead of the paper.  

The photo missed all of the marker all around his neck.  Oops.  

Last week I went to see Storm Large at Powell's with Kellie.  Storm Large is such an amazing artist and it was really fun to see her when she wasn't on stage singing.   She is vivacious, hilarious, beautiful, and crude.  If you haven't seen her 8 miles wide video, click here.  But beware that if you are easily offended, don't watch it.  And don't blame me if you start singing this song as you're doing chores or going on a walk.  It's quite catchy.

In other news, Randy has started a new job at the primate center at OHSU.  He is working in a new lab with a new scientist doing research on Huntington's Disease.  He is excited about this new job and is looking forward to his role in this important research.  My only complaint is that his hours are different, he doesn't get home until 6:30pm (basically right before bedtime), and it throws off my whole evening routine.  Regardless, I am happy for him and can't wait to hear how his cognitive testing of the monkeys compares to my cognitive testing of kids.

California Christmas!

I've never spent Christmas in the sunshine before (except for maybe one year in Hawaii, but I can't remember if that was on Christmas or just Christmas break), and I have to say it didn't really feel like Christmas.  However, I was willing to overlook the non-Christmasy feeling because it was 75 degrees, sunny, and fabulous!

Randy, Trey, and I went to Riverside, CA for what I like to call Clark Invasion 2011.  We spent a week with Randy's parents, his brother, his sister-in-law, and their three children.  All in one house.  For a week.  Luckily, everyone gets along well, and, minus the whiny teething baby, we were all in a good mood.  Amazing!

Here are some pictures from before we left:

Trey has a thing for shoes right now.  He loves to stand in other people's shoes.  The other day he tried to stand in his own shoes (that were not on) which was really cute but not very easy for him to do.

Randy and I took Trey to OMSI specifically so he could play at the water table.  We were prepared this time and took a complete change of clothes.  Our boy is such a water baby.  He could be in water all day long.

This is from Kris's holiday party.  This expression is so classic of Trey.  I love it!

(You might have to click on it to see it close up.)

A holiday tradition from the past few years is to go to Horsebrass and then walk through Peacock Lane.  We modified our tradition a little (darn kiddos) and went to Moon and Sixpence with Julie and Tim.  Our plan was to meet for drinks at 4:30pm, go to Peacock Lane at 5:30pm, and come back to our house for delicious vegetable soup and crusty bread afterwards....hmmmm.....

Note to self for next year: Peacock Lane doesn't start until 6:00pm.  Damn.

There were a few houses that had their lights on early.  

Still, quite the disappointment. 

We left for Clark Invasion 2011 on Monday.  Trey was a trooper on the airplane and only cried a little. Grandma Carmen and Grandpa Doug were plenty happy to see us, but the real person they wanted to see was Trey.  Bob, Randy's brother, and his family arrived later in the day.  We all flew out on Christmas Day (Carmen was right - the airport is practically abandoned on Christmas Day).  We had a good time with the family, but I think my favorite moments were watching Trey with his grandparents.

Grandpa playing with Trey in front of the stockings

Trey was fascinated with the bin of oranges in the pantry.  

Doug makes freshly squeezed oj every morning and it is delish!

Doug and Carmen's gift to the family was a day at Disneyland!  We had a great time and the weather was perfect. 

In front of the Matterhorn.  

This may have been the only time for the entire day that Trey wore his new Disneyland sunhat...ironic that it is in the shade.

Trey's first ride - Alice in Wonderland

We stood in line for 45 minutes for this ride and it was totally lame.  

They need to have some sort of review posted at the beginning of the line with the degree of lameness.  Would save everyone a lot of time.

Trey's second ride - Winnie the Pooh's Adventure.  

You can tell from his expression what he thought of this one.  

Also quite lame, but better than the first.

Trey's third ride - Jungle Cruise

This one was the best because he could see all of the animals off the side of the boat.  Love his expression in this picture!

Checking out the primates

When people ask me how Trey liked Disneyland, I tell them that he seemed to enjoy it, but he was just as interested in the bolts on the garbage can and the ducks, which is looking at here, as he was the rides and other entertainment.

Trey's fourth ride - the carousel

Trey freaked when I tried to get him on a horse with me, so we stood next to Grandma Carmen for the ride...well, until the carousel operator stopped the ride to make me move and stand between the butts of the horses.  Seriously?  What difference does it make to stand between the heads or the butts?

Trey with Grandpa Doug

Don't mind the drool - poor boy had FOUR teeth coming in while we were in California. FOUR.  AT ONCE.  It led to some painful nights (for all three of us), some early mornings (for all three of us), and A LOT of drugs (just for Trey).

Waiting in line for Trey's fifth and final ride - Pirates of the Caribbean.  

My favorite!

It's amazing how much of it is the same from when I was a kid...

well, except for Johnny Depp.

So if you use Facebook, you may have already seen this picture.  It's worth posting again...

At the end of the day in Disneyland, Trey and I were both pretty much done.  Randy, Carmen and Doug were going on the Matterhorn, so I tried to feed Trey dinner (total failure) and walk around before meeting them at the ginormous Christmas tree.  One thing we didn't factor into it was the Christmas parade.  Trey and I had trouble getting through the crowds, he was getting pretty fussy, and my back was hurting.  I saw a corner of a store that looked pretty bare, so I took Trey in and let him "walk" around pulling several stuffed Mickeys off the shelves while I sat and rested on the floor.  I decided that this would be a good self-portrait, so I called Trey over.  What did he do?  Four magical steps from my boy!  This was so exciting to me because he has yet to walk independently and it is driving us crazy.  Needless to say, the timing was perfect (just what I needed), but now I think I may have been hallucinating because he has yet to do it since then.  

Trey and his two loves - shoes and stairs

Randy and Trey playing badminton in the backyard

Clark family fun 

Amy was a big help in opening Trey's stocking with him

Heaven

Between the iPhones, iPads, laptops, and other smartphones, 

we were a typical American family.

Randy and Trey swimming 

Lunch with the Snyders, our travel companions in Beijing, at Dana Point

Trey in Amy's shoes

Caleb, Trey and Amy

Brothers hanging around the grill on Christmas Eve

This may be the only shot we got of the three of us the entire week. 

Classic Trey 

Grandma and Trey 

Where's Trey's nose? 

Where's Trey's ear? 

Where's Trey's mouth? 

Clark Cousins: Caleb (9), Amy (6), Sara (15) and Trey (1)

A pretty typical view of our afternoons

What a great Christmas at the Clark house!  It was so special to be together and share these memories.  We aren't sure when we will all be together again, but it might not be until Doug and Carmen retire to Port Townsend.

And, last but not least, a picture at the airport bar where I convinced the guy to serve us even though they were closed.  Hey, a week with the family is great, but we were in dire need of a Christmas cocktail.  Bartender: "Do you want me to make that a double?"  Me: "Yes, please." 

Some of my favorite things

In the spirit of Oprah's favorite things (does anyone miss her besides me?), here are some of my favorite things of the moment:

My girlfriends at book club told me about Downton Abbey, a show on PBS.  I just finished watching the first season, and I can't get it out of my head.  It is replaying this month on PBS before the new season starts in January, and I can't wait!  This show also makes me want to read some Jane Austen, but I have to finish my mammoth book club book, Outlander, first.

I have been reading books to Trey since he has been a few weeks old.  We read books every day, and I love how much he enjoys them.  The following three pictures make me a very happy mama, and by the way were not in any way posed!

One of my biggest weaknesses is baked goods, and Great Harvest has some really delicious pumpkin muffins.  If you don't have access to Great Harvest, try making these:  Country Pumpkin Muffins.  They are also pretty delish and freeze well too.

Last night I got to babysit for Grady, my sister's 9 week old son.  I loved holding him for three hours and feeling his warmth.  It reminds me of when Trey was his age, but it is a lot more relaxing.  I actually got Grady to smile a few times, but I couldn't capture it on camera.  Here's a shot of him, but it doesn't do his cuteness justice.

Having girlfriends who are also mothers has made my journey as a parent more fulfilling and rewarding.  I spent many years as an observer when my friends had their kids, so most of the children in my life are older than Trey.  That has turned out to be beneficial to me because those moms (and dads!) can provide support and wisdom through their own experience.  I also value my friends who have kids who are the same age as Trey because we are often in the same stages at the same time.   Being able to complain and commiserate with Mindy, Dyer, Kathleen, Sarah, and Sarah who all have kids within a few months of Trey is such a relief.  Poor Mindy really gets an earful:  here is her daughter, Camille, and Trey playing at Laurelwood last weekend.