Thank you - lost purse found!

To the really nice lady who found my purse where I left it in the parking lot at the grocery store and then tracked me down by finding this blog, thank you! Your kindness saved me a lot of grief today. Keeping track of two littles and a cart full of groceries got the best of me, and I am grateful that you had my back. Being reunited with all those diapers means so much! Ok, seriously, having my wallet and its contents returned to me is a huge relief. Heavens knows some ill intentioned hands could've found it and caused me a lot of trouble. I hope that I can do something nice for a stranger in the near future to pay your kindness forward. 

Charlee

Clark is 9 months today

Clark is 9 months old today. He is such a fun little man. We are so lucky to have him in our family. The past couple months have been a whirlwind of growing up accomplishments - he took his first solo steps two weeks ago, has two teeth and is working on one more, climbs stairs (yikes!), he crawls all over the place, and is starting to eat solids. He likes Cheerios, cutie oranges, cheese, and pita chips. He is the keeper of what goes in his mouth and pretty much everything does. He always looks at me for approval when something foreign goes in and isn't good at keeping a guilt free face. He loves seeing and being with other kids. His cousins made him the happiest baby over the holidays. He loves to play with toy cars, look at books, and pet the puppies and kitties at grandma's house. He is crazy fun and is ALWAYS exploring his world. We are so grateful he is ours!

Out for a hike

The weatherman says it's supposed to snow this weekend so we had to take advantage of the beautiful fall day today. We went for a hike in the Boulder green space that is near our house. It's official - I love where we live. And I really love these boys.

Lots of growing and going!

The past couple weeks have been busy and fun. Clark is doing all sorts of new thing. He's tried a couple solids. He loved avocados and didn't care for apple sauce. It was probably a little sour for him. At least that's what the look on his face said! He can sit up steadily on his own for quite a but of time now, and he can stand with only a little help for balance. He's rearin' to go during tummy time. He holds his body up on his arms and legs and rocks back and forth like he's about to crawl. It's so cute.

This past week Clark and I have been visiting my sister, Wendy, and her family in Northern California. Today Wendy is nine + months pregnant and her due date was the 25th.

This baby has spoiled all of our plans (welcome to motherhood!). I came here last Monday to help take care of their first little one, Genevieve, when Wendy and Adam go to the hospital for the delivery. Genevieve came two days before her due date so Wendy and I were sure this was the perfect timing for my trip. However, I leave tomorrow and unless there is a birthday party in the night tonight, Clark and I won't get to meet the little man. Bummer! Bigger bummer for Wendy who is so done with being pregnant. She is beautiful and is being awesome nonetheless.

So instead of having a baby, we've done all sorts of fun stuff to stay busy and get out of the house. We ate Prego Pizza at Skipolini's Pizza in Walnut Creek. The pizza is loaded with toppings and is claimed to be able to induce labor. So far it's only caused heart burn!  We went to Joan's Farm in Livermore to check out the pumpkin patch. We went to story time at the library and to In 'n Out Burger for lunch. We ran errands and went for walks. We took Genevieve and Clark to the Trunk or Treat at church. Wendy made a fabulous 'Rella' costume for G that she had to wear at the ball, of course. And we met up with Ben's cousin, Amy, and her baby, Hazel, at Baker Beach where we saw the Golden Gate Bridge, pretty waves, seals, doggies, sand and nudists (from afar).

More than anything, I've enjoyed being with Wendy and seeing a bit if her day to day life. But Clark and I are ready to get back home. We miss Ben!

Clark's newest trick

He never wants to sit. It's standing or up in arms. His latest development is to stand on his own with the help of a box or something just his size for balance.
(I don't know how to get this app to rotate pictures.)

Six months!

Clark turned 6 months old on the 10th! It's crazy how fast time flies. I never imagined how much having a baby would redefine love for me. It's hard to describe, but it's almost a palpable feeling. It's like my heart is beating outside of my body now and it's the best feeling in the world!

This boy is loads of fun! He loves playing with anything that is black, metal, shiny, or for big people - things like keys, keyboards, a toothbrush, phones, pots, kitchen utensils, plastic bags, boxes, lids, purse straps; you get the point. He is really strong and always wants to stand up. He's so close to crawling; I'm sure he'll take off sooner than later, but it wouldn't surprise me if he walks first. He rarely sits still or even sits for that matter. He's a little comedian and makes funny faces and noises to get mommy and daddy to laugh. He likes going on walks and being outside. He giggles when we push him on the swing in the park. He loves stuffed animals and tries to talk to them and eat their eyeballs. He responds really well to classical music and his lullaby CD is the only thing that works in the car. He likes to set with Ben at the piano and bang on the keys.

If he's ever fussy it's because he's tired, hungry or needs a new diaper (like most babies). He takes two to three 45 minute naps a day and has a bad habit of only wanting mom to put his Binky in his mouth when he stirs.  Otherwise he's generally a happy little guy. And we love him more than the moon and the sky! I feel so lucky to be his mom!