Clark visits Frewsburg!

Last weekend we took Clark up to Frewsburg, NY to visit Josh's Dad's roots!  We were thrilled to introduce him to Grandma Fenton (and I got to meet her for the first time too!).  Overall he napped well, slept well at night, and traveled extremely well.  What an answer to prayer!!  He also had a wonderful disposition with "strangers" holding him.  He would smile and laugh and act all grown-up.

We traveled up on Friday, we left around 10am and pulled into Uncle Tom and Aunt Ruth Burkett's house around 4pm.  Grandma Fenton greeted us there too and she got to hold Clark for a while.  He did great!  Smiling and everything!  We made sure to get lots of pictures.  Here are some pictures from when we first arrived (can you see his smile behind the paci??):

After dinner, Uncle Tom took Grandma home.  We stayed up late visiting and going over the family tree together.  It was very fun!  Aunt Ruth also brought out some clothes from her attic that used to be Josh's!  Mom-mom Fenton had given them to her in case she ever had a boy.  Well she never did!  They had sat in her attic untouched for years!  It was so fun to look through them, and we ended up bringing two boxes home with us.

On Saturday we were greeted with cousin Anna Burkett arriving in the morning with her boyfriend Adam.  They attend Alfred State University together and they drove in for the day (about a 90 minute drive).  It was fun to meet them!  Uncle Tom Fenton and his wife Laurie came over for lunch.  Grandma also joined us.  We had a great time visiting together.  It was fun meeting Uncle Tom after hearing so much about him! :)  Here are some pictures with him:

four generations: Josh, Clark, Grandma, Uncle Tom:

another four generations shot, this time with Aunt Ruth:

this is a picture of Uncle Tom Fenton as a baby.  He's being held by his grandparents, Evelyn and Paul Lawson.  Doesn't Clark resemble Uncle Tom as a baby??

As the weekend progressed, Josh and I learned that Uncle Tom had sold the Fenton family farm to a friend and long-time renter named Jimmy (I never did find out his last name haha!).  So we were not sure if we would be able to tour the grounds.  As it turned out, Jimmy stopped by on Saturday night around 7pm and invited us to come see the farm!  Maybe Uncle Tom had called him?  We don't know.  But we were thrilled!!  Here are some pictures of us at the farm:

the farmhouse, built in the 1830's:

this barn was built in 1914!

this tractor is special because Josh has a picture of him riding on it, sitting on Uncle Tom Fenton's lap:

a picture of the farmhouse from a looong time ago :)

Jimmy raises beef cattle, horses, and hogs on the farm today!

While we were touring the farm, Clark had some bonding time with Uncle Tom Burkett!! :)

Saturday night Anna and Adam left around 8pm to head back to school.  The rest of us (besides Grandma, she had gone home around 5pm) stayed up late talking again.  Well, if late is 10:30pm!! hahaha it is for Clark's mama!! Sunday morning we picked up Grandma on the way to church at Faith Bible Chapel in Randolph.  The congregation was very friendly!  We had a wonderful time worshipping there.  Clark got fussy during the worship portion so I took him into the nursery and put him to sleep--we had the place to ourselves!  I missed the sermon but I got some good prayer time in. :)  

We left around 1pm and headed back to Morgantown.  Clark did very well on the way home.  He slept for the first three hours of the trip then woke up fussy so we pulled over, fed him and had dinner.  Then headed back on the road.  He ended up getting fussy again during the last forty-five minutes of the trip.  Josh did a great job keeping him from crying by showing him toys and even feeding him a bottle!  It was a great trip and we are thanking God for safety and a wonderful time visiting with the Burketts, Grandma, Uncle Tom and Aunt Laurie Fenton!

That's all for now!  I'll leave you with some pictures of the views from Uncle Tom & Aunt Ruth Burkett's house:

Clark eats rice cereal--and loves it!

Sunday night Clark ate around 11pm again, then he slept until 3:30 then 6:00 then he woke up for good at 7:30. Needless to say I am discouraged!! We are going away this weekend so I don't want to start any sleep training until we get back. But I'm definitely ready for a change! I know he is not truly hungry at 11 or 6 but he refuses the paci and just gets more and more worked up so I just give in and feed him so he doesn't wake himself up more and more.

Monday morning Clark had a short first nap, as usual. Around 11am he went down for his second nap and slept almost two hours! I had napped during his first nap so during his second nap I got ready for the day and ate lunch. After he woke up we packed up and headed over to Grandma and Grandpa's house! Clark had a wonderful time with them while I went to Walmart. I was gone a little over an hour. It was soooo nice to have a break and get some groceries by myself :) It was also really nice to visit with Grandma and Grandpa. I hadn't seen them since they got back from Chicago!

Clark fell asleep on the way home and he slept about 45 minutes at home. I tried putting him back down when he woke up but it didn't work. So he was awake about thirty minutes before I put him back down again, but then he only slept like thirty minutes. Very disappointing! Anyway he ended up watching me practice violin for a while :) Then Josh texted saying he was going to be late coming home from work. I decided to just bathe Clark by myself while we waited for Josh. He got home around seven, and Clark was in his jammies waiting. I wanted to try feeding him rice cereal in the hopes that it will help him sleep better.

Aaaand he loved it! He took to it right away. After a while he decided he was done and he started just spitting it out. The best part was how he clamped down on the spoon really well. That was my main concern. I'm so excited to see how he does tomorrow! I have some pears for him to try too!

I leave you with some pictures and video:

Hanging out in the nursery on Sunday night:

Exersaucer time!  We are limiting his time on his back during the day so his head will round out...

Video of his first time eating solids!  Well...rice cereal anyway...

more pictures of him eating:

Daddy earns one million points with Mama!!

Saturday was a great day for me and Josh to get a lot done around the house!  Clark took amaaaazing naps (1 1/2 hours in the morning, 2 hours in the afternoon, then a third 1 1/2 nap in the late afternoon!!) which meant that I got a shelf hung in the powder room, the bathroom cleaned, dishes done, and Josh got the car vacuumed and also cleaned the bathroom floor!  Wheeeee! :)

Just so everyone knows, I am never posting about anything about Clark being a good sleeper again!!  Just about the time I posted that last week, Clark began this weird crying when we put him down for a nap.  He does a high-pitched, complaining whine with frequent voice-cracks and lots of tears.  It's very odd!!!  Also he doesn't like to be held to sleep either.  He will arch his back and spit his paci if I pick him up.  So I just leave him in the crib until he's practically hysterical, at which point he will let me pick him up and he falls asleep within two minutes.  IT'S SO WEIRD!!!  This does happen at night too unless he falls asleep when I was nursing him.  OR at night he will wake up when I lay him back down in his crib and he'll decide it's playtime.  That's not fun either.  But I prefer it to the high-pitched madness.

ANYWAY, Saturday afternoon Josh watched Clark while I went to a baby shower for my friend Jen.  She doesn't know the gender of her baby (actually it's a cute story because she and her husband couldn't decide if they wanted to find out the gender, then when I got to their 20-week ultrasound the baby wasn't  "cooperating" so they couldn't find out anyway!!) so the party was a Safari theme just like mine was!  Same paper plates, napkins and everything!  Very fun :)  I secretly hope she has a boy, but that's just because I love Clark so much.  If she has a girl I will definitely buy her a pink newborn outfit because it's true that a lot of "neutral" baby clothes look boyish.  Even the Safari bedding is more boy-like than girl.  Sorry to all girls!  It was a fun baby shower with great food.  Aunt Kim and I drove together which was fun.  We also bought her a present together--it was a "leaf" which is a type of swing but it's a little bigger than a bouncer.  It's a European brand that Uncle Jon designed, which is how Kim and I could purchase it.  Anyway Kim knew that Jen wanted one so she was thrilled to receive it!  Very fun :)

Saturday night Clark was crabby (WHAT???!!! haha) so he went to bed at 7:30.  Then he was up around 9, then 11!  SHEESH!  Actually I decided to just feed him both times because I wanted to "empty out" because....
Josh volunteered to get up with Clark alllll night so I could sleep!!!!!!  MAJOR POINTS for Josh!!!!!  I slept from 11:30 to 7:30!!!!!  It was aaaaaawesome!!  Needless to say I'm going to ask Josh to do this again for my Christmas present!!! hahaha  Josh was up with Clark at 2, then soothed him back to sleep at 3, then fed him again at 5, then got up with him at 7:30, which is when I woke up too.  Clark is back on the bottle and he did very well eating formula at 2 and 5.  He downed 4 ounces each time like a pro.  Josh said at 2am Clark was ready to play so he just left him to fall asleep on his own but ended up having to help him out around 3.  At 5am Josh had a strategy.  As soon as Clark was done with the bottle Josh burped him then popped his paci and rocked him a bit so he would fall completely asleep!  And it worked!  Excellent strategy!!

So I was up with Clark at 7:30, put him down for a quick nap at 9 and he woke up crying (which means he's still tired...ooops) at 9:45ish.  Well we had to get to church by 10:30! so instead of putting him back to sleep I changed his clothes and he watched me curl my hair.  He was definitely fussy but I thought he would fall right to sleep in nursery.  Well he lasted about twenty minutes before I was buzzed out of the service.  He was very cranky and his eyes were all red.  But of course I was trying to put him to sleep but he would just arch his back and complain!!  So I put him in the swing in the nursery and he seemed pretty chill.  Then I got to go back and listen to the entire sermon!!  During the closing hymn I was called out again.  I forgot to ask the workers if he slept at all, but he was definitely hungry so I just fed him and then we headed home.  He fell asleep on the way home and ended up sleeping about an hour.  Now he's asleep again and I'm hoping he'll sleep for two hours.  We'll see!  We really want to go to the evening service because the Rwanda team is sharing about their trip from this summer.

That's all for now!  Here are some pictures and videos:

We wake up slowly on Saturday mornings...here Clark was laughing on my pillow while Daddy was still waking up next to him :)

Sunday afternoon giggles with Daddy:

Sunday morning fun in the crib!

Sunday afternoon...supposed to be napping!  Too excited about the Flyers' preseason game on Tuesday...

Four-month pictures!

I can't believe it's been four months!!  I can't believe it's ONLY been four months!!  Haha I go back and forth about that.  Here are some pictures from this week:

On Tuesday his left eye was watering like crazy...so I got a picture:

 "I can touch my toes!!"

Tummy time in the crib!  He rolled over twice!

Mimi and Pops had us over for dinner on Thursday night.  Clark enjoyed the exersaucer:

Before leaving for his 4-mo. appointment on Thursday:

loving on Daddy:

And NOW the official four month picture:

 This one gives you some perspective of how big he is in his packnplay!!

I was going to post more narrative but Clark is complaining up in his crib so I better go tend to him.  Have a great weekend everyone!!

Clark's four-month appointment

Clark, Mimi and I set out for his appointment around two-fifteen and I was very nervous! Well as it turned out I had absolutely nothing to be worried about. Clark was fantastic! I held him on my lap while the nurse measured and took his temperature. He didn't cry when his height was measured or when he was weighed! We saw a male doctor this time and Clark was totally fine, no crying whatsoever while he examined him! I definitely think Clark is partial towards men. When it was time for shots I was afraid of crying myself but God helped me stay strong and although Clark cried a lot, I did not. :) here are his stats:

Height: 25 in.
Weight: 14 lbs. 8 ozs.

I will update more tomorrow with pictures!!  Sorry about this...

Stay tuned!

Hi all!
  This is just a little message saying to stay tuned because tomorrow is Clark's four-month appointment!  So I will have all his stats.  And he gets more shots, which is very sad.
   Clark has been doing very well.  Yesterday I was concerned because his left eye was tearing up all day--it was as if he was crying all day long just out of one eye.  And then his nose started running too.  However, this morning when he woke up he was back to normal.  Today when I woke up I realized I had a sore throat.  I don't think I'm getting sick, I think it's just from inhaling my bathroom cleaner yesterday.  I had forgotten to turn the fan on.  Don't worry, Clark was safe in the other room with Aunt Kim! :)
   That's all for now!

Clark's first Eagles game

Clark's tummy is getting so chubby!  We took a pic with his shirt up to show the little bulge!

When he's laying down it flattens out a bit...just like the rest of us! haha

 his tummy-time has improved greatly!  He's up on his elbows now!

 on Sunday Clark and Josh watched their first Eagles game together (Ryan was there too :)

 Finally Josh has a friend to watch games with!!

 E-A-G-L-E-S eagles!

Hanging out at church...he was in the service about 25 minutes!  (this is the evening service)

back to the Eagles game...this is my favorite pic :)

 our Mexican friend, Raquel was visiting from Puebla!  She got to meet Clark at church on Sunday!

On Saturday Clark was craning his neck to watch me eat...first time he took an interest in my eating!

I took this picture right after Clark rolled over at home...he had been doing tummy time on that striped blanket!

Gnawing on his rings at church:

For the past six nights Clark has been sleeping in his crib upstairs!!  The first night I had to go up there six times for various reasons.  The second night I went back to swaddling him and he only woke up twice!  And I've been feeding him two or three times for the subsequent four nights.  Not bad!  I would say crib training is complete.

On Saturday I played in a friend's wedding!  Kim watched Clark for the rehearsal the night before and Josh watched him during the ceremony on Saturday.  Then we took him to the reception with us.  He did so well the whole weekend!!  Kim had a glowing report for him on Friday--and she had to watch him for nearly three hours. (WOW THANK YOU AUNT KIM!!!)  Clark did not behave very well during the ceremony...Josh said he fussed or cried most of the time.  Bummer!  But he did very well at the reception.  Aunt Kim held him some of the time, then I tried bouncing him to sleep during the introductions and first dance but he didn't fall asleep.  While I went through the buffet line, two church ladies took turns holding him--so cute!!  Then I took him back, then Pops held him while I went to the bathroom.  By this time it was 8:15 and he was on "the verge" as we like to say. :)  So we left.  (Note: the drive home was about thirty minutes.)  When we pulled into the garage, Josh looked over at Clark and his eyes were wide open!!  WHAT?!  It was funny and weird at the same time...he hadn't fussed the whole way home!!  So we took him inside, washed his face, hands and feet, put on his jammies, read him a psalm, said a prayer and he was out like a light!

Sunday morning rolled around and I was really dragging.  There was a special service at church so Clark and I arrived thirty minutes early to practice.  Aunt Kim, Mimi and I played for the hymns.  Mimi and I played some of Schindler's List soundtrack while Lamentations was read.  The speaker was a "missionary" of sorts who ministers in Washington, D.C.  He wrote a book called "Obama Prayer: prayers for the 44th president."  He had a great sermon about praying for the president.  I knew I was going to get called to the nursery since I didn't have time to pack Clark a bottle and he was going to be hungry smack in the middle of the sermon.  So I left after the worship portion and listened in the lobby until they buzzed me (actually they didn't have to because I could hear him wailing! haha).  Clark wore his DeSean Jackson jersey to church (per his father's request)..but I might add he had on khaki shorts and a collared shirt underneath (per his mother's request!).  SO many people would laugh and point or fist pump as I walked him through the foyer after the service.  It was really funny!  Josh was so proud!  He had a green shirt and khakis on too to match! haha  When we got home from church we straightened up the house and two of Josh's friends (Uncle Jon and Ryan) came over to watch the Eagles game with Josh and Clark.  I got some commemorative pictures :) then headed out the door to see....

Uncle Caboo!!!! home from China!!!!

 As you can see, Clark was so happy he cried!! hahaha  We spent a couple hours chatting with Uncle Caboo and seeing his pictures.  It was soooo great to see him!!!!  Then we went to evening church, came home and started Clark's nighttime routine.  Around 6:45pm we usually start (obviously that varies depending on the day).  First he gets a full bath, then we take him up to the nursery in his little towel to dry off.  After diapering, we give him a short massage using nighttime baby lotion and put his jammies on.  Then, if he's hungry, he is nursed, we read a Bible passage then pray together.  Then it's off to the crib for his paci and swaddle.  If he is not overtired, he will just lay there in his swaddle sucking away until he falls asleep--no fussing at all!  If he IS overtired then sometimes we have to pick him up and bounce him or rock him.  Once he falls asleep we usually don't "hear from him" until after midnight.  If he wakes up before then, we soothe him with the paci.  So that's his routine!  His daytime sleeping has been going smoother too because I'm finding that after he is awake for one hour, if I swaddle him and pop his paci BEFORE he starts fussing, he will go to sleep WITHOUT fussing!!  If I wait 90 minutes, or until he is crying, he will continue to cry and fuss in his crib, often needing me to bounce him to sleep.  Sometimes, in order to stretch the awake time, after one hour, I will take him into his room with the lights dimmed and read him a book or just hold him quietly before putting him down (thanks for the tip Aunt Abby!).

Well that's all for now!  I just want to include a couple more pictures:

HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY CALLA RACHEL!!!!

you have such a great sense of humor!!

little did Uncle David know...he would have a baby girl all his own!!

skipping off into the sunset hahaha

 
We love you Calla!!!!!  You were the first niece I ever had.  And I will always cherish the day you were born. :)  Your birthday is a special time of year, we look forward to watching you grow up to be a little lady.  We pray that you will continue to learn the Bible and one day accept Jesus as your Savior!!!!  WE LOVE YOU!!!!!

*NOTE: I am going to start doing "happy birthday" posts for all our nieces and nephews...I just haven't gotten around to it until now!!! So please don't feel slighted because I didn't post on the other kiddos' birthdays!!!*