Meet the Newest Clark

Roper Henry Clark has arrived! He was born on Thursday morning at 3:12 a.m. He is a very healthy and happy baby boy! We are all completely smitten with him. Mason has had a few moments of jealousy (not unexpected) but overall he has adjusted to his new role as big brother very well and loves giving Roper kisses.

Some of you may know that I predicted that Roper would be born on the 16th. My prediction proved true, although only by a couple of hours, since my water actually broke on the evening of the 15th after a nice spicy supper at San Jose. Little did we know that it would be our last outing as a family of 3! I knew I was in for a LONG night when my water broke at around 8:30.

Some interesting coincidences: both of our boys were born on the 16th of the month (Mason's birthday is 9/16 -- they are exactly 22 months apart). What's more, they were born within one hour of each other (Mason at 2:18 am and Roper at 3:12 am). Even crazier...my water broke with both of them on the 15th of the month, also within an hour of each other (Mason at 7:30 and Roper at 8:30). Apparently these two are already in cahoots! What more would we expect of the Clark brothers?

Thanks to everyone for the visits, messages & phone calls. We've had several busy days of adjusting to life with a new baby. Our house is now quiet...just the four of us are here...both boys are sleeping and Graem and I are enjoying some nice downtime. :)

Let me know who you think he looks like. I'm very pleased to say that the general concensus is that he favors me. :) After almost 2 years of hearing everyone say that Mason favors Graem (I must agree -- they even have similar mannerisms), it is really nice to hear that Roper looks like me!

Enjoy the pictures. He is such a sweetheart. We are so blessed!

The long-awaited moment when I finally got to hold baby Roper in my arms!

Roper meets his grandmothers for the first time. The joy on their faces is so clear! Saying hello to the Clark grandparents...

Meeting Grandaddy Roper...

One of my favorite pictures when Mason was born was a picture of the 3 of us piled into the hospital bed...I tried to re-create it with the 4 of us, but Mason was not as cooperative this time around!

All loaded up for the trek home...I think this is when Mason realized that the baby was actually coming home with us!

Getting some shut-eye with Daddy...

The Boy's Lair

When I was pregnant with Mason, we decided not to find out if he was a boy or a girl. I enjoyed the anticipation of being surprised in the delivery room; however, this time, we knew from the beginning that we wanted to find out the baby's gender. I feel like I missed out on being able to decorate Mason's nursery for a little boy, so this time I've gotten to make up for it!

Ever since we bought our house, I have thought that one of the upstairs bedrooms would be a perfect room for siblings to share. It is a big room with 2 big closets. As soon as we found out we were having another boy, I knew that I wanted them to share that room. Some people think I'm crazy...after all, we have the space for both boys to have their own rooms. But...I think it will be fun for them. I grew up always wishing for a sister to share my room, toys & clothes with.

Here are some pictures from their room for those of you that haven't had a chance to see it in person. I decided on a cowboy/wild west theme. My mother helped me by making the bedskirts and window valance (she did a great job), the rest of the bedding I ordered from Javis Davis. I made the framed "M" & "R" letters above the crib & bed (thanks to the Restoration Hardware catalog for the inspiration...hopefully they don't think they have a copyright on the alphabet like a particular business in Columbia seems to think). The Ernest Lee painting used to be in our room over the garage/playroom...Graem gave it to me when we were dating...it is a little unconventional but I have always loved it and now I have the perfect spot for it. :)

Hilton Head

We had a great vacation in Hilton Head with the Clarks earlier this month! The weather was beautiful and HOT, we all got nice tans, and Mason enjoyed being thoroughly spoiled by his grandparents! He LOVES the ocean as well as the playground. Enjoy the pictures from our trip...

I've Queued at Wimbledon

Wimbledon started yesterday and every year it prompts a little trip down memory lane...

In the summer of 2001, between my junior & senior years at Carolina, I did a summer study abroad program. It was a great experience. The program was through Michigan State (yes, I was actually enrolled as a student there for one summer semester, even though I never set foot on the campus during that time). I didn't know a single other person that was taking the course, but I made some great friends, some of whom I continue to keep in touch with.

The first 2 weeks of the course were in London, which happened to coincide with the Wimbledon tournament. One of the lines on the tube goes all the way out to Wimbledon, so a group of us decided to hop on the train and check out the grass courts for ourselves! Unfortunately we didn't run into any famous tennis players, but we watched some practice matches and of course we had to sample the strawberries & cream!

Bye Bye Crib, Hello Bed!

Mason slept in his big bed in his new room for the first time last night! I'm so proud of him. I was curious (and admittedly a little nervous) about how this transition would go, but he did great! Mason has always been a champion sleeper, so I really didn't want to do anything to sabotage that, but we wanted to get him used to sleeping in the big bed well in advance of the baby being born so that we can use the crib for baby Roper. I could hear him through the monitor this morning happily jabbering away and waiting for me to come get him up -- he hasn't realized yet that he can get out of the bed on his own, which suits me just fine!

We are still in the process of getting all of his things moved into his new room, which he will share with the baby. I'll post pictures of their room after we get everything set up!

This is how I found Mason this morning!

Aunt Ruth's Annual BBQ

Every summer we look forward to Aunt Ruth's BBQ by her pool. Aunt Ruth is one of my favorite people -- she is a lot of fun and a fantastic hostess! Her BBQ is always a blast, and she has it catered by Henry's Smokehouse, which is one of the best. This year, she even had a DJ! Thanks, Aunt Ruth! We had a great time, as always!

Me and my sweet & beautiful cousin, Kate

Sydney (also a sweet & beautiful cousin) & Mason

The fellas -- Graem, Rob & Syd's new beau Jimmy

Uncle Rob & Mason

Miss Ruthanna

Mason with his cousins Caroline & Robert

When the sun went down, the dancing started up! I hate that I don't have a picture of Alice & Lee showing off their shagging skills!

Beach Pictures, as Promised!

Two years ago my tennis team made it to the state championships, which were held in Charleston. We rented a big house at the beach for a long weekend. It was SUCH a fun trip with good friends, we decided to make the trip an annual tradition.

Last year the guys chose the location of the trip -- beautiful & serene Lake Joccassee. This year, it was the girls' turn to choose, so of course we went back to the beach! We found a great house at Folly Beach that was perfect for the long weekend.

Mason loved the water! We are going to Hilton Head next week and I can't wait to get my little water bug back in the ocean!

Mason running away from the water -- this didn't happen very often! Most of the time he was running straight for the waves and pitched a fit every time we tried to get him out of the water!

I was very impressed with the sandcastle engineering skills demonstrated by the guys! Jay and Mason loved "helping" and playing in the moat!

Jay & Mason taking a ride in the wagon

Some of the other beach babies...Claire and Christopher

Ruth Ann, the happiest baby in South Carolina!The guys (minus Scott??)
Graem did a great job providing the ladies with cool beverages (courtesy of the gas-powered blender) while we soaked up rays on the beach!
The girls

For more great pictures from our beach trip, check out Tara's blog..."All Things McCarty"...the link is on the right side of the page.