One Month and Counting...

Can it be true that Baby Roper is already one month old??? The days have flown by! Each day seems to go by so quickly!

So...what have we been up to now that Daddy is back at work and there are no grandparents here to help me with the boys? I have to admit I was a little intimidated about keeping up with both of them on my own, but it has actually been lots of fun and surprisingly manageable. Mason keeps me entertained with his ever-expanding vocabulary and Roper is still as sweet and cuddly as can be!

That being said, 2 children is NOT as easy as 1. Balancing the demands of a newborn and the demands of an almost-2-year-old are very draining and by the end of each day I'm utterly exhausted! I have been trying to maintain my sanity by getting out of the house each day, even if it is just for a walk in the neighborhood.

Here are just a few pictures of what the boys have been up to...I'll start with Mason...

Riding in his 4-wheeler...I am very thankful for a fenced-in backyard these days! Notice the sunglasses...like father, like son. Lately Mason has been trying to replicate everything Graem does. It's really cute. Some days he insists on wearing the sunglasses at all times...during naptime, bathtime, etc, etc.

Mason always loves for us to read to him...lately he has taken a big interest in reading his books himself.
Giving the baby's bouncy seat a test drive for quality control...
Cupcakes! Yummy!
Watching Sesame Street and laughing at Elmo...

Ride em cowboy! Cassius puts up with a lot. What a good dog. If only he could put away all the books & toys strewn around the boys' room!

And what has Baby Bear been up to? Well, if he isn't eating, he's sleeping! He wakes up for food and to be burped.

Sleeping in the cradle. What a crazy position! Sometimes I swaddle him but he usually kicks it off. He likes to stretch out!

Sleeping in the pack-n-play...
Sleeping in his carrier...

Sleeping in his bouncy seat...
And yes, he actually sleeps in his crib!!!

Feed, Diaper, Love, Repeat

This is what our lives have been like the past week -- feeding & diapering with plenty of time for loving on our new baby! How quickly I forgot how often a newborn eats, and with each feeding comes a diaper change. I think we are going through about 10 diapers a day for Roper -- and 4 or 5 for Mason! Our carbon footprint is not looking too great. At least Roper's diapers are TINY!

Things are so different with the second baby. Not necessarily easier...having an almost-2-year-old in the mix certainly presents challenges of its own, but for the most part I find that we have been able to enjoy the first days with Roper in a way that we didn't with Mason. We are much more confident about what to expect, what is normal, etc, etc...and though the sleepless nights can be difficult, we know that these weeks with little to no sleep will pass so quickly. With Mason, we always looked forward to the next milestone, but I find that with Roper I want him to stay just like he is!

We have had so much fun at home this week. I'm dreading when Graem has to go back to work on Monday (although I'm thankful that my mother will be spending next week with us!) Here are some pictures from Roper's first week at home...

Baby Roper loves sleeping in his carrier...so, by all means, that is where he sleeps sometimes! Whatever keeps baby happy keeps us happy!

Tara took this picture in the hospital and I just love it!

Me and my sweet boys...

During the day, Roper usually naps in the pack-n-play in our living room. Mason's favorite new spot is in the chair beside him, where he can keep an eye on baby brother.

Bathtime!

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!