2 weeks old

Here are a bunch of random pictures and memories from Clark's first 2 weeks at home.

My mom was here and stayed almost three weeks with us.  It was SOOOO nice to have her.  She worked hard taking care of me and my kids (kids - did I just write that?) and my house.  Thank you!  Thank you!

Willa loves her baby brother.  She still squeals and gets excited when she sees him in the morning or after a nap.  She thinks it's great fun to stick her finger in Clark's mouth and feel him suck on it.  Luckily, he's a patient little guy and puts up with Willa's lovin'.

My mom accidently put a pair of Clark's pants in Willa's dresser.  Willa managed to put them on (she's such a little skinny binny) and wore them like they were little bermudas.  We laughed and laughed and laughed at the sight of her running around in the little pants. 

Clark had his two week check up at the pediatrician.  He weighed 8 pounds, 6 ounces (b/w 50% & 75%) and was 21 & 1/4 inches long (90%).  The doctor gave me the go ahead to give Clark his first bath since his umbilical cord had fallen off (around 1 week) and his circumcision was healing well.  He seemed to love it....as did Willa.

We also enjoyed a weekend visit from my Dad.  It was a busy couple of days.  Thanks for visiting! 

It has been a good two weeks.  We spent most of our time at home adjusting.  But to keep Willa happy we also did a few fun things...story time, the park, Botanic Gardens, & the Crawfish Festival.  Clark slept through every outing.  He is quite the sleeper.

Our master bedroom is downstairs and the other three bedrooms are upstairs so for now, Clark's nursery is in our closet.

Now we just have to survive for 4 days.  My parents left on Sunday, but Matt's parents and twin sisters are coming Wednesday.  My only goals are to get some sleep and shower everyday.  So far, so good.

baby & momma photo shoot

Clark Silas Wetzel

born Thursday, March 24, 2011 at 2:30 pm

8 pounds, 1 ounce & 20 1/2 inches long

We're home and healthy and happy.  Willa has been nothing but sweet and loving and understanding of her little brother.

I needed that

I'm due in 11 days...

Matt has been working like CRAZY... 

Which is a bad combination.

BUT Tuesday he had a day off (sort of, he got off at 5 pm on Monday and didn't have to go back in until 10 pm on Tuesday night). 

We spent the morning at the Memphis Children's Museum and then went to Olive Garden for lunch.  It was wonderful.  And if that wasn't good enough, Matt also went grocery shopping for me.  (real grocery shopping - the pictures are from the kid size Kroger at the museum.)

We are ready for the baby to arrive.  The only thing left is for my mom to come.  I have definitely hit that uncomfortable and tired stage.  I am trying to be patient with Willa (which is hard because she has entered that "independent" toddler stage) and spend lots of quality time with her because I know these are our last few days where it is just the two of us.

Growing Up

Willa is turning into a big girl right before our eyes...

She uses the toilet
We've been working on this one since the beginning of December.  She is potty trained, but she still has the occasional accident.  I put a diaper on her at night.

She stopped using her binkie...
during her waking hours.  It was pretty rough at first.  She came up with lots of ways to get a few extra minutes with her binkie...

• roll around on the ground crying (didn't work)
• ask to take a nap at 9 or 10 in the morning and go to bed at 6 at night (worked)
• sneak upstairs, grab a binkie from her room, and come back down with it in her mouth and a sheepish look on her face (worked for a minute until I would send her back upstairs to put the binkie back in her crib)
• ask if she could sit in her crib and have a few sucks on the binkie (also worked)

She is starting to have opinions and voice them
She is in love with these pink shoes and wants to wear them everywhere.  She's climbed all over several playgrounds in them, worn them all over town, and has splashed in a few rain puddles in them.  She has also started to shout NO! when she doesn't want to do what we ask.  It is so hard for me to keep a straight face when she does it. All I want to do is crack up laughing.

She talks and sings all day long
Willa's talking has exploded since we got rid of her binkie during the day.  She always seems to be talking or singing or reading out loud these days.

She has her very own toddler bed
Her new room is all set up.  She still prefers the crib.  She's napped in her toddler bed twice.  But I'm not pushing her.  We're planning on keeping the new baby downstairs for 3+ months while I have to nurse in the middle of the night.

She's about to become a big sister
The countdown has really begun.  I'm 37 weeks....due in 17 days.  We are all getting really excited.

TWO

Willa turned 2 last month.  I can't belive it.  Here are some pictures from her big day. 

Matt was on night float so that meant he was home by 9 or so in the morning.  He brought us breakfast from the hospital....bacon, sausage, biscuits & gravy, hash browns, and orange juice...nice and healthy....just the way Willa likes it.

We opened presents right after breakfast so Matt could go to sleep. 

Willa and I made chocoate cupcakes (her request) in the afternoon.  She licked the beaters and ate at least 10 of the mini cupcakes before we were even done with the process.

If you ask Willa how old she is, she still says one and holds up one finger unless we correct her.  Maybe by her third birthday she'll figure it out.  When she does put up two fingers, she puts up both pointers.

After dinner, we lit candles and sang and ate some of the cupcakes.  Willa loved it.  She loved blowing out her candles, singing the Happy Birthday Song, and eating the cupcakes.

Florida - New Year's

After Sea World, we went to my parents' house.  Willa and I stayed almost two weeks.  Matt left after a week.

We continued our tradition and went to the beach on New Year's Day with my parents and Grandma.  If you're in Florida, why not take advantage of the warmer weather and head outside.  Right?  This year we went to Boca Grande.

My Dad grilled dinner for us.  Grilled hot dogs on the beach always taste so good.

I grew up less than 30 minutes from Boca Grande.  I love the beach.  I am still a Florida girl in my heart.

We spent New Year's Eve eating lots of yummy food and napping.  Very exciting.  I just couldn't keep my eyes open.  I was so tired from the holidays, traveling and spending 3 nights at Sea World.  I did get up a little before midnight to watch the ball drop and get a New Year's kiss.

Sea World

We flew to Florida on the 28th of Dec (our 8th wedding anniversary) and checked into a 2 bedroom/2 bathroom suite in Orlando (ahh, it was wonderful to have the space) with my parents to spend 3 nights at Sea World.  It was a little anniversary present for us and an early birthday celebration for Willa.

My family lives in Florida so they came and went while we were in Orlando.  It worked out really well.

It was pretty chilly for Florida the first morning, but it warmed up for the rest of the trip.  We had such a great time.  Willa was old enough to love seeing the animals and shows.  And our hotel was a couple minutes drive so we went back in the afternoons to nap.

My parents, Matt, Willa, and I went back to Sea World after dark one of the nights to enjoy the holiday night shows and eat at the cool shark restaurant.  The wall of the restaurant is a huge shark tank.  It was the perfect entertainment for an almost two year old while we were waiting for our food.

After dinner, we watched the Christmas Shamu show and the Christmas tree show. 

I hadn't been to Sea World in over 10 years.  It's definitely one of my favorites.  And yes, if you think my middle looks a little bigger in some of these pictures, I'm pregnant.  Due in March with a little boy.