Fun with words

When does...
A become 8,
B become Beet
C become Seat
D become Deet
E become Eat
F become efed
G become Geet
H become H-t
I become I-t
J become J-t
K become Kate
L become Elt
M become emt
N become ent
O become Oat
P become Peet
Q become Cute
R become Art
S become Est
T become Teet
U become Ute
V become Veet
W become W-t
X become Exed
Y become white
and Z become Zeet?

Can you find the predictable pattern? The answer is: when Xavier sings the alphabet. Sure, he knows the real letters, but lately he has really been playing with words and sounds. It is so cute to hear him singing away in creative ways. What really cracks me up is how many of these words are real words!

Mustang Xavier

Grandpa Hunsaker sent some suburban-friendly farm equipment to Xavier for his third birthday. It arrived after three trips across the country, and certainly looked travel-weary by the time it was finally delivered to the right address. We were a little afraid that some things might have been damaged, given the ample tape and metal strap that had been added to keep the battered box together.

Fortunately, all the parts were in good shape. And by "all" I do mean quite a few. As it turns out, more than a little assembly was required. ;-) Papa was up for the challenge though and after he got done playing mechanic, we had a beautiful machine.

Here's Xavier taking it out for a spin for the first time.Thanks Grandpa!

[And yes, if the colors look a bit off in the video it's because I didn't realize that the camera's "color swap" feature somehow got selected, which apparently took out the red.]

This is just part 1 of the wheels Xavier got for his birthday. More to come!

Ride, Xavier, Ride!

"Old Hat, New Hat"

Xavier is too cute!

Yesterday Xavier discovered a book that has been on his shelves for a while. "Old Hat, New Hat". From its pages, you will see that it's a well loved book. It even has "Geo Andrew Clark" written in the front. It's a hand me down. Anyway, Xavier read it once with me yesterday and a couple of times with me tonight. It is an easy book. Xavier quickly got down the rhythm and many of the words, enough to "read" me most of the book. It was pretty cute.

Clementine's Birth Story

If anyone is interested to read, here is Clementine 's birth story

At 4:30 am I got up to use the bathroom and discovered a little wetness. I thought that maybe my water had broken. I told Spencer and then went back to bed. I got up a little later and was again a little wet. Same thing. ...I Decided to call Special Beginnings, our birth center. They called back and I told them what was going on. Because contractions hadn't been intense yet I was a bit in denial about going into labor. In fact, Spencer was still planning on going into work that day. Nikki, the CNM, instructed me to call in the morning for an appointment to be seen and verify if my water had broken.

When we woke up in the morning around 8:ish, I still felt okay. I mean, I was having contractions as I had the day before but they weren't so intense that I had to stop.

Around 9 am Spencer called SB and Joanne said to come in and labor there. I thought she was nuts and that my baby might not even come today. I showered as she instructed and headed in.

Before we left, contractions started to get more intense and I wanted to go. Getting everyone ready was a bit slow. I used my Hypno Babies to keep relaxed, and it really worked well.

We left for SB around 10:50am. I sat in the front . I stayed relaxed the whole time, even as contractions got worse. I was in a total zone with hypnosis. My legs, however, felt really sore. --not sure why.

We arrived at SB around 11:45 am. I was only dilated to a 5 at this point, and was really disappointed. I thought: really? All this work and I am only a 5? I have been at a 4 for at least a week and a half. I knew I'd be here all day so I should just get comfortable and enjoy all the laboring positions.

I came in and got settled. I still felt quite relaxed and I was feeling really proud; contractions were definitely strong at this point. I labored on the birth ball for a little while, though it was hard to really fully relax. I thought I might fall over. I made jokes with Spencer.

I was freezing like crazy! I now know it was because of the hormone change. I was so cold, I opted to get into the birthing pool to warm up, which I hadn't planned to do. It was so nice to be in the water. I turned over and labored in child's pose for a long while. It felt so nice. I was really able to relax while Spencer held my head up out of the water.

I thought so many times that I was going to push, but the CNM said it wasn't yet time. Fortunately, I dilated from a 7 to 10 very quickly (if I remember correctly, 15 minutes). ...and then the best part, it was time to push! .... And out she came at 2:28pm--swimming to me through the water. I held her on my chest for a long time. It was beautiful.

Spencer was the first to discover that our new baby was a girl. I didn't mind waiting. I was just so thrilled to be holding my brand new little one.

All told, active labor lasted under 4.5 hours, and we were back home that day. Not bad.

Clementine: First Days

It's been a busy few days as we get used to having a newborn in the home again. It's in a lot of little things, but when it's 1:20pm and you're finally getting around to eating (and re-heating) the oatmeal with fresh strawberries that you made four hours earlier for breakfast, you know something is up.

But you don't want to hear about that. You want photos.

Resting in the blanket mommy made for me.

Sleeping with Duncan. Xavier is sharing already.

This pretty well captures Xavier - always in motion!

The tradition continues with the birthday party! Complete with "0" candle and scrumptious coconut cream pie with white chocolate and almond, courtesy of Grandma Clark

Clementine enlisted Xavier's help in blowing out the candle.

Xavier is loving the new baby. Not least because he's gotten several new gifts, like these toy cars from Grandma.

Grandma Clark also made this gorgeous blanket for Clementine, which Xavier had to check out first. (Yep, it passes muster.)

Actually, the blanket was apparently made for him originally, but Alyssa claimed that the colors were too girly for a boy. We're not so picky about those types of things, but it is indeed beautiful and suits Clementine well.

I woke up yesterday and had to capture the adorable scene next to me.

Papa loves holding his little girl!

Shannon & Marc sent this amazing Edible Arrangement with loads of chocolate-dipped strawberries, apples and oranges. Anyone looking for a "Congratulations!" gift that will be thoroughly appreciated need look no further. Thank you SO much.

We've gotten lots of wonderful gifts, including a surprise visit from friends Emily & Jennifer who brought a big bag of new baby clothing! Not knowing if we were having a boy or a girl, we resisted buying much. If you've noticed the same outfit on Clementine for the first 2-3 days you weren't the only one. Thanks to them we are now much better stocked with lots of cute stuff - and in a good diversity of colors too!

I, for one, am reassured that it's possible to find girl clothing in hues other than pink. While I certainly like pink more than the next guy, the pink-washing and princess-ification of all things "girl" is a bit sickening. Fortunately our friends know our feelings on this subject and really came through with a great selection of exactly what we needed. They will certainly be featured in upcoming photos.

The Clarkwests came down today to see their new niece/cousin, and also introduced us to a new game, "Forbidden Island". It was good times. They also helped us polish off what was left of the Edible Arrangement, which as you can see, wasn't a lot. The kale even got used promptly for a green smoothie. Yum!

Continuing the gifts for Xavier theme, Soren gave him a new train, "Rosie", in honor of his new little sister. This led to the construction of another impressive train circuit in our living room and a good time had by all. Xavier, of course, showed his new acquisition off to Clementine in another tender moment captured here.

Many thanks to all who have brought meals, gifts and your presence at this special, though sometimes difficult time! They've been an incredible help as we adjust to life with this new little bundle of joy.

Introducing: Clementine Calais Juliette

The newest addition to the Clark family arrived on Feb. 15, 2012...

At 2:25pm EST...

At Special Beginnings Birth Center, Arnold, MD...

In the same room where Xavier was born...

With a proud Grandma in town...

And proud big brother too...

The little miss/La petite mademoiselle:

Clementine Calais Juliette Clark

7 lbs 8.5 oz
20 inches long
13.5-inch head circumference
...And beautifully healthy

Clementine - (cley-mon-teen) A classic name in French, most recognizable now as the delicious little orange fruit we enjoy each winter. It's subtly honors Cherry, whose name is also synonymous with a succulent fruit.

Signification prénom :
Prénom assez ancien, diminutif de Clémence, formé à l'imitation de Clémentin, diminutif de Clément.
On en trouve trace, en Italie, en France et même en Angleterre au XVIIIe siècle... Depuis le début du XXe siècle, il a pris une résonance particulière en raison de la réussite commerciale des clémentines. Ce fruit savoureux, variété de mandarine, fut un dérivé créé en 1902 par un savant botaniste, le père Clément... qui lui donna son nom. Dès lors, Clémentine évoque moins l'indulgence de sa racine latine que le goût frais et sucré du petit agrume que tout le monde apprécie.

Meaning of the name:
A fairly old name, diminutive of Clemence, formed in imitation of Clementin, diminutive of Clement.
The name appears in Italy, France and even England in the eighteenth century ... Since the early twentieth century, it took a particular resonance because of the commercial success of clementines. This tasty fruit, a variety of mandarin, was created in 1902 by a learned botanist, Father Clement ... who gave it his name. Therefore, Clementine evokes less the indulgence of its Latin root as the fresh taste of a small, sweet citrus fruit that everyone appreciates.

Calais - (cah-lay) A port city in northern France along the narrowest section of the English channel. Well known for its ferry connection with Dover, it has been a place through which millions of travelers and immigrants have passed over the years. It represents for us the linkage of the countries where Cherry and I served our missions, as well as the mixture of many international cultures that we value.

Juliette - (do I really need to guide its pronunciation?) The French spelling of Juliet, a name whose origin traces back to Julius Caesar, but which has been immortalized for centuries by Shakespeare's choice of it for the lead female in his classic tale of romance. In addition to the passion that is synonymous with the name, for us it is also a tribute to Cherry's mother, Julie.

Sleeping with papa

Can you resist this adorableness?

And these cute little feet?

No, no, you can't.

Our new family of four! We couldn't be happier.

It's a slam dunk at Papa's office!

I had lunch with papa recently at his office. I showed off my mad skills at throwing and catching the ball... and of course, dunking!

Later I went to a brownbag lunch meeting with him. Everyone thought that I was totally cute! (Of course.) I'd hate to hurt their feelings, so don't tell anyone, but it wasn't nearly as interesting as playing ball and I totally slept through it.

-Xavier

Perfectly Round

I haven't posted much about this pregnancy, so since we are coming into the final days I thought I would give a bit of an update.

Friday, Spencer and I took some pregnancy photos, otherwise known as belly shots. This particular shot blew me away as it really highlighted just how literally round my belly is. It is as if I was in my normal body and then glued a ball onto the front. It cracks me up!