Week 3; Still Sleepy

Sweet Skyler... I took this picture today... She's 3 weeks old already!!!

We made it through week three... Nights are very descent, four and five hour stretches... She wakes up around 4am and grunts for about an hour... you would think that she was trying to go to the bathroom, but no, four out of five times she's not... So I just put her in her own room and she goes back to sleep on her own time... and I get to go back to sleep too... It was an eventful week with Skyler's first bath and first day at the beach...

Some Fun Facts...

*She's drinking almost 3 1/2 ounces every feeding
*She has a little eye infection
*She cries about 10 minutes of the whole day
*She likes to suck her fingers
*She loves to be swaddled
*She's the first Clark kid that likes a pacifier
*We (Mommy, Papa, Josiah, and Halee) like to call her by her first and middle name...
*She gets the hick-ups ALL the time!!!!
*She is our precious blessing and she is sooooooo loved

First Beach Day

It was my first time at the beach today... I have to admit that I don't think that I got the full beach experience because in all honesty I was sacked out almost the whole time... I opened my eyes for a few moments when mommy woke me up to feed me... but then I passed out again... But next time I plan to smell the salty air, squish my toes in the sand, and watch the waves crash onto the shore... I'll keep you posted!!!!

My brief moment of alertness...

Out again on Mommy's lap...

My First Bath

By the third kid Mommy finally figured out how to give a "first bath." Skyler is the first baby that didn't scream when we put her in the bath... This time I covered Skyler with a warm wash clothe and she laid there so peacefully and let me wash her... She's soo sweet...

My first bath was Sunday, July 20th...

Skyler has these long scrawny legs... Whenever i get her dressed or undressed she sticks them straight out and refuses to bend them... It adds a little challenge to getting her dressed... Silly girl... :)

Mommy keeps me warm...

Bundled up... It was a good first bath. :)

Week 2... EIGHT GLORIOUS HOURS!!!!

I can't believe that it has already been two weeks since Skyler Reese arrived!!!! Week 2 was even better than week 1, if that is even possible... She slept like a champ giving her mama four and five hour stretches.. then last night she blessed my socks off with 8 GLORIOUS HOURS!!! I couldn't believe it!!! She slept from 8:30-until 5:00 am!!! It was SOOOOO wonderful... need less to say I woke up feeling like a brand new woman!!! Don't worry... I know that she is still in her sleepy phase and that this sleepy girl will probably be keeping me awake all night long before I know it... So I am just trying to soak up the rest while I can... My friend Mindy blesses my socks off every few days and comes over in the afternoon to watch Skyler while the older kids and I take naps... blessing upon blessing!!!!!

In other news, Skyler seems to be getting a little bit bigger but I must admit that she still looks like a peanut to me... She's staying awake quite a bit more during the day which is so fun for me cuz I feel like her face just lights up when she opens her eyes... I can hardly wait for her to smile...

We also discovered this week that her little tummy doesn't tolerate the kind of formula that we have been giving her very well. So our doctor suggested a different brand and ever since we made the switch she has done so much better... (No more throwing up, less grunting, she can actually go #2 now (she didn't go for almost 3 days with the other stuff... It was not bueno!!!!)
But the doc said that she will not have to have the fancy formula forever, just until her tummy gets a little bit bigger and a little more developed... So praise God, cuz that stuff is expensive!!!!... but she's worth it!!!!

Skyler's belly button thing fell off a few days ago so we are thinking about giving her her first bath sometime soon... I will be sure to post pictures...

Finally, she's working on strengthening her neck... She doesn't like it much on her tummy as you can se in the video below... When we put her on her tummy "Peace" goes out the window :)

Thank you Lord for another joyful week with out peaceful little Skyler....

Blessing upon blessing...

Skyler"s First Photo Shoot

 My Friend Lauren brought us dinner last week and took some pictures while she was over... (Lauren is the same friend who takes our Christmas pictures every year :)

the Lord has really gifted her... 

Hope you enjoy the beautiful pictures of our sweet Skyler...

We Call Her "Peace"

We should have called her Skyler "Peace" instead of Skyler Reese...

Tomorrow morning when I wake up my little Skyler will already be one week old... It's so hard to believe... Thus far she is the most peaceful baby that I have had... Before each new baby comes it's always hard to imagine how I will be able to love a new baby as much as I love the others... but the Lord is faithful as always and he has given me this incredible love and desire for this little girl... She blesses my heart every time that I look at her... She's so tiny she almost fits into the palm of my hand... I know that she will only be this small for a few weeks so I am enjoying every moment that I have with my little peanut... 

five out of the last six nights have been great... we had one doosey where she woke up almost every half hour but the rest of the nights she ate every 3-4 hours and then went right back to sleep... When she's awake she just lies in our arms or on the ground or in her swing and looks around... her eyes follow my voice when I walk around the room... basically what I'm trying to say is that she's awesome!!!

We took her to the doctor today and she is starting to gain her weight back... she got down to 6lbs 2 ounces on Saturday but now she is 6, 4...so tiny... the doc said that she is absolutely perfect... I could have told him that :)

i don't really know who she looks like... to me she just looks like Skyler... the only distinct feature that I can pick out are her fingers... they are super long and skinny, just like her grandma Sherry's... My mom used to file her nails in a more rounded shape and even Skyler's nails look like my mom's the way that they are growing in...

Toodles for now...

(I just realized that we don't have any pictures of her with her eyes open... so that's my project for today... I will try to get a few good ones and post them sometime soon :)

Is there such thing as "to good to be true?"

Content Skyler Reese

Mama here... I woke up Wednesday morning with Philippians 4:6 going through my head... "Be anxious for nothing... " And this unexplainable peace was in my heart... when we left for the hospital I felt joyful and calm (a first for me... usually on "birth day" I'm a total nervous wreck at the thought of what I know I have to do... get the baby out... and the last two times I cried the whole way to the hospital) but this time I smiled the whole way there...

We checked in and got settled in the room... They started my antibiotics... and i took a long nap... at 2:30pm the doc came and broke my water and started a little pytocin (spelling??)... I got my epidural and took another nap... at 5:30 I felt a little pressure... at 5:57 I felt A LOT of pressure... 5 pushes later... at 6:03 I pulled the baby out myself!!!!!! IT WAS SOOOOO COOL!!!
I loved not knowing the sex of the baby ahead of time... announcing to Dr. Rob, Julie, and Joey, (these same three people have been with me to deliver all three of my babies :) that it was a girl was definitely one of the best parts!!

My friend Mindy took this picture
and I just love it cuz it captures exactly how I felt!
I am one happy Mama!



Now our sweet Skyler... The first night was nothing but a blessing... We had our own room (a first for us, the last 2 births we have had to share)... And Skyler slept all night only waking up to eat then falling right back asleep... What a miracle... Night 2 was similar... She was awake around 3am for almost an hour but she just laid next to me totally silent looking around then she sacked out again... It was a sweet treat for my little heart to have that time alone with her... the Lord has been preparing me for months to be awake at that exact hour every night in the middle of the night... and what do ya know, Skyler was awake in my belly at 3 and she was awake last night at 3... It's kinda nice and wonderful that the Lord has prepared me all this time so it didn't feel like a big deal to be up with her...

If I could pick one word to describe Skyler Reese it would be "content". She is so peaceful... I know that it is the only the first two days and that things can and probably will drastically change over the next few weeks and months but I want to cherish these days in my heart and be overflowing with thankfulness cuz I feel like the Lord is POURING out his blessing on me and I want him to receive ALL THE GLORY because he is faithful!!!

Siblings... Josiah and Halee love Skyler... and i'm not just saying that... Especially Halee... She wants to hold Skyler all the time and kiss her and hug her...
Siah is not as into holding her but he's very "proud" to call her his sister... He likes to tell people her name... "This my sister... This Skyler..."

Halee loves to hold "Baby Skyler"

She usually calls her "baby" instead of Skyler...
We called Skyler "baby" for so long cuz we didn't know
if she was a boy or a girl or what her name was... So Halee
hasn't quite made the transition yet...

We are OFFICIALLY a family of 5 :)
(I just love saying that out loud)

I know that this whole experience was as wonderful as it was because of all the amazing family and friends who prayed fervently for us for this moment in our lives... I know with all my heart that this day would not have been the same if you all had not joined together and spoke to the Lord on our behalf... To me, this day has been joyful evidence that God loves to love on his kids... Sometimes he loves on us through trials and sometimes he loves on us through blessings... Thank you Lord for this season of blessing!!!! i love you Lord more than life!!


Blessing upon blessing... :)

Introducing Skyler Reese Clark

This is the proud Papa of sweet Skyler. She is so precious!!! She was born last night, July 2nd @ 6:03 pm and weighed in at 6 pounds, 9 ounces, and stands a lengthy 19 1/2 inches tall. Ok, she doesn't stand yet, but she is a smart little girl. In fact she can already count to 3. Check it out in these pictures...

1

2

3


ll this counting and showing off her tricks wore her out though and she decided to sack out and sleep through the night only waking every few hours to eat and get a new diaper. It was such a great night. Hopefully it continues like that ;) This morning she woke up and decided to be chipper for a bit...

I think she takes after her momma, because that is what her momma looks like when she wakes up in the morning. I call it the 'don't bother me, i'm still asleep' face. It is very cute on momma and Skyler!

Anyways, Kacy and the baby are still at the hospital and are doing great! We will keep you posted as to when we get out. Thank you to everyone who helped pray this beautiful little girl into the world. We can't wait to introduce her to everyone.

Meeting My Family

Granny Smith

Papaw and Granny DeeDee

My God Parents... Uncle Jason & Aunt Mindy

Uncle Andrew & Aunt Amy

Welcome To The World

Just moments after you were born...

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, 

then out; 

    you formed me in my mother's womb. 

   I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking! 

      Body and soul, I am marvelously made! 

      I worship in adoration—what a creation! 

   You know me inside and out, 

      you know every bone in my body; 

   You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, 

      how I was sculpted from nothing into something. 

   Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, 

    The days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day. 

Psalm 139:13-16

You sporting your special eye gel....

Your newborn foot prints...

Our first family of five photo....

Lots of family came to visit you in the hospital right after you were born... Halee and Josiah, Granny and Gramps, Granny DeeDee and Papaw, your God parents Jason and Mindy...

There were so many people praying for you little  Skyler... you are one loved little girl...