My yearly family album

In my professional photography business, I make albums for people using companies that only work with photographers, blah blah, but in my personal world I make albums for myself and my family using Blurb.com -- They even have bookmaking software, which I did end up using for this album. It took me HOURS to do this... as in 30 hours or something -- it's sure was a labor of love!

Clark Family 2010 by Cameron Clark | cameron + kelly studios | Make Your Own Book

Summer Smiles, Dicipline and 2 year olds

Okay so I've been neglecting this blog. Can you blame me? I'm pretty busy these days. Having my own business and two kids under two (okay now he's over two) but you get the idea...
I couldn't resist posting these photos of Owen with the garden hose.

As Owen approached age two, it became obvious that this kid was going to give us a run for our money. He whined, he cried, repeat. He does things because he knows we don't want him to, he especially likes to tempt fate when you are holding Harper because he knows you have no hands to stop him... You find yourself getting so irritated and losing your "cool, calm and collected" self. You like to think you never yell at your kids, then you find yourself grabbing their arm and saying, "because we are going upstairs to change your diaper now... and dragging them upstairs..."

I have been hoping to find a great book about discipline and many "formal" methods have been suggested. I bought the Supernanny book, and the Magic 1, 2, 3 but none of that sat well with me. Afterall, I'm starting from scratch, and I felt like I should be able to mold this kid into a well behaved child simply by example. I had an interesting conversation with my friend Dara and she suggested this PATH program and the book is out of print but I subscribe to his "Daily Groove" digest emails. I haven't paid to be a part of his forum program, but I plan to.

When your child spills his milk for the 5th time of the day ask yourself? Is it really worth getting ANGRY over? Your child is 2 years old. They are looking for your reaction. If you simply clean it up (perhaps even have them help clean WITH you) and avoid the commentary... "this is the THIRD time I've had to clean up after you, son, and I'm sick of it, I can't tell you how glad I'll be the day you never spill your milk again...." they will stop doing it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but they will stop and they will just come to a realization that spilling milk isn't that great. Scott's whole parenting approach (as I understand it) is focused on the parent experiencing power WITH your child rather than controlling your child through dominance. It's an interesting concept. Basically ruling with mutual respect. I like that. It's hard in the moment to center yourself, breath and NOT get angry but it's worth it. It's all about your reaction.

Owen gets a haircut and Harper likes a bath!

It's hard to cut your boy's hair. At least for me. I just loved it long and shaggy but it was getting TOO long and I kept meaning to make an appointment at the real hair salon to get some cute "California surfer" cut for Owen. Alas, the 10 minute Barber shop walk-in was too easy. He is crinkling his nose because some little hairs were getting in his face. He kept wanting to bring his hand to his face... anyway, so cute. Harper is 4 months in March and loves to take a bath with Owen and Daddy. She is the sweetest easiest baby minus the part about how she doesn't take a bottle, but HEY, perfection is a lofty goal.

Here are some photos of Owen and Harper in March 2010.

Owen's 2nd birthday

I can hardly believe my boy is two years old. I hate to say that it goes fast, because to me each day seems slow but two years have passed since I delivered our boy and that does seem incredible. This birthday was a bit of a whirlwind. We decided to have a little pot-luck party over at our house and it was really hard to be a hostess. Harper seemed just a tad fussier and more needy during the party than usual but Owen seemed to have a great time. He kept saying all day "I want ma cake" or "I want to eat ma cake." Finally the time came when we sang the birthday song and he just kept lunging for the cake -- mouth first. Special thanks to Katrina of Sedona Bride who, stepped in like the great friend she is and shot some photos on my camera for me. It's so great to have a friend whom you can just hand the camera to and say, "can you shoot this?" (and KNOW they can handle it). Sometimes my life as a photojournalist is hard because you want to photograph everything but then you never get to participate! Yesterday I was "wearing" Harper in the Moby Wrap and it proved too hard to play photojournalist at the same time. Enjoy the photos of the kids. ~cameron~

Harper Jo Clark's home birth story 11/09/09

I better write this down before the details become soft and out of focus. If you like to read birth stories, this is a good one because it's an encouraging swift delivery... the kind we all want to have. I feel lucky to have experienced two perfect home birth deliveries. It will be very sad to ever leave this house since both my babies were born here.

Stand and Deliver
Nov. 9, 2009 | Harper Jo Clark's birth story

So, around 3:45AM on early Monday morning, I felt it. The first contraction.
"oh," I thought.
"what a coincidence," Owen's birth story started around 3AM." I'll just go back to sleep and wake up and get ready for this birth.
One problem. I couldn't sleep. Not because I was anxious but because the contractions were a minute long and every 10 minutes with alarming consistency. I didn't wake Matt up, but at 6AM I told him, "I'm having contractions," to which he replied,
"The real ones?"
"Yes."
And so it began. I got up, got dressed and began the day with Owen, Matt and Sarah (Matt's mom flew into town Sunday night). The contractions this time were a lot more painful and longer and more consistent throughout the morning than my early labor with Owen. I had to stop what I was doing while I was having one just to breathe and focus. I couldn't be sitting, either, it hurt too much.

I called Womancare Midwifery at 8AM just to let them know that today was likely the day unless things just progressed really really slow. Mary Ann reminded me that I should call back when contractions were consistently coming 5 minutes apart or much much harder and longer. Matt and I went for a walk sometime around 9 and they were coming every 4-5 minutes and a little harder. I called Mary Ann back at 10AM. She said they would come, set up, check my progress and vitals and we'd go from there.

The midwives showed up at 10:45-11AM and set up all their gear...which took awhile. You see, they carry LOTS of stuff for delivery including oxygen infant resuscitation. As soon as they walked through the door, my contractions slowed down to 10 minutes apart and not as 'heavy.' Kindra checked me and I was 4-5cm and 90% effaced. Just before noon, Kindra said she felt comfortable leaving me so long as I called back if the contractions got harder and closer together.Mary Ann made the comment she had seen women go from 4cm to 10cm in 20 minutes so don't be afraid to call. My sister Kate also left and was going to come back around 2PM.

Everything seemed under control. I felt fine. Matt wasn't even counting my contractions for me at this point. I ate some lunch and went upstairs to read. Gran was hanging out with Owen and putting him down for his noon nap. All was well. I finally called Matt in to start counting the contractions so we'd have a better idea of where I stood with everything. it was about 12:10PM.

OUCH. That one hurt. I started breathing a lot heavier during the contractions, which were now coming about seven minutes apart but much harder.

OUCH. THAT one hurt.

OWWWWWWEEE. That ONE really hurt.

Plus I started getting really annoyed at environmental things.. ex: Kaibee, our dog, was "stinking," I told Matt to get her out of the room and Owen was talking up a storm with Gran, which was distracting and annoying to me. I told Matt to shut the door. I remembered being annoyed at dumb stuff last time when things got serious.
So I labored from about noon-12:45 and told Matt, "call Kate, Call the midwives, we need them back." I knew it was time to call the midwives when I recognized the "emotional signpost" (Bradley Method) of doubt/self-doubt. I was thinking secretly to myself,

"WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING ANOTHER HOME BIRTH?" "I CANNOT DO THIS AGAIN!"

Kindra arrived first shortly before 1PM, and Mary Ann not long after that. I was lying on the bed "laboring" and then realized, I'm having way too much pain in this position, I need to get up. So I got up. Moving while in active labor was with both births extremely uncomfortable. I stood at the edge of the bed and held on to the bed post between contractions, which were getting confusing... was that a contraction or was I supposed to push there?

am I through transition? I knew it was getting close because the midwives didn't seem too worried about checking my dilation status...

I was getting this feeling of something LARGE (think baby head) STUCK right around my anus. Sorry. It felt like I had to poop a large watermelon. There I said it. I didn't remember this feeling from Owen's birth until it was ALMOST over, so I said to the midwives,

"What am I doing here, am I pushing? I'm feeling a lot of pressure"

Kindra (calmly) "Oh, yes, Cameron this baby is coming, the head is right there, and we are seeing more and more of it."

me thinking: THE HEAD?? WHAT?

but I'm STANDING up!!!. I had not pictured a standing delivery. This is almost over? I felt like it just started, but FINE BY ME.

Kate, my sister, had rushed back to the house at some point after 1PM and I noticed her watching me, felt bad for her, and wanted to give her a little smile, like "it's okay, I'm fine," but I couldn't really open my eyes, even for a second to be my *old* self. I was in serious *la la* labor land. All I could manage were some primal grunts, groans --your typical Hollywood labor noises.

PUSH. GRUNT. PUSH. Insert primal noises and a very scared, "your doing great, Cameron" from my sister.

Water broke.

I'm thinking "oh wow, this is happening NOW."

I don't know, really, it wasn't the same type of pushing as the first labor, which was textbook-- One two three, here's a contraction and PUUSSHHHHH... Harper was more like. Ouch, ouch ouch, and feeling the uterus doing lots of it's own work and then I'm giving it a little push here and there when I felt like it.

Kindra: "Okay the head is out."

me thinking: WHAT? THE HEAD is OUT?--

okay calm yourself, now all I have to do is push the body out, so here goes...

...and next thing I knew there was a baby on a towel being handed up to me. I'm told Matt knelt down and "caught" the baby as it came out. It was pretty amazing. I went and took a seat on the bed with the new baby and lifted her leg,

"It's a girl!!" I said. Everyone laughed. I thought it would be a boy.

So my active labor was less than an hour an a half. PRAISE JESUS. I went from 4-5cm to 10cm in less than an hour. I really liked delivering during the day because then you don't have to stay up all night and never recover that sleep.

The midwives service was great, as usual, and they took care of everything, including changing and washing the sheets and linens When they leave, your house looks like they were never there (Mary Ann even brought over some homemade hummus and crackers)! They do a standard follow up visit at home one day later, and three days later. I can't say enough about how nice it is to have the baby in the comfort of your own home, sleep beside your husband that night and receive follow-up home care and lactation consulting. To me, that is the way it should be. You shouldn't have a question about nursing your baby that doesn't get answered in person by an expert. One HUGE bonus is that if it's your second child, you don't have to worry about what will happen with your first born while you go to the hospital (or your dogs) Who will watch him? How will he nap or sleep? How will you call someone at 3AM to come over? Will he be safe and happy? Those are definitely concerns I didn't have or think of until a friend pointed it out to me. A pregnant woman has enough to worry about, the last thing you need is more anxiety. Owen was able to see the baby within a half an hour of her being born (I woke him from his nap with my primal sounds **I have a video of his first reaction, which I'll post soon). Additionally, it seems like when I go to any doctor's office, I can never remember what I was going to ask them, but when the midwives come to visit me at home, the dialog begins and when they leave all my questions are answered. If they're not, of course, I can reach them on their cell phone. Prenatal and postnatal care with great customer service, Why? Because you deserve it.

Owen photos and Halloween

Owen photos 19 months

Some recent photos of Owen. The yellow leaves shots are from today 10/24/09, the backyard shots are from Sept. 30. All 19 months (He turned 19 months on Oct. 1).
I am 37 weeks, due very soon.


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