blah blah behind

I'm currently stuck in the seemingly endless race that is life at the moment.

When I first found out I was pregnant with this kiddo, I swore to the high heavens that I could document this pregnancy far better than I did with Luke's. I think I might have posted a total of 5 times over the course of that particular pregnancy and it's looking fairly sad that I'm probably shooting for an equal amount of posts for this baby's incubation time.

Who knew that chasing, shushing, and actually teaching 29 third graders could be so demanding? Or that essentially being a first year teacher again due to the grade level switch and placement at a brand new school would be so draining? Add in to the mix an extremely active 19 month old who doesn't understand the word sit unless it involves Little Einstein's. And who can forget the ever-present belly that keeps expanding to accommodate a child that can now spend the next three months kicking me ever so forcefully in the ribs? Poor Keith...the majority of nights I'm passed out on the couch by 8:30. The house isn't nearly as clean as it should be, dinner has been forgotten on way more than a few occasions, and laundry is a constant work-in-remembrance. Is it sad that I wake up at 3 o'clock in the morning to go to the bathroom and start planning blog posts in my head, only to become slightly short of comatose by the next evening when I have time? There are a million other things I should be doing right now, and really, a million other blog posts I need to get out and written down, but-no.

Really, I need to get things in perspective. I have an amazing husband who is supportive and doesn't complain too much when he has to go pick up dinner. Again. I have a healthy, strong, hilarious son who manages to always keep things interesting-and moving. I have an active daughter who is growing and is becoming ready to meet her already-doting family. I have a stable job, which is more to say than a lot of other people in this sucky economy. We have our health, our home, transportation, food, each other.

Really, in the midst of feeling behind and blah, I just need to feel blessed. Because I am.

luke's new best friend

Recently, Luke has begun chatting up a storm. We really have no idea most of the time what he is saying (except for the occasional piggie or uh oh! thrown in), so its hilarious just to sit back and listen or try to keep up a conversation with him. Since his verbal skills have taken off, he has also decided that he would like to converse with people on the phone too. He'll actually talk, wait for an answer, and respond in his own special verbiage.

These are all pictures of Luke holding a conversation on the phone with someone. He gets so serious and will even try to walk away so that he can better concentrate on what the other person is saying...or so that he can push buttons without us noticing.

almost with pictures

So Day 1 of Fall Break and we were invited to go to San Tan Mall with Jill and her kiddos. 'Great idea!' I think to myself. A wonderful picture taking opportunity that I can actually document on-time on the blog!

Yeah right! We get there and I took Luke to the younger area first to get ourselves warmed up because we arrived a few minutes shy of our planned meeting time with the Hildwine's. He starts climbing the steps, attempting to get in the adirondack chairs they have there for adults that he can't quite manage to get out of on his own, and making fast breaks for the handicapped ramp to run to wherever he can get to. The actual toys? Not worth the time of day.

So we migrate on over to the older area of the play area and I am completely overwhelmed by the sheer amount of kids there, let alone the size and speed of them. Luke may be big for his age and could probably pass easily as a 2-year-old, but he didn't really stand a chance against the three and four-year-olds running through there. Add in the fact that he has a tendency to bolt from the play areas to begin with and that I'm 24ish weeks pregnant, we didn't last long before I was having Braxton-Hicks contractions and a minor panic attack.

Total amount of time spent at the mall play area: 40 minutes. Number of pictures taken while at play area: 0. Understanding now that neither Luke or myself are ready to tackle the play area again with Keith present to tag team with me: priceless.

goals and (possible) lofty ambitions

I'm going to be extremely realistic here: working full time, chasing a toddler, and becoming more and more huge with a very active baby growing in my belly has put a severe dent in my previous blogging capabilities. I swore to myself that I would blog more during this pregnancy so that when it came time to create her First Year book like Luke's, I would have way more documentation of what had happened over the course of my 10 months of pregnancy for her to look back on years down the road when she may be experiencing the exact same things that I am right now. That was crazy talk.

I barely stay awake long enough after Luke falls asleep to grade the mounds of papers that make the trek home with me each day and if I do stay awake, I'm fighting the insane amount of heartburn this sweet girl is causing me. I do have to say, however, that I think I may have found a winning combination of prescription Zantac, Mylanta, and Extra-Strength Tums that are doing the trick. The ice cream and never-ending bowls of cereal have seemed to support the health of my esophagus, too.

I do admittedly compose various sorts of blog posts in my head at 3am when she's spinning somersaults in my belly, but I am way past attempting to launch myself out of bed at that point to actually type anything out.

All in all, with my grading completed and the next week miraculously school-free, I will spending time updating (and updating and updating) this lovely blog. I will. And if I keep repeating that to myself, it might actually happen.

superman

Just a quick shot of Luke from Saturday morning. I was trying to fold his laundry and he was running around the house doing his best Superman impression that Keith taught him. He runs around yelling "Ahhhh!" with his hands raised in the air. My thought: every Superman needs a cape, right?

He got a big kick out of using a baby towel like a cape. I was impressed that he a. left it on at all and, b. let me take a picture of him with it. Good look for you my toddler of steel!

think pink

For those of you who voted girl in the poll, you were right!

Here is the first shot of our sassy girl. She spent the majority of the time during the ultrasound crossing and uncrossing her legs, throwing her head back to put her little nose in the air, and using her arm to protect herself from the paparazzi (us). It was amazing to watch and we are so glad that she looks completely healthy. I was even excited when the tech said that she's measuring as if her due date was January 23rd instead of January 28th. I have absolutely no doubt she'll make a fashionably late entrance just like her big brother, but it gives me hope that it will happen sooner than later!

And for Kristi, I'm so glad to be sharing a due date with you-again!

poor baby

All week long I look forward to the weekends when I get to spend oodles of time with Luke. The anticipation builds all week so by Friday afternoon, I am ready for some quality time with my little man. The hardest part of going back to work has been not being with him everyday. Oh-and the daycare debacle. That's been tough too. Too much drama there, so I'll get back to my story.

Saturday morning I wake up pumped for a day with just Luke and I. I go to get him and the poor kid is miserable. He's got a nose that is running like a faucet and he's crabby as all get out. No fever, but a clingy guy nonetheless. After dealing with craptastic naps and fighting him to use the nose sucker all day, I was sad that the day hadn't turned out quite like I planned and was ready for Keith to get home.

Sunday was basically a repeat of Saturday's events, but with the extra added bonus of Keith's constant state of freak out that Luke wasn't eating nearly as much as he typically does. Duh sweetheart! He doesn't feel well! I'm still trying to convince Keith that Luke will survive the few days that he's sick without eating the amount of food you feel necessary. I finally had to make a deal with Keith today that while Luke is sick and can't breathe through his nose, he can't stuff the amazing amounts of food in Luke's mouth at one time that is typical for him. Poor Luke's mouth was stuffed so full tonight that food was falling out when he opened his mouth to breathe. Sad.

Tonight after Luke's bath as we were getting him ready for bed, he was fussing again. I happened to look into his mouth and was able to count 5 brand-spankin' new teeth popping through in his little mouth, one of them being his first molar. No wonder he's been such a sour puss the past three days. I think his mouth is making up for being a slow starter in the teeth department; since they didn't come earlier, apparently now he thinks he needs to play catch-up to get them all in at once.

Poor baby.

shoes

One of my proudest mom moments so far happened a few weeks ago. Keith and I were pushing Luke through the shoe section at Target when Luke repeatedly started saying the word "shoes" until we handed him a pair. I mean, the kid's vocabulary consists of Momma, Dada, Rosco, yeah, and boom. And now Shoes!

Since his shoe discovery, Luke has wanted to put our shoes on as well. This is a video of Luke trying to walk in Keith's flip-flops. He gets super determined and I apparently offended him when I said "all done." That launched him into one of his other new favorite things: tantrums.

The aftermath of the tantrum went something like this.

You are very welcome for not taping that. Not something you would have wanted to hear anyway. Trust me.

18 weeks

This is a few weeks old at this point, but I was thinking to myself the other day: I love to see pictures that people post of their pregnant bellies. Maybe I'm completely weird, but in case any of you have the same tummy infatuation that I do, enjoy.

the hairy beast

Luke needs a haircut. Like really bad. I've meant to call to make the appointment on many occasions, but always manage to find something more important or pressing (like taking a nap or playing with Luke) and I completely space making the phone call. I do have to admit that I kind of like the curliness that happens when he makes up from a nap where he's gotten slightly sweaty. Those are the cute curls. I, however, am NOT a fan of what happens after the bath.

dominoes

I know I'm completely behind on posting and there are so many other things that I need to post about and I promise to get to them. At some point. Maybe this week. (But don't hold your breath.)

This post is very close to my heart and I need to get it out there.

For all the worrying and stress that Keith and I put ourselves through with the lead-up to Luke beginning daycare, you would think that each of would have some kind of stone or nervous tick to show for it. I am very proud of Luke to say that he has adjusted and adapted better than we ever could have expected. He's actually thriving in his new environment. He's begun to say more words, become more social with other kiddos, and seems to be much more easy-going about a lot of stuff. There are kids and dogs and cars and he loves every second of it. When we go to get him in the afternoon, he can't decide if he wants to come home or stay to play longer. I even mentioned to Keith on Saturday that, because things are going so well, I wouldn't mind having him go there next year and I'll teach again.

On Sunday, the dominoes began falling. Because the Daycare Lady's (Sandra) neighbor is a mean and grouchy old man, a series of events have been set in motion where Sandra is no longer able to watch Luke. Basically, my son can't continue at a place that he has done so well at because some jerk wants to have it out with his neighbor. I would like to personally give this man a huge piece of my mind or a good swift kick to the shins, but I know it won't help anything. What's done is done and my son is the one suffering the consequences.

My heart was breaking a month ago because he was going to daycare; now, it's breaking for Luke because he can't go anymore. Funny how quickly things change.

alive

We're still alive here at Casa de Walt.

First week at school was an adventure.

Parents are living with next to nothing in their new place in Florence, but they made it safely here.

Luke is battling his first cold.

I'm still pregnant.

Will post more when I feel like I've got my head above water and Luke's head cleared of all of those pesky boogers.

fyi

Luke is already trying to bite the new baby. Yes, the child that is still in my stomach is already getting picked on by his/her older brother.

As Keith, Luke, and I were playing, Luke crawled up to me and started snuggling with me. Never one to turn down a good snuggle (or any snuggle for that matter), I welcomed him with open arms. As he laid his head down on my belly I actually thought to myself how sweet a picture this could make. Until I felt Luke bite through two layers of clothing to break skin. Sweet.

On a completely related note, Luke is cutting three more of his bottom teeth and required a full dose of Tylenol and rocking him to get him to go to sleep tonight.

but mom, i'm hungry

Funny story. I'm sitting at the kitchen table filling out some paperwork from school while Keith is getting the vacuum and Luke is playing with his toys. Since we've had him in daycare (all two days of it!), we've tried not to cage him in our living room when he has time at home. He's listening a lot better and is really starting to understand what we're saying. Or so I thought.

When I looked away for a second, Luke opened our pantry door, retrieved his favorite bunny crackers, closed the door, and made a beeline for the other room where we wouldn't be able to see him. He's sneaky, but not sneaky enough. I chased him and was trying to tell him to take a seat in his chair and I would feed him some. This works for his cup and other snacks, but that wasn't good enough. He wanted them right now so he started to shake the box until it exploded open and bunnies went flying everywhere.

The funniest part happened when Keith was cleaning up the lost bunnies. He actually commented to Luke and I on how he was picking up all of the sad bunnies that weren't going to get to do their job. And then he said that I should have gotten a picture. My blogging ways are taking over my husband too. Ha!

day one

I would like to label day one a success at day care. It actually went way better than Keith or I could have hoped for. Luke slept like a champ, ate his food like a good boy, and had a blast playing with the other kiddos. In fact, he didn't even reach out for me when I went to pick him up. It took him a solid 5 seconds to process who I was and when he finally came to me, he was searching for his new friends to play with.

Although it's still incredibly difficult not to be with him, I can rest a lot easier now knowing that he is definitely in a good place. This is probably crazy, but I was a little bummed that it wasn't a little more difficult. It was almost like he didn't even miss me. Geez!

And to end the day, we were faced with this:

Luke crying for around 30 minutes in his crib tonight after we put him to bed. This is unheard of for him. When I went to check on him, I tried to take the blanket off his face and he clutched to himself harder. Poor kid was still completely fast asleep but sobbing his poor heart out. As Keith said, we thought we had to worry about how he would do during his naps. It never occurred to us to consider what might happen to his night time sleep. Maybe he's just missing his new friends already...

hiatus

As of tomorrow morning around 8am, my status as a stay-at-home momma goes on hiatus. Luke starts day care. The day that I (and Keith) have been dreading for so long is finally here and we are both completely stressed out and totally rethinking our decision for me to go back to work. My head knows that everything will be okay. My head knows that he will eat and sleep as needed. My head knows that this is really what we need for our family right now.

But my heart doesn't hear any of that and is sad. I'm sad that I won't get to spend every day with my little man. I'm sad that I'll miss some of the crazy funny things that he does throughout the day. I'm sad that I won't be the one to be there to comfort him or play with him or do any of those things we do.

I know it's going to be a tough transition but we're a strong bunch and we'll make it through. We'll have evenings and weekends and holidays to make the most of our time together. We'll cherish every moment we do get to spend together and make those new things we witness just that much more meaningful and special.

For now though, I'm just sad.

preview

I need to spend some quality time blogging about my parent's visit this weekend, but for now, I'm just going to post a few of my favorite pics to commemorate. Story to follow...just not right now!

growth

Nothing too exciting going in these parts (well, since Friday). No more head injuries. No more baby scares. No more nauseousness! All quiet on the Waltemeyer front. We did have to take Luke to the doctor yesterday for his 15 month check up. He is in great health with a few new vaccinations in him making sure he continues to be so healthy.

One thing that stood out to me was his measurements. They didn't seem like anything to jump up and down about or something to write home to mom for, but when I compared them to his size at birth, I was kind of shocked.

Weight

birth-8 lbs. 11 oz.

now-25 lbs. 10 oz.

gained- close to 17 pounds

Height

birth-21.5 in.

now-34.5 in.

gained-13 in.

Head Circumference

birth-14.4 in.

now-19.3 in.

gained-close to 5 in. (glad it didn't come out this size!)

When did this happen? I know I'm with him everyday so I don't see it so much, but the kid has grown two inches taller in the last three months! No wonder why all of his shirts seem so dang short.

On a final random note, Luke has now decided to use his firetruck as a skateboard. A heads up to Dr. Chang: we may apparently be visiting you for many more head injuries in the near future. At least I'll be able to explain how these ones happened. I'm off to go find a toddler-size bike helmet to strap to my kid's head permanently...

boom boom pow

I know this stuff comes along as part of the motherhood package deal, but I really think that my kids are trying to see how far they push me before I snap. Today was a pretty close call. I have a severe aversion to blood and vomit and one of my greatest fears is hearing someone scream like crazy and I go in and find one of the those two disgusting things all over the place. I've waited for Luke to do this to me since he was born, and until today, it hadn't happened yet.

Actually, it was kind of crazy how the whole thing went down. Luke didn't even make a sound so when I went to get him from his nap, I had no idea what was waiting for me. I walk in and a good quarter of Luke's face is covered in blood and his bumper has a spot the circumference of a drinking cup on it. Hello! No crying and you can hardly see through the blood? No fussing? No causing a scene and/or throwing a fit much like I would? No, my crazy kid smiles up at me as I run to get a paper towel to wipe his face with so I can determine where all the blood is coming from.

The bumper in question. No-I did not get a picture of the blood on his face; you'll have to use your imagination (or try to erase it from your imagination like I'm doing).

I called the pediatrician's office and they wanted to see us right away. I think it was mostly because when the nurse asked if it was a deep wound, I told her I barely managed to clean it up without losing it already. I was NOT looking to see if it gaped open thankyouverymuch. After cleaning the cut, they determined it had to be glued shut because it was a pretty deep slice. So, we strapped Luke up in a papoose (literally the name for the thing), I held gauze over his eye pirate-style to prevent glue for sealing his eye shut too, and the doctor smeared purple super glue over his eye brow to close up shop.

Things are back to normal around here now and Luke is glad to be away from the doctor. Too bad we have his well-baby visit on Monday for more vaccinations. Poor guy...

one, two, three, eyes wet!

***Disclaimer: Traci, I completely understand that the swim program put forth by the Chandler peeps is far superior to any program that is set forth by Gilbert. I also understand the up and ups at the Chandler pools, more specifically yours, are completely fabulous people, but they cannot hold any crazed pregnant ladies responsible for poor decision making within the first trimester of said pregnancy.***

A couple of weeks ago, I thought I was about to lose my mind. Luke and I had been holed up in the house to avoid the incredible hotness that is Phoenix in July for far too many days. I am typically one that can weather these summers without a problem, but trying to manage going anywhere while toting a 25 pound child while trying not to toss your cookies is no easy feat and I was not managing seeing the same walls of my house everyday very well. Keith even began to notice my stir-craziness when I began to call him hourly at work so I'd have someone to talk to. Sure, I could (and do...) talk to Luke incessantly, but its nice to have some adult interaction and response every one in a while. You know?

As if by some diving intervention, on the day when I very nearly lost my mind, the Gilbert Parks and Rec flier miraculously showed up in our mailbox that touted the swim classes that were to start the very next week. Luke's schedule is not one that typically works very well with activities planned by others. He's usually fast asleep when various places hold read-alouds or play groups. Thankfully, Gilbert offered a swim class that took place right after his nap time. Hurrah!

After the first day, I wasn't so sure that this was the stroke of genius I'd made it out to be in my head all weekend. Luke wasn't a huge fan and ended up fussing most of the time. Turns out that that was the only day like that. He loved it! It was a nice small class with only two other kiddos so we got a chance to know the others and not feel overwhelmed with the amount of people there. Luke (and I) learned a lot of things to work on, sang songs, and had a great time bonding together.

Luke loved sitting on the side and jumping off the side to me. He especially loved it when I had the fish toy for him to come get!

We would say "one, two, three, eyes wet!" and send them under the water to the step. He was so proud of himself for being able to do this!

He really got into kicking. Whether it was bear hug kicks or holding onto the wall and kicking, he had a great time!

We got to spend some time together singing songs and hanging out, just the two of us. I'm glad that we got to have some fun alone time together in the pool.

Back floats were our nemesis. Those just never got easier...we'll definitely keep working on that one.

All done! Although it may not have been at a Chandler pool (and yes it was Williamsfield High Traci!), Luke and I had a great time. Next summer, I'll plan better and make sure we go to the right place.