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.

this could be huge...

So I've been slacking on having Keith take the same belly pics of me this time as when I had him do with Luke. Between napping and chasing Luke, it just really hasn't been a priority around the Walt household. I finally got my act together this past weekend and had him take a 13 week picture.

Before I post the picture, I have some background information that I feel is completely necessary to share before exposing my belly to you. Before Baby Drama 2009 occurred here last week, I had really maintained a very healthy eating regimen and put forth serious effort to not too much extra stuff. I did not want to gain a lot of unneeded weight, and although everything I was eating tasted like it was coated in a thick layer of dirt, I struggled through. Post BD09-careful no more. With my new found perspective on how fleeting this pregnancy could be, I am now set to enjoy every single second of it. It I want Doritos, I'll eat Doritos (and I did). If I want movie theater popcorn with butter, then I will have just that (and I did). And if a 10 pc. McDonald's chicken nugget meal is screaming my name, I will answer the call and eat it (and I did). Keith has been really great about the whole thing too. He doesn't make any comments about my appetite and politely gets me what I ask for. It's just nice to have an appetite at all these days because it was non-existent during the first 12 weeks of this journey.

First, a before picture. Granted this is the before picture from when I was pregnant with Luke, but I was back to the same size and shape when I got pregnant this time.

And now the comparison. The first picture is me 12 weeks pregnant with Luke. The second picture is me 13 weeks pregnant currently. I'm not sure I like where this is going...

sticking

I posted a few weeks ago about how this pregnancy doesn't seem real to me yet; that I don't yet grasp the idea that there is another child, another little person, growing inside of me. The idea is sticking now.

This past Friday Keith and I experienced one of the single most scary moments of both of our lives. I don't want to go into any specific details because it was such a personal experience to both of us, but at one point, we thought we'd lost the baby. It was at that moment that the idea of the baby became real. My heart broke as I thought I'd never get to hold this baby as I got to with Luke. Or that I'd never get to feel the baby move inside me. Or get to hear it laugh some day. It was at that moment that I knew I loved this baby and wanted it to be real. I wanted it to stick.

At my appointment with the doctor on Monday, because we couldn't find the heartbeat with the usual thing, we were able to have a quick ultrasound to check what the status of my pregnancy was. Seeing the little heartbeat flicker away was such a welcome relief. All of our worries melted away and we were able to see our little peanut moving all over the place waving its arms and legs around.

Seems this baby already has a flair for the dramatic and likes to put on a good show. I love it.

monkey man

Luke has recently figured out how to climb onto our couch. We were both really excited about his skills and encouraged his trying new things...probably because its to frickin' funny to watch.

He starts by throwing one leg up on the couch. The foot left down is on the very tip of his toes and they even curl under sometimes. This part looks kind of painful sometimes.

Next, he hopes for the best as he pulls the dangling foot up. On multiple occasions, this step has resulted in Luke rolling off the couch and giggling on the floor. I have to say, it's kind of my favorite when this happens and he doesn't make it up.

If he gets both legs up, he proceeds to use his mouth to help pull himself the rest of the way up. Our couch is now littered with baby drool marks.

He gets so excited when he gets all the way up and tends to forget to put the tongue away during his moment of glory.

Much success! He made it up and loves to find his "spot" on the couch.

We thought this entire process was completely adorable and genius until Luke proceeded to knock the speaker over that is behind him in the last picture. If you know much about Keith, his electronic equipment is his prized possession. It happened on my watch when Keith was at work and that was the worst phone call I've ever had to make. I cried like a baby thinking we'd broken one of his babies, but it turned out fine, and Keith was really very nice about the whole thing.

Needless to say, I don't think couch time is so cute anymore. Sorry Luke!

rare

I can count on my hand the number of times I have actually seen Luke asleep since he was a newborn. He prefers to go down awake and put himself to sleep instead of having us rock him or soothe him to sleep and will usually wake up to the sounds of me making whatever meal of the day its time for him to eat. It's a routine we both expect and enjoy...or at least I do.

Yesterday, I went to get him from his morning nap and this is what I found.

He didn't even flinch when I opened the door. So, instead of waking him to feed him, I took pictures. I love that I can tell he's a teacher's kid already. He sleeps criss-cross applesauce style. You are welcome future kindergarten teacher!

mr. murphy go away

It must be Murphy's Law or some other cosmic happening that makes certain (or one very specific thing in my case) events happen. I am not a popular girl. I do not talk on the phone a lot and actually prefer e-mails to having a verbal conversation with someone. It gives me a chance to reflect and compose my thoughts the way I really want them to sound. Maybe that's why I like to blog so much. :)

Over the past week or so, my sickness-feeling has been on the decline (praise the Lord!), but my need for sleep and rest has not. I'm still on the schedule of sleeping when Luke does to accommodate my siesta needs. *Without fail* every single time I'm about to fall asleep or have just fallen asleep, my phone rings. Either the home phone or my cell phone, but either way, one of them starts wailing in my ear. If I can't form a very witty or insightful conversation on a good rested moment in my life, there is little to no chance I have a shot at making sense while I'm groggy.

The sad part is that most of the phone calls that I do receive during these times are from the dreaded telemarketers. They are the people that call me. I used to try to let them down gently and nicely refuse whatever service they were trying to peddle, but now, I just hang up or interrupt their schpeal with a very abrupt, "Do not call me again. Ever." Sorry. Well, not really. I'm not really sorry. I'm tired and pregnant. And since Luke just went down for a nap, I'm headed to bed too.

playtime randomness

Over the past week or so, during the brief times when I emerge from my sick-and-tired-from-baby coma, I've caught Luke doing some very funny and weird things during his playtime. Maybe he does these things to occupy himself since he does play alone a good majority of the time (I try but he usually runs away) or maybe he's just crazy. Either way you look at it, he's quite the ham.

Loves to "boom boom boom!"

Luke throwing his activity table over...

...and trying to escape punishment through Keith's legs when disciplined.

He's started putting his hands behind his back and playing with his fingers.

Still loves to spend some time in his toy baskets.

Still working on the exit strategy.

Successfully used his overturned firetruck as a prop to push on when pooing. Helped his cause.

Doesn't use the cup for drinking, but to scream in and make funny noises with.

We're getting better on the grass. After some much-needed grass therapy with Grandma last time they visited, he seems to be enjoying it again...or at least tolerating it for my sake.

hot stuff

Luke thinks its the greatest thing when Keith puts his sunglasses on him. Such the stud already!