Vacation

June 1, 2011January 23, 2019 ~ Heather Walter ~ 1 Comment

I decided to take my flight with Isaac all by myself. Stupid? Probably. But it all worked out really well. Isaac is a traveling champ! Isaac and I flew to Baltimore/Washington on Saturday, May 14. Isaac did not cry, or even fuss, once on the plane. Our flight was super-early, so he slept through most of it before proceeding to charm our seatmates for the last 45 minutes or so… My college roommate, Gail, came to the airport to pick us up. We spent the night at her house where she and I had a chance to catch up while Isaac played with her kids’ toys.

The next day, Gail dropped me off and my friend Amy picked us up. We spent the night at her house on Sunday and had an awesome time with Amy, Sebastian, and the boys. Amy’s son, Nicholas, and Isaac had a great time building things with foam blocks and knocking them down.

That was before Isaac discovered that the blocks would float in the dog’s water…

Isaac loved Sebastian, who let him get away with murder…

Amy’s sister (and my FB friend), Jessica, brought her daughter over. Juliana and Isaac were due within about a week of each other, but were born nearly a month apart! They babies were so cute together!

I could have spent a week at the Fonss house! :o) But… Monday, Amy and her sons drove into DC to take Isaac and me to Union Station. We took a train to Williamsburg. It took about 4 hours and Isaac was, again, a great traveler. I got someone to help me load my ridiculously heavy suitcase and the car seat on the train. Then Isaac and I found a seat with a woman who spends her days working with 1- to 2-year-olds. Perfect!!! She was fascinating because she has lived, literally, all over the world. She was great to talk to on our journey and Isaac even managed to relax enough to take a little snooze while we chatted.

We spent the work week in Williamsburg at my sister’s house. Nana, Aunt Kristin, and Uncle Dave all lavished plenty of affection on Isaac. Unfortunately, I have very few pictures of the week spent at their house… Isaac practiced his walking skills and had great fun losing Aunt Kristin’s markers for her.

Friday, we drove back up to Northern Virginia. Isaac was really good in the car and napped much of the way. As Kristin pointed out, he was actually less cranky than she and I were while sitting in traffic.

We had a wonderful roommate reunion at Michele’s apartment. We spent the day at National Harbor and then retired to Michele’s apartment again for milkshakes, sushi, and relaxing.

Todd flew in on Saturday evening. After dinner with a friend, he came down to NoVa and met up with us. The next day, we drove up to Maryland, where we had a family gathering for our nephew, Kyle’s, seventh birthday. Would you believe that I didn’t take a single photo of Kyle’s party??? We did get a good family photo of all of us, though.

Tuesday, we drove up to the Youghiogheny River in Pennsylvania. We were in a technology blackout – no phones, no email, NO FACEBOOK!!! for the rest of the week. It was glorious! Isaac had already traveled by planes, trains, and automobiles, and once we reached Yough, he got to experience a boat. He wasn’t a big fan of the bulky life preserver, but he wore it. The river was beautiful and peaceful before the Memorial Day holiday weekend. We took advantage of it.

Back at the A-frame (river house), Isaac worked on his stair-climbing mastery… Mom wasn’t terribly thrilled, but sometimes you have to pick your battles.

Isaac practiced walking with PopPop, as well as with both grandparents. Grandma thinks he’ll be walking on his own within the week, but I think it’s going to be a few more weeks. I’m fine with letting him take his time – I can still sort of keep up with him while he’s still crawling.

After a thoroughly relaxing few days on the river, Todd, Isaac, and I went to Lower Burrell, PA to see Todd’s grandmother. She was so surprised that she got to meet Isaac!!!

We finally returned home on Sunday evening. We had a day to get used to being back in Austin before Todd had to return to work today. Isaac was an amazing traveler and never complained on our trip. We had a great time seeing so much extended family. I think we’ll try to do it again next month. :o)

Upright Mobility

May 5, 2011 ~ Heather Walter ~ 3 Comments

Today was an exciting day at the Walter house! Isaac took a few steps while holding my hands. Up to now, he pushes the chairs around in the kitchen, but he won’t try walking while holding onto Mommy or Daddy. I am not sure he’s realized he can walk to get to a destination. He sometimes cruises down the couch, but he seems to do it more for fun than to get where he’s going.

Anyway, this morning I had gone outside to set the cloth diapers in the sunshine. As I re-entered the laundry room, Isaac was coming toward me. He held onto my pants’ legs and stood up, just as he’s done a million or so times. Usually I pick him up when he does this. I was getting ready to move the laundry from the washer to the dryer, so I wanted to keep both hands free. I asked if he’d like to look in the dryer while I loaded it – it is, after all, a giant container. :o) I took his little hands off my legs and held them. He turned around, and then took 4 little steps to the dryer!!! I was jumping and clapping and carrying on like a lunatic! LOL

Anyway, I managed to (sort of) take a video of Isaac walking. He was trying to get his hands free so he could crawl because that’s faster, but he managed to get across the living room on just 2 feet. I couldn’t be prouder!

Enjoy!!!

Isaac’s First Easter

April 25, 2011January 23, 2019 ~ Heather Walter ~ Leave a comment

Isaac had a great first Easter! As you can see by his casual attire, we didn’t actually make it to church. He had a rough night, so I slept in and we missed the 10:30 service. I was going to try, then, to go to the 4:00 service at a friend’s church, but Isaac fell asleep at 3:15. The best-laid plans… I am learning flexibility. LOL

Isaac played on his rocking puppy for a while (a birthday gift from Aunt Kristin and Uncle Dave).

He got a bucket of Easter goodies from Grandma and Grandpa.

Jackson was also very curious about this…

Among other things in the bucket was a tasty, rubber, squishy toy with a ball that blinks different colors on the inside.

He got a new sippy cup.

Mom and Dad gave him some of the maracas he’s loved at his music classes. They are just the right size for little hands!

The best part, however, may have been that the bucket was a *container*. We all know how much Isaac likes to put things into containers these days!

Nana also got Isaac a cute little lamb with a top hat. I was unsuccessful in getting a picture with it. He held it in front of his face for the first several attempts – here you can see its feet after Isaac threw it. :o) Sorry, Nana.

Spring Update

April 25, 2011January 23, 2019 ~ Heather Walter ~ Leave a comment

Isaac in his high chair. We spend a lot of time here now that he’s eating more and more (and finger foods)! Here’s looking at you, Kid.

Isaac has learned to climb the stairs. Here he is about a day or so after he first climbed to the top:

…and about a week later racing his friend, Henry, to the top of the stairs at Henry’s house:

First trip to the pool. We went to my friend, Tori’s, house. I took some of Isaac’s bath toys along. He was fascinated by the little fountain you can see behind him. It was just the right height for him to stand by it and put his hands on top.

Baby storage solution?

“How does this latch work?”

Escape!!!

Hooray, beer! (Don’t worry, he’s still too small to reach the handles).

Exploring under the stairs. This little hole leads into the coat closet.

“Helping” dad with the wiring.

Finally, “dancing” with Dad:

Jackson and the Bubbles

April 25, 2011 ~ Heather Walter ~ Leave a comment

Jackson loves to chase bubbles. Judy was having a good time blowing bubbles for Jackson to try to catch. He moves too fast to be caught well on camera, but I think you’ll be able to sense the enthusiasm!

Tricycle Video

April 25, 2011 ~ Heather Walter ~ 1 Comment

I had to create a YouTube account to be able to upload this. I thought it was worth the effort, though! I think Todd had even more fun than Isaac.

Since we shot this video, we’ve started crossing the shoulder straps on the trike so Isaac is a little more secure. He loves to go FAST!

Isaac’s First Birthday

April 20, 2011January 23, 2019 ~ Heather Walter ~ Leave a comment

I didn’t realize (until Mom told me) that I hadn’t posted any photos from Isaac’s actual birthday. I only posted pictures from the party. Sorry! Most of the excitement was actually at the party, rather than on the day itself.

Blue Bear is shrinking!

First, our friend Candy brought over a super-cute little dinosaur that she made for Isaac. The red fabric has little grey tools all over it and is perfect for Isaac. It even goes well with his bedroom decor!

Then, our very nice next door neighbor, Kathy, surprised us with a toy for Isaac. He LOVES this thing and the various (loud) noises it can make when Mom and Dad are trying to watch TV.

Then, Daddy came home from work and put together the gift from Mom & Dad. It’s a cool tricycle thing. Isaac’s friend Cash has one, too, and Isaac really likes this. It’s how we go on walks now…

I have a great video of Todd playing with this, but I can’t get it to upload…

Later, Isaac opened his present from Aunt Shannon, Uncle Scott, Kyle, and Katie. The tree frog passed the taste test.

He got this fun rocking puppy (as opposed to a rocking horse) from Aunt Krissy and Uncle Dave. This has been a fun toy for him so far. Sometimes he rocks on it; sometimes he kneels on it.

Finally, we gave him the Noah’s Ark set and book that Nana sent. He plays with it every single day now. Last night, one of the giraffes jumped ship and went for a swim in my water glass while I wasn’t looking…

The other big, fun gift Isaac got was given to him before the birthday party. It’s a water/sand table from Grandma and Grandpa. He likes this toy – especially the various shovels and rakes that he carries all over the house while crawling.

Giggles

April 6, 2011 ~ Heather Walter ~ Leave a comment

I have seen several videos of babies giggling lately – they seem to have all gone viral on the Internet at the same time. I think they are adorable. So, here are a couple of videos of my favorite baby laughing:

Bluebonnets

April 6, 2011January 23, 2019 ~ Heather Walter ~ Leave a comment

Texas tradition is to brave the oak pollen every spring to get pictures of your kids in the bluebonnets. We didn’t succeed last year because Isaac was so young. This year, we delivered! Isaac did a taste test and then we took several shots.

Sweet, happy boy

Family photo

Four generations: Albert “Abe” Walter, Dave Walter, Todd Walter, and Isaac Walter

The Walter Men

Isaac and the girls

Birthday Party!

April 3, 2011January 23, 2019 ~ Heather Walter ~ Leave a comment

Wow! Today was an amazingly fun time!!! Today, we celebrated Archer, Henry, Cash, and Isaac’s first birthday. We had a huge party for all 4 boys and they had a blast.

Isaac had his first taste of sugar and I think it’s safe to say he liked it. We got all 4 boys to sit at a little table in the yard so they could enjoy their cupcakes. We lit candles (and kept all fingers away from the flames) and then let the boys dig in. Isaac went FACE FIRST!!! It was absolutely hilarious! All of the kids played with the water/sand table and we got pictures of the birthday boys, their mommies, and the Baby Mamas. Here’s a hint of the festivities from today:

The fun (messiness) is about to begin!