Swim Lessons

July 23, 2011January 23, 2019 ~ Heather Walter ~ Leave a comment

Isaac started swim lessons about a month ago. Some weeks he really enjoys them. Some weeks, he is tired and fussy. This was probably the best week we’ve had. He’s beginning to put his face in the water and will roll onto his back pretty easily (which is supposed to take a while). We are still working on learning to get out of the pool safely and blowing bubbles. Here are a few photos of us in the pool this week.

Reaching for Mommy:

Back to Leah (the instructor):

Relaxing with Leah:

Getting ready to climb in the noodle:

Mommy demonstrating bubble blowing:

Checking out the camera from the water:

Isaac the Walker

July 14, 2011January 23, 2019 ~ Heather Walter ~ 2 Comments

I have been meaning to post videos of Isaac walking for some time. I will get some new ones this week, too, hopefully, but these are from last week. They were taken last Wednesday, our anniversary, and were a fun addition to our celebration.

This one is from earlier in the day on Friday. Isaac is now exclusively walking, though, and gets steadier every day.

Todd got me a new camera for my birthday. I am still trying to figure everything out, but wanted to share a few of the first photos from it:

Hopefully you will be able to view this last video. It’s much higher resolution due to the new camera…

Faux-hawk

June 30, 2011January 23, 2019 ~ Heather Walter ~ 1 Comment

Todd took this photo of the mini-man while we were at the (very hot) Real Ale Brewing Anniversary this weekend. He’s getting more hair!!! :o)

Fun Days

June 28, 2011 ~ Heather Walter ~ Leave a comment

Todd pulled out Isaac’s Legos for the first time last night. By the end of the night, Isaac was having great fun bringing me all of the different pieces. He also enjoyed pulling them off the big red “mat” as soon as Todd would put get them stacked. I think he’s really going to have a lot of fun with them as he continues to figure out how they work. They aren’t quite as foot-friendly as the foam blocks when you step on them, though.

This morning, Isaac needed a bath after breakfast. He succeeded in smearing quite a bit of his fruit into (and through) his romper. I decided to give him a quick dip in the tub before his nap. In an effort to make it quick, I let the water run in the tub while I undressed Isaac and got him ready to get in. As a result, he had much deeper water than usual. Clearly, he thought this was wonderful!

WALKING!!!

June 18, 2011 ~ Heather Walter ~ 1 Comment

I believe the videos speak for themselves…

Walking Practice

June 9, 2011January 23, 2019 ~ Heather Walter ~ 1 Comment

Isaac is getting better and better at walking. He is now just as fast with his walker as he is crawling. It’s a matter of time before he’s running full-throttle! I am patient, though, and I am willing to wait as long as it takes. I can hardly keep up with him when he’s crawling as it is… Unfortunately, none of my videos have yet captured the running commentary we now have going. Isaac babbles a LOT and usually talks as he makes his circuit around the house.

Grandad came to visit Isaac (and Todd and me) last weekend. He got to witness Isaac in action first-hand and even helped him practice.

Isaac rarely sits still now, unless we are in an unfamiliar location. Or he’s eating. He’s also getting better with all sorts of sippy cups.

He still loves to play in his sand box. Jackson is still an ever-present helper. I can’t wait for them to be able to play together!

Another little video of Isaac. He has 2 walkers and apparently thinks he might be able to move twice as fast if he uses both at once. 🙂

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.