Jack received his first “real” Lego kit from Grammy for Christmas, and he and Scott put it together for an hour one night. Jack’s focus was actually GREAT for this project and he did an awesome job following instruction and truly did a lot of it himself! It is a really cute camper set and he has said several time how much fun he had doing it with his Daddy.
I foresee many more little pieces to step on in our future… Now the real trick is keeping these away from a very curious little sister!
Wow! I cannot believe that we are already almost 1/2 way through this pregnancy!
Baby Walti #3’s blog debut! Not the best shot, but we were a bit early for for the 20 week ultrasound, at 18.5 weeks, so it was harder to get a full body shot. And he/she was moving around like a crazy person, so the tech was really struggling!
See that strong baseball arm? Looks like a shortstop to me.
Everything is going great! I feel wonderful, the kids are enjoying my “changes” – Jack pats my belly and Emma told me last week that she has a baby in her belly, too. She got a new baby for Christmas from Uncle Heath, so she has been carrying both of them around singing “My Two Kiddos” like I do with both the kids (which is getting harder and harder to do these days – Jack as resorted to a piggy-back ride!). We haven’t gotten the final ultrasound results back, but it seemed like everything was “there” – and NO, we did not find out the sex again! (Aunt Janice…).
Things I notice in this picture:
1. I look tired as hell (I really wasn’t, but it was 11pm)
2. I really need to start doing lunges – Kardashian-style. Major lifting needed ASAP.
3. Cannot wait for my “reduction” and “lift” in 2016.
Here are comparison shots from the first two (and for a laugh at my aging…)
Pregnant w/ Jack
Pregnant with Emma – Whoa, I look way more tired, but less “sticking out” in this one. Looks like a bad day!
So, there is your laugh for the day – please enjoy it at my expense. The good news is that I actually really like my body when I am pregnant – it is really fun and I LOVE feeling the baby move around. Nothing like it.
So, Looking forward to (hopefully) another 20 weeks of feeling good!
(Almost) 20 week Quick Facts
Total Weight Gained: 5 lbs
New Changes: Much more movement, some actual “kicks or punches,” better appetite, MUCH more energy – actually staying up past 10pm!, Peeing ALL the time
Current Cravings: still crisp apples, rice & beans, drippy eggs, banana peppers on ANYTHING, carbonated beverages, and coffee sounds good again
Aversions: fish, pizza doesn’t sound good
Sleep: MUCH better – totally on my side now, but have gotten used to it
Cute Jack Quotes: “Daddy, I want a baby brother, but then we have to have a baby sister, so that he has a little sister to take care of like I take care of Emma.” "Mom, I want 5 kids in our family.” Jack is also very into playing “Mommy and Daddy” with Emma and carrying stuffed animals and babies in a “pouch” on his front like a sling.
This past weekend we traveled to Anderson to visit Grammy, Grandpa Dale, and Uncle Heath for our Christmas Celebration. As always, there was great food, and lots of relaxation, movie watching, and laughs. (if you are in the mood for a crazy and hilarious movie – rent The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia – OMG is all there is to say)
The kids were absolutely SPOILED and Uncle Heath really went over the top!
They got a combo gift of a great wooden table/4 chairs from Ikea, which Mommy is VERY excited about – crafting, snacks, etc. It will be great to have! Jack got some new tractors, a cool obstacle course game, movies, books and more from Uncle Heath, where Emma received and is OBSESSED with her new baby (complete with paci – her fave thing about it) that she promptly named “Emmy Gace Walti”
“Emmy Gace Walti” and a felt sandwich
LOVING the new tractors
Jack also got the big item from his Santa list – an AWESOME wooden fire station playset that he loves (Emmy, too) from Grammy and Gpa Dale. I highly recommend this gift to any parent of a toddler boy – it is like a dollhouse for boys! Serious entertainment for hours. (It is made by KidKraft for anyone who is interested!)
Emmy lucked out with a Fisher Price record player (that we had as kids, I clearly remember it), a Leapfrog Alphabet player, a Melissa and Doug Felt sandwich set (so cool), books, cute clothes, and other goodies.
This was Emma’s little playspot the entire weekend where she took all of her toys and played by herself below the stairs.
Scott and I made out pretty well too – I am well on my way to our SLR Camera that will be purchased after the holidays – I cannot wait to have it for some good shots of the kiddos – there really is no other way to capture them quick enough!
While we were in town, my Mom had her neighbor who is a budding photographer come over and take some family shots – some of them turned out pretty good! (Ignore Jack’s sweater with running pants – I forgot his jeans/cords!)
Thanks to all for a great weekend and for all of our goodies!
A fun week ahead with more holiday celebrations and fun (Kids are at Navy Pier Winter Wonderfest today with Katie) and then off to Libertyville for week-long Walti cousin fun next week! Scott and I are both hoping to take off most of next week, so it could be 10 days in a row with just the kiddos – HOORAY!
I took off yesterday to get some things done in the morning, but then in the afternoon, it was Jack time!
Scott and I think it is really important to give the kids special “Mommy/Daddy time” every now and then and Jack REALLY LOVES IT! He was so excited when I told him “I am spending the entire afternoon with just you!”
We started off with going to one of our annual subscription plays to The Emerald City Theatre (ADORABLE – designed specifically for kids age 3-7) for “Junie B Jones – Jingle Bells, Batman Smells.” Scott broke away from work to join us and Jack was so excited that Daddy could see his special play…sat on his lap the entire time! It was a super cute play and so fun to watch Jack laugh out loud.
my two handsome guys!
Then we headed to Americas Dog for a hot dog lunch and fruit punch…
And then Scott went back to the office and Jack and I ran some Christmas shopping errands which included some fun…
Playing at Land of Nod – had a BLAST and I realized that the kids have never been in a real toy store before, so it was probably very exciting! (are they isolated?)
Playing at Patagonia – VERY into Legos lately and building things (mainly airplanes and delivery trucks). It was so fun to watch him with this little boy.
It was a great day spent with my favorite little boy – love watching him experience life, smile just from hanging out with mom and dad (PLEASE let this last forever!), and feel very special for the day!
Off to Anderson this weekend for Christmas Celebration #1 with Grammy, Gpa Dale, and Uncle Heath!
***(PLEASE Emma Grace, do NOT get carsick!)
kids spent lots of morning time in their new “busy books” I made them – I am so happy that they like them and they are great for 15-30 minutes of alone quiet time! (Proud Momma Moment)
attacking Daddy as he comes home from a long week – they are both really into piggy-back rides – primarily on each other!
Jack & I were cooking machines this weekend – applesauce, homemade noodles, a whole chicken (for said noodles and soup for later), hummus, muffins, spaghetti squash…a lot of dishes!
playing santa in the bathtub
play-doh time! they are really interested in play-doh lately – it is so fun
GREAT train/lights exhibit at the Chicago Botanic Gardens
with Five Guys for dinner afterwards – YUMM
Gingerbread house decorating – Jack loved it and Emma licked EVERY piece of candy
We felt very crafty this weekend with some painting during Emmy’s nap – a gift for someone special!
These are the simple, fun weekends that I will remember – full of kid activities, field trips, and time at HOME.
a little late, but this past weekend was just FANTASTIC!
a perfect mix of fun, family, and to-do-list-tackling! Got a few things knocked off of my Holiday To-Do List!
Friday night was my office holiday party, which I organize (270 people – not a very small feat!) – it went off without a hitch and was a good time. Scott was traveling all week, so he chose to stay home, but it was nice for me to get out with work friends, and I actually made it home pretty early. Came home to Scott and Jack snuggled up in our bed after watching The Polar Express (their fave), both just wearing their boxers. I will spare Scott the embarrassment of posting a pic. 
Saturday was CHRISTMAS DECORATING at the Walti home! We went to our old standby, Home Depot, and picked out our tree. Someday we will go cut it down, but it is right down the street, and on a rainy morning, much easier than a drive to the burbs. The kids enjoyed running through the trees and splashing around.
(How ADORABLE is this coat that my Mom got Emmy? I love the sleeves…)
We listened to Christmas music, got out the decorations, and Jack and I had a great time. Tackled the toys, took some to storage (looks so CLEAN – I CANNOT WAIT to have a dedicated play-space!)
Saturday night was my annual Secret Santa/Holiday Dinner with my girlfriends – always a great time. The group is much smaller now (everyone is leaving Chi-town!), but still fun and a great excuse to be up until 1am talking with my gals…nice to know that we can still find the hip spots to dine and are not totally out of it.
Sunday…more Christmas decorating and lots of talk with Jack about what a “tradition” means. This conversation stemmed from the tradition that we have of getting the kids a new ornament every year to signify what they were interested in that past year, which my mom did for us. Jack’s ornament this year was a fire truck to remind him of his current love of rescue equipment and to remind him of our years in the city and having the firehouse right up the block, which he still ruses to the windows to watch run by. Emma’s 2011 ornament is of a Fisher Price dollhouse – she is really into dollhouses and babies and has been playing with Grandma’s a lot of this year. She loved it! (I have attempted several photos of them holding their ornaments – another tradition that I want to start – but they have been TOO WOUND UP! AKA – bring on summer!!!)
Then, on Sunday night, we packed up the wagon, complete with Hot Chocolate in sippy cups and bundled up to head to ZOO LIGHTS! One of our favorite things every year and it was a great trip. Not too crowded, a mild winter temperature, and the kids were pretty into it. Emma even tackled her fear of carousels and loved it!
SO much fun!!!
