Sit up and take notice

Archer would like everyone to sit up and take notice of his recent accomplishments. For some reason, he chose this week to put several checks in the baby milestone boxes. Drink from a sippy cup? Check! Sit up unsupported? Check! Suck on own toes? Check! He also improved his army crawling abilities. He can now drag himself from one end of the room to the other in record time. It is only a matter of time before he will be up on his hands and knees in the full-on crawl. I thought I had some more time to finish babyproofing the house but this new stealth speed army crawl has proven that theory wrong. Now where did I put that baby gate?


If only everything could be so easy. The whole eating solid food (as in getting it in his mouth) continues to be elusive. He is just not interested. Kid can clamp that mouth shut, let me tell you. I've successfully (force) fed a few bites of rice cereal, oatmeal, squash, and banana. I did get him to try eating banana from one of those mesh bag things (self-feeder) and he did pretty well for a few minutes. However, the next day he developed a tiny bit of rash on his stomach so now I'm wondering if he's allergic to bananas. I guess I'll try again in the future and see how it goes. Why oh why can my children not be good eaters? They do not take after me!


Lots of fun this week! Unfortunately Archer waited until after Keith left to show off his new skills. Oh well, this will just give him more time to perfect his craft before Keith gets home. Then he can really wow his dad with all his new tricks! Check back soon for more updates!

There is no place like Nebraska

I finally organized my pictures from our trip to Nebraska and am ready to share! (Warning: this is a LONG one!) I got some great photos...and some that were not-so-great. It's hard to get 5 kids to sit still and smile at the camera! It will be nice having pictures to share with the boys so they can remember exactly who is who. Our trip was a whirlwind of activity, as usual, but we got to see almost everyone we hoped to see, which is great. The boys were both wonderful on the plane rides to and from. We lucked out. Will was psyched to have his own seat (by the window...he stole my favorite spot!) and asked Keith a lot of questions about the plane, flying, etc. Finally all that pilot training comes in handy in our day to day lives! :) Archer was a dream too; he slept most of the time and only fussed a little when his ears hurt.


However, I can't say everything was as rosy. It was hard on both boys to be out of their routine, which resulted in daily tantrums and confusion from both. I'm sure Archer wondered why he was somewhere new every time he woke up. Will too; he had a hard time transitioning from house to house and spending so much time in the car. At one point he even told us that "there are too many Grandmas in Nebraska." hahaha Poor guy. But they survived and did enjoy all the attention they received. Will especially loved visiting the play area with Addison and Easton (and their respective adults!) and playing with cousins Andrew, Connor, and Abby. In fact, when we got home, Will wanted to know if the cousins could come for a playdate. Hopefully someday they can! And in his own little way, Archer told me how much he enjoyed meeting his Nebraska relatives. The next time they see him, he'll be a totally different kid!


We also got to celebrate Grandma Charma's 60th birthday while we were there. We did dinner, dessert, and even a surprise (adults only!) party. Thanks, Auntie Rach, for planning. Aunt Jill and Matt even made the trip. It was Matt's first time in Nebraska and he survived so that's a good sign. There was one incident with Will, Matt, and a fern at Charma's house but Matt was willing to let that go. :) It was GREAT having my whole side together, even if it was only for a day. I'll take it! Grandma Janene was nice enough to host yet another open house on our behalf. Thank you! It was wonderful to have so many family members travel to see us and catch up. We never have enough time but we do our best. We appreciate the effort on all accounts.


These are just a few of the pictures from our trip. A great time was had by all...but next time I'm converting back to a warm weather trip. When the high for the day is 6 degrees, that's a sure sign I'm in the wrong state! And remember: visitors welcome and encouraged on our end too!

The Incredible Growing Baby!

Step right up, folks, and prepare to be amazed. It's the Incredible Growing Baby! This boy just keeps growing and growing. At only 6 months old, he already weighs in at 16 pounds, 10 ounces and a whopping 26 inches long! Archer Dean Heyen is truly amazing!

Okay, okay, so it's not THAT amazing but I have to say I was quite surprised when I took Archer for his 6 month check-up and they told me his height and weight. In less than a month, he'd gained a pound. In our household, that is a big deal! He's still "small" compared to other babies his age (around the 35-45th percentile) but he's on a great track.


And he's changing in other ways too! Archer is rolling all over the house and grabbing at everything in sight; he especially loves my hair. I have to revert back to uber-babyproofing the house and reminding Will to keep small parts out of sight (easier said than done). He's not sitting unsupported quite yet but can balance on his hands or with a pillow for support. I have no doubt he'll be sitting, then crawling, sooner rather than later. He's become very vocal lately as well; it seems high pitched screams and squeals are his favorite. We've tried cereal more consistently and he may be getting the hang of it. He seems to prefer oatmeal to rice cereal so we're using that for now. Keith seems to have better luck at feeding than I do...go figure! I think little A is working on a tooth too. Lots of fun changes ahead as my baby transitions from little baby to active baby. Hold on for the ride!


I'm working on organizing our many, many pictures from our recent Nebraska trip. I hope to get some posted very soon.