Swim

We're gearing up for warmer weather on the East coast and in prepration, Will started swim lessons this past week. He is taking classes twice a week at the Y and has a wonderful teacher named Miss Shirley. She's patient but firm and gently pushes the kids beyond their comfort level. We had previously been working with Will on putting his face in the water and jumping off the side of the pool. He was hit or miss for us. But he did both for Miss Shirley on his first day of lessons. She had him blowing bubbles in the water like a champ! There are 6 kids in his class and several have had poolside meltdowns; so far, Will's been very good. He's had moments of apprehension but musters his bravery and forges ahead. I'm excited to see where this leads and am looking forward to spending some quality time at the pool with the kids in the coming months. Until then, we'll continue our lessons. As you can see, Will is enjoying himself!

Rub a Dub Dub, Two Boys in the Tub

Now that Archer's growing up (sigh!) and can sit up on his own, we decided to throw them into the bath together and see how it turned out. It wasn't too bad; Will kept the splashing to a minimum and no one peed (or worse!) in the water, so I counted it a success.

I'm really enjoying how the boys can do so much more togther now that Archer's getting out of the "baby" stage and is nearing the toddler stage. He's not even 8 months yet, so he's obviously still my sweet little baby, but he's maturing so quickly. His crawling continues to get better; he's finding his way around the house and getting stuck in all sorts of odd places (behind the couch, under the kitchen table, etc). He doesn't always go around things that are blocking his way; sometimes he tries to go over them and gets high centered. But it's all part of the learning process. He loves to sit up in his crib. This usually involves some level of screaming but I'm hoping he'll learn to enjoy the new view. Keith and I were both surprised that Archer is already trying to pull himself up. Yikes! He can get up to his knees at this point; I'm hoping the full standing position is a ways off. I'd like to savor the remaining days of babyhood. I have a feeling they are going to go way too fast.

We were recently visited by a handsome little pirate. He almost made me walk the plank but in the end decided I'm a keeper. Close call! Thanks to Great Grandma Irma and Great Grandpa Pat for the money; this is what Will purchased at the store! Yo ho ho!

The tortoise and the hare

Well, it's official! Archer is crawling. He had his first, coordinated crawling session on February 13th and has been gaining speed and confidence ever since. Will thought the crawling was really fun at first, until he realized that Archer now has full access to the house, including the big boy toys and Will's room. We're still working out the sharing details! I managed to get some funny shots of Archer as he learned his new skill.

It's funny to see the boys interact now because Will is always zooming around at top speed while Archer is more mellow and slow. Will literally runs circles around Archer as Archer tries to navigate his way down the hallway or through the living room. I've had to remind Will that we don't jump over our brother several times lately. I see a theme emerging here. We'll see who goes on to "win the race" in the long run. The boys are definitely individuals but I'm so glad they love playing together. I think it will only get more fun (and frustrating, I'm sure...hello sharing!) from here on out.

Keith got home from his latest underway period on Saturday the 19th. He had to spend his 32nd birthday on the boat but we celebrated with a little party at home. Aunt Jill and Matt came down from DC and Will helped me decorate the birthday cake. He probably licked his hands 10 times during the decorating process but, hey, heat kills! We are all glad to see Keith again, especially the boys. They've enjoyed the kind of roughhouse playing that moms just don't get. Not at all.

Thanks to Matt and Aunt Jill for coming down to celebrate with us! It was a fun weekend. Looking forward to warmer weather (hopefully!) soon so we can get out of the house. I've got spring fever!

Play all Day

Got some random shots of the boys playing...and even a few of sitting still. The sitting still part seems to be an anomaly these days. Will's been on the go since he was born and now that Archer's mobile, he is unhappy being held and prefers to be wiggling around on the floor instead. Will's having a good time with the new, active Archer. The other day Will exclaimed, "Look! He's sitting up!" I wonder if Will thought Archer would always be the baby in my arms?? They are interacting a lot more lately; Will does a great job keeping Archer entertained. I'm glad they enjoy each other's company so much. I can only imagine the antics Will is going to teach his little brother. After I found Will standing on the back of the couch today, I believe I have reason to be concerned!

Here are a few sweet pics of Archer. He's growing up so fast! He was rocking back and forth on his hands and knees yesterday so full blown crawling cannot be far behind!

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.