Officially Walking!

The big news from the last week: At 13.5 months old, Big'E is a walker. He's able to balance on his own and take some slow, careful, Frankenstein's-monster-style steps. His record, as far as I know, is the entire length of our kitchen. The caveat: He's not totally into it yet. He'd much prefer a finger to steady himself (which he loves). Anyhow, we're making it official: He walks!

Nana and Papa had a nice visit last week and were a ton of help around the house. Again, the laundry magically got done. Food appeared just when I was hungry and there never seemed to be a dirty plate in the sink (not that, ummm, there ever is). They had a great day trip with Opa and E that included lunch at the berry farm and playing in the sand. The weekend was also fun taking E on walks, drives, to dinner, etc. Though I hear E's favorite part was a friend's 2nd birthday party--with a construction theme--with lots of trucks.

For me, the highlight of Saturday was a BBQ at the Metsers' house. All of their kids were in town for the night, so it was great to see all the cousins (and all their dogs--now, four in total). The food was great and the company even better. The weekend ended with us saying bye to Nana/Papa (this trip) as they left for New Mexico.

Monday night, E had his first swimming lesson. Basically, it was me and him with a few other Parent/Baby combos trying to get the kids used to the water by splashing (E's favorite), blowing bubbles (he likes putting his face in, but the bubble part still hasn't sunk in), and attempting back floats (E's least favorite). Oma and Opa watched from the deck and had his big towel all ready when it was over. We're got plenty more lessons over the course of the summer, so we're all really looking forward to it!