Archer Compeau Gillet - Birth to Six Months of Age

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Ringing in 2013

The wee Gillets rang in the Greenland New Year (about 8-ish Portland time), Dad made steaks, and Kristin and Zakk brought over Raclette. Felix and Archer played with noisemakers shaped like little rockets - and Felix ran around the house with his saying "5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 - blast off! Happy New Year!". After the kids went to bed, the adults rang in the local new year with nose whistles and bubbly under a bright crisp moon. We even got to meet our new neighbors - Carol and Nat. Happy 2013 everyone! May we take good care of each other this year, and not forget to be good to ourselves. XO

Budding journalist

After hearing the "Fast and Furious" news on the radio, Felix asked in a very serious tone, "Where are the guns?" Astute, young man, astute.  

Hooray for Grammy!

To say Grammy has been taking care of Archer while we go to work, is to minimize all the she does and has done for us. On any given day she: does the dishes, cleans up, cooks dinner, bakes some amazing bread or pastry, shampoos the carpets, takes Archer on a walk, gets Felix ready for day care, makes sure that we don't forget keys, wallet, phone or brain at home in the morning, makes a special trip to work to deliver any of the previous forgotten items, provides a unique perspective on nearly every topic, convinces us that she might be an alien, hosts dinner and a swim at Grammy Island, picks up the tip, picks up the tab, changes a million diapers, makes a poo joke, makes us laugh, empathizes, does a silly dance, makes us laugh again; all of this while getting her grandson (really, grandsons: she did all of this for Felix two years ago!) ready for the real world! We can't begin to express our gratitude for all she does and how lucky we are to have her in our lives. Thanks Grammy!!!

When I was little...

Felix is officially a big brother, or maybe an old man today. After pushing Archer around the kitchen in his walker, Felix decided to give him a hard push into the wall. As we were telling him for the millionth time that he needs to be gentle with Archer and not push him into the wall, Felix told us that, "When I was a baby, I was pushed into the wall." I plead the fifth.

Lately

Felix has been amazing us lately with his counting abilities among other things. He even learned how to spell his name! And he is awesome at the alphabet! And he can balance on one foot! Archer has been developing at a rapid rate as well - rolling all over and getting his knees under him - I think he'll be crawling in no time. First watermelon yesterday - he loved it!

Simultaneous sentimentality

Sometimes in a precious moment I find myself feeling not only joyful but also a bit sad and somewhat nostalgic about things as they are happening. I've felt a bit overwhelmed by this lately as I see in Archer how Felix was as a baby, which makes my heart ache at how fast time moves. Even listening to Felix speak in complete sentences using a vocabulary that I marvel at, I am both delighted and saddened as I see him so quickly shedding his babyhood and becoming more and more independent. When Grammy brought Fe to the hospital after Arch was born it was like I was seeing him, for the first time, as a boy and not a baby. The contrast between Archer's tiny form and Felix's tall skinny frame brought the staggering truth to light that he had been growing all this time in the gradual day by day millimeter by millimeter way that sneaks right through your human capacity to notice the effects of constant incremental change. Check out this photo of Felix on Father's Day weekend just a year ago!