Merry Christmas!

Nicholas will celebrate his second Christmas with his family--we are looking forward to watching him try to open presents and play with all his new toys.


Up next for Nicholas? Lots of time with mom over winter break. Baby's first haircut will probably be within the next week. He also has 3 more teeth coming in right now (for a total of 8).

One Year Old

It's hard to believe that our little boy is one year old already! We feel so blessed to have him in our lives, and have enjoyed every minute of this last year.

Events: This was a tough month for our family emotionally (see post below), so Nicholas did us the favor of bringing all of us happiness and joy every day--he's helping us make it through losing Isla one smile and hug at a time. He enjoyed his first Thanksgiving feast by throwing all pieces of turkey on the floor and gobbling up the homemade mashed potatoes. He also seemed to enjoy the sweet potatoes, rolls, and green bean casserole.

Milestones: Well, he took his first steps this month, but he's not quite confidant enough to do more than 5 or so from person to person yet. He's now mostly eating table food and is drinking whole milk (no more formula! whoo hoo!). At his 12-month check up he clocked in at the 90th percentile for height and 25th percentile for weight, so he seems to be sticking to the same long, lean trend so far. We celebrated his first birthday with our family and lots of presents--he was very excited about all the new toys. He also got his first bites of cake and ice cream--both of which he seemed to like--he especially liked that Snoopy was on his cake.

Surprises: We are going to be taking Nicholas to an ENT to check on his ears--as you may have read on the blog, he's had quite a few infections that don't seems to clear up from antibiotics, so we'll see what they say and try to make the best decision for him. We are looking forward to introducing him to Santa Claus and watching him open up more presents in a few short weeks.

Saying Goodbye to Isla

I'm not sure I have the right words to honor the memory of Nicholas' cousin Isla, but I'm going to try.

We are so sorry that this horrible accident befell our perfect little niece. All I know is that we're all going to miss her so much for the rest of our lives. I'm especially sad for Nicholas, because I know how close they would have been; I wanted so much for them to share so many things. I know Isla is watching over him, and all of us, and that he'll know her some day. Isla, we'll miss you and love you always.

First Steps

Nicholas took his first steps on Thanksgiving Day; it was his birthday present to Auntie Kristina. We were messing around with the camera at the same time, and we actually got it on video. I can't believe he waited until he had such a big audience--oh wait, yes, I can; he's such a ham.

Eleven Months--Really?

Where has the time gone? We're already planning a birthday party for our little baby. How can it be?

Events: Nicholas' first Halloween was something we had been dreaming about since we first found out we were expecting (if you've seen our yard in October, you know why). It was so much fun to dress him up and take pictures of him crawling all over the house in his dragon outfit, and the night of Halloween he got to see all of the trick-or-treaters in the neighborhood. Scott, especially, is looking forward to next year. Because of the nice weather, we were able to get in a few fun fall days together this month. Swimming lessons have concluded for now, but we'll start them up again next summer.

Milestones: Nicholas seemed to get his first four teeth all at once, and since then we've been waiting (for what seems like ages) for more to make their way through; when he turned 11-months-old, suddenly 2 more top teeth were popping. He's cruising all over the house, and he just figured out how--again, when he turned 11-months-old to the day--to climb the stairs. Now he's busy trying to apply that climbing knowledge to anything and everything. He tried to scale my leg today when I was loading the dishwasher. Another exciting milestone is clapping. He really likes it when he claps, you clap, you copy him clapping, or he puts his hands on yours while you clap--clapping is where it's at these days.

Surprises: He has learned his first official sign-language word: "More!" and yes, there is an exclamation point at the end of it. He knows it gets him more food, and I'm excited to see if he uses it to ask for more hugs, more tickles, or more of anything else! He's been saying "ma mama mamamama" a lot, so I hope by that he means me. I have a feeling, though, that "da da" will be the first official word--he's going through a phase where he absolutely loves his Daddy, and I'm trying not to be too jealous. We're both having so much fun playing with him--he's so happy all the time.

Happy Halloween

Nicholas' first Halloween was pretty fun--our costume theme this year revolved around his: Since he was a little dragon, mom was a princess and dad was a knight. He tolerated the costume pretty well, but I'm sure it was pretty warm when he was wearing the whole ensemble. He did pretty great for the party--he slept through the whole thing.

Trick-or-treating was also fun, we've been slowly adjusting his bedtime later to allow for daylight savings time, so he got to see a lot of the kids and the costumes, and he seemed to like to tell them Happy Halloween, or at least I think that's what "bababababa" meant.

On an unrelated note, he's very close to walking (he likes to cruise around with a walker we're borrowing from Aunt Katie). He just started doing this about 2 weeks ago, and I didn't know if I should get the camera, or keep him from falling.

10 Months of Fun

Events: This month has been pretty "normal" for us. We continued the "mommy & me" swim classes, and some of those turned into "family swim night," thanks to a few nights Scott was done with work early. Nicholas has gotten to see his Heinert grandparents more often now that they are both retired. We haven't taken any trips for a while, and it's been nice to relax at home for a while.


Milestones: Well, Nick is crawling, pulling himself up, trying to walk, teething, and very interested in whatever you are doing. All of this seemed to happen overnight and all at once! He's starting to learn how to drink out of a sippy cup, but mostly he just likes to chew on it.


Surprises: The flyswatter wasn't a fluke--it still makes him laugh like crazy. Though he loves to copy whatever you're doing, the most surprising things to me are things that he learns to do all on his own. The other day he realized that the yellow shapes are on the inside of the red and blue Tupperware toy, and he started looking inside it and trying to get them out. He also realized that the star stackers he's been playing with for seven months have holes in them that he can look through--it probably sounds minor, but when he figured that out I was so proud of the little guy! He loves buckles--when you try to take him out of the highchair, he has to play with the buckles forever.

9-Month Stats

Well, Nicholas met his new Dr. last Friday and he took some measurements of him. He's pretty much on the same track for height and weight as he has been of late: 30" tall (99th+ percentile for height); 19 pounds even (20th percentile for weight); 60th percentile for head circumference.


We're just so blessed to have a healthy & happy little Heinert.


These videos are too funny: you can tell how mom ranks in the grand scheme of things. He's doing a scooting version of crawling--another week & he'll be all over the house!

Do you want to come to mom? No, thanks. Oh wait, there's a phone over there? Awesome!

9 Months Old is the Best Age Yet...

It's probably not surprising that every age Nicholas has been was my favorite. He was so cute and sweet and angelic before, but now his personality is developing and it's so much more fun to play with him. Yeah, I miss my little guy, but my big guy is so much fun.

Events: This month was filled with many trips. I started teaching again, so now we (especially me) are working on adjusting to a new schedule. We started "mommy & me" swim class; so far he really likes it. We also had a few playdates with the Brylow boys, and, while it took him a little while to warm up to the idea of hanging out with other babies, he really seemed to like their toys!

Milestones: He found his tongue and likes to babble; Nicholas has started waving "hello," which is great because now I feel like I'm not doing sign language for no reason. He met his first cousin the other day (he pet her a little bit--it was cute--see the link to her blog on the left); another one will be here in 10 weeks or so!

Surprises: Nicholas thinks the flyswatter is hilarious (see video). We can't seem to find a food he doesn't like yet. He's teething all the time, but he still only has 4 teeth.

Nautical Nicholas

One of Nick's favorite pasttimes this summer has been boating, so I thought I'd share a few pictures of his adventures and a movie of all he learned.

Nicholas' New Cousin

Okay, so I know that this is Nick's blog, but here's a picture of his first cousin; I can't resist--she's too cute.

Here's Mikayla (and I'm not posting more specifics on the internet to protect her privacy)--only about 4 hours old in this picture. I think she looks just like her daddy.

Welcome to the world, Mikayla! We love you!

Well over 8 months old...

Nick turned 8 months old while we were on our vacation, hence the delay in updates. I decided to include this video of waking him up because it's my favorite time of the day. I hear him talking to his Snoopy pals and then I go in and get my buddy.

Events: This month was exciting--lots of parties and vacations, and lots of smiling for the camera. It's funny--he's knows to smile at the camera and squint at the flash (see below).

Milestones: He mastered the art of rolling, which has prevented him from learning how to crawl so far (he won't stay on his stomach). He'd rather grab your thumbs and walk around, so we're starting to think he's going to skip crawling and go straight to walking just like his Daddy did. His two top teeth are in and he's working on some more. He also loves sticking his tongue out at you, provided that you return the gesture.



Surprises: He never sits still--even when he's drinking a bottle he has to be tapping his foot or doing something with his hand--go, go, go! Nicholas also hates to be fed anything. He only likes to feed himself. If you offer him a bite of food on a baby spoon, he acts like you're pointing a weapon at him. If you put the food on his high chair in front of him, he'll pick it up and eat it. I was convinced, for a little while, that he just hated all the baby food, but if I give him pieces of the same food, he'll eat it himself. I guess he's a strong-willed little guy. Also, he's a redhead right now! Apparently Scott had red hair as a baby, so we don't think Nicholas' will stay that way.

Giddy-up!

Here's a picture of Nicholas riding the rocking-horsey his Great-Grandpa made him. I think he's going to really love it when his feet are long enough to touch the ground!

Can you spot me in the picture? I'm like where's Waldo in this one.

Blessed Boy

Nicholas was baptized today. His family came from miles around to celebrate the occasion. He did very well through the whole ceremony, though my heart leapt when he started reaching for the baptismal font (visions of the way he splashes at bathtime came to mind).

His Uncle Mark and Aunt Kristina will be excellent Godparents--see how happy he is the the picture with them?

What a blessing he is to us.

Top Tooth!

Well, I heard what sounded like grinding noises coming from Nicholas' mouth after a nap, and it turns out one of the top ones is poking through. He'll be eating steak (or polar bear) before long at this pace.

7 months old...

I can't believe that he's 7 months old already! I'm going to have to start planning his birthday party soon.

Events: This month, Nicholas got his dad some presents for his first Father's Day. He also got to meet more Great Aunts & Uncles and Second Cousins.

Milestones: He eats all his meals from a bottle now, and he started trying vegetables. He seems to love carrots and hate peas (ha, just like mom). He can sit up on his own, which is nice because he can sit and play by himself for a little while.

Surprises: He's so tall that he's on the highest setting for his jumperoo (sniff, sniff). He's starting to use primitive forms of "language"--he reaches for people whom he wants to have hold him and he uses different noises for different things (motorboat sounds means he's complaining about something; grunting and pointing means he wants you to hand him something). He also knows how to give eskimo kisses (thanks to Granddad, who taught him). As soon as he can wave, I want to try my hand at teaching him a few basic sign language words.

It's a girl! Well... two girls!

I just found out my sister is going to have a daughter--she and Nicholas are going to have so much fun!

So, Nicholas will have two girl cousins that are less than a year younger than he. I love that our siblings' children will be so close in age--we're going to have so much fun with them, and it will be nice for Nicholas not to have to sit at the kids' table at holidays alone! Hee hee!

6 & a half months old...

Well, little Nicholas has learned how to smile for the camera--probably because his crazy mom thinks everything he does needs to be recorded or photographed!

First Bite...

Well, it's not his first bite, but it's the first time he fed himself.

Six Months Old

Events: Now that I'm off for the summer, we're having a lot of fun talking walks and spending time in the nice weather. I love being able to play with him and not be thinking about all the work I have to do once he goes down for a nap. He got to meet a few more of his relatives this month--Great Aunts & Uncles and some of his Second Cousins (if I'm getting the proper geneological names correct). I decided to keep him in daycare for one day a week, so I can work on prepping for fall and, of course, keeping the house in order.

Milestones: His second tooth poked through! You can now see those little white nubs when he gives you a big grin. He's "off the charts" for his height--he's still long and lean--but he's already in 9-month-old clothes (sniff, sniff). He's also developed a ticklish tummy (see video)! I love his crazy laugh.

Surprises: He now sleeps between 11 & 12 hours straight through the night, and naps about 4 hours a day. I heard this was supposed to happen, but I really didn't think it would--then he turned 6 months old and magically there's no more middle of the night snacks! I'm definitely not going to complain about that! The best part of his good sleep habits is how happy he is--it makes being a mom so much easier when the little guy is a happy one!

Five Months Old

Events: We took our first pictures as a family of 3 since the anaesthesiologist snapped a few in the operating room. I enjoyed my first official Mother's day. We started our summer traveling season May 1--and we took trips up north to the cabin, to LaCrosse, and to Pittsville.

Milestones: He's laughing and playing now--he'll start a conversation with you just by smiling at you until you notice him, and then he'll squeal with delight. He started eating a few solids (rice cereal and green beans). He also seemed to enjoy his first boat ride (we went pretty slow--a beautiful May day is still not warm enough for speedboating).

Surprises: At 5 1/2 months, his first tooth poked through! It's amazing what 6 weeks of gnawing on stuff can do!

Four Months Old

Events: He now likes to be sitting up or standing up straight at all times. He's too interested in the world to sit back and relax!

Milestones: He's starting to develop abs of steel from all of the attempts to sit up. He's definitely teething--just give him your finger and he'll start chomping down.

Surprises: He loves to jump in the jumperoo. At first he didn't understand it, but he knew he liked whatever it was that was allowing him to stand up for as long as he wanted to, and then he figured it out--now it's his favorite thing to do.

Three Months Old

Events: To our utter shock, Nicholas started turning over from his stomach to back (mostly because he didn't like being on his stomach). He finally started playing with his toys--his playmat was his favorite thing to interact with (besides mom & dad, of course).

Milestones: His first cold(s)! He started working on grabbing things and using his hands. I thought he was a genious when he could first grab his toys and actually make them work (spinning a ball to play a sound, pulling toy off of the velcro strip). He also started looking in the mirror at himself--he likes to smile at baby Nicholas.

Surprises: He started getting colds and ear infections from hanging out at daycare once a week. Though I hated to see him with so much as a sniffle, the doctors and nurses reassured me it would help build up his immune system in the long run. I was suprised how fast he was growing--who knew he'd be in 6 month clothes already? He's a tall boy!

Two Months Old

Events: Ah, it was back to work for me, which meant finding a day care for Nicholas. It was much more difficult than I thought to find a place that I trusted and that would take a baby for one day a week. My husband's busy season was in full swing, which meant that I was getting the chance to experience what it's like to be a single parent--I don't recommend it, by the way.

Milestones: Nicholas made us so happy when he started smiling right at 2 months of age. That big gummy smile made up for any and all sleep deprivation in a split second.

Surprises: Nicholas started sleeping through the night at about 9 weeks old (and when he did wake up, it was just to eat and go right back to sleep)--what a good baby! He also started waking up happy in the morning (instead of just crying himself awake). It made me feel like I was getting the hang of this mom business.

One Month Old

Events: Nicholas' first month was a busy one! We got to celebrate Christmas as a family of 3 for the first time, and Nicholas got to enjoy being with all of his new Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles. We also took a trip to Palm Springs with him--and it was definitely an adventure--we felt like expert parents after traveling with a 3-week-old.

Milestones: It took a while, but he started looking at us (and not just staring at lights). He also started to kick like crazy. When he was born, his legs were used to being in the breech position for 2 months, so it was quite exciting to see his legs start kicking away.

Surprises: At 8 days old, he was already holding in his pacifier and smiling in his sleep. He was also a good sleeper from the start. For the most part, all he did was eat and sleep for the first few weeks. He was pretty mellow unless he was hungry!

Nicholas' Birthday

Nicholas came into the world by c-section on a cold December morning.

I was sad I got to miss out on a traditional birth, but the surgery had its benefits (besides not dying in childbirth): for one, my husband became an expert dad because I was slow moving the first few days. He knew how to change diapers better than I did when we got home from the hospital. And swaddling? Hey, that's just like wrapping a burrito.

The first day he was born, Nicholas met Grandma Gail, Aunt Kristina, "Auntie" Katie, Grandpa Ed & Grandma Carol, Uncle Chris, and Granddad Boyd. The next day he spent more time with his relatives and Uncle Mark and Aunt Michelle stopped by.

Surprises: One of the first things I noticed about him was his dimple (inherited from me!)--I was so happy to recognize both me and my husband in his face--it was amazing that we made someone so beautiful and perfect. I also could not believe how much hair he had (business in the front, party in the back). His feet were so big already that he didn't fit in any baby booties! It looks like we've got a bigfoot artifact in his baby book.