Happy Holidays!

What a year it was for us! We got to enjoy and relax on our trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, with the extended Kienert family in March. A highlight was seeing whales on Banderas Bay and visiting the isolated town of Yelapa. We celebrated our first anniversary with a weekend trip to Door County, spending the night in Sturgeon Bay and hiking in Peninsula State Park. We spent most of the year waiting excitedly for our baby to come. And suddenly, he was here. Felix Robert was born on July 12, and he has brought so much joy to our lives! Nick had an exciting end of the year, changing jobs to Strategic Wealth Management and getting his law practice underway. Many great opportunities are in store for him! We are excited about our first Christmas together as a true family, and about the coming year and all the firsts it will bring. We hope the coming holiday season and the coming year bring much joy and happiness to you and yours!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Felix: 5 mos

Digging Out

Just a few days shy of when Felix turns 5 months old, he had his first snowstorm and snow day. We got (unofficially) 18" or so of snow on Tuesday night, so Felix's daycare was closed. Nick and I decided not to fight the elements, and instead, celebrated the day as a family at home. While Nick was shoveling, I bundled Felix up and took him outside. He was taller than the snowfall, but only by half a foot.

Driving him to day care this morning was a little hairier than I would have liked, but we made it. First a blizzard, now arctic temperatures. Welcome to winter in Wisconsin, little man.

Felix: 4 mos

So Thankful!

'Tis the season to give thanks, and we have so much to be thankful for this year! First and foremost, for a healthy pregnancy and the birth of our son, Felix, who amazes us every day. For Nick's new job and the wealth of opportunities that accompany it. For the new challenges and ongoing familiarity of my job. For our families who are even closer in spirit now that Felix is here, and for all they have done for us before and after his birth. For our friends and neighbors, upon whom we can rely and borrow tools. For the great teachers who watch over Felix during the day and who care for him as much as we do. For our new friends at Prairie who welcomed us so readily into their community. For everyone who has touched our lives this year, and for all who will help us in the coming years, THANK YOU!

Felix update: He's gotten so much bigger! At our last doctor's visit on 11/16, he was 13.6 pounds and 24.5". We've learned some basic infant massage techniques, and we've been practicing them almost daily for the past two weeks. Felix has been sleeping slightly better since we learned to put him to be at his bedtime, not ours (duh, I know), but he's still waking up at least once during the night. He's also discovered he can use his hands to grab for things in the last few days. That's made me very happy, and it's made tummy time easier now that we can put toys in front of him that he can try to reach for. Felix is learning he has a vocal range (low to high and soft to loud), and is putting it to the test. He's also had a few shrieking/wailing episodes, though, that we have yet to figure out the cause of (hopefully it's just related to "look what I can do with my voice"). Except for those few episodes, he's a very smiley, happy little man!

Felix: 4 mos

Dedicated

Last weekend, we had Felix's dedication ceremony at our church/fellowship/society. Aunts, grandparents and great-grandparents were all in attendance, and Felix wore the same christening gown worn by my great-grandpa in 1902. Afterward, everybody came back to our house for lunch and old fashioneds, then the Packers game. It was a crazy, busy day, but it was so meaningful to us.

I don't think Felix liked the time change too much. Four out of the five work days this week, he wailed for a long time shortly after we came home from daycare, then slept because he wore himself out. Last night was the first night that we actually had some play time and no crying when we got home. Hopefully that was just a phase.

(Felix just replied "Hi" when I smiled at him and said hi to him!)

Felix: 3 mos

Little Pumpkin

We've gotten into a nice routine around here. Getting up for work and daycare at 6, coming home, time with family, then to bed around 9. So far, so good.

Today, we had our first non-Badger game Saturday, and we're making the most of it. I bought a large pumpkin last week, and with Felix watching, hollowed it out. I put Felix in some of his Halloween clothes, then put him in the pumpkin for some pictures. It was either too chilly out, or too uncomfortable being in the pumpkin (I wouldn't know - I've never been in one), but I didn't get the smiles I was hoping for. I did get a few cute ones, though.

Felix has also developed a fascination with the letter G. He will go on 30 second spurts of saying "goo-ah" over and over, changing it slightly each time. It won't be long before he's a talker! Here's a clip of it:

Felix: 3 mos

Infant at Last!

It’s a sign of how busy we’ve become that I haven’t posted a blog update in a few weeks. And what weeks they were! Since the last posting, I have returned to work. That first Monday back was rough – leaving Felix at day care and returning to the drudgery of my job. Felix was fine, apparently, with being left. I, however, needed three tissues and a mini-3 Musketeers bar to get me through the drive to work. It’s gotten easier, though, especially because they’re doing such a great job with him.

As of Monday, Felix is 3 months old and officially an infant! He's come quite a long way since he was born. Now, he's generally a happy little man, full of smiles (especially if you make a ridiculously goofy smile at him first) and coos. He's got a full range of "oo" sounds: goo, boo, woo, even aaaoo. I'd just once before the month's over like to get a "boo" after I ask what does a ghost say? :o) He is a pro at tummy time now, too, and I've noticed recently that he's starting to figure those hands of his out - looking at something and moving his arm to see if he can touch it. He's also going through another growth spurt, so he's eating lots and sleeping less in the past few days, which make for a very tired Mama. His 3-6 month clothes are ready and waiting for him, though!

We also took our first long car trip and overnight with Felix, and overall, it was a success. Last weekend, Nick’s cousin Ben got married in GB. On the way up, Felix was alert and looking around the first half hour or so, then slept the rest of the way up. He was pretty good during the ceremony (though I did have to get up almost immediately and start walking around to keep him from making too much noise). We took him to the reception, but they allowed smoking in the building, so I didn’t stay after dinner. Sunday morning, a few relatives on Vicky’s side came over to meet Felix over breakfast. On the way back to Madison, we stopped in Oshkosh to introduce Felix to my uncle Brian and family. Slowly, very slowly, we’re making our way through the families. :o) We’re hoping to get more people at Thanksgiving, because we’re planning on doing small family Christmases in Madison this year.

Congratulations!! to my Uncle Steve and Aunt Lori in New Jersey, who had my brand new cousin (more importantly, their first child) on this past weekend. Welcome, Eric, and we can't wait to meet you!

Felix: 3 mos

10 Weeks

Time keeps going forward, which means he's getting older and I'm getting closer to having to go back to work. I've got two weeks now to get used to the idea of Felix spending all day with strangers, while they get to watch him do more and get more interesting. Frankly, I'm jealous. But unfortunately, we can't have me off work much longer. And my brain could use the stimulation.
Yesterday, we took Felix to his first Badger game! If it wasn't for the sun and the fact that he gets hungry every 1.5-2 hours, we would have stayed longer than the first half. He seemed very intrigued by all the bright colors (well, red and white) and sounds. We're already looking forward to when we can take him for a whole game, like next year.

Felix: 10 wks