Nathaniel's 2nd Birthday

Nathaniel turned 2 on October 1st, and the Heider grandparents and uncles came to the party. "Uncle" Brian also came and brought Nathaniel a very cool gift. Here are 26 photos from the birthday weekend. For you broadband users who are able to enjoy the full-screen slideshow, please click the text link below.

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Watch Nathaniel and his uncles play a tune using his noisiest birthday gifts (thanks, Uncle Corey):



-Scott

KC Zoo 9/4

On September 4th we took Nathaniel to the Kansas City Zoo for the second time. (For highlights of his visit in November 2009, look here.) Here are 20 photos of various critters (including Nathaniel). For you broadband users who are able to enjoy the full-screen slideshow, please click the text link below.

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-Scott

Best of Nathaniel -- Summer 2010

Here are 19 photos of Nathaniel from the dearly departed summer of 2010. Low-bandwidth viewers should click the green and white "Play" button for an inline slideshow. For you broadband users who are able to enjoy the full-screen slideshow, please click the text link below.

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-Scott

July trip to Minnesota -- Jeremy's graduation

In the middle of July we traveled to Minnesota for Jeremy Hommerding's high school graduation party. Except for the severe thunderstorms and tornado warnings, I think that everyone had a good time. Here are 25 photos from the weekend. Low-bandwidth viewers should click the green and white "Play" button for an inline slideshow. For you broadband users who are able to enjoy the full-screen slideshow, please click the text link below.

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Here cousins Nathaniel and Taylor enjoy the water park in Waite Park, MN:



-Scott

30th Heider family reunion photos and videos

Over the weekend of June 12-13, we traveled to Illinois for the 30th (almost) annual Heider family reunion. For the past several years (after everyone grew weary of cold, wet weather in the nearby park), the reunion has been held inside the Lostant, IL fire station. Right on cue, a thunderstorm rolled through during the middle of the reunion, so all games were held indoors this year. Here are 13 photos from the reunion. Low-bandwidth viewers should click the green and white "Play" button for an inline slideshow. For you broadband users who are able to enjoy the full-screen slideshow, please click the text link below.

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Here family members play a game called "Separation Anxiety"... The object is to not be the slowest person to place a pile of 50 M&Ms into cups segregated by color:



Here family members play a game whose object is to bang the head as many times as possible in 60 seconds:



Here Craig Heider plays a little game called "Fish Head"... The object is to reel in a bucket on to his head while blindfolded in less than 60 seconds:



-Scott

April/May photos

Before the month of June passes by, it's time to share 35 photos from April and May. Low-bandwidth viewers should click the green and white "Play" button for an inline slideshow. For you broadband users who are able to enjoy the full-screen slideshow, please click the text link below.

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-Scott

Nathaniel's first haircut

We had been putting it off for quite awhile, but today was finally the day for Nathaniel's first haircut... Folks were either beginning to think that he's a girl, or else they were complimenting him at Walmart about his sweet mullet.

I won't prattle on about Nathaniel's traumatic experience, because the 2-minute video below tells the complete story.



-Scott

Royals Opening Day photos 4/5/2010

Monday, April 5th dawned cool and rainy. Fortunately, by afternoon the skies cleared and the temperature warmed up into the 70's, just in time for the first pitch of the KC Royals 2010 season. Unfortunately, the Royals lost 8-4... some things never change. Here are 39 photos from the game. Low-bandwidth viewers should click the green and white "Play" button for an inline slideshow. For you broadband users who are able to enjoy the full-screen slideshow, please click the text link below.

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-Scott

Feb/March 2010 photos and videos

It's been a long, cold, snowy winter. Here are 13 photos from February and March. Low-bandwidth viewers should click the green and white "Play" button for an inline slideshow. For you broadband users who are able to enjoy the full-screen slideshow, please click the text link below.

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Here is a video of Nathaniel enjoying the freshly-fallen snow in late February:



Here is a clip of Nathaniel dancing to Uncle Corey's guitar strumming in early March:



Here Nathaniel entertains the neighbor's visiting cat named Cougar:



-Scott

16 month growth charts

Nathaniel visited the doctor Friday for his 15 (actually closer to 16) month well-baby checkup and vaccinations. As always, his weight (27.5 pounds) and length (32 inches) were measured, although the accuracy of the measurements is suspect... It's highly unlikely that his length has not changed in the last 2.5 months, but to be fair to the nurse who has measured him the last few times, it is rather difficult to get an accurate measurement of a squirming toddler.

Anyway, here are Nathaniel's current weight and length charts (click charts to enlarge):






-Scott

Thanksgiving, Christmas, and January photos/video

Wow, it's been a long time since the last post! I doubt that anyone is interested, but here are 34 photos from Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the month of January. Low-bandwidth viewers should click the green and white "Play" button for an inline slideshow. For you broadband users who are able to enjoy the full-screen slideshow, please click the text link below.

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Here is a video of Nathaniel enjoying Mom's rocking chair in early December:



Here is a short clip of Nathaniel dancing to the catchy tune "Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes":



-Scott

13 month growth charts

Nathaniel visited the doctor last week for his 12 (actually 13) month well-baby checkup and vaccinations. His weight (24 pounds, 10 ounces) and length (32 inches) were measured, and the doctor again remarked that Nathaniel's 95th-percentile length has been fairly consistent each time he's been measured, which is a good thing. However, his increasing length means that he continues to outgrow his outfits at a rapid clip. He is also "leaning out" (slowing his rate of weight gain), probably due to the fact that he plays hard all day long.

Here are Nathaniel's current weight and length charts (click charts to enlarge):





-Scott

KC Zoo

On Sunday, November 8th, Mom & Dad took Nathaniel to the zoo for the first time. It was a beautiful day, and the animals were inclined to play.

For you broadband users who are able to enjoy the full-screen slideshow, please click the text link below.

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-Scott

Rest of Nathaniel - October

The highlight of October was Nathaniel's 1st birthday celebration at the beginning of the month, which was documented in the previous post. However, October is a long month, capped off by Halloween, so here are the best of the rest of October's photos.

For you broadband users who are able to enjoy the full-screen slideshow, please click the text link below.

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-Scott

Nathaniel's 1st Birthday

Nathaniel's 1st birthday was October 1st, but we celebrated it on Saturday, October 3rd. Both sets of grandparents, Uncle Todd, and Uncle Corey came for the party. Thanks to everyone who brought/sent gifts, Nathaniel's collection of toys and books has tripled in size! Nathaniel also greatly enjoyed his first taste of cake (egg-free due to his allergy) and ice cream. To top off the long birthday weekend celebration, Nathaniel got to pet the cow and baby goats at Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead in Overland Park, Kansas.

Below are 24 photos from the weekend. Low-bandwidth viewers should click the green and white "Play" button for an inline slideshow. For you broadband users who are able to enjoy the full-screen slideshow, please click the text link below.

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Here is a video of Nathaniel encountering his birthday cupcake:



-Scott

Best of Nathaniel - September

Hey, you forgot to wake me up when September ended! So, now that October is nearly over, it's time to post the best of September's photos. The studio shots are from Nathaniel's 1-year (actually 11 1/2 month) sitting.

For you broadband users who are able to enjoy the full-screen slideshow, please click the text link below.

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-Scott

Labor Day weekend: Birthday party and butterflies

Over Labor Day weekend the family hopped into the van and traveled east across Missouri to Troy to celebrate our friend Jason's 40th birthday. This was also Nathaniel's first opportunity to meet Jason and Carri. Everyone had a great time at the party, and Jason received a lot of presents, mostly involving beer and St. Louis Cardinals merchandise.

Sunday we traveled to Chesterfield to visit the Butterfly House with Todd, Corey, Jason, and Carri. It was a fun experience to be in a tropical conservatory with nearly 2000 butterflies flying all around.

Below are 28 photos from the weekend. Low-bandwidth viewers should click the green and white "Play" button for an inline slideshow. For you broadband users who are able to enjoy the full-screen slideshow, please click the text link below.

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Here is a video of butterflies fluttering through the conservatory:



-Scott

Master Walker

A couple weeks ago we posted that Nathaniel had made it a priority to learn how to walk. Well, he's been practicing hard, and I'm happy / proud / afraid to report that he is now a master walker. In this video shot Tue 9/8, he does it all: cries, walks, and throws a ball to Dad.



-Scott

Best of Nathaniel - August

Another busy month has come and gone already for Nathaniel. Highlights of the month included visiting his grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and critters in Minnesota, swinging, sliding, swimming, and walking. Although his walking is still a work very much in progress, several times in the past week he has walked more steps at once than his age in months -- 11.

Because our dialup viewers have been unable to view the full-screen slideshows included in last month's posts, I am bringing back the inline slideshow for those folks. For you broadband users who are able to enjoy the full-screen slideshow, please click the text link below.

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Nathaniel says "I'm outta here" until next month in this video:



-Scott

Nathaniel's baby steps

Ever since we returned home from vacation Wednesday evening, Nathaniel has been a bundle of energy. Apparently he has also decided that it's time to learn how to walk, because he's been pestering Mom & Dad nonstop to hold his hands while he practices. He is also getting braver about taking steps without support... For an example, check out the hilarious video below. The fun really kicks in at the 1:20 mark.



As long as I'm posting cute videos, here's one of Nathaniel and Mom playing a game of "Where's Nathaniel?"... Enjoy!



-Scott