Ready for the big event 16Apr06.

Baptism / Easter / Birthday Celebration 16Apr06

Kyle was baptized on Easter Sunday at St. Johns in Fenton, at the Noon mass. He was one of three children that were baptized. He was the oldest of the three. The other two children were totally immersed – dunked into the baptismal pool. Kyle was baptized the traditional method, where the water was poured over his head.

Kyle would like to thank his new Godparents, Uncle Kevin and Aunt Megan for flying out from Boston for the occasion. Kyle’s Great Aunt Linda Vitali made a beautiful baptismal blanket to commemorate the occasion. We are sure that Kyle will treasure it.

After the baptism, our family gathered for a celebration at our house. After dinner we celebrated Kyle’s birthday with a cake. Kyle had his own special cake, to celebrate the occasion. He had just gotten up from his nap and was still tired when he started eating it. After about 10 minutes, the sugar from the cake kicked in. I think he had more cake on his face, hair, ears and cloths then in his mouth. Kyle’s cousin Blake wanted to show him how to eat his cake, and kept remarking how “He’s making a mess!”

Kyle received many wonderful toys which are sure to entertain him. He also received money and bonds that mom and dad will deposit in his college fund. Kyle would like to say “Baa, baa, ba (Thank you very much)” to everyone for the kind gifts.

Clowning around with Grandpa 14Apr06.

Sleeping Kyle 13Apr06.

Walking with Mom on the deck 09Apr06.

On a warm day in spring. Kyle and Mom 09

On a warm day in spring. Kyle and Dad 09Apr06

Fun with oatmeal 04Apr06

Close up #2 26Mar06

Kyle, Mom and Grandma Schmitz 26Mar06

Kyle and Grandma Schmitz 26Mar06

Close up 26Mar06

Dad! Get your own breadstick 19Mar06

Up the Stairs 19Mar06

Eleven Months Old – 18Mar06

March has been a difficult month for us all. Renee hurt her back at the swimming pool with Kyle, and has been laid up since March 3rd. We have had both Grandmothers over to take care of Kyle during Renee’s recovery. My Aunt Linda Vitali was also nice enough to brave the drive over here to take care of Kyle for a day. After many trips to the Chiropractor and Doctor, Renee is now feeling good (March 26th). We would like to give our sincere “Thank You” to all who helped during the recovery.

Kyle is starting to take his first steps without support. He will walk 2 or 3 steps on his own. He is also now clapping his hands with Grandma for “Patty-Cakes”, and will raise his hands when asked how big he is – “Sooooo Big”! He can say “Dadda” and “Momma” and occasionally will say “Hi”. His top two teeth are now in, and 2 more teeth are starting to come out.

We are looking forward to his birthday next month.

Playing with Toys 13Mar06

Sunshine in the House! 05Mar06

Ten Months Old – 18Feb06

I realize that we are very late getting this post up. February was very busy for all of us. Sorry!

Kyle had his 9 month check up on February 7th, and received a clean bill of health. He weighs in at 21.4 pounds (80th percentile) and is 29 inches high (75th percentile). He is now eating more and more table food, and seems to like it much more then baby food. He is beginning to stand on his own for up to 4 or 5 seconds. He does this only when he is not thinking of what he is doing. When he realizes that he is not holding on to anything, he falls to the ground. He has mastered crawling, to the point where mom and dad have to be quick on their feet to keep up. He is especially quick when he knows you are coming after him!

Renee has taken him to the mall to experience the “Play Land” with other infants. Kyle loves to crawl on all the obstacles, and seems to get along with the other children. I believe this activity has given him courage to try to crawl over just about any obstacle. We used to use his toys to partition off an area in our great room, to keep him out of trouble. He is learning how to crawl over, under and around just about anything we have set up to keep him from wandering off. Under close supervision, he is now able to crawl up our stairs! This serves to tire him out at the end of the day, when it is bed time.

Kyle’s top two front teeth are just starting to come in. The bottom two teeth are fully in. Mom enjoys wrestling with him to brush his teeth every night.

We are all looking forward to spring.

Kyle and Mommy 12Feb06

Kyle likes pasta! 07Feb06

On Daddy's Shoulders 07Feb06

Mom! I am almost out of milk... Get me some more. 05Feb06 

Relaxing 05Feb06 

Winter is here again. 05Feb06

Commando Kyle (Theme from "Mission Impossible")...Ready for action!! Just change my diaper first! 04Feb06

Kyle loves eggs!!! 28Jan06

First haircut... Doesn't he look happy. 25Jan06

Let me out! 22Jan06

Nine Months Old - 18Jan06

Happy New Year!

Just as December was unusually cold, January has been unusually warm, with most days getting above freezing. We have had more rain then snow! This is what makes life in the mid-west so interesting.

Kyle now has both bottom front teeth in, and a few more on the way. Teething continues to make him rather irritable. He is getting much better on his feet, and continues to “Furniture walk”. On occasion, he will let go and stand by himself, if not for a second or two, before he grabs something for balance. We are sure this is a preamble to walking. Kyle is also showing increased dexterity with his hands, and is able to manipulate small objects. He is also passing objects from one hand to the other, which in itself seems trivial, but is actually a milestone in infant development. His apatite has leveled off from last month's posting. He is now content with 3 to 4 (4 oz) jars per feeding. Renee has started feeding him finger foods, and small tastes of our meals. He seems to like this, and chews for everything is two teeth are worth. He especially likes cheese (at least this week he does) and pasta.

Kyle decided that the wallpaper border in his room was rather distasteful. He found a small section that was not fully glued down, and ripped it off the wall. Maybe he will grow up to be a great art critic... Maybe he just likes to see dad do things more then once. This brings up another one of Murphy's Laws: If there is a way to break, bend, tear, crack or mutilate something, given a few minutes of unclosely supervised time, a baby will find a way to do it. On a happy note, we have not had a reassurance of “Bathtub UFO's”. One can only dwell on life's small victories!

Kyle would like to extend his congratulations to his Uncle Kevin and Aunt Megan. He is looking forward to meeting his future cousin. He suggests the name “Karl” if it is a boy, or “Karla” if it is a girl. The author agrees :)

Best wishes for a happy and prosperous 2006!

The Schmitz Family