So stinking cute

Sometimes I am overwhelmed with love and joy when I look at my sons. This is one of those moments.

Happy First Birthday

Today is Baby Keegan's very first birthday. One year ago he was getting ready to make his appearance and change our lives forever for the better. I cannot imagine our family or my daily life without him. This child breathes joy into my soul and our home. He is one of our greatest gifts. Love you baby Keegan.

11 months of awesome

At 11 months old Keegan is a teething beast - still lovable as heck but so full of grumps and drool that he can be a bit challenging at times. He is well in his way to walking- taking 2-4 steps at a time consistently. Keegan is in LOVE with his big brother and speeds into Grayson's room as his first destination as soon as he gets up every day. Keegan is a big noise maker: screeching, screaming, babababababaing and generally exercising his voice in as many ways as he can. Keegan is becoming much more intentional inhospitable movements and actions. He knows what he wants and screams til he gets it. If he sees anyone with fruit of any kind that they don't share with him his screaming escalates to a near piercing level. He is also getting more intentional in his play. He knows that Mickey Mouse rides on a train we have so he will sit for minutes trying to get Mickey on the train. Focused and determined are words that describe him at the moment. So are cute, fast, hilarious, drooly, stubborn, precious, happy and awesome.

Rock a bye baby

Baby??? Our sweet baby is SO big

The many faces of Keegan

This kid cracks me up

It is official.

Though he has been taking steps for a bit now I think today is the day that Keegan has officially become a walker. He walked from the kitchen into the family room all by himself and when he falls he just gets right back up and keeps on walking.
That's it. My last baby is no longer a baby but a toddler. He is toddling about the house while I am holding back tears- I cannot understand how it is all going so fast. My children are so special and changing so fast.

One step, two step

Wednesday 8-22. A big day. Keegan took his first two steps! Repeatedly. He took two steps inside. Two steps outside. Two steps on the carpet. Two steps on the grass. It has begun. The beginning of the end of babyhood is here. :sigh:

Los Dientes

Keegan is a toothy, toothy small friend.  He now has six teeth- four top, two on the bottom. Two of the four on the top just popped through the gums this week and you can hardly see them but you sure can feel them.
While he has six chompers- he seems to be getting at least four more.  His gums are red and swollen, there are raised little lumps of tooth in and under his poor gums.  He is grumpy, he is whiny, he is chewing and drooling, he is pain and it is breaking my heart.  BUT truth be told- it is also beginning to break my spirit a bit as all of this pain and sadness means I have gotten about 3.5 hours of sleep per night.  I just might go a bit insane soon if this poor child doesn't get these darned toothers through his gums.  I had forgetten how much I hate this part- when a whole bunch of teeth roll in at once and the poor baby hurts and the poor mommy doesn't sleep.  blurg

Ten months old

The summer is nearly over and Keegan is nearly a year. It is all just going too fast. Mr Big Stuff is a dynamo. He crawls rapidly and silently so you often have no idea where he might be (& frequently he is right under your feet somehow) he is like a ninja... Or a cat. When he is not practicing his stealth crawling Keegan is standing and seeing just how little support be needs to do so. He is frequently spied holding on to a gate or the couch with one hand while banging a toy with the other or swinging out and back. He can balance leaning up against the couch while playing or eating something with both hands. Keegan thinks it is hilarious if mom or dad holds his hands and he can do jumping' jumping' and then take some steps. Holding onto hands he can walk the full length of our house.
Keegan is a big eater these days and has branched out to enjoy and destroy whole bananas, bratwurst, taco meat, chicken breast, and deli sliced ham in addition to his other foods and baby foods. He is a sucker for baby yogurt and prefers to have a container with each meal.

Family photo session by Jen Husz Photography

I won a family session from my good friend Jen who also happens to be a grossly talented photographer. The sitting was free and the prints were fabulous. Our whole living room is now stunning :-)

9 month stats and Dr appointment

Cruzin

Not sure exactly when it happened but Keegan has officially gone pro at cruzin'. This kid is a master. You look and one minute he is playing by the fridge, the next thing you know he is pulling up on your pants and he didn't crawl once. He can make his way around most of the kitchen and living room without crawling simply by walking holding on to a variety of surfaces. He is so very pleased with himself and I am so very impressed :-)

9 months old

Keegan Orlo Schmitz is now 9 months old and is fully becoming a little person and much less blob like. He can crawl the most rapid and hilarious army crawl and gets from point A to point B in no time at all. His traditional hands and knees style crawl is in place but much slower so he frequently slides rapidly on his belly all over the house. Unless he is on the grass then he let's as little of his body touch that strange stuff a possible.
Keegan can also pull up on just about anything. Pants. Gates. Couches. Dogs. Brothers. Legs. Chairs. Cabinets. Just about anything can get him up, getting down is another story. The last two weeks have been filled with cries of frustration as he is "stuck" up. He is beginning to cruise as well. And if he is holding on to grown up fingers he can and will walk (slowly and ploddingly) just about anywhere in the house.
Keegan has two top teeth and squeal to show them off. He smiles and laughs and screeches and is generally amazing. He is also utterly and totally obsessed with his momma. If mom is in the kitchen and Keegan playing in tr family room all is well until K hears his momma's voice. Then the whining and moaning immediately begins as he extracts himself from whatever he is doing to crawl, roll, cruise or slither his way to mom where he then pulls up and cries until he is held. Over and over and over all day long. It is precious to be so loved but it is amazing how much longer it takes to get things done while holding a 26+ pound lil man. I would never actually complain about a secure attachment or being loved but I will admit that sometime I sigh in frustration of how much longer it takes to complete each task.
Summer has finally begun and it is exciting to think about all the cool things that are going to happen in the next three months by the time Keegan turns one.

Blurg

Mommy and Daddy had the stomach flu this week. Keegan is teething this week. It is my last week of the school year this week.  We are SUPER busy and moderately stressed.
Poor lil man has been waking and fussy every 40 minutes to two hours all day (and night) long making for a long couple of days and nights.  Keegan has wanted to be held all the day- he doesn't even want to practice his super speed army crawl because he feels so crummy.
But perhaps there is a light at the end of the tunnel- tooth #3 popped through today! Top tooth- a big ole chomper (and his poor gum is so red and puffy).  Hopefully it's matching tooth comes soon and he can find some relief.

Up, up, up

Because time is apparently moving at the speed of light... Keegan has mastered pulling up on nearly everything he is surrounded by. This includes people, couches, toys, his brother, his crib, pillows,..... He looks SO big standing up and grinning. How did this happen already?!

On the Move!

Keegan can crawl! He can alternate left leg right arm and then right leg left arm and move forward! It is halting, wobbly, awkward, and slow as heck, but it is CRAWLING
Way to go Mr Big Stuff- Mommy is so proud of you

8 months old

Keegan is 8 months old.  2/3 of a year has passed since Mr Big Stuff was born- and I simply can't believe it.  I feel like I look at him and he has changed and grown from one minute to the next.  My heart literally hurts sometimes looking at him as he is changing so quickly.  I fear that I am going to blink and he will be graduating from high school and leaving home.
Keegan is a big boy- and continues to grow.  He and his big brother are now in the same size diaper (size four!) and K is wearing 18 month clothes.  He is finally trying to grow some hair- I can even almost mess it up in a bath or with a wet washcloth for a minuted7.  Keegan can scoot backwards and roll like a maniac all over the place.  He loves Grayson's toys and is giddy when he can push a button and make something happen.  He is now eating solids two to three times per day- loving pears and sweet potatoes, mangoes and apples, and a variety of other fruits and veggies. He would eat puffs and rice crackers all the day long if we would let him and loves to practice pinching them with his sweet baby fingers.  He is grabbing and reaching and planning all day long- you can just see the wheels turning as he tries to plot how he is going to get whatever he has set his sights upon. 
Keegan is working hard to figure out the whole crawling thing- he can do the inch worm, he makes a great triangle with his booty up in the air, he flops dramatically forward, he does a great dolphin kick, he rolls rapidly in many directions and can spin on a dime- but he can't quite coordinate forward movement that even resembles crawling.  It is amusing to observe though he gets pretty frustrated and I don't think Keegan finds the whole situation amusing at all.
Only a few more weeks til summer break and we will all four get to spend much more time together- I can hardly wait to see my lil man more and watch him keep growing and changing- I predict a joyful few months ahead.

Keegan's Spring Pictures by Songbird Photography

My sweet baby boy, not so little anymore, growing each day and changing so fast that I cannot imagine what he will do next.  The only certainty is that he will hold my heart forever.