fairies wear boots

(alternate title: 18 and life)

Today Cassidy is 18 months old. I'm not sure if that seems like a long time or a short time. I do know that he's rapidly changing from a baby into a little boy; he can walk, follow directions (sometimes), and say a few words. He also looks more like a little boy. (although it's not uncommon for strangers to think that he's a girl, even when he's wearing blue, since he's such a cutie.)

On Saturday we went to Fairyland with DD and Mike and Freya. Fairyland is one of a growing number of places that I never knew existed before Cassidy was born but now go to. I'd been to Lake Merritt many times and had no idea there was a 1950's children's park on the eastern shore.

Cassidy had a great time - he got to race around, see animals, ride the carousel and the train, and explore all the cool displays. He's still too little to sit through the puppet show or climb in the rigging of the pirate ship, but that just means that there's reasons to go back as he gets older.

scarry monsters

One of the things that's fun about watching Cassidy grow up is getting to share with him the things that we love and enjoy. While he's still a little young to appreciate Frank Zappa or The Wire, we all agree that Richard Scarry books are awesome. He loves looking through the pictures, finding Lowly Worm in the cereal bowl, and watching Mr. Frumble chase his hat. And who doesn't, really?

baby, I love your way

Cassidy had a very full weekend, including:
- Lots of reading, which is not a surprise. Like his mom, he loves books.
- A trip to Walter Haas Playground, where the gale-force winds gave his hair a "Frampton Comes Alive" look.
- A couple of rounds of bubble-blowing. He found this quite hilarious. Yet another of those things that are incredibly cool, but we forget about as adults.
- His first shower (previously, he's been all about the bath). It was a joint affair with me. He was OK with it until we got his head wet.

Not pictured: a trip to the art supply store and to Lovely Bump to see the turtle, the requisite naps and eating and playing, and his ability to say the word 'hat'.

motherly love

Holly, Rachel, Cassidy and I went out to Liberty Cafe on Saturday for a Mother's Day brunch, followed by a quick excursion to Holly Park. Cassidy has recently mastered the skill of pointing out his body parts (he can be seen here demonstrating "hair").

He's also in this recent tongue-oriented phase; he thinks it's hilarious to stick out his tongue and lick things, including my shoulder, the kitchen floor (eww) and his highchair. We're hoping this passes before junior prom; we'd hate for him to slobber all over his date's corsage.

Some things never change, though - once we got home and had lunch, he snuggled up with Mommy for a bottle and a nap.

hi how are you

Cassidy's getting really good at walking, and has started to add some things that are clearly words to his vocabulary. He's been very vocal for a long time, but much of it seemed to make sense only to him, unless "bise" and "bosh" have some secret meaning we don't know about. But now he's added "hi" to the repertoire; it's incredibly cute - he says hi and waves at pretty much anything, if he's in the mood.

who the cap fit

Our fair-haired boy is definitely vulnerable to the sun's harmful rays, so an excursion to the park means a healthy application of sunscreen and the selection of a rakish and flattering hat. It doesn't seem like it's possible that he could be cuter with his curls covered up, but apparently it's so.

He also got a new HazMat-esque bib that helps to minimize the collateral damage at mealtime. He's been diligently practicing his sippy-cup skills, with an assist from Grandma.

life and how to live it

As we all know, life is an education. Here's some of the things Cassidy has been learning:
- It never hurts to ask for what you want.
- Grandmas are very helpful at figuring out shapes.
- Pigeons are put on this earth to be chased.
- The slide can be scary, so make sure someone's holding your hand.
- Always wear your sun hat. Girls dig it.
- You have to keep up with your email, or it gets overwhelming.
- Babies should have a calendar to help plan their busy days.
- At the end of a busy weekend, there's nothing better than crashing out on Mom's lap.