You gotta do what you gotta do

This child's hair is downright unruly. Some days, it cooperates...sort of. But mostly, it does what it wants and usually that means that it's all over the place and often in her eyes. Barrettes are a problem for a baby this little. She's finally realized they're in her hair and they're fun to take out and then, guess what? Into her mouth they go, which of course is a choking hazard. Today the barrettes were in and out of her hair so many times, I finally grabbed a few of my own hairbands and took care of the problem. A permanent solution? No. But it was fun to try and snap a few pictures, which I'm sure will embarass her greatly in about 15 years. We love you, Pumpkin!

Collins Reunion

Today we went to Traverse City for the annual Collins family reunion. It was so much fun to introduce Cassidy to many of her relatives! We enjoyed a beautiful afternoon at Uncle Ray's house. It was an awesome day that went by too quickly.

Sitting with Granny

Playing with Eugene the dog
Family picture #1

Family picture #2 (the Uncle Ray in the background version)

Loungin'

Good Girl

At 8 1/2 months, Cassidy is happy and thriving. She takes two naps each day and sleeps so well at night. Her waking hours are filled with playing, exploring, laughing, and plenty of smiles. We are impressed with how long she's content with an activity. She'll spend an 30 minutes to an hour on the floor playing with her toys. She's happy outside in her pack and play for more than an hour while Kurt harvests basil. The Tot Rider is her favorite thing, allowing her to "walk" all over the house. She talks to us in her wonderful baby babble all day long. She is just such a delightful little girl and we love her so, so much! We're grateful every day.

Who needs a mower when you have a Pumpkin?

Cassidy loves playing in the grass. Yes, she grabs it and pulls it by the handful. So we just never sit her in the same place twice! Hey, our grass doesn't grow well in our sandy soil anyway. Let her have some fun! You're only 8 months old once, right?!

Come Swing With Me

It's become our comfortable nightly routine. Right at 6:00, we head outside for a yard walk and a tree swing. Cassidy loves her swing (thanks again, Pook!) and we love watching her smiles and hearing her wonderful little laugh. We're having so much fun, and it's only just beginning!

This goofy sideways smile just had to make it to the blog!

Mommy's Dream Come True

Daddy's Idea

So where do you put a pumpkin when you need her to stay put, but she tips over the bouncy seat and doesn't really like the indoor swing?

Aha! A laundry basket will do the trick! Very creative, Daddy!

'Tis the Season! (Pesto Season, that is)

Grandpa Faust, this one's for you!

Potato, puh-tah-toe

Caution: Do not leave sweet potatoes unattended.

Hi, Mommy!

Sweet potato? What sweet potato? Oh, right - this one. I found it on the table. It sure looked fun!
I think I'll just take a little bite off this end here.

She didn't care for it raw, and she didn't care for it cooked.

Stay tuned for further culinary developments.

Banana Shmanana

How quickly a high can end. We were so thrilled just yesterday about Cassidy eating (!) bananas, but today our excitement has ended. This morning Kurt got her out of her crib to find a rash all over her face, which throughout the day got progressively worse and ended up all down her neck, chest and tummy. Bright red, bumpy splotches. We're pretty sure it's the banana because the one and only other time she had a similar rash was about 6 weeks ago. The night before we had given her some food on her tray to play with - watermelon and bananas. Neither was actually swallowed, but the banana must've at least gotten into her mouth. This time the rash is much worse, I suppose because this time she actually swallowed a bunch of banana pieces. Argh! Frustrating. We'll be moving on to other foods and leaving the banana behind, at least for now. Oh, banana, we hardly knew ye. :)

Happy Girl

We get A LOT of comments about Cassidy when we're out and about. Among the tops are: Is that hair real? That must be a wig! My kids were three and didn't have that much hair! Was she born with that much hair? But one of our favorites is: What a happy girl! Cassidy is a friendly smiler, and certainly gobbles up all the attention and adoration of the general public.

Today was a great day. For the very first time, Cassidy ate real food! Not only ate, but excitedly opened her mouth for more, chewed, and officially swallowed. What finally worked? Bananas, cut up into tiny pieces and delivered to her mouth not on a spoon, but straight from mommy's fingers. We are thrilled! It felt like it may never happen, but a whole new world has opened up for Cassidy. On to more food experimentation!

Bathing Beauty

Cassidy finally loves the big bathtub!

Things I Do While Daddy's Away

Play on daddy and mommy's bed Play with my toys in my crib

Take good naps. Taking care of mommy wears me out!

We miss you, daddy!

Little Miss Liberty

We spent Independence Day with Grandpa and Grandma Jensen in Alden. What a great little town to visit for the day! Cassidy loved spending time down by the beach, playing in the grass and laughing and smiling at all the people. Happy Fourth of July!

Family Fun on the Fourth of July

Fun Times with Grandpa and Grandma Jensen

Grandpa and Grandma Jensen came to visit in their new RV this weekend! Cassidy had so much fun entertaining everyone, playing with the grandparents, and getting more hugs and kisses than we can count! We had lots of fun exploring and just being together. Thanks for visiting, Grandpa and Grandma! Can't wait to see you again!
It's fun to feel Grandpa's beard!

Grandma is a good hugger!
Having lunch at the Terrace Inn in Bayview, near Petoskey.

Clowning around in Grandma's hat!

Thanks for reading me books, Grandma!