Well, this August brought the celebration of our 5-year wedding anniversary! People always say the time flies by, and they are right! But we also look back and have so many great memories from our first 5 years of married life - fun trips, family get-togethers, big life events, and of course transitioning from a life before kids to a life after kids (the biggest of all!) - that it makes the years feel very full. We celebrated by taking a night off from baby duty - Cassidy had her first overnight away from Mommy and Daddy at Grammy and Grandpa Brown's house. I fought tears for the first 10 minutes after she left, but I was also very relieved that she's such a happy-go-lucky child - 
she was all smiles on her way out, just having fun on her little adventure. It would have been a billion times more difficult if she had cried or been upset, but thankfully she was just happy to have such wonderful playmates and caregivers in Grammy and Grandpa Brown. They went to the Brookfield Zoo and strolled to the park, and watched birds and squirrels from the windows. As for us - we ordered our favorite Thai take-out and went to see Batman: The Dark Knight. We don't get to the theater often, so we always try to pick the best one for the big screen - Batman didn't disappoint! We both loved it. The next day, 
we got to sleep in (heaven!), and then we went sailing on Lake Michigan with a group of friends. Despite the choppy water and the fact that most of us got seasick (yours truly getting the worst of it, unfortunately), it was a beautiful afternoon and we gave ourselves and A for effort - at least we tried! Afterward, we drove out to Grammy and Grandpa's house to pick up our little Cassie and had a nice dinner with family. We also got to meet Cooper, Aaron and Mel's new puppy and Cassidy's newest cousin. He's just adorable!
Cassidy has also had some new "firsts" recently. She got a special seat that attaches to Daddy's bike so they can go for rides together - her first attempt was about a week ago, and all went well except for that darned helmet that we forced upon her. She spent much of the time yanking it around her head, trying to throw it off (she really hates hats). Hopefully with time, she'll get
used to the idea, since I'm not sending her out without it! She's also trying some new foods these days, such as pancakes, waffles, spaghetti, and sweet potato fries. They are all dairy-free, so they might taste slightly different to you and me, but to her, they are scrumptious! She loves to use her fork to take stabs at the food, even though it's not the most productive method just yet. We also had our first scare that she might have eaten something in the non-food category (we don't count the little bits of paper and lint that she gobbles up with unfortunate regularity). Erik was assembling her bike seat, and it came with a handful of tiny bolts and screws. It took her about 2 seconds to find that stash and when Erik counted them back up, there were only 7 bolts instead of 8. The actual item that was missing was like a round washer, but thicker - like a little metal cheerio. So, it left us wondering if she actually gobbled it down in silence, and in a matter of seconds, or if it just got thrown somewhere out of sight. We called both Grandmas, and then the ER, who transferred us to Poison Control - who finally assured us that it should go right through her system without harm. So then the fun began - diaper checks! Grammy Brown was very sweet to tackle the first one - no bolts to be found! I gave it a whirl for the next one, again, nothing. The next day, we decided to go for a stroll, and as soon as I wheeled the stroller out from it's spot, I looked down and saw the shiny metal cheerio on the floor. Who knows how it got there, but hooray! - no more diaper checks! Erik was especially happy since he was up next...Lastly, we have to mention that Cassidy has finally become a snuggler! (Victory!) For her first year of life, she was very anti-hugs. We'd still force them upon her, tickling her and smothering her with kisses - but the whole time, she'd use all her strength to push away and avoid the whole mess. Then suddenly on our Seattle trip in July, we were out walking one chilly morning and she just snuggled her little head into my neck - only for a moment, but it was progress! And slowly but surely, since then she has become our little snuggle bug - giving "hugs" to her stuffed animals and to both of us, especially before naps and bedtimes. We new we could turn her, it just took some persistence!
