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Well, my girl is now two years old. I can hardly believe it! We had a big party for her (about 24 adults and 17 children). Thank goodness we have a very large empty garage in our back yard now! The day flew by…Cassie received lots of presents and enjoyed her Scooby-Doo cake (she calls him “dee-doo”, like how her cousin Alice used to say “thank you”; it’s so cute!) I was too busy to take any photos, so I am hoping Uncle Don will post a picture of Cassie’s party as I understand he filled a whole flash card!

Cassie had her two year check-up with Dr. Pow the day before her birthday. She only weighs 23 lbs and is 33 inches. She has gained 2 pounds and 3 inches since she was 18 months. She has fallen off her growth curve a bit, but Dr. Pow stated he was not concerned. Cassie is a very active toddler, and it’s difficult to get her to sit and eat, or just simply sit for that matter! Cassie has has few aggressive behaviors that we struggle with-pinching, biting, and hitting. Mostly she pinches when she is frustrated, doesn’t get her way, is over tired, or hungry. We have been putting her in time-out’s, and trying to teach more appropriate ways of expressing herself and behaving. On the positive side, Cassie is very resilent. When she gets hurt (e.g., scrapes her knee or falls), she will cry for a few seconds, then carry on. She is also very funny and entertaining. She still loves her puppies (our two dogs, plus all of her stuffed puppies). Every night before bed she arranges all of her stuffed puppies around the perimeter of her bed. It is adorable. We moved her into a toddler bed about a week before her birthday. It was an easy transition for her, well, now that she is finally sleeping through the night!

Wow, it has been quite some time since I made an entry. Life has certainly been busy! Today Cassie had her 18 month shots, and she was very brave. She didn’t cry until she got the second shot, and that was only brief. She weighs 22 lbs and 4oz, and is 30 inches long. She remains at the 50th percentile for height and 25th for weight (following her normal curve). In discussions with the health nurse, I decided it is time to stop Cassie’s evening bottle for dental concerns ( I see a couple off white spots on her front teeth which may be indicative of early decay) Cassie LOVES her night time bottle, so we will see what happens. The nurse suggested to just put water in her bottle; we’ll see how that goes.

When we arrived home, Cassie was her normal self. However, at about 6pm, she started to hold her left wrist, and then she just started screaming and crying. I took her shirt off to see that her injection site was red and inflammed. I luckily had given her some Tylenol just prior to her reaction. I put a cold cloth on her arm and held her for about an hour. She was so upset, my poor girl. She started to feel better at supper, at and ate a little. I gave her a bottle (of milk) and put her to bed. I sure hope she sleeps well….

Ahh, sleep. That’s still a contentious issue with Cassie. She still is having trouble sleeping through the night. Sometimes she wakes up and she cries a little, then goes back to sleep. Other times, it’s a loud, upsetting cry, and I will go and either give her a bottle, or bring her to bed with me (then once she’s asleep again, I sneak her off to her crib). I suspect that her waking is due to teething, but not so naive as it could be just a bad habit to which I am part of. So, it’s time for a little tough love I guess, as I desperately need my rest.

Other updates….Cassie can say several words now, such as “mine”, “fish”, “cheese”, “yellow (which sounds like “ow”), “papa”, “nana”, “juice”, and most precious is “sous”, which is French for soother. My little French speaking genius!! Hee hee, we’re workin’ on it!

Cassie had her one year check-up with Dr.Pow on Monday. It went well, she weighs 19lb 6oz and 30 inches. Her weight puts her below the 50th percentile, so he wants to see her in 3 months. I am not worried, as she eats a lot, and her daddy is so tiny. She had her shots yesterday, it was painful for her and I as usual. I find that I am stronger (emotionally) as I have heard her cry so much. It’s still hard. At the clinic she weighed 19lb and 29 inches…this as we know, is the most accurate measurement. So, Cassie is just below the 25th percentile. The nurse didn’t seem too concerned, as Cassie is so active and healthy. Cassie was really cuddly today and wanted to be held by mommy. I think it’s due to the shots, but it was cute. We have both come down with a cold, yes, sick again! Cassie doesn’t seem to eat much when she’s sick, which does help put the weight on! I hope she (and I) get better soon!

Cassandra turned one year old on August 18th, 2006. It was a Friday, so we had her big birthday party on Satudrday. There were lots of people at her party, almost 30 people! Both her grandparents, auntie Corrie, Uncle Don and Alice, Auntie Tammy, uncle Steve, Connor, Jack and Ryan, Auntie Wendy, Uncle Steve, and Megan, Great grandma Chant, Great Auntie Donna, uncle Bob, Kara and Charlie, Jason and Mel, and friends Shari, Brian, Paiton and Grace. It was sure a fun party! We had a Whinnie the Pooh pinata, which all the kids had a turn hitting. Megan, who is the oldest, hit the hardest, and knocked all the candy out. Cassie opened lots of presents, and had some help from her cousins too. We then had the whinnie the pooh birthday cake, which kinda stained some things (clothes, and also one of the kitchen chairs). I am sure we can get teh stains out. It was a fun, exciting day, we were all pretty tired at the end. Today is Grandma Chant’s 60th birthday, so last night I (along with Tammy, Corrie, Rene and dad) took her out for supper. We are off to Invermere tomorrow morning, so not a lot ot time to write. As soon as we get back we have Grandma and Grandpa Chant’s 40th wedding anniversary party, so much going on!

Cassie took her first steps on Friday, August 11th. It was very exciting to watch! I was playing with Cassie on the floor, and she stood up. She was standing there for what seemed like quite some time, then she moved one foot, then the other, taking a few short steps. I was in awe! I passed the camcorder to my friend Sue who happened to be visiting. She recorded Cassie, luckily she walked a little bit more for the camera. Daddy was sorry he missed it.

Cassie is almost one year old, only three days left! She still is not really sleeping through the night. For some reason she wakes up at 4 or 5am, then goes back to sleep till about 7am. I would let her cry, but she still getting over viral laryngitis. She also is getting over a nasty yeast rash, my poor girl! I had to take her to the walk-in clinic on Aug 4th and 11th for those two issues. The dr says it only boosts her immunity. I just want Cass to be healthy! Despite her being sick, she is happy which is great. She also has (almost) two new teeth, the lateral incisors. The left one has cut through, and the right one is almost there. She continues to eat well, she enjoys all foods. When she is done or had enough of something she throws it on the floor. This is frustrating, however I realize it’s just part of being a baby.

Oh, another exciting thing that Cassie does is give kisses. Daddy taught her this last week. You say to Cassie “Kiss kiss” and she will lean in with a nice big open mouth and kiss you! It’s so cute. She also brushes her hair after she seems mommy do it, or if you say “brush your hair”; this too is precious.