Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Go Figure

I'll admit, Before I had Casey, I had no clue about babies and kids... What they liked to do, what kind of toys they like, I never even gave it any thought. I mean, I've been to peoples houses, and seen tons of crap, err, baby toys, scattered about the house, but I never paid any attention to what toys they were. I know they make noise, and sing little baby rhymes... But when it comes to picking specific toys that a baby will like... well, who knows.

In fact, I'm willing to bet no one knows with any certainty which toy will really hit it big. Take Casey for example. For months now, he has been infatuated with vacuum cleaners. Admittedly, our vacuum cleaner is pretty cool. It has a bunch of lights, and ton of buttons. It even has a 'headlight'. Anytime Mom would vacuum the house, Casey would chase it around. He called it a 'Ca-caish'... which happens to be Portugese slang for... poop...

He knows where we store the 'Ca-caish' (In the hall closet). Every night, before we take him upstairs for bed, he has to stop at the closet, open the door, and say goodnight to the 'ca-caish'. Every morning, when he wakes up, its a toss up what his first word is going to me. Momma, or 'ca-caish'.. Every once in a blue moon, he MIGHT say 'Da-da'.

So, I'm secretly wondering, dude, is my kid strange? Does he have some unhealthy love affair with vacuum cleaners? Then, one day, Mom goes to the toy store. What does she see? A mini toy vacuum cleaner... When I heard this, I was relieved. I mean, they wouldn't produce and sell a mini toy vacuum if OTHER kids didn't love vacuums. So, now Casey has his own mini 'ca-caish'. Come to find out, there are other kids in the neighborhood who love vacuums.

I can only imagine how this started. Some parent saw their kid chasing the family vacuum around the house, and thought, "I got an idea"... And went to her boss (who doesnt have kids) at Mattel, or Fisher-Price.. and got laughed out of the boardroom. So, she went home, made a prototype, hit it big and retired. All from inventing a baby 'ca-caish'. Go figure.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Water Fountain

Recently, we had a family outing. Yes, it happened to coincide with one of the hottest days Los Angeles has EVER seen. And, instead of heading west, toward the beach, we ventured inland; toward the heat. We started at a carnival, and these giant spinning Strawberries caught Casey's attention. He kept staring at this ride. So, I decided to take one for the team and ride with him on it. (For those of you who dont know, I dont do well with rollercoaster and carnival rides.) But, this is all about Casey, so I figured 'how bad could it be'.. Yeah well, famous last words. Casey seemed to enjoy the ride just fine, but my stomach didnt feel so good.

But the most memorable aspect of the day was the heat. Was it ever hot. But then, I had an idea. FOUNTAIN!!! Yeah, who cares if its a public water fountain. It was hot, and we are, err, he is a kid.

At first, he was a little hesitant.

But after just a little encouragment, he was having the time of his life. His smile that day was PRICELESS! It is perhaps the happiest we have ever seen him. And I gotta tell you, there is something undescribable about witnessing your child's unbridled happiness!

Changing of the guard

Just a quick observation. Sesame Street and Elmo are on my 58" HD Plasma TV more than Sportscenter. In case there was even a doubt who is in charge...
Here is Casey, intense concentration and focus on.... Sesame Street!