Need More Casey Lovin'

I was sitting at Peet's when my sister finally rang at 7 a.m. Her phone had been on vibrate and didn't wake her up, and she wasn't up because...Casey actually slept through the night-for the third night in a row!

I returned to my sister Chrissy's house and met my brother-in-law, Ken, for the first time. Then, I met Casey. I approached the ten-month-old's crib with caution, for as much his sake as mine. Kids don't always like new faces, and I didn't want to make him cry. So I stood back, said hello, and let my sister take care of him while I stood by and watched. He was just as happy as he'd looked in the pictures I'd seen over the past ten months. He didn't fuss or complain. He didn't do anything that made his morning routine more difficult than it needed to be. He was good. I was impressed. My sister set him down on the floor and I sat with him. We played together for a few minutes; he smiled, he laughed, he wanted to play with me. 

"He must know who you are," my sister said. "Usually he has stranger danger, which is a good thing, but he is okay with you. He likes you."

"Wow," I said. "That's kinda cool."

"He may recognize you since you look like your sister and your mom," Ken said. 

"He was like that with Jon (my brother) too," Chrissy commented.

Casey and I spent the rest of the day getting to know each other. I was taken aback by how well adjusted and balanced he is. He's extroverted but also self-entertaining. He loves being outside, watching birds, going for walks, playing with his toys, and looking at books.

"I'm so lucky to have such a good baby," my sister admitted. "He's happy and easy going. My pregnancy was far more difficult." Chrissy had gestational diabetes which made her pregnancy very challenging and gave Casey his broad build.

"He's a good baby cause you guys rock at parenting," I said. "I love that you breast feed, only give him organic food, don't give him any sugar, and don't let him watch television. You're off to a great start. I don't know anything about parenting, but my guess is this has something to do with his even temperament." 

Committed to each other, committed to Casey, and committed to maintaining their sense of humor, hanging out with Ken and Chrissy was fun, easy, and filled with a lot of laughter. There was nothing stressful about being with them. If anything, it only furthered my desire to move back to the west coast, be closer to them, and see them more often.

In just a short time, Casey stole my heart. In the short times I had to be away from him while I was in California I missed him terribly. And leaving was only that much harder. There is a longing in my heart; I don't want to miss out on Casey! I'll be heading back soon to get some more Casey lovin'!