Cavan is going to be a Lemur for his first Halloween. We dressed him up in his costume and went down to an event they were having at Daley Plaza. His cuteness drew quite a lot of attention, and some tourists even asked to take his picture.
Getting a bit sleepy…
Looking at the kids playing on a sculpture and wishing he could join in.
They even colored the water in the fountain orange. Thirsty?
Today Cavan had his first Gymboree class. It was a free trial class for 6 - 10 month olds. He really liked seeing all the other kids, but he is officially off the charts in terms of size and skill level. He wasn’t the oldest in the class, but he was far beyond all the activities we did so the instructor pulled me aside and told me that since Cavan is so big and mobile, we should put him in the 10-16 month class. So, we stayed for the 10-16 month class and Cavan had a blast! He wasn’t even the smallest kid there, and he was right on par with what most of them were doing (except for the few walkers). He isn’t shy at all, he kept climbing over to the other moms and sitting on their laps or standing holding onto them and smiling at them. What a flirt!
Also, Monday we went to the Brookfield Zoo with my friend Kristen. Cavan liked it a lot, especially the primate house with all the waterfalls and tropical plants. The zoo was impressive, and we’re so thankful to Kristen for taking us out there - I never would have found my way there without her superb public transit knowledge. It was also Cavan’s first train ride!
And… it takes 3 spoons to feed Cavan lately. One for each of his hands, and one for me. When he sees my spoon coming he’ll drop one of his and grab the one with food, so we get a nice assembly line going. Diaper changes have also turned into an all out ordeal. He’ll lay still long enough to unfasten the soiled one, but that’s it. It’s an all out wrestling match that usually ends up with a naked little butt crawling swiftly away from me. Cavan is also independent enough that he crawls all around the apartment, usually I see his legs and bottom going around the corner as he chases that cat or bunny. For the last couple days he’s started clicking his tongue, which serves as a sort of echo-location device for me. I hear the clicks close by, and they get softer as he approaches things he’s not supposed to get into!
Since I’m starting to get threats for not having new pictures of Cavan up… Here we go!
This is the little mister in the living room of the new apartment.
This was taken a month or so ago but we never got it put up. Cavan is showing off his new shoes at the nature center in East Lansing. Thank you Auntie Jen and Uncle Freddie for the shoes! Everyone tells him how cute they are.
And last but not least… here’s a somewhat blurry picture of Cavan’s first adventure in the pool. I’m sure we’ll get some better ones soon, this was during the first couple minutes in the pool before our camera battery ran out. — and yes, that’s a tattoo, he got it at the market and after 4 days it showed no signs of fading, my friend Kristen recommended rubbing alcohol, and without that tip it probably would still be there!
I forgot to add…
Cavan got his first balloon at the grocery store a couple days ago. He loved it. He held tight onto the string and watched it bop all around, and the next day when the helium leaked out he grabbed the string and tried very hard to throw it back up into the air where it “should be.”
So, today we went to the grocery store again, and the clerk saw him staring in amazement at the balloons and he got another one. As I type this he’s growling and talking to it beside me, he got it an hour ago and he hasn’t let go of it since (aside of once when I made him to take his coat off). I was going to make a video, but the camera that does video is packed up and I can’t find it 
Oh, and Cavan loves pigeons. He’s fascinated by them - good thing too, because there are tons of them here and they’re FAT.
We’re all getting used to the city pretty well. I’m more comfortable than I thought I would be, I’m able to navigate fairly well and I don’t feel unsafe at all. Cavan is adjusting well too. A few days ago we took him to the Lincoln Park Zoo, a free zoo just a short bus ride from our apartment. I have to say, we were really impressed with the zoo - I’d wager to say it was better than the Detroit zoo in terms of habitats and animal health. There are always lots of programs going on there for kids too. Cavan met a lady who told him all about bees and honey (he wasn’t listening, he was desperately trying to get the bee puppet she was gesturing with.) He liked to look at the animals, and the monkeys were very active so they held his attention for a long time. He got to see sea lions underwater, I think he just wanted to swim with them. We’ll definitely go back.
Cavan likes all the people a lot, he can’t manage to go into the elevator without commanding someone’s attention, and yesterday the lady at the tailor/dry cleaner gave him a hug. He really liked her, which is a bit of a coincidence because he also really liked the tailor in East Lansing - I guess our boy has a thing for asian tailor ladies.
I ordered Cavan’s Halloween costume online today. He’s going to be a lemur. I bought the 12 month costume because most of his clothing is 12 months, I hope it’s not too big!
Also, we’ve entered into the realm of cheerios. Cavan LOVES them. He grabs them by the handfuls and shoves them into his mouth. Yesterday he did so and forgot that the binkie was still in, so they ended up all over his lap and the floor. He’s doing really well eating them, they dissolve pretty easily which is good, but he’s also gumming them pretty well.
And… Cavan now pulls himself up onto things with ease. He’s started traveling sideways while holding onto things too. He’s begun to let go too, which results in him falling onto his bum. I keep telling him he’s not allowed to even think about walking yet. I’m not ready! As it is, I chase him all over the apartment. When he gets it into his head that he wants something he can crawl surprisingly fast!