state of the river

i guess it is almost too cliche to say that i can't believe river will be one year old this week. it has been an amazing year, and river continues to be an awesome, mostly very happy baby.

having a one year old is crazy. he walks and runs all over the place, climbs anything he can get his hands on, and e ven goes up and down small slides by himself. he still sleeps with us, but now on a crib mattress pushed up against our bed, because he is getting so big! he has been working on walking more than talking, but he does say a few words now, too. he says "yeah" a lot, which is funny--you can trick him into agreeing with almost anything. he has also spontaneously started making a meowing noise whenever he sees cats or, really, pretty much any type of animal including fish.

he loves going outside (especially to the playground), playing with anything that makes noise, other kids, animals, water, snacks and snuggling. oh, and he dances! he will dance to almost any kind of music, even television commercials, and it is the cutest thing ever. unfortunately, it's getting tough to carry him in the sling. we're considering getting a toddler carrier, because we have all enjoyed the baby wearing option at times.

we are still nursing, but river eats a lot of things, too. he has four front teeth! he also has really funny taste in food. so far has seemed to enjoy olives, raw mushrooms and tomatoes, plain tofu, and sharp cheeses among other things, not to mention the occasional handful of dirt, while avoiding all types of fruit religiously until a week or so ago. weird kid.

and while we have been really focussed on river, we've gotten plenty of other stuff done too, especially because our short breaks now seem especially precious and tend to get used to the utmost. in the past year, we've had an art show, remodeled an apartment, moved, traveled a bit (including to ri ver's first festival), gotten more or less back into shape, survived without a car, and all while working more than we had been for a while (james has been assisting a photographer and, shockingly enough, a business broker, and i have been writing online content and editing papers). i've also finally started writing a book (more on that later) and studying shamanic herbalism, while james has managed to keep up with djing and playing music. typing all that up, i'm actually pretty impressed. needless to say, it was only possible because james and i work together and have developed some pretty awesome cooperating skills. plus, river is probably the sweetest and most accommodating baby ever.

someone told me at the park the other day that we should get river on waiting lists for schools now. we still hope to home school eventually, and don't know if we'll even be in this area for more than a few more years, but it was jarring to think about and probably true. it's a real balancing act, because we don't intend to put off all our other activities for five years or more, which will especially be an issue if we end up having another baby in the next few years, and also if we end up home schooling. but, river is still so tiny and wonderful, and my resolution going into his second year, the same resolution i keep making and for the most part following, is to have absolutely as much fun with him now as possible.

and to meet more cool parents and kids in our area. that would really help.