Growing Up

River has now turned one.  She has graduated from the infant phase into the toddler phase.  Part of me mourns each day that she gains a new skill and grows a little older.  She is my caboose.  My little baby--and she is growing so quickly.  I wish that I can keep her a baby and not let her grow.

At the same time, it is so fun to watch as she discovers new things.  To see her excitement as she starts to master skills such as walking, to hear her babble and yearn to know what goes on in that little mind of hers.

She loves to keep us on our toes.  She has discovered the stairs and will spend hours going up and down them.  She has only made the mistake of planting her bum in midair once.  She is quite adept at the stairs and can get up and down them pretty quickly.

Little River has quite the temper on her, especially if you take something away from her.  She will throw herself down on the ground and cry as if her world was ending.  It is quite the phenomenon to watch.

Overall, she is pretty easy going and quick to smile.  She still does not sleep through the night, though.  She went for about five nights where she slept through the night several months ago, then she started teething, and then she got sick.  I think she is so used to waking up now that it has just become habit.  She will cry until I go in and give her a bottle.  If I don't give her a bottle and just soothe her, she will cry when I leave until she gets her bottle.  Such a stinker.  She definitely has a mind of her own.

She has also begun taking her first steps.  Crawling is still her preferred method, but she is starting to walk more and more.  I could easily see her walking completely within the next couple of weeks.  She is still pretty unsteady, but once she figures out the balance part, she will be unstoppable.