River’s 1st Birthday
Bud and I are in disbelief. How is it that our tiny, sleepy, helpless newborn has suddenly grown into a silly, happy, affectionate, inquisitive toddler with little boy toes and four tiny corn-kernel teeth? When did he become a person who could communicate by pointing, pointing at the dish he’d like to be fed next, or the book he’d like to read, or the adult he’d like to be held by next? How is it that just yesterday we were at the edge of our seats watching as he struggled to roll over for the first time, and now he thinks it’s so funny to crawl, fast and low to the ground like a bearded dragon, into our bedroom and close the door behind him, waiting for us to come and find him? How is it that just a minute ago, we were being careful to support his tiny head as we hugged him to our bodies, and now he can suddenly hug us back, fiercely, clinging like a koala? Somehow, in the blink of our sleepy eyes, our baby has sprouted into a toddler, and his Dad and I are so in love with the little boy he’s becoming.
Over the course of the weekend, three sets of grandparents came to visit River and shower him with their time, love, and new toys for his birthday. Yesterday, River had his first ever birthday party. We had a lasagna picked up from Tony’s Colonial, the same meal we enjoyed for our virtual baby shower just over a year ago. We made River a banana, raspberry and whipped cream dessert. River opened presents and luxuriated in the attention of his grandparents. It was such a perfect day. River may not have understood that it was his birthday party. He doesn’t know that he’s now a one-year-old, and he doesn’t know what presents are. He doesn’t understand why we all sang a song he’s never heard, or why Memere was encouraging him to make a mess of his “cake.” What he does understand, in his own way, is that he has six doting grandparents who love him very much. He’s a very lucky little boy. And we are all lucky, too, to have him in our lives.
October 14
Today I was reading “Where the Wild a things Are” to River. He became distracted and handed me one of his first books, a very simple baby book called “Baby Animals.” So I stopped reading “Where the Wild Things Are” and took the baby book that we had already read at least six times today. River began to bounce up and down on his knees excitedly, making eager little noises. I began to read, “Playful puppies like to run and jump from place to place.” I glanced at River and his eyes were wide and serious hearing these lines of verse, like he was on his edge of his seat to hear what else the playful puppies do. His sweet, earnest engagement was so wholesome, I started to laugh. River, his trance broken, looked up at me laughing and began to laugh at the sight of my laughing. Then he pulled himself up onto my lap and gave me a hug. It was the best part of my day.
The Skyline Trail
Blue Hills: Part 3
October 2, 2021
