One year journal turns to two year blog

Now that Eve's one year journal is full -- I haven't really written a *review* yet -- I am trying to figure out the best way to keep track of her life & changes. I love to write about this stuff. Maybe it will be here! I can't seem to get myself to blog regularly about myself -- maybe that is because my other blog got erased -- or just because I haven't got a lot of time. But I've been collecting things about Eve.

Her birthday party, what she did and highlights. One great highlight was the fact that her great grandparents came -- Mildred and Louis -- that was really special. It's not very many one year olds that can say that their great grandparents were at their birthday party! She also got a push cart with alligators on it that move up and down as she pushes. It is an old fashioned toy, really well made, and she seemed to really enjoy pushing it around the community center. It was wonderful to have all of the supportive guests that came--my friends, John's friends, our families and people who have become a part of our lives because of Eve -- Janice, Steve, Shelley and Troy. She definitely enjoyed her cake, which was sweetened with agave (the frosting with fructose). It was delicious, indeed.

The fact that she has begun to eat tomatoes (and other citrus foods), egg whites and nut butters (cashew and peanut). She enjoys rice crackers with cashew butter on them. She licks the butter off and throws the cracker on the ground. She also seems to really enjoy spicy chili and food with tomato sauce and/or gomasio. Concurrently she has stopped eating green (and other) veggies. I don't think she likes the texture! Here she is enjoying my mum's chili and cornbread (with grandpa) and then some of her birthday cake.

She has also begun to have a love for a *wubby.* It's a handmade blanket by someone in Michigan (I don't even know who) that she reaches for now at night.  When it is next to her head she softens and kind of cuddles up with her thumb. Our routine is that I rock her for seven minutes or so while she nurses or sucks her thumb and then I put her in bed awake or asleep, cover her up with her cotton blankets and then put this handmade one on top. She knows it is coming and reaches for it as I go to pick it up. It's adorable. She's really growing up!

She is also having a blast pushing her various push carts around the neighborhood. I've taken one video so far that I will upload for this blog but it's not ready yet. What's hilarious is that she really has a mind of her own. You can't make her go in any particular direction and she will actively resist you if you turn the cart in the direction you want to go. She is exploring as she wants to--going down curbs, down hills, over the grass, stopping to pick up leaves or tasting a dirty rock. What's amazing is that she is very agile. I was afraid that going down hills would cause her to get out of control (she can run!) but I can actually see her body tensing to resist the pull of the downward slope. She's very strong, sensitive and intuitive. When she starts to go over the curb she knows it is dangerous and stops, pulling back. This is not to say that she hasn't had a few spills, she has! Over the top of the cart (when she tries to force it to go if it is stuck), or the cart falling over sideways with her or her just falling back on her bum. I was most worried about her cracking her head open on the cement, but nothing like that has even come close to happening.