Letter to Bella, months twelve and thirteen

Dear Bella,

It feels as though your birthday was a year ago, but really only two months have passed. During those months, tons of changes have happened - including your transformation from baby to toddler.

Let's see: My laptop died and took with it many of your pictures, your birthday invitations, several to-do lists and way too many work files. Luckily, I really only lost a month's worth of material thanks to backing everything up back in March - but still.

That catastrophe, combined with my need for some R&R afer your vaccintions and birthday party, led me to skip your Month 12 letter. No worries, though. I can tell you what you spent April doing: ESCAPING! Whether shimmying through the dog door, climbing out of your crib or making a mad dash for the neighbor's yard, you spent the entire month exerting your independence. I imagine part of this is because you spent the entire winter in the living room.

Oh, and let's not forget the teeth. You sprouted your first two little beanpoles at eight and nine months but your gum line has been a solid, smooth pink since then. But not any longer. Right after your birthday, we saw the wedge of white appear on the top. That poor tooth took forever to break through but then around early May, not only had it come in, but it's next-door neighbor was ready to bust out, too. You now have four happy little buddies who chomp on anything and everything. It's almost like your body is catching up for lost time because there are two side teeth pushing in right now!

While April was spent exercising your body, you put May to use exercising your mind. It's like you went to sleep one evening a drooly sweet baby and woke up the next morning a clever sweet toddler. Suddenly you were able to sort shapes (the circle and oval are your favorites) and stack rings. You figured out how to unscrew the lid of a squirt bottle full of sunscreen. You lay on your belly to read books, slowing turning the pages and lifting up all the flaps. You push your drum or seat up against the couch so you can climb up.

Strategy, my dear Bella. That should've been your middle name. Whether you're pulling off flower petals or emptying the diaper bag, you have a mission and you find a way to accomplish it. This is not always good news for me. It means I have to keep my foot braced against the oven drawer because otherwise you'll empty all the pans and I must gate you in the living room when I want to load or unload the dishwasher because you'll either try to play with the knives or climb into the machine.

But life has been fun, too. I love watching you do something new, such as waving "Hi!" at people in the grocery store and climbing in and out of your new bouncy castle. We took you out on the boat for Memorial Day and while you seemed to tolerate being on it while it was moving, you loved walking around on it and playing with the lake toys. You wouldn't keep shoes on, so you were confined to laps and the pack & play, but you seemed to enjoy the day outside.

Well, you enjoy the outside when I let you do your thing. I tried to corral you into an activity by taking you to the Thomas Farms strawberry patch. That was a mistake. You wanted nothing to do with the strawberries but everything to do with the old farm equipment and rusty tools littering the farm area to the side of the patch. Luckily, they had fresh strawberry soft-serve ice cream on hand to help me distract you from the tetanus and other diseases you otherwise would've contracted.

This summer is already shaping up to be too hot for us to do much outside, so I have lots of fun indoor activities scheduled. We already tried one: the library. You loved crawling around on the chairs in the storytelling area. Of course, you then ran off while I was distracted by Javi. I found you pushing an umbrella stroller complete with baby. That child's mom and I had a good laugh about both how much you love pushing strollers and how strong you must be to take off with one that had a 25-pound child strapped in it.

I also hope to introduce you to the beach, a tumbling class and other children your age. You are fascinated by them in a way I haven't seen yet. You're surrounded by older kids every day, so I'm not surprised that your eyes light up and you can't stop touching them when you meet other toddlers - especially the wobbly new ones.

Yes, the past two months seem like an eternity, and in many ways, it was. But the next few months will bring you a whole new world of experiences. I can't wait to watch your personality blossom even further as you explore all the beauty and wonder of summer.

Love, Mama