TIME FLIES

Getting slow with updates, but there's no lack of activity in Bellaland.

Bella has played hostess lately with a playgroup coming over to her house last Tuesday. Her dad made vegetable soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for the moms, and the seven kids - all of whom have graduated from the New Parent Group at DeKalb Medical Center - had a great time. Bella wasn't sure at first what was going on as her friends invaded the sanctity of her home, but she soon warmed to the company and had fun chasing the big inflatable ball around with Grayson and Lexi. She also thinks Eli is cute, but that's a secret.

This past weekend, Bella invited her older friends, Mia and Lila and their parents, and her younger friend, Holden and his parents, over for an afternoon of serious playing and drooling (via Holden mostly) and then dinner. Lila was the oldest child present and read to Bella and even her sister Mia read some to Bella, who loved having older people around to watch. Then on Sunday, she invited Jasper and Cisco over with their parents for brunch. The meal was good, but the playtime in the front yard afterward was the most fun. Everyone was exhausted by the time we were done, and Bella had participated in every game that was going on, explored the front porch, shouted at doggies that jogged by on the street, and even blocked a shot in the last ball game. Then she napped for almost two hours.

Bella has also graduated into Miss Jessica's toddler room at Parents Morning Out and switched days to Tuesdays and Thursdays (when there are more peaceful girls and less rambunctious boys around). That went well this week. She still got to see Miss Nicole from the Infant Room, made piece of art with Jessica's help, and watched bubbles fall through the air. Her father likes it, too, because every time he picks her up from PMO, Bella falls asleep on the drive home for a nap - extending his Morning Out!

But the most exciting news of the last two weeks was that Bella was accepted to the Decatur Montessori School. Schooling is something her folks have been fretting about as there are very few high quality schools around for her age group, and the waiting list to get into any of them is lengthy. We applied at Decatur Montessori a few months ago planning to hopefully enroll her when she turned 15 months and could enter the Toddler Classroom. Somehow a space opened up this month, and the director offered it to Bella. She is still a bit young to go to school, but we are adjusting her to the school's schedule and will bring her by for visits and playground time later this month. Hopefully in March she'll be ready to go to school - five days a week from 8:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m.

As exciting as this is for us all, her parents are a little sad and nervous about the whole experience. Is she old enough to go to school? Will she miss us? Have we had enough time with her? The answer to all of these worries is of course that Bella is a magical baby and will be fine. We will have less time with her, have to work hard to continue the Montessori method of learning in our own home, and begin full-time diaper training soon. But in the long we think this school will benefit her immensely and start her on a path toward saving this world. We'll accept nothing less!