Beatrice, Month Twelve

(The last in our monthly Beatrice series.)

This month started with our trip to Chicago. That was followed by Gillian's visit to L.A., then shortly after by Beatrice's first birthday party. All four of her grandparents were in town to help her celebrate her big day, though we all missed Gillian, Ezra, James, Mina, Julie, and Maureen.

Beatrice with Grandma Suzan

Riding tiny cars with Rosemary in Chicago.

Just in time for B's first birthday, she learned her first word: "dog." She also learned to point and to wave, and she uses both of these skills primarily to point to and wave at every dog she sees. Her father and grandparents claim she knows other words (like "dada," "hi," and "okay") but "dog" is the only one she uses consistently and correctly every day.

Beatrice waving from the Griffith Park carousel.

In every way Beatrice is becoming so much smarter and more involved in her world: she helps dress herself, and the other day she even picked up her own hair comb and made three practiced strokes through her own hair just perfectly.

Beatrice's love affair with food continues - some of her recent favorites include smoked sturgeon, Thai curry chicken, collard greens, and cupcakes. In fact, we still haven't found anything she won't eat. Despite that, she's still very small - 10th percentile in weight and barely 25th in height, according to her most recent exam. But she's very strong, active, agile, and healthy - she packs a lot of punch into that small package.

Beatrice's most impressive skill is probably her climbing ability - she is incredibly good at climbing. She can already make it up onto our countertops (unfortunately) and her father recorded her climbing a chainlink fence. She seems to have an insatiable drive to climb: she immediately makes for the tallest accessible point in any room. This might mean she winds up on the sofa, on top of the changing table, or in the dishwasher.

Beatrice of Arabia.

Climbing a chainlink fence - she needed no support from Dev, he is pictured trying to pull her off.

The other skill Beatrice has been perfecting lately is begging. At the baby gym, she has started going from mother to mother begging for treats (yes, just like Cromwell at the dog park). The play time is held in a large gymnasium, but no matter where she is in the room she instantly notices when a mother opens a container of goldfish crackers or Cheerios, and she makes a beeline for them. Then she hugs the other mother, sits in her lap, and kisses her until usually the mother offers her a snack. But if that should fail, she's also not above rifling through their diaper bags and purses and helping herself.

Today Beatrice turns one year old, and it really has been a tremendous year. Beatrice is so smart, so tough and fearless and funny, and above all, so cheerful, she's a real joy to be around. We can't wait to see what year two will bring.

Beatrice is ferocious.

As always, y0u can find the rest 0f this photo series on Flickr and Facebook.