Dear Kelly Jelly Belly,

Honey, if I had one message for you at this time, it would be: Go To Sleep. Oh God please, go to sleep. You are awake for a potpourri list of reasons: teething, pink eye, a head cold, busy mind, very busy mind, and yet still, busier mind. But sweetie, you’ve got the wrong Momma for this growing pain. Your sister broke me. She both broke me in, and into a million pieces. She was awake for her first 10 months of life (I’m not even joking, not even a little bit), and when it comes to getting a kid to sleep, I’ve survived IT ALL. The good news for you is that I won’t let you cry alone. The bad news if it doesn’t hurt and it isn’t hungry, I won’t pick you up. I’ll sleep on your floor ALL NIGHT and listen to you scream within inches of your head, but I WILL NOT get you out of that bed. OK, I did…just once. A few nights ago, you looked out at me, wide awake, probably thinking up interesting math equations, and you took your little hand, stuck it out of the crib and started waving at me. I put my nose up to yours and we rubbed. For the rare few, whose hearts weren’t melted by that visual, we have special meds for you to be collected on your way out the door.

That kind of behavior (which you display OFTEN), begs the question: DO YOU HAVE WOO? Woo is a personality trait detailed in a book titled, “Now Discover Your Strengths”. Woo is a top strength of your Momma’s, and of all my superpowers, it’s my favorite. It generally means I enjoy meeting new people. On a darker side, it means I see the distance between myself and a goal as a straight line. I have been known to pick up my spirit stick (hey colleagues, any takers? I still have it on my desk…), and run that straight line, scratching and stabbing everything in my path. I call it “Using Woo as a Weapon”. Should you have Woo (and believe me Miss Smiley Flirtypants, I think you do), let me give you some advice right now: learn the phrases, “How would you do it?”, “What are your thoughts on this issue?”, and the all important, “This is just my opinion, but maybe we should consider…..” It can be a journey filled with friends or a journey filled with regrets, depending on how you leverage that single strength.

On a lighter note, you are running through milestones like they are made out of ice cream sundaes. I had to drag Miss Sara through each one, KICKING and SCREAMING and all other words that should be typed in capitals. I had books and flashcards (for me of course) and all flavors of overpriced toys and classes. My optometrist, and wise father of three grown children, warned me I’d throw a stick at you and you’d be a content genius. You can take out the stairs in a single breath (not safely, you little daredevil). You are standing each day for a few seconds without support. You clearly have “Da Da” assigned to the correct person and use it in the correct context. Which is my generic way of saying, you are a true blue Daddy’s girl. You use Ma Ma correctly, which is my way of saying, Ma Ma are your choice of syllables when you are hungry, tired, in pain, or need a cuddle. For all other things, you have assigned the phrase, “A BAH! A BAH!” It’s always said quite loudly and with a look of sheer excitement. It makes me want to jump and dance. “You are A BAH the easiest baby ever born!”

But still my favorite piece of you is that sheer tenacity that seems to be an indelible part of your core. With the bathtub faucet running full blast, you like to stick your head under until you are sputtering and laughing. You shake your head, eyelashes stuck together, cheeks puffed up and pink…and then do it again! Nothing scares you, nothing even slows you down. You aren’t bossy or overbearing, or what I’d call a roughhouser. You don’t see obstacles, you see opportunities. I am pretty sure if no one told you that you are only 9 months old, you’d get out of bed tomorrow, dress yourself, grab a briefcase and head off to work. “Oh I’m sorry, was I suppose to do something else first? Like learn to read? OK, fine. Hand me that book over there. No, not that one, the one with the pictures of bubbles. Yes, “Scrubbles Scrubbles”, hand me that one. You do know that “Scrubbles” isn’t actually a word, yes? I don’t mean to sound condescending, it’s just that it’s used for illustrative purposes.”

You are brave without bravado. Smart without ego. Happy without mania. Cheerful without an irritating Pollyanna complex. Fun without destruction. Messy without staining. Joyful, but not boastfully so. Fast, yet never leaving anyone behind. You Kelly, in not so short a way of putting it…you kid, are a winner. It’s in your stars. It’s written on your Papers of Destiny. Ahead of you is a journey of a million wins. A thousand triumphs. And countless baskets of happiness. You get this list of DNA goodies from your Daddy. From me you get brown eyes and,

All the Mommy Cuddles in the World (during normal waking hours you little squirt),

Your Mommy