Bella has always been a very bright, optimistic, little girl. Everyday was a "beautiful day", if it was a rainy day or we couldn't do something she would just say, "that's OK, we can do it next time". Her mom taught her baby sign language early on and she could communicate with us at 14 months old, before she could even talk. By 18 months old she was talking in complete sentences and by the age of 2 she was very articulate. People were always amazed at how well Bella could speak at such an early age.

She was very active and would wake up every morning and ask, "where are we going today, mommy?" She was enrolled in many different park district classes, swimming lessons and activities throughout the year. One of her favorites was a class called "Little Twigs" at a local nature center where they took hikes in the woods and the kids learned about things in nature along the way. She was also a big fan of amusement rides and her bikes.

Bella really developed a love for nature and would often hop off her bike, anywhere, and hug a tree. When her mom asked her why she liked to do this, she replied, "I want to see how the tree is growing up!" She could never pass up a flower without picking one for everybody and including herself last. It was also very important for her to try and see the moon every night.

Bella was excited and anxiously waiting for her baby brother to be born. She would say "I can't wait to meet him". She was so proud and even put some baby toys of hers aside for him. Unfortunately Bella missed the birth of her brother and the experience that we prepared her for. He was born 18 hours after Bella was released from the hospital but she was not in any shape to be at the hospital for the birth. At the time we didn't even know for sure if she even knew who we were. We did know that she knew him as Liam prior to her aneurism so we kept the name for her. Today they share a very special bond and Liam calls her "his Bella".

Currently Bella is enrolled in kindergarten at a school for special needs and also goes through intense physical therapy daily. Everyone that works with her just loves her calm, patient personality. She still seems to be that kindhearted gentle soul that we so cherish. We even get a smile from her every once in a while. Something that we missed for a long time.

We are working very hard on communication with her and she has proven to still be very bright. Bella keeps getting stronger little by little. The improvements she makes are so gradual but she still seems to amaze us every once in a while and that helps us keep going. She still loves the outdoors and we try to take her everywhere including an occasional carnival ride with dad. There is no telling how far she can improve, but we do know it is something that takes years to progress. Our hope is that someday she will have more independence.