{Brooklyn} Going on 16 months

 

As you may have noticed, the pictures and blog posts are fewer and far between for little Brookie Brooks. It's not that I'm neglecting her, it's actually the opposite. I have discoved that my time with her, is my time with HER! Which means no more multi-tasking. She requires my full attention and interaction. Or else! I'm sure my mom is somewhere having a little laugh that I have a daughter that is so strong willed! And I must admit, it is super difficult to get a decent picture of her because she is so active.

The above picture was taken while trying to capture little Lu. Brookie wanted to be part of the fun though. It's actually really awesome seeing Brooklyn with Luella. She loves her! She mimics us so much and wants to tickle Lu and says "hi baby" and "cute baby" with perfect intonation, as if I was saying it. She leans into Lu's face and coo's and ahh's. And it's so fun to see Lu's reaction. Cora and I joke about how these two little girls may relate to each other one day. Partners in crime? Or competition?

Recently our doctor and book What to Expect the Toddler Years informed us that B may have an advanced vocabulary. The book mentioned that it's normal for a child her age to have between 3-6 words. I thought that was kinda crazy knowing Brooklyn's vocabulary, so Dan and I made a list of all her words. 35! I mention this not to brag but to document my child's progress (as many of you know, I get my blog printed each year and it serves as our own personal journal). It's really crazy how she is such a sponge right now. She has most recently learned to say "please" and today it was "car". When we ask her questions, she always replies with a definitive "yep" head nod or "nope" shake (which I find myself doing all the time teaching, so I know where she gets it).

Dan took Brooklyn to her most recent wellness check...
Weight: 23 lbs, 70th percentile
Height: 30 in, 49th percentile
Head: 90th percentile (haha...our child has a large HEAD! - so much that she can wear my headbands, as pictured above)
She got 4 shots on this visit. I was a little alarmed that she had a pretty good size knot in her right leg where she got two shots. The doctor assured me that it was okay and to just ice and massage it after a warm bath. I honestly could not imagine any serious concerns with our child..it would send me into a frantic state of worrisome. God bless all of the parents that have had to deal with disabilities, disease, or loss. My heart hurts for you. It's really crazy how much becoming a parent amplifies your every emotion.

On another note, Brooklyn continues to be a very picky eater. She's pretty much a vegetarian. Her diet consists of milk, yogurt + blends, apple sauce, goldfish, cereal bars, and anything crunchy...such as crackers or chips. It's so frustrating and often I feel as if I'm depriving her of nutrition. But she refuses most everything I have to offer her...cheese, apples, lunch meat, pasta, nuggets, fries, veggies, you name it! I hear and have read this is normal, but it still worries me.

I will affirm that the best part of parenthood is laughter! Today Brooklyn and I were playing in her bedroom throwing a little blanket in the air. She was cracking up laughing every time the blankie fell on her or next to her. It was awesome! Her laughter is so contagious. It's amazing to see the joy that a child gets out of the simple moments. In moments like this, I'm always half laughing, half crying. I never take those moments for granted.

Brooklyn is a daddy's girl. Dan gets up every day with Brooklyn and they watch Sesame Street cuddled in bed, while she drinks milk from her sippy cup. It's really sweet, and melts my heart. They have all sorts of little tricks together. For example, Dan says "cookie monster" and Brooklyn growls 3 times just like the character. Dan will also sing "Old Macdonald had a farm" and Brooklyn will reply "ei-ei-o". The funny thing is that she will only do this with him and not me or her babysitter.