I Am Brooke

Here is a picture of the new sandals Brooke got over the weekend. She loves them!

P.S. The sandals are from the only kids shoe store in town here, but they are made by Sun San and are also sold online here.

Favorite Movie: Robots (still)

Favorite Book: Snow White

Favorite TV Show: Little Einsteins

Favorite Toy: toy cars, Disney Princess dress up set

Favorite Food: Ice Pops, Cars yogurt drinks

Other cool things about me: I became a big sister this month! I am a very good big sister and like to give “my baby Luke” hugs and kisses. I like to look at his little toes, fingers, ears, and hair. Swimming in my new pool is my favorite thing to do. I am very excited to see the Cars movie next month. I want every piece of Cars merchandise I see.

Overall, Brooke is doing fairly well at potty training when it comes to peeing on the potty.  Last night’s accident, however, was actually quite humorous.  Minutes earlier she had been on the potty and said she could not go.  The next thing I know she comes running into the kitchen yelling for me and then stops and says “oh no!” as water comes pouring out of her pants.  There was so much water (she had been drinking the water in her little pool while swimming) that it looked like she was a pregnant woman whose bag of water burst.

Brooke has been acting out a little more in the past couple of days with whining and throwing herself on the floor.  I am sure she is a little frustrated that she needs to share my attention now, so I thought a little special girls time might be a good idea.  We headed off to the children’s museum (which we finally joined) for the creation station art project scheduled today entitled “mixed media” art.  We got there to find that the art project was cancelled because that part of the basement floor had mysteriously flooded overnight.  We were still able to enjoy playing in several exhibits.  Brooke especially enjoyed the dress up trunk and tea party in “grandma’s attic” and catching fish with a little fishing rod (plastic fish with a magnet attached…not real fish).  On the way home, we stopped at the shoe store and picked out some new pink summer sandals since the hot weather has officially arrived in Alabama.  What made the outing even more successful was the fact that Brooke went out in panties and did not have an accident.

Since it is already 90 degrees in Alabama (while it was 55 degrees in NJ this weekend), Brooke got a new pool this weekend.  She picked out a cute pool with fish on it and tried it out for the first time yesterday.  She also liked wearing her new bathing suit, which she refers to as her “baby suit” (that one never stops being funny).

Sometimes Brooke comes out with the funniest and weirdest comments.  Here are three of our recent favorites:

1. While trying to get Brooke ready for bed one night, she stands up, points to me, and says “Mommy, no monkeys, no shows”.  It was so funny that she continues to tell me again at least once a day.  No idea what it means.

2. For no reason at all, Brooke tells me “What pig, what cow?”  This is also heard several times a week when pigs and cows are not obviously involved in any play or conversation.

3. Last night while getting Brooke in her jammies, Scott told Brooke that her jammie shorts were hot pants.  (Aside: they are not particularly short or inappropriate.)  This morning Brooke told me several times that she was wearing “hot shorts”.

Before leaving for the hospital a week ago, I left a gift for Brooke to open when she got up later that morning.  The gift was a Disney Princess dress up set with different dresses, jewelry, and crowns.  I thought that it would be something fun she could enjoy with her Grandma while I was gone.  Brooke is not particularly girly, but she loves this dress up set!  So far she really only wants to wear the Snow White dress.  Brooke insisted on wearing the dress several times on her hospital visits and has woken me up two mornings since I have been home requesting to put on her Snow White dress.  Picture a two year-old waking a sleep-deprived mother of a newborn with “Mommy, I wear Snow White”.

Brooke is now a big sister!  She calls her brother “my baby Luke” and has been doing very well with his arrival…so far.  Brooke was lucky enough to have her grandparents stay with her while Mommy and Luke were in the hospital, and I am certain they spoiled her like mad so that she felt showered with love and attention as she is used to and deserves.  Brooke insisted on coming to the hospital dressed in costumes ranging from Snow White to a nurse in training (scrubs).  It was nice that she wanted to be so fancy for her visits to see Mommy and Baby Luke.

At home, Brooke has been great with her baby brother.  She touches him gently, holds his hand, and kisses him smack on the face.  We hope she continues to have these kind feelings for him and that the jealous monster does not set in once she realizes he is here to stay.

Brooke knows that a sheep is an animal, what it looks like, and what sound it makes.  She, however, seems to want to use the word in some other unique ways.  Two days ago I was changing the sheets on her bed and talking her through what I was doing.  Brooke told me that she was getting clean sheeps, and this morning she told me the sheeps on my bed are dirty and that I need to get clean sheeps too.  Brooke also asked to go to the “Toy Story” (aka toy store) two days ago, and I told her that Daddy would take her and let her play on the jeeps and cars.  What does she later ask to play on?  The cars and sheeps, of course!

Today I got the call that Brooke got into preschool at our church next year.  She was first on the waiting list, but we were not very hopeful that she would actually get a slot.  Brooke keeps saying that she wants to go to school, and she seems as excited as I am for her.  She is very comfortable at the church and with the people there, and I think this is going to be great for her.