I Am Brooke

Wednesday when I picked Brooke up from school, her teacher said that she had been rubbing her eye a lot and that it was very red. This was news to me. Of course, at home she did this a couple of times when we first got home and then nothing. Thursday morning her eye looked normal, so I sent her to school with a note to call me if it got worse. Sure enough, I got a call to come pick her up because they think she has pink eye. I get Brooke into the doctor in the afternoon, and we wait for a record two and a half hours to see Dr. Pettit. He thinks it might be a viral form of pink eye, but even he is not sure because it is not so bad that it is obvious. Still, he put her on some eye drops just to be on the safe side. Brooke knew about pink eye and drops because her classmate Patton went through this before Christmas. To make Brooke feel better, I told her that she has pinkalicious eye from wearing too many pink clothes and shoes.

Editor’s Note: Brooke is not dumb.  When I told her she got pink eye from wearing too much pink, she said, “Mommy, Nooooooo!!”

When Brooke is giggling over with laughter, she tells us “my feelings are laughing inside”.  It is 100% adorable.

We are officially in the “why” phase.  Is that normal for this age?  Does anyone know how long this will last?  I am pretty sure that Brooke asks me “why” at least 500 times a day.  I keep reminding myself that this is a wonderful sign that she is developing and intelligently trying to understand her world.  I try to patiently answer her questions and resist the urge to tell her not to ask anymore questions or resort to the old “because I said so” standby.  Although I have to admit that at times I tire of the explanations and send her to go play 50 questions with her Daddy.

I had to post to brag about what a wonderful, helpful little girl Brooke is.  She is wonderful about helping to pick up around the house (which is good since she tends to create a disaster of toys wherever she goes).  Now she has started helping to pick up her dishes.  She will empty the contents into the sink (or let Bella clean her plate) and then place the dishes in the dishwasher.  What a girl!

Favorite Movie: Mulan

Favorite Book: Kitty’s New Doll

Favorite TV Show: Backyardigans

Favorite Toy: dollhouse and baby dolls

Favorite Food: crackers and cheese

Other cool things about me: I do an excellent job taking care of baby dolls (my preschool teachers have likewise commented on how I am a good baby doll mommy). I can help feed Luke his baby food now. I love pretend play and acting out stories from my favorite tv shows. I pitch a fit if anyone suggests that I wear anything other than a dress (sometimes I will agree to a skort) and my pink shoes, but I also told Mommy that I want to be a firefighter when I grow up.

Up until about two weeks ago, Brooke was a very consistent napper.  She would go in without much of a fight, and she would sleep 2-3 hours each afternoon.  And then, rather suddenly, it stopped.  Brooke will still go into the bed without much of a fuss, but after maybe 30 minutes you start to hear some rustling in her room.  A little while later, you walk by the door and find her poking her head out looking around to see what is going on outside her room.  Having spotted you, she runs out and tells you that she is awake.  “Awake?” you question.  “Did you nap?” you ask.  “Just a little bit,” she replies.  You walk in her room and see the number of toys and playthings that have been unshelved and strewn about the room and wonder how long “just a little bit” could actually be.

Lately Brooke has really been questioning existence, the meaning of language, and religion.  Some favorite questions include “what is yes?” and “what is no?”, and “what is promise?”.  Every night at bedtime she asks me to talk about Jesus and God and asks me where they are.  Brooke also seems to have some uncertainty about the gender of God and Jesus.  She goes back and forth between using “he” and “she” in conversations about them.