All Brookie Brook

HUUUUUUUUUUUGE DAY for me, and Brooklyn, today!

Sweet girl called me MOMMY for the first time today!  And about 40,000 times since.  :)  She and I both were so excited, and she has just said it at the top of her lungs over and over and over all day long.  I've been "Mom", "Momma", or "MomMom" since last October.  Today, she put in two syllables in a word with two DIFFERENT vowel sounds for the very first time, and I am beyond thrilled that it was "Mom-ee".  "Mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy...." :)  Oh my goodness, my heart overflows.  :)  Had to put that first.  More about her EXPLODING vocabulary later... much much to report. For now, on to the pictures.

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I guess it has been a couple of weeks now, but we had Brooklyn home by herself for a whole week!  Reagan went to Amarillo to visit cousins for a week (they had a BLAST of course), and although she was terribly missed, it was nice to have some one on one time with Brooklyn.

She got to pick the movie EVERYDAY.  Whatever she wanted.  A first for B.  :)

 Now that I think about it, this pic was once R got home.  They were dressing up together.  Oh well, still a Brooklyn picture.  I think this might be the first time she has actually worn one of Reagan's dress-up dresses.  Sweet little fairy.

 June marked the end of an era for Brooklyn.  This is Mrs. Cheryl, Brooklyn's physical therapist.  She has been our friend since B was 2 months old, and has seen her through EVERYTHING.  She helped bring her SO MUCH FURTHER than anyone ever dreamed possible with her motor-skill development, including Cheryl herself!  She and her family have moved, so we are really really REALLY missing her around here!! 

 Not only a ridiculously talented PT, but our dear friend.  After seeing her at least once a week since B was a baby, we REALLY miss our friend!!  Hope all is well, Mrs. Cheryl!

 B's favorite activity while Reagan was gone.  Funny, I don't think we've done this since she got home.  But Brooklyn would walk up to David... "I HIGH, peez, I HIGH!"  Translation: I fly, please.  :)  Our entry way is tall enough for this big time fun!  Looks like in these pics that I need to have him be careful not to throw her into the ceiling!

 Love the hair flying, and the huge smile!

 Drinking the "milk" at the bottom of her ice cream bowl.  See her stamp?  Sweet girl has started gymnastics, and LOVES it!  They get stamps at the end of class.... she gets so proud of that thing.  :)

 "CHEESE!"

 Remember back when B went through a stage of pulling out her hair?  She yanked out a huge chunk of the front by the roots about a year ago.  Thankfully, there is no more of that nonsense.  But it created quite a mullet as those "bangs" grew in and her hair kept growing long in the back.  So, we went and got her first real haircut!  I figured a pro needed to shape it up a bit and BLEND the mullet into something a bit more presentable.  As you can see from this photo, she was scared to death.  TEARS.

 Thanks to the Mickey Mouse movie and lollipop, she calmed down enough to get it done.  The 'do is SO much better!!  I won't pay that price again, but it was worth it this time.

 All layered up and much better!

 Another fave activity during our one on one time... rides in the laundry basket.  She is still light enough that this doesn't kill me! 

 Sweet girl decided to give her baby doll and Mickey a turn all by herself!  (excuse all the laundry and mess... I was packing for a week-long trip for three of us)

 "WHEEEEEEEEE!"

(been trying to upload a talking video of B for a couple of DAYS now, it won't load.  in fact, been trying to load two different ones... no go.  so, I'll keep working on that... therefore this post is a work in progress.)

This post from March (she could only say a handful of words) was the last time I put anything specifically about her speech, and OH MY GOODNESS how things have changed!!  It is absolutely remarkable.  Mostly in the month of May, her little voice just opened up and it was like the flood gates opened.  She literally talks all day long.  I thought about trying to make a list of her words she says, but she's WAY past that.... I couldn't even come close.  She'll parrot just about anything you ask her to, not that it is always right, but she'll TRY... which is huge.  But she is using at least 50 if not way more words that are totally understandable.  AMAZING!!  The video doesn't even do it justice, but I mostly wanted her to say "Mommy" today.  We're to the point of adding probably 1-2 new words each day, when it took her months to just add just ONE not that long ago.  She still signs all day long, but vocalizes with nearly every word and sometimes actually says the words too.  And just today, said her longest sentence.... "Mommy, help me please!"  I mean, seriously?!?!  Night and day difference in this kid!!!  (it comes out "Mom-ee, hup me peez!") I have prayed and prayed and prayed about this, and I'm getting answers everyday.  It is just so great too to see Reagan witnessing answers to HER prayers regarding Brooklyn learning to talk.  *sigh*  And I know we have so many folks praying too... thank you thank you thank you. My cup overflows!

(this post is from Monday, June 27. for my records. :)  today, first thing when I went to her room to get her out of bed, she asked to go to "tuh-tee-cheese."  so yeah, I guess a kid is offically a TALKER when they can ask for ChuckECheese!)

Oh, the preciousness.....

We've been out of town, and that means that I have an abnormal amount of pictures to go through and document.  But that has to wait while the unpacking, laundry, Father's Day festivities of the weekend commence.  So until then, I have to write down this story before I forget.

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While we were in East TX last week, I took the girls to have dinner at my grandparents' house in Daingerfield.  It was a great visit.  They have a fabulous back porch with a brick wall for a "balance beam" and some steps to play on.  Brooklyn needed some help from Mommy for both of those activities, and strangely enough, Reagan didn't understand why. 

Sweet thing asks "Why do you have to help Brooklyn on the stairs, Mommy?" 

I kinda prompt her to answer her own question, and she says "Oh yes, because of her braces."

"And why does Sister have to wear braces?"

"Because of her spina bifida."

"Right.  She's little still, and her legs aren't quite as strong as yours, so sometimes she needs extra help for stuff like this.  No big deal"

Then, in such a way that filled my heart to BURSTING, Reagan walked over the Brooklyn.  Squatted down in front of her, leaned in forehead to forehead, and whispered,

"I love you just the way you are, Brooklyn."

As I started weeping and my heart melted to mush right there on the concrete, I hugged both the girls and told Reagan that God REALLY knew what he was doing when He picked such a special big sister for Brooklyn.  She just shrugged her shoulders and said, "You don't need to cry happy tears, Mommy.  I just love her just the way she is, that's all."  So matter of fact.

Funny, I learn a lot from that matter-of-fact-ness in my almost 5 year old.  I love her simplicity, her spunk, and her heart so very very very much.