All Brookie Brook

It's time for a good ole fashioned Brooklyn Update.  And y'all, I never get tired of these... because the good news with her just keeps on coming!  We went a couple of weeks ago for her 6 month check up with SB clinic in Dallas, and this past week she had her 6 month evaluation with ECI.  So, we've gotten plenty of "updating" done around here... thought I would pass the info along.  I have videos to post too, but blogger will NOT upload them.  No idea, but hopefully it'll work tomorrow.  And please forgive... this is just plain bragging.  But I know no one cares because it is all PRAISE WORTHY, and none of the praise goes to me!!!  :)

• Physical Therapy - Brook has been getting PT at least once a week since she was 2 months old.  Her therapist, Cheryl, moved out of the country (WE MISS YOU CHERYL!!)... so we have taken a little hiatus from PT for the summer while they found replacements, etc.  Plus, sweet girl started gymnastics and was LOVING it, so we figured that would do for now.  Well, with her eval, the new PT thought Brooklyn was amazing.  Pretty much caught up to age level with her gross motor skills.  There are a few things that are a little "off" (she has to hold onto something to actually get "air" when she jumps, has to go much slower on stairs, that kinda thing), but they are ALL to be expected, and ALL getting better.  So, for now, she is graduated from PT!!!  Good night, this is pretty much unheard of for a L4 SB kid (that is the vertebrae where her defect was on her spine)!  They think the gymnastics thing is GOLDEN for her... gets balance skill development, trampoline, core muscles, etc... along with social interaction with peers, teachers, that stuff.  So, we will see what they think when she has her next eval when she is almost 3, but for now, no more PT!!  Amazing.  God is so good.
• Speech - Again, amazing.  Her progress with her speech is nothing short of baffling to me.  A little less than 4 months ago, she could say 5 words:  "Mom," "pop," "map," "oomf (oops)", "ow."  EVERYTHING else, she could/would only sign.  As of today, she talks like a 2 year old.  It's awesome.  Now, her speech is often that 'toddler-talk'... where she may leave out a consonant or two, leaves out small words in sentences, and maybe I have to translate so others can understand.  But honestly, last week at her eval... the therapist had never met B before, and she could TOTALLY understand her language.  She was amazed.  B talks all day, she sings ALL DAY, she tells Knock-Knock jokes :) constantly, she now calls me "Mommy Beaver Missy Pants" or "Mommy Silly Goose", she can count to 20 (although the last few numbers all sound like "us-teen, un-teen, un-teen, ine-teen, tunny!") .... it has been a busy and remarkable 4 months!!  I could go on and on and ON about how thankful we are about this, but I will just say this:  several months ago, I was DREADING her going to preschool in Sept.  Mostly because she could only sign, her teachers would have to learn her language, she couldn't talk to make friends... I was so very very anxious about it all.  Now, there is basically NOTHING that separates her from her peers.  Sure, her speech is still a little "off" because she is just barely learning this new skill, but it will be a cinch, and she gets so much better EVERYDAY.  I have NO WORRIES!  She is way better today than the videos even show, and some were just last week! (hopefully I can load them tomorrow... sheesh!)  Amazing.  God is so good.  (even Reagan will say "God really REALLY heard my prayers, Mommy, and helped Brooklyn learn to talk!!  It's just so great!!!"  Melt my heart.... so thankful.)
• Potty - Basically, we aren't doing anything in the potty-training dept for at least another year.  Her SB has definitely affected her bowels and bladder, and it is still undetermined as to how much exactly.  Sweet girl still poops all day long, but the doctor said he isn't ready to do anything about it unless it is a problem for me, which it isn't (except we go through a ton of diapers, but we will soon get those paid for... yay!).  We are still not cathing her, and she is still off all meds except for some OTC laxatives... so all that is GREAT.  She has had a few UTIs since we went off antibiotics, but her urologist is not ready to put her back on... just yet.  He said if she gets another infection, then we might re-test and see what her bladder is looking like.  But for now, diapers are our friend, and we're cool with that.  When she is bigger, we'll see if the potty is an option.  God is so good.
• Spirit - Ok, enough talk about her physical development.  :)  I have to write down for my own sake about the sweet spirit God has given Brooklyn.  She is Just. So. SWEET.  I mean sure, she has her defiant moments like any two year old, but for the most part, she is just SWEET.  She will hug anyone to death.  And we walk down the halls at the hospital, or church, or wait in the pick-up line at Reagan's school... and she is waving emphatically at every individual in sight... "HI GUYS!!  HI!! GOOD MORNING!!!  GOOD MORNING, GUYS!!"  And those other moments where she does get in trouble, she is SO remorseful.  It hardly ever has to go beyond a stern voice or stern look from me, and she melts to pieces... "SORRY MOMMY!!"  Now, doesn't mean she is always repentant!!  She'll go right back and do things again.  :)  But it doesn't take much to bring her back.  I pray she is always this sweet-spirited.  (side note, the other day she got a spanking for the first time in forever.  Found out that when she is crying that hard, she will go RIGHT back into signing so she can "talk" to me and cry at the same time. :) It was awesome.  My little bilingual child.)  God is so good.
• Thoughts - More stuff to write, kinda for my own sake.  I say all the time how FUN it is to be Brooklyn's Mommy!  It is.  We go to doctors and specialists, and they are BAFFLED by her.  We go to hospitals, schools, church, etc, and she draws a crowd.  It is fun to be her Mommy, and my response is always "she is one prayed-for little girl."  Which is beyond true, and we are forever thankful.  However, I will never know really WHY God chose to answer our prayers for her... it is very humbling.  We are in constant contact with other kids with lots of needs that are JUST as prayed over as she is, but they struggle with way more than she does.  As crazy as it sounds, I find myself in those situations trying to down-play how great she is doing or even apologize for her success.  I ramble... point is, we do not know the Big Picture, but WE ARE GRATEFUL.  I look forward to each day as God's plan for our family unfolds, and I marvel at His Goodness and Mercy.

Just a few pictures to finish up the post:

A couple of weeks ago, when my parents were in town.  Grandmommy was reading Reagan a bedtime story, and Brooklyn was getting lovin' from Granddaddy.  LOVE her face!

 A rare moment.  They both zonked out. :)

 Excuse the mess..... She walked up to me, holding my ipod, told me to "Sit, peez.  Wite here."  I immediately sat down, she backed her little hiney up to me and lay down like this and started playing a game on my ipod.  We sat like this together for awhile....

 While Reagan was at her first day of Kinder, B had a day of "firsts" as well.  Asked for her toenails and fingernails to be painted.  I had never done this for her before, so it was fun.  :)  Check out those sweet feet!!!  (fyi, B has feet that are rather underdeveloped... has since birth.  very normal for a SB kid.  she still can wear size 6-12 month socks!!  her little toes are LITTLE, so her toenails are even LITTLER.  it was a feat to get the paint on those little toesies!)  Everytime her shoes and socks come off, she yells "TOENAILS!!  YAAAAY!"

 Light pink on the fingers... can't tell as much when it chips.  :)

 Also, this day was one of those days where I wanted to just EAT up my children and give them those hugs where you have to tense up your arm muscles to keep from literally squeezing them too tight?!  Know those days?!  Anyways, had to take her picture in her pigtails as a result... but these were the best I got. :)

Nowadays, she ALWAYS has to take a "funny face" picture.

 CHEESE!

 My attempt to "embrace the camera" with self-portraits.  Again, the best I got.

How I love this girl!  And enjoying our one on one time these days, even if we do really miss Reagan!