Brooke Is 1!

It's so bittersweet that Brooke turned 1 last October.  Exciting, of course, it's so fun to watch her grow and learn new things!  But it's also really sad that she's becoming a toddler and not such a little baby anymore.  She has been the sweetest, most easygoing baby.  I am always going to miss baby Brooke. 

At 12 months old, Brooke is. . .

*Brave! This girl has never once had stranger anxiety! It's really refreshing, after having two babies who were always clingy, to have a baby who is happy to play with babysitters and the childcare at the gym, and lets anybody hold her.

*Happy!  As long as she gets to crawl around and explore and play, Brooke is a happy baby!  She's a total dream in the car and has always loved riding in her carseat and stroller.  The two older girls usually cry more every day than she does.  Bizarre, right?

*All OVER the place!  Crawling, exploring, climbing, you name it!  Oh, except for walking.  True to form, she's not interested in walking yet (well, now she is, since I'm writing this when she's 15 months old).  But at 1 year, she was a fast crawler who hadn't taken her first steps yet, just like her sisters were.

*Little!  I finally have a girl who's not in the 90'th percentile for height and growing out of clothes faster than I can buy them!  Brooke at 12 months was only 19 pounds and in the 20'th percentile for weight, and in the 40'th percentile for height.  Finally, a small baby!

*Smart!  She figured out really early how to clap, play peek-a-boo and other games, say words like "Mommy" and "Hi" and "Bath". 

*Brooke loves water!  She has a great time taking baths with her sisters and finds water anywhere she can.  One of Natalie's favorite tricks is opening the toilet lid while Brooke is there and then laughing hysterically while Brooke splashes in the toilet water.  Ugh!  I hate it!

*She's probably the worst sleeper I've had so far.  She's only been taking one nap each day for months now, and her nap is usually short.  She often wakes up after an hour and a half, and her nap is never longer than two hours.  She does sleep well through the night, usually from 7:30 until 5 or 6 am when she wants a bottle.  She just has a ton of energy.

*She really doesn't like being held for long.  She squirms and pushes so she can get down and crawl around and explore.  It's one of the only things she dislikes.  The only other thing she hates is getting her hair combed, especially after a bath when it's wet.  She also lets us know when she doesn't like a food by pushing it off her tray and onto the floor.  

It's such a complete joy to be Brooke's mother.  She's a total sweetheart, and she always goes with the flow and doesn't make too much of a fuss.  She smiles easily, laughs really easily, and very rarely cries.  Her smile and laugh brighten up my days, every day!  I love my baby Brooke!