Growin' Like a Weed: 11 Months

Height: 26 1/2"

Weight: roughly 16 lbs

Likes: Holy moly... this child LOVES to be outside! Seriously, even when it's cool and drizzling rain, her little precious finger points to the door as she grunts instructing you that she NEEEEEDS to be outside.  I swear, EVERYONE in the neighborhood is waved to atleast 50 times a day. If people don't know us personally, they know that we're the house with the baby ALWAYS outside on the front porch that waves.  Brooke also LOVES stuffed animals and blankets, the softer the better!  Big Teddy is a favorite at the moment and so is our neighbor Courtney's fleece coat that Brooke snatches as Courtney gets off the bus in the afternoon.  And yes, the bus.  Brooke wakes up from her afternoon nap juuuuust in time for the barrage of school busses.  She simply adores them!

Dislikes: Getting her hair washed! Please. SOMEONE COME TEACH US HOW TO MAKE THIS CHILD ENJOY BATH TIME!  Seriously.  It takes MORE TIME TO FILL UP THE BATH TUB 1/4 OF THE WAY THAN THE ENTIRETY OF HER TIME IN THE TUB. And she also sincerely dislikes getting her nails filed or trimmed.  You know, I always wondered about the lady in the Guinness Book of World Records with the longest finger nails.  I bet you her mom had a tough time clipping her nails as a baby and she just gave up and let them grow.  Don't be surprised if you see Brooke's picture in that book one day!

Sleeping: Ehh, she has her good days, she has her bad days.  A GOOD day is 1.5 hour nap in the morning and a 1.5 hour nap in the afternoon then 11 hours of sleep. A BAD day is no nap at daycare, and a 30 minute catnap in my arms as a result of sheer exhaustion from fighting sleep for so long.  I still love watching her sleep in the video monitor.  Some may think that's creepy, but I love seeing her wiggle and squirm to a comfy spot and cuddle with Teddy.  I just hope I don't have to share a bed with her one day, she's seriously all over the place in her sleep!  

Eating:  Well, Brooke was eating like crazy and seemed uninterested in nursing in the afternoon, so I cut out a feeding.  "Aunt Flo" returned and I've also stopped pumping at work.  Brooke is now down to nursing 3 times a day and drinking her "milk" from a sippy cup at daycare! No more bottles! Way to go B!  She loves food too! The more flavorful, the better!  Her favorite food is cheese (my child)! She's funny.  One day she'll LOVE a certain food, then the next day she can't stand it.  She cracks us up! She also likes playing during meal time.  She takes her spoon and hides it in her seat until we say "Brooke, where's your spoon?" then, with a goofy grin on her face, she pulls it out and shows it to you (and repeats this 20 more times) until you distract her with more food. 

Playing: As stated before, Brooke loves being outside! She likes climbing in to her little chair or standing on furniture and dancing or standing without holding on.  She enjoys reading and cuddling with pillows, blankets, and stuffed animals. She's much better at playing independently with Daddy than Mommy. B enjoys riding her 4 wheeler (inside and outside) and has a good time pulling things out of her toy box.  She's pretty darn amazing and we absolutely ADORE her!