Brooklynn is... active. She's full of energy, has lots of ideas, and problem solves well (in her mind). Because of this, she does require a great deal of attention to ensure her safety and the safety of those around her. She speaks very clearly for her age, with an expansive vocabulary. We adore her ability to articulate exactly what she's thinking... about half the time. The other half, we'd be okay with her keeping her very strong opinions to herself. :) She's the best lover and fiercest fighter in the house. She's the first to initiate both the altercation and the make up session. She loudly announces that she loves people multiple times a day. She asks about the location of people (Daddy a sibling in the other room, a daycare kiddo not coming that day) all day long. She embraces her siblings in the THE MOST ADORABLE hugs when they walk by and she demands a kiss. This girl has the biggest and the best emotions. If she loves you, you know it well. If she doesn't, you also know. Just ask a bunch of the teenagers at church. ;)
She is our slowest potty trainer, but she did pee in the potty for the VERY FIRST TIME last night. We were very excited for her, so much that our enthusiasm carried far into bedtime and twenty minutes after being put in her crib, she was still yelling "GO POTTY! YES! YAY!" over and over again. So, we are making progress. I keep thinking about the day I can throw away the cloth diapers and not wash a single one again. That day is going to be a good one. It's not going to be today, however. In her defense, I took on a few extra kiddos 4 days a week, two of which are younger than her, and one who is a year older and also not potty trained. So, potty training Brooklynn hasn't been at the forefront of the to do list, like it was for her siblings at this age. Also, when her brother and sister were 21 months old, I was four weeks away from delivering a sibling, so my motivation to get one out of diapers was fierce. It's probably not all her fault that she hasn't gotten very far in potty training yet.
Brooklynn loves to eat. She's the best eater of the three, nearly always taking on seconds or thirds at every meal. She is still gaining on her brother (although he's had a growth spurt!) and will pass him in weight before she passes him in height. She is tall for her age, but also has some extra chub that Ethan lacks. She isn't really chubby anymore though and continues to slim down as she shoots up in height and continues to get more active. Brooklynn prays at every meal, irritating her siblings by praying over top of them. She is great at waiting patiently until one of her siblings begins, and then declares "AMEN AMEN AMEN" over and over until their prayer ends. She knows the food comes after the last "amen" and she wants to have it.
Brooklynn "mamas" the babies that come over to play, demanding to hold them, feed them their bottles, and bring them boatloads of toys to play with. She is a social butterfly at most outings. When I drop her off at "school" (nursery of the homeschool co-op) she is always glad to see me leave and plays with her friends well. She jabbers the ears off of anyone who will listen. She does not sit in church with me like her brother did at this age. The nursery with her friends is her jam.
It's not for lack of love that we haven't updated on her in a while... Just lack of time!