My baby...no longer my baby...but still my baby forever

My little Brissy is growing up way too fast.  She is trying so hard to keep up with her sister and brothers.  I just want her to stay my little baby snuggle buggy forever.  I wish I could watch all the other kids grow and learn and Brissy could stay my baby forever so I always had a little one!  I suppose that's not fair to her though so i'll let her grow up...but slowly!

She has learned so much in past few weeks it seems crazy.  She talks partial sentence and knows exactly what she wants.  She has the BEST pout ever and will definitely be able to use that to her advantage.  She sticks out her bottom lip and puts her hand over her face like she is completely devastated...its the saddest but cutest thing ever!

She also is getting into the terrible twos...if she gets in trouble or gets told no she throws herself to the floor and pouts or throws a hissy fit.  She throws her arms down at her sides and says dont wanna or don't yike it!
She knows what she likes and what she doesn't and she will tell you either way!

She is the most active and fastest 1 1/2 year old ever!  She is non stop running, jumping, bouncing, and skipping.  She goes a mile a minute and destroys everything in her path.  She can have the house torn apart in record time and be ready to move on to the next activity.  She loves loves loves dogs and will cuddle Zoey all day long. They are bestest buddies.  She loves to climb on her, ride on her, lay on her, sit on her, walk on her, and jump on her....Zoey could care less...she just plays along and licks her face. Yuck...but Bris loves it! She also loves her princesses but she especially loves Dora and Friends.  It is her favorite show to watch and her go to toy.  She plays with pretty much the same things as Brooklyn...when Brooklyn lets her play lol

Brissy is still a terrible sleeper just like her sister.  She goes to sleep late and wakes at least 2 times each night.  Luckily she usually goes back to sleep pretty easily..but not always. Sometimes we are up for an hour or two hanging out together.  She is a pretty good eater still though!  Not AS good as she used to be but good enough that I won't complain!  She is my meat and veggie eater!  She loves any kind of meat except ground beef.  She loves steak, pork, chicken, roast beef, ham, hot dogs, and salami..aka..Burger. She also loves green veggies!  Her favorite is cucumbers, pickles, and broccoli!  I love that she loves veggies and fruits.  She eats bananas, apples, peaches, nectarines, grapes, and berries.

She is turning into such a happy well rounded out going baby and I love watching her grow.  If you asked me at a few months old how she would be at almost two I would have thought she was going to be miserable forever...I couldnt have been more wrong!  She is the happiest, sassiest, monster ever!

So at 22 months Bristol:
* loves her mommy and daddy and still loves to be held
* still likes to be rocked to sleep...and thats fine with me!
* loves juicy and milky in her sippy ....very watered down juicy!
* is a good eater!
* likes to play with Sissy and Zoey
* is outgoing and isn't afraid to show her older sister how to do things
* need to be laying down to drink her sip...just like Sis
* loves "DorwaFens" Dora and Friends
* knows all her body parts..except knee and elbow
* knows the colors purple and pink
* can count to 3
* can talk very clearly for her age
* loves music and listens very intently
* likes wearing princess dresses and twirling around
* can jump higher than anything on the trampoline
* is loving life as a smart, happy, crazy, out going toddler!

I thought Brooklyn had an attitude...now I KNOW she has an attitude..

And so it begins....Brooklyn has found that she has an opinion on things and she does not hesitate to let everyone know what she thinks.  She has definitely developed quite the little attitude that needs to be checked quite often.  She sasses right back when we ask her to do something or tell her things she doesn't like.  People have told me the 3's are the worst...and I think they are right!  Brookie is my over dramatic, sassy, know it all, princess.  She loves to be in charge and doesn't think twice about telling her much older brothers exactly what to do and how to do it.  

Now don't get me wrong...she still has a sweet side too...I think??  No...she does. Every now and then she shares and plays nicely with her sister. She loves to give hugs and kisses and snuggle.  She talks like she is 2 going on 25.  She sings, tells stories, and tries to mimic conversations I have with others.  She loves the Disney princesses and has every princess and their movie memorized.  She loves to play with little figurines that she can line up or play with in her castles.  She does some imaginative play and has her toys talk to each other.  

She loves to play outside and go play on her "park"..aka..the play set outback.  She loves to slide and swing and play in the sandbox.  She is getting really good at riding her balance bike and can get going really fast, pick up her feet, and glide for a while.  Its so fun to watch her learn these things.  

She is still a terrible eater and terrible sleeper.  She STILL does not sleep through the night.  She wakes at least twice every night still.  She is fully potty trained so she wakes to pee most of the time because the child is like a drain and just pores liquid down her throat.  She is getting a little better at eating but not much.  She eats most meats, which I am very happy about.  She loves pork chops! Ew!  She also eats chicken and steak fairly easily.  She will eat apples, grapes, strawberries, and most other fruits. She won't eat many veggies anymore : ( but still eats her garbanzo beans so I won't complain too much.

We have told her that her belly will turn off if she doesnt eat good and if that happens we have to call the doctor and take her to get pokes...I know I know...bad parent award...but it gets her to eat good food!  We then explain that the doctor is very very happy she ate and doesn't need to go eat.  Sooo hopefully shes not petrified of poor Dr. Terwilliger when she goes for her check up in a few months. 

She is very excited for Halloween and Christmas, and her birthday coming up! 

So at 34 months Brooklyn:

* loves her momma and tells me all the time : )

* loves her sissy and is always worried about where she is and what she is doing
* is a terrible sleeper...and needs very little sleep to function

* is a picky eater...boo

* is becoming more social around other kids finally : )

* can tell you her birthday is December 9th

* can count to 13..but then goes back to 7, 8,...

* can sing her ABC's but just grunts through L,M,N,O

* sings along to songs on the radio

* still loves Shake It Off, and All About That Bass

* is kind of a chicken when it comes to trying anything new...she sends her sister out first to test it 

* loves to be outside 

* LOVES bacon...just like her dad and brothers

* plays with princesses and ponys and any little figurine

* can talk like shes 25 years old and amazes me everyday at the things that come out of her mouth..

* still gets very excited about her brothers and wants to play with them all the time

* bites her nails.....and toenails..UGH!

* picks her nose.. UGH UGH!

* likes to play hide and seek, and chase

* is a sassy, motor mouthed, non stop monster that I love to death <3

Brooklyn - 32 months

Summer is almost over and Brooklyn has grown so so much!  She is completely potty trained!  It was way easier than I could have ever imagined.  She even wakes up at night to go potty.  She has had only maybe 3 or 4 accidents during the night since we started potty training in the beginning of June.  I am so proud of how well she did!  I even have her going into the bathroom by herself now...she just cant get her pants back up so she carries them out to me :)

She has been going through a "not eating" stage for a while now...probably almost a year.  It has gotten worse though.  She wants nothing but milk.  At the doctors office she had to have blood taken and some of her nutrient levels came back low so I decided enough was enough.  I took milk away except at nap time and bed time and sometimes if she eats well she gets it.  She can have diluted juice or water.  Its hard to explain the importance of things to kids at this age so I tried to compare her body to something she knows a lot about....an Ipad!  I told her that just like the ipad runs out of batteries and needs to be charged so does her body.  She needs to feed her belly to charge it.  She understood!  And I tell her no milk until she eats...so that is definitely a motivator...or I hold ice cream over her head :)  She now looks at her belly when shes eating and says...yep, its almost charged!  haha

She talks so so so much and remembers everything I tell her.  She can sing itsy bitsy spider, abcs, twinkle twinkle little star, patty cake, and of course, you are my sunshine!  She can count to 13 without problems but then goes back to 7, 8 lol.  Some of the things she says and remembers just blows my mind.  Sometimes I feel like I am talking to 6 or 7 year old..not a 2 year old!  She also tells me now all the time that she loves me...melts my heart!

She is going through a very shy stage too.  She will not talk to strangers..which is good...but she will not talk to family sometimes too!  It takes her quite a while to really open up and talk or play.  Her best buddy, Abby, is able to get her to open up the fastest.  She loves to play with Abby and they like the same things so it works out well.  If she is uncomfortable though she wants to climb all over me and sit on my lap and whine.

Potty training update - Days 4 and 5

So we are on day 6 of potty training and so far things are going really well!  Day 4 we had NO accidents at all!  She did awesome!  She even woke up the last couple nights and told me she had to go potty.  And in the morning the first thing she asks for is to go to the potty.  Day 5 started off really well but when we had all the family over for Dylan's birthday she had a few accidents.  She pooped in her underwear and then later peed.  She did good the rest of the night and over night though.  Hopefully today is a better day!  She is asking and telling us more often when she has to go.  Our downfall is the "surprise" she thinks she needs every single time she goes potty.  I am going to be broke by the end of this!  It's working though!! :)

18 months old and total attitude

So my happy little peanut is now has turned into a monster toddler!  I believe Brooklyn was this age when I said the same thing.  She is still happy most of the time but when she is tired or grumpy she definitely lets you know it!  She can throw a fit like no other.  She stiffens up and screeches at the top of her lungs.  She turns bright red and will hit whatever or whoever is in her path.

She is also the toughest baby I have ever seen.  This girl will bull doze her way through anything and come out with scraps and bruises and is still laughing and wanting to do it again.  She only cries if she is really really hurt.  She bonks her head all the time...starting to worry about brain damage :)....but it doesn't bother her at all.  Brooklyn and her wrestle just like the boys and they love it.

She is the most snuggly little girl ever though when she wants to be.  She loves to snuggle into my shoulder and rock still...I hope she always loves doing this.  She gives the best hugs and mooches ever.  She is not usually shy around people unless she is tired.  She follows her sister around everywhere and wants to do everything that she is doing.  She talks SO SO SO much more than Brooklyn did at this age.  She will say anything you ask her to say and she talks in short phrases on her own too.  She follows basic commands and knows when she has to poop and tells us!  I am hoping to potty train her soon too!  Maybe even before 2!! Not having to buy diapers anymore would be fabulous!

She is a great eater! I sure hope it stays this way since her sister eats hardly anything!  Bristol loves pickles!  She will eat pickles until she is sick if we let her. She calls them "pookles".  :)  If she sees me pick up a jar at Wal Mart she has to eat them immediately or we have a total meltdown in the store.  She also loves veggies and meats!  When we eat dinner and she sees the meat sitting on the table to freaks out until I get it cut up to give to her.  She will eat pork chops, steak, chicken, hot dogs, and turkey!  She is not a big fan of hamburger though.  She loves cucumbers, chick peas, broccoli (uncooked), green beans, peas, and basically anything green :)  She doesn't really eat carbs well.  Shes not a huge fan or mac n cheese or sandwiches or noodles...things like that.  She does love her sketti though! Her favorite is skinny pop popcorn lol

She still loves watching Dora and Friends and loves to watch and listen to music videos on the phone or iPad.  She is obsessed with music and sometimes it is the only thing that can calm her down.

So at 18 months Bristol:
* loves her doggy (Zoey) more than any toy we could buy her
* loves to eat
* loves her sippy when she is upset
* weighs 28.7 pounds
* wears 2T or 3T clothes
* loves listening to music and we have a few special songs for bedtime that we love!
* is fearless (loves to jump off things and climb anything)
* loves water..tubbies and pools make her a happy baby!
* talks all the time!
* throws the best fits ever seen
* loves to be outside playing
* loves to swing and slide
* gives the best hugs and mooches
* adores her brothers
* runs super fast and scares us all
* has crazy hair and will not leave it pulled back

Trying to both ride the balance bike 

Climbing the slide while Brooklyn tries to go down

Snack during pool time 

Drinking a sip

Playing in the puddle

 Throwing a a fit 

Watching her music videos

Devastated that daddy told her no to having his soda

At the ball field cheering on the boys! 

Little butt and feet

Brooklyn is potty training! 30 months

Brooklyn is growing like a weed both physically and mentally.  She is so so smart.  I can't even believe the things that come out of her mouth.  I often have to ask Derek how she learned something.  Most of the time neither of us have any idea.  She listens to everything that is said around her and remembers when she is told something.  She is able to recall events and tell stories of things that happened in her day.  It blows my mind when I come home from work and she tells me about what Bristol did to get in trouble and how Daddy yelled at her lol. She is able to navigate around the iPad with no help and knows which videos she is allowed to watch on YouTube and which ones are "bad".  She will let me or Derek know immediately when her sister is doing something she knows is wrong.

She is not a good sharer at all.  She is smart enough to know that whatever toy they get Bristol will eventually forget about it and it will end up being hers.  So she always encourages Bristol to pick out a toy also, even though Bris could care less about getting a new toy.  Brooklyn is really into figurines.  She loves princesses, ponies, and anything that is packaged to be "surprise".  Blind bags and secret eggs are the best thing this little girl has ever seen lol.  She is now doing imaginative play with her toys and has them talking to each other.  Super cute to watch, but if she catches you watching her she stops.

She is still a bad eater.  Wants nothing but her milk and sippy cup.  She eats hardly anything at all throughout the day and will sometimes eat dinner.  There are a few things that she rarely turns down though.  Bacon is her most favorite.  I have never ever had the girl turn down a crispy slice of bacon. Surely she is her father's child lol.  She also loves pork chops, garbanzo beans, ice cream, and spaghetti.  She has picked up her brother's habit of snacking on chips.  Although she doesn't eat more than one or two chips she does love them.

She talks more and more everyday and is usually quite the jabber jaws.  She speaks pretty clearly and is not too difficult to understand.  I wish I could remember all the cute and funny things she says.

So we have decided that since I am home for summer we will start trying to potty train.  Surprisingly it is going really well so far!  It is only day 3 and I think we are well on our way to a potty trained 2 year old!!  The first day was kinda rough..she had 4 accidents but they were all while we were outside playing.  While we were inside she never had an accident.  I put her on the potty ever 20-45 minutes depending on how much she was drinking.  She didn't tell me when she had to go though so I questioned whether she was ready or not.  She is being rewarded with her beloved figurines and small dollar spot toys from Target and Walmart.  It might sound ridiculous but she could care less about any kind of candy or stickers...she loves working for her "surprises".  She has caught on that if she goes potty she gets a toy so today.  Day 3 she is asking to go often and then asking for a surprise.  I've had to cut it back to getting a surprise every few times she pees.  Day 2 went better than the first.  Only one accident and began telling us when she had to go!  Even made it through lunch and Becky's Diner and Walmart with no accidents!  We tried twice at lunch and peed once at Walmart.  Even had a dry pull up during naptime!! :)  This morning (Day 3)  she woke up and immediately came to get me to tell me she had to sit on the potty and was upset that her pull up was wet.  She has told me every time she has had to go so far today! I'm hopeful she is going to catch on quick!!

So at 2 1/2 years (30 months) Brooklyn:
*  is a healthy 38 pounds!
*  wears 4T clothes...a few 3T depending on the make
*  sleeps in her own bed every night and wants to sleep there finally
*  does NOT sleep through the night but seems to be getting better...only up a few times a night
*  is a terrible eater
*  loves her milky
*  loves to be outside playing
*  loves her new swing set outside and will slide for hours
*  loves her princesses and my little ponies
*  watches videos on YouTube of surprise toys being opened ALL the time
*  is super shy...even around people she knows...until she warms up
*  doesn't like to let Bris get too much attention :)
*  is always looking out for her sister
*  doesn't share with her sister well
*  is not afraid to throw a punch at her brothers when they make her mad
*  only ever wants to watch Sophia the First on Disney Jr.
*  says "I love mommy" and it melts my heart