Brooke Update -- 16 Months

Here is an update about Brooke as well as lots of pictures.  We sure love this little girl!  Sorry if there aren't many pictures of us; we don't seem to take any.

Brooke has been improving at her communication skills.  Her new cute thing is to nod her head to say yes, and she does it all day long.  When she's eating something she likes, she nods her head to show her approval.  When we ask her questions, she nods her head to say yes. It's amazing how often she does it when it's appropriate. Although I'm not sure how often she really is understanding us because the last couple days I've asked her some questions to test it out.  I asked her if she will wait until 21 to start dating and if she would like to go skydiving.  She nodded to both questions.

She has been learning lots of words.  Some of her words are apple, shoes, hungry, bath, ball, tree, seeds, socks, laundry, doggy, and banana.

I call her the hooligan baby.

 Brooke learned how to put olives on her fingers while in Utah.  Daddy hates them, but Brooke seems to love them.

Sometimes she's like this . . .

Brooke has been a bit more fussy lately.  She has been sick about 4 times since November; which has been the main culprit.  Ever since Brooke was born she has never liked to cuddle.  In the past year she has probably only fallen asleep once when I've been holding her.  Leslie and I are amazed when we see parents with babies that are asleep in their arms.  Even as a newborn she would arch her back if we held her with her face against us.  So it amazed us when she came down with her most recent sickness last Sunday, and suddenly wanted to cuddle all the time.  She must have been feeling very sick because she normally refuses to cuddle with us.  She is almost better from being sick so we're hoping the cuddling lasts.

. . .  and sometimes she's like this.

I'm really hoping she gets ugly as a teenager because she is way too good looking!

Brooke gets compliments on her eyes all the time.

 They say that children are either talkers or walkers, and Brooke is very much a talker and not a walker.  She will be 17 months old in a few days and this past week she started standing on her own for the first time. And yesterday she took a couple small baby steps for the first time!  She is a very cautious baby.  We never worry about her hurting herself, because she is way too careful. 

Pretty girl

"These boots are made for walkin'..."

Eating brownie batter

...with Mamma.