Brooke-o.

I'm not a nickname fan. Just not my thing. I chose a name for my child that doesn't easily lend itself to nicknames, after all. Other than my own quirky nicknames for her (Big Lady, Mama, Ladybug, etc.) very few people have nicknamed Brooke. With the exception of her cousins. Out of the blue one day, her cousin Molly started calling her Brooke-o. And it stuck like glue. "Brooke-o" this and "Brooke-o" that. Honestly, I find it endearing.

My sister's 2 little girls ADORE my little girl. They think Brooke is the bee's knees. They get so excited to see her. And Brooke lights up when she sees them, too. They love to talk to her, sing to her, and shower her with hugs and kisses (though Claire just gives her air kisses, as if she's afraid to really touch her,) and Brooke just eats it all up. They already have the sweetest relationship and that thrills me. Molly & Claire are preparing for a baby brother or sister of their own - and what great big sisters they will be!

Especially Miss Molly. She spent a few hours at our house tonight and was very helpful. She made sure Brooke had toys to play with at all times (the ones she wasn't playing with herself), helped me bathe her (well, really she just wanted to play with Brooke's bath toys), and even watched Elmo with her (you know, because Brooke really wanted to watch it.) All in all, it was great having a real "big girl" around tonight.

p.s. Speaking of cousins, Happy Half-Birthday to Brooke's cousin Owen! We can't wait to have him back stateside to spend some time with all the girls!