.one year ago...happy birthday brooklynn.

I cannot believe my baby is one! It doesn't seem like that long ago, I was holding my sweet little love in my arms, wrapped in a hospital blanket. My life has drastically been blessed since that day! She has grown so much, and is so smart, I am amazed with her new developments. This is kinda more for me and so I can go back and remember what all she was doing at this stage: 

Brooklynn can say, "mama" "dada" "daddy" "baba" (bottle) "Tyler" (andrew's brother) "bye" "tanky" (Andrews parents dog) "doggy"  "uh-oh" (she says this one whenever she or someone else drops something).

She signs "please" "more" "all done" and "thank you". She also waves, gives hugs (or loves is what we call it) and kisses when you ask for them, with a huge open mouth...lol.

She climbs the stairs, and recently decided to discover how to go down the stairs (no falling involved). We tried to teach her how to go down on her belly, but she insisted to go down one step at a time, standing up holding on to the railing. It still scares me.

She also knows alot of the time what your saying, or asking and responds, but just can't say it.

She knows what a balloon is, and knows how to pull on the string to get it closer to her. (grandpa called it climbing the string yesterday- so she could touch the balloon not just the string).

If we ask her to go push the button, it's on one of her toy dogs to make it sing and dance.

She knows what a ball is, and will carry them around with her, and drop them off the balcony so she can say "uh-oh!"

She knows what your talking about when you say "be soft" or "can you share?" but does not always follow through, just depends on her mood... But she is usually really good and will either share with you, or you will get smacked in the face after you tell her to be soft... It seriously, depends on her mood.  :)

If she is near her blanket, she will get it and bring it to you... It's usually her way of telling you she is tired.

If you ask where her paci is, she will find it. A lot of the time when she is whining in the back of the car I ask her to find her paci and put it in her mouth, and she will. It's great.

  One of her favorite things is to get into grandma's cupboard of tuperware... She pulls it all out and sits there and matches the bottoms to the tops.

She fake coughs at you when you cough and she fakes laughs too. Its hilarious. You could be coking from coughing so hard and she is standing there fake coughing.

She enjoys bath time, most the time... she will stand up, and you will ask her to sit down and she does...she also tilts her head back under the facet when its time to wash out her hair... i didnt think i could get her to do this... but she sits there and i say, "put your head back" and she tilts it back under the running facet! CRAZY!

She LOVES going outside. She loves running around from inside the house, outside, to the deck. She will stand there and watch the cars drive past. She knows exactly what your talking about when you ask, "do you want to go outside?" and will instantly be in a good mood. 


Brooklynn is such a good girl. She has attitude and is so much fun all at the same time. I really can't complain when she throws a fit... she is so good and puts up with Andrew and me. We LOVE her and are so happy God allowed her to be apart of our family. We are truly blessed with her in our lives. 


HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRETTY GIRL...WE CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU GROW! 
WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

Here is also an old blog post I wrote when Brooklynn was born... it's a letter to her.

Happy Birthday Brooklynn Makenna Westensee!

dear brooklynn.

.daddy and mommy were so thrilled when we found out we were pregnant. mommy was at grandma's mcdonalds house when we found out. august 21, 2010 mommy called your daddy down and he was very surprised/shocked. 

.it didn't seem very real until we made a doctors appointment and heard your little heartbeat. October 5, 2010 we went into Doctor Halls office in Idaho Fall,s Idaho nervous and anxious at the same time. Your heartbeat was fast, and I looked at your daddy with the biggest smile on my face...we were thrilled to have a little one join our family.

.mommy was almost 12 weeks along when we heard your heartbeat. and had to wait another 8 weeks to find out if we were having a little boy or a little girl to join our family. it seemed like such a long time. than finally November 30th, 2010 came and we were able to find out what we were having.

(mommy at 17 weeks a couple weeks before we found out we were having a girl)

.mommy had to drink lots and lots of water in order for the ultrasound lady to see you...mommy was so stressed by the time we got to the office because she needed to go to the bathroom so bad. we finally were brought back to the room, where i informed the nice lady that if she didnt let me use the restroom, i would most definitely pee my pants and her nice bed. she let mommy go. 

.daddy and mommy informed the lady we wanted to know what we were having...as she looked at your small, fragile little body on the monitor, she said, "it's a girl!" i was thrilled, and so excited. i looked at your daddy and he had a smile on his face. i knew he would be wrapped around your finger from that point on. daddy just would deny it.

(picture we sent to everyone saying its a girl)

.about a week after our ultrasound appointment, December 6th, 2010 daddy and mommy felt you move for the first time. i was laying on the couch, and felt you move, i called your daddy over to come feel my stomach. he did and you kicked...he was so shocked and happy...from then on, your daddy was obsessed with "playing" with you and talking to you.

(there is a baby in there)

.christmas came and went, and got many presents...for you. grandma westensee was so excited to be able to buy clothes for you. grandma mcdonald paid for the material for your bedding...that turned out SO cute. January 9, 2011 we started clearing out the spare bedroom for you. we moved daddy's office into our bedroom, and started moving baby furniture slowly but surely into your room.

(mommy 6.5 months pregnant)

.weeks pasted by, i decided to work up until my 38 weeks. i worked at a daycare in idaho falls called diane's early care and education. i was over infants, and loved every minute of it. it was sad to go when the time came, but i was VERY anxious to become attached to my baby girl. i did crafts to keep myself busy...because i just wanted you to come.

 (bedding your awesome aunt kristina made)

 (just a few of the crafts i did... there are like 5 other crafts i did not pictured)

.my due date came and went. you were due on April 22, 2011...but when i went in for my appointment, the doctor said i was only dilated to a 1, and my cervix was still not soft. so i waited and waited. April 26th was my next appointment, Doctor Hall said that I could go into the hospital that night if it worked for me, and start the process of being induced... i called your daddy... we were thrilled, our baby girl would be here sooner than we expected.

.mommy went home and cleaned, caught up on laundry, packed a bag for daddy (since we were staying overnight) and a list of things to remember. daddy and i picked up pizza for dinner cause i was craving it...and filled the car with gas and headed to idaho falls to start the process of having our baby girl in our arms.

.i checked into the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center (EIRMC) at 7pm April 26, 2011, we were brought to room #116 in the newly remodeled delivery rooms... the nurse Joyce started me on a medicine called Cervidel at 8:50pm (which softens your cervix)...I was to be on that for 12 hours...it also can start contractions....which it did for mommy at 9:30pm I felt my first contraction. Mommy just trooped through the contractions... at 10 my pain level was at a 4 out of 10, by 11 my pain level was at a 5 out of 10 and by midnight my pain level was at a 6 out of ten...so a different nurse, Melissa, started mommy on some pain medication through an IV... but it didnt help mommy. It made mommy VERY dizzy and VERY tired... but every time I closed my eyes, I felt like someone was spinning my bed around.

.at 3am i had my second dose of pain medication in hopes that it would really knock me out to sleep. but it just made me sicker, and more dizzy and was miserable. daddy got NO sleep because of this. mommy was constantly talking/whining/calling for daddy because of the medicine and how she felt. at 6am the nurse asked if i wanted my 3rd dose of medicine... i refused and said i would endure because that medicine made mommy feel so nasty.

.at 7am mommy's nurse who was absolutely wonderful and who mommy really really liked was Kathy. she started me on a medicine called Pitocin, which really starts your labor...the contractions continued, and mommy just kept enduring. at 8:30 doctor hall stopped in to see how far i had progressed and to break my water. doctor hall broke mommy's water and told daddy and me that i was only at a 3. once my water broke, the contractions were VERY VERY painful, and i asked daddy to get a nurse to get an epidural. I didnt see them put in the epidural because it goes in your back, but your daddy watched and can tell you more. i got my epidural at 9am...and loved it. At first it only numbed one leg and part of the other, so they gave me another dose and rolled me onto my side in hopes that the medicine would run down that side to the leg that was only half numb. the feeling was amazing, and after that mommy was VERY happy but at the same time very very tired. i tried to sleep, but found no success.

. at 11:15am while mommy was rested her eyes, i felt pressure down there. i opened my eyes telling daddy to get the nurse, Kathy, because i was certain that i was fully dilated and ready to push. daddy didnt believe me cause kathy had just checked my progress not too long ago, but i was sure and pushed the nurse button. kathy checked me and mommy was a 9... so kathy began getting everything ready for our sweet angel to join us. your daddy was so anxious/excited to meet you.

.at 11:30 your aunt janelle arrived to the hospital. mommy had asked her to come and take pictures, because we were so thrilled to have you here, and we wanted to make sure we truly captured the moment...aunt janelle was also asked to hold mommy's legs... i dont know if she was expecting that, but yes, aunt janelle watched your entire birth... she saw more than mommy, cause mommy was pushing.

.at 11:40 nurse Kathy asked mommy to push once, just to see how much progress we would make, and if doctor hall needed to come now, or after some time pushing. so mommy made her first push at 11:40...and thats when your daddy exclaimed, "what is that!"... nurse kathy assured dad that it was a full head of hair, and than called for doctor hall to come now, because only a few more pushes and our baby girl with apparently a full head of hair would be here very soon. 

.she was right. only 16 minutes later, and our baby girl was here. at 11:56am our precious angel was here. mommy and daddy both cried at the first sight of you. you were beautiful in every way, and barely cried at all. you were 7lbs and 1 ounce, and 20 inches long. you knew who your daddy was instantly, and grabbed his finger when he reached out for you. daddy held you first, and just took in your precious little face. you got all of your daddy's features...your chin and lips are from mommy. once mommy was stitched, daddy brought you to mommy... i just melted when i saw you, and was able to hold you. you were so perfect, and so beautiful in every way. daddy picked out the name Brooklynn and mommy picked out Makenna.... your name is spelt with two "n's" at the end because mommy's middle name is lynn. you are so precious, and your name fits you perfectly.

.than daddy took you with the nurses and gave you your very first bath. he was so nervous, and felt like he would hurt you, because you were so small and fragile. but the kind nurse at the nursery Elise, assured daddy that he was doing everything perfect, and coached him. daddy also put on your second diaper. your first one was put on by the nurse right after you were born. 

.we were brought to "recovery"...we were in room #126 for the next 3 days. daddy would sleep in our room with us at night, and get up very early in the morning and drive to school. and than come back. each time wanting to hold you very first thing because he missed you and hated being apart from you.

.friday april 29th 2011 we finally got to go home.

.your an angel. an answer to a prayer. your beautiful inside and out. you know who your daddy and mommy are, and love to cuddle with them. your a precious gift, and God trusts mommy and daddy with, and we are thrilled. your so precious, and we love every minute of every day we are able to spend with you. we are so anxious to watch you grow and become a special Daughter of God. know that mommy and daddy both love you. 

.thank you for blessing our family brooklynn makenna westensee. .
we love you so much.