Brooklyn: 8 years old

This summer has been galloping by, and I am very much hoping I can get this blog post done before we leave on our trip.

Brooklyn is 8 and for the first year in several, we celebrated her birthday at home with her bday twin Grampy. Granny, Auntie Devon and Arthur were also up spending a few days with us. We had crepes for breakfast, followed by a mani-pedi. After, Granny and Grampy took her for lunch, and we were able to get out to the outdoor pool for the first time this summer (thanks subpar weather). The kids had a lot of fun, even though it was jam packed and the toddler area was colder than the large pool. For the 3rd time this year, birthday dinner was courtesy of Old Trapper. B wasn't interested in having dessert there because she is all about the cookies n creme. Back at home the kids had cookies n creme ice cream cake, and the adults had OMG cupcakes.

Two days later she was baptized, and we were able to have a room full of family and friends, that are like family, there to celebrate, with more family joining over zoom. It was a special day for her, and if you ask her to describe it she'd tell you she felt "warm"-partially due to the fact that Gordon had made the font water so warm it turned the adjoining bathroom into a steam room haha.

                       

We had already had her party before school was out. Unfortunately, her best friend was the only one who could make it, so I took them to the trampoline park, out for Mcdonalds, then to get ice cream after. They had the best time just the two of them, and I couldn't complain about no post party clean up.

Brooklyn has had a challenging year (truthfully years). Without oversharing, we have seen several professionals in an attempt to figure out the best ways to help her thrive emotionally and socially. Not everyone has agreed on the best strategies or even the cause of the difficulties she experiences, which has meant going through plans A, B, C, and D, or combinations of those, and me doing a lot of research and advocating for interventions that I feel will be beneficial, even if some of the professionals are skeptical. We seem to have found a hopeful solution in the last few months. Not a perfect solution, for sure. There are still ups and downs. But a solution that seems like it keeps her on a mostly positive slope, instead of the ever descending slope we seemed to be on. If you're a parent whose kids are struggling with mental and emotional challenges, especially ones that are less visible, I see you!

Birthday interview

Favourite colour: purple and teal

Favourite food: taco salad

Favourite movie: Twilight

Favourite animal: koala

Favourite book: Critter Club

Favourite subject: art

Favourite thing to do for fun: Play with barbies

What do you want to be when you grow up: a policeman

What are you scared of: clowns

What are 3 words to describe you: fun, helpful, nice

What would your super power be: to have infinite wishes

What was the best thing about being 7: I didn't have to make my bed

What are you looking forward to most about being : I can swim alone at the pool

Brooklyn has participated in swimming and some judo this year. She loves the water, and swimming is one of her favourite activities, along with playing outside, music, creating imaginary barbie worlds, and doing art.

She loved her grade 2 teacher, who was amazingly supportive with everything we were trying to navigate, and Brooklyn's struggles were definitely lessened  by the care and attention from her teacher. Part of us trying to figure out what tools B needed for success was a psychoeducational assessment. She scored extremely well in most categories, but was found she struggled more with her visual perception in relation to words/letters- a form of dysgraphia-the ability to write and see letters in their appropriate relative sizing, space, and in relation to each other. This means that her printing was often illegible compared to other kids, or there was difficulty with number lines or lining up numbers on top of each other for equations. This gave us a good idea of what to work on at home, and with the addition of tools to support her mental health, by her last report card she was showing significant improvements in writing and math.

Brooklyn is an extremely sensitive girl. She feels everything on a maximum scale, which means deep love but also deep hurt and deep frustration for seemingly small things. Innocent words or looks are perceived as personal insults or attacks, and she can struggle to feel like people love her. Music is especially helpful for her in bringing peace, and she will often play her mp3 to go to sleep. 

She is a big animal lover and can often be found snuggling with our cat when she needs personal space. 

Brooklyn has this wonderfully goofy and silly side. She will pull a silly face or do a ridiculous dance, and has the best uncontrollable giggle.

Once at the park, a dad walked over and greeted me, as our kids were both playing together. She yells from across the park (and very audibly) "You can't marry a man you just met!" (which hilariously is what I always say to them). 

Another time Lily was crying because she didn't want to grow up. I replied with something like "well everyone grows up honey" to which Brooklyn retorted "Not you. You still have your teenager legs."

She also has a little bit of a feral side, and prefers to walk around half dressed. She is very particular about clothes. Socks are worn maybe once a month if we are lucky. Even in winter. Anything fleecy is always approved.

She has the worst tonsils ever. They are always swollen and red, and you can never tell what is strep or not. Strep is like the recurring plague of our family, and she is often the culprit- the pharmacist and I casually chat about our lives now while she is doing the swab. B is slated to get these suckers out in the fall and she cannot wait as they are constantly bothering her.

She isn't picky and eats things like butter chicken, samosas, and Asian food. She definitely prefers salty over sweet. Potato chips are her favourite snack.

Like her older siblings, her reading ability took off in grade 2. She not only made huge strides in French, but all of a sudden she was reading chapter books in English as well. Her favourite books are about superheroes and animals. 

She's a big fan of art hub and often uses it to make birthday cards and pictures for her friends and siblings. She is always drawing on herself, and loves getting face paint.

                                               

B likes being outdoors. She kept asking to go for more hikes when we went camping in Tumbler, and didn't once complain about her legs or being tired. She notices beauty in nature, and is usually the one to point out the sunset, the water, the animals... I think being indoors is sometimes overstimulating for her, and being outside seems to ground her a little better.

 

B is incredibly special and we hope that she is gonna have a great year ahead.