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Period: to
Brooke's lifespan from prenatal to 18 years
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Planned Pregnancy
I was a planned pregnancy, which means that my parents knew that they were secure in their financial situation and relationship. They chose a time that worked best for them, which resulted in minimal stress for my parents, and allowed my mom to focus on her pregnancy and her doctors' recmmendations. She also ate healthy, and stopped drinking, in order to have a healthy baby, and avoid any fetal alcohol syndrome. -
Baby Birthing Class
My parents took a baby birthing class together during the last six months of the pregnancy. They learned proper techniques for holding a newborn, as well as the signs of labor, and other things about pregnancy that new parents might not know. This helped with my development because my parents went into my birth with prior knowledge that helped them become efficient at caring for me in my first few weeks of life. -
Moved into Duplex
When I was born, my parents moved into a duplex with my aunt, uncle, and my cousin, who was born a couple months after I was. I was constantly surrounded by family, and had a playmate my age to play with whenever I wanted. We lived there until I was one and a half years old, so I was raised in a very social atmosphere. This contributed to my development by giving me a secure attachment, and it showed me that I could trust many different people in life. -
Moved to Durango
When I was one and a half, my parents made the move from Dallas, Texas to Durango, Colorado. This was a big transition to make, and it took me away from family, and my favorite playmate (my cousin that was the same age as me). I don't remember the move, but it must have made a big impact on my life, as Dallas and the duplex were all I knew. This kind of disruption could become either a negative or a positive impact, and for me it was positive. I learned to be adaptable. -
Learned how to ski
Around my third birthday I learned how to ski at Chapman Hill, and I loved it. It was something that I didn't need my parents help with, which was important, because at this point in my life I was seeking more autonomy from my parents. Skiing was the first thing in my life (other than my parents and siblings) that I loved outright. For Christmas when I was four, I didn't ask my parents for any toys; I asked my parents to take me skiing. It has been a huge part of my life ever since. -
Lauren was born
My middle sister was born the December before I turned 3. I remember sleeping in the waiting room with my dad, and telling him that I wanted to name her Sam. Up to this point, I had been an only child, so this was a big transition for me. The attention that had previously been all mine was now shared between a newborn and I. My parents were worried that this would upset me and I would take it out on Lauren, but I loved her right from the moment I saw her. She's been my best friend ever since! -
Katie was born
Katie was born the day after my fourth birthday. I remember being so excited, because for my birthday present I would get another playmate! I don't remember Katie's infancy as well as Lauren's, because I was becoming more focused on my peers in preschool with me. Katie's birth also made me much more protective of my little sisters. I realized that I was the oldest of three, that they would need me at some point in their future, and that I would always be there for them. -
Started preschool
The summer after I turned four, I started going to Mercy Medical preschool, where my parents dropped me off every day for 8 hours a day while they worked. At first I was apprehensive, but I made two really good friends named Curtis and Will, and from then on I loved going to preschool. We would play games, eat snacks, and nap. It was also my first time consistently interacting with peers, which helped me learn how to make friends and get along with people other than my family. -
Joined a soccer team
The summer after I turned 5, I joined a Park and Rec soccer team. We named ourselves the "cheetahs," and played other teams in our same age group. We learned foot-eye coordination, as well as team strategy (not very well), and positions. Our coach taught us that we shouldn't all run to the ball, that we should stay in our positions and wait for the ball to come to us. This was one of the more complicated things to grasp for our team, and for me. Soccer was also my 1st organized sport. -
Started Kindergarten
I started kindergarten at Riverview Elementary School when I was 5 1/2 years old. The school was one block away from my house, and my dad would walk me to school every morning. This was a big turning point in my life, because it meant that I was actually learning and being pushed in subjects that I wasn't comfortable with, like math. I also had to begin to learn how to deal with abstract concepts, like math. It also meant that I was away from my family for eight hours a day, all week long. -
Osteomielitis
When I was 8, I came down with osteomielitis in my left ankle. My parents thought that I sprained my ankle, so they told me to suck it up and keep walking to school. Eventually, it got so bad that I would crawl to school on all fours. When we went to the doctor, they told us that they would need to take me into emergency surgery, in order to avoid blood poisoning. I needed antobiotics applied via a venous catheter for a month after, and was very traumatized from it. -
Bullied
When I was 13, I was bullied by a girl on my soccer team. I played in the age group a year above mine, and I was extremely shy. I was also one of the better ones on the team, so it made the girl very jealous, and she acted out. She would taunt me and follow me home from school, saying mean things about me. She would also tell other girls to gang up on me, and caused me to become even more introverted, and scared to make friends. From then on out, I would get extreme anxiety about social groups. -
Albuquerque club soccer team
My sophmore year of high school, I joined a club soccer team out of Albuquerque, because I had a better chance of getting seen by college coaches on that team. I would drive down to Albuquerque every weekend in the fall, spring and summer to practice and play. My dad and I would drive together most of the time. It was a huge learning experience for me, and also one of the most influential decisions I ever made. I have never been pushed as hard socially, physically, and emotionally. -
Quit Basketball
I quit basketball my sophmore year of high school, because I finally had to make the decision between playing soccer collegiately and continuing with high school basketball. I chose soccer, and it changed my life forever. I always loved basketball, but I knew that I had a better chance of playing in college if I stuck with soccer, and that I liked soccer more than basketball. This decision changed my life drastically, because it meant that I was also committing to college soccer. -
Driver License
I got my drivers license a few months after my sixteenth birthday. This increased my autonomy tenfold, and allowed me to have more choice in my life. I could go on drives, pick up my friends, even go to lunch at the places I wanted. Because I was a teenager, and trying to figure out my niche in life, driving was very important to me. I wanted to try various different activities, and being able to drive myself to each one was a huge help in figuring out what I really wanted to do in life. -
First Boyfriend
I started dating my first serious boyfriend in the summer after my sophmore year. I had finally become aware of romantic love, and the fact that someone other than my family and friends could love me and want to go on dates with me. This started a shift in consciousness in me, because I began to learn about what it means to be in a relationship with someone of the opposite sex, and taught me that there are different types of love. I also learned what it meant to be committed to someone else. -
Graduated from Durango High School
Graduating from high school was a huge deal, because it opened so many possibilities for me. Finishing my high school degree meant I could choose to go to college, or take a year off, or get a job, or anything that I wanted. I finally felt that I had complete and total control of my life; something that I struggled with a lot in high school. I always wanted total autonomy, and I had finally attained it. This made me mature and grow in ways that I never thought I would.
