I'm a big kid now!

Jordan is officially a big girl. We moved her into a big girl bed, and she loves it. I cried when I saw the empty crib. *sigh*
She is talking a little more and suddenly her pants got too short. She asks for "chocot" and has to have one in each hand. I can hardly lift her to get her in the car. Her hair is long enough for a real ponytail.
This isn't fair. They grow too fast.

Pregnant on Paper!

Yikes! We have done it again! Our web pages with the adoption agency went live. So, that means we are officially being marketed to potential birthmoms around the country and waiting for another special little someone to be born.

Please send a prayer or two our way as we wait. A few of you know us well enough to know that Jordan's adoption was very easy and smooth. However, the two matches that didn't work out before that were tough, to say the least. We strongly felt God's hand guiding our decisions, easing the pain, and ultimately blessing us greatly. We just hope that this journey isn't as much of an emotional rollercoaster ride!

We don't know how long will it take. It could be very quick, or as long as a year from now, but most likely somewhere in between.

We are excited, but very nervous!

My Poor Baby

Okay, I have to write about this. I let Jordan play with a credit card this morning. Well, it was really her medical insurance card, which is ironic. She had it because I was scheduling an appt. for myself for my sleeping problems, and they needed my insurance info. I had my wallet out and was pulling out cards, and Jordan is a typical girl and loves credit cards. So, I handed her the nearest one. Anyway....

She fell. The card sliced through her nose. I mean THROUGH. I saw a perfect little bloody line about a 1/4" long on her left nostril, and just had a bad feeling. So, I finally get her to let me touch it enough to see that yes indeed it was cut all the way through, inside to outside, little flap of nose I could separate. OMG!!! Panic! Actually, I didn't panic, but the adrenalin sure did kick in. We loaded up quickly and went to the emergency room, where I watched my heart get ripped out for 2.5 hours as she is tortured for x-rays and receiving five stitches. I saved my tears until we got home, and she was safely in her bed.

What a crappy day. I feel so terrible. Who would've thought a credit card was a dangerous weapon? I feel like a horrible mother, even though I know toddlers hurt themselves a lot, and this was a freak accident.

On a positve note, Jordan hasn't messed with it, and doesn't seem to be in pain. She has just been really tired from missing a nap and screaming for 2 hours. Other than that, she got back to her usual self right away. We'll see what tomorrow holds for us.

I have a few pics. Look for them if you want. I need a drink.

Nose Update

Jordan got her stitches out this morning. That was fun. Her nose still looks very messy to me. I guess it is too early to tell how it will heal. Hopefully, it will heal very well. I got the okay to use Maderma and that sort of thing to minimize the scar. The cut is almost in the crease of her nose, so it shouldn't be too visible. AHHHH. I keep having daydreams of Jordan at sixteen, crying her poor heart out because she has this nasty scar on her nose. I think it will be fine, though. And, there are much worse things that could happen.

Say "cheese"!

Jordan has a few words in her vocabulary now. I am excited, though I am sure before too long, I will wish she would be quiet. But, until then, I will rejoice in each new word. Are you ready for this? Jordan's vocabulary includes the following:

Mama

Dada

Duck

Tree

Chair

and, last but not least....

CHEESE!!!!!!!!

Birthday Interview

After Jordan got over her stomach flu, I managed to sit down with her and find out what she remembers most about her first year of life. She had some interesting things to say. (pretty cheesy, I know. My regular readers should know by now that I will blog about anything, but I am having fun!)




Kami: So, Jordan, what is your earliest memory?




Jordan: I remember my first night at home. It sucked. My tummy hurt really badly. Mommy and Daddy kept saying something about 3:00 am, and me crying for 7 hours straight. The nice lady at the clinic said it was reflux. All I know is it hurt, and I am glad I don’t have that problem any more.




Kami: What are your favorite things to do?




Jordan: Ooo. Lets see. I love to watch Blue’s Clues. I like to chase dogs, and look at them in books. I like to play with phones and remote controls, be in a stroller, play with dishes, hug teddy bears and give kisses to lots of stuff – especially my reflection in the mirror. I like to dance when I hear music, look at the pictures in books and turn the pages before mommy can read all the words, and play pat-a-cake. I even invented a game - the tampon game - and it is really fun! I go into mommy’s cabinet and find a tampon. Then, I carry it around the house until I get bored with it, and drop it. I win the game if it takes longer than 30 seconds for Mommy to find it and put it back where it belongs. I don’t win much. Mommy is pretty good at that game.




Kami: Speaking of music, do you have any favorite songs?




Jordan: My mommy sometimes sings "Amazing Grace", especially when I am sad, and that is a very nice song. It always makes me smile. I also like the ABC song, but the rest kind of sound the same right now.




Kami: What do you like to eat?




Jordan: Cheerios, craisins, mangoes, chicken nuggets, and macaroni and cheese. I LOVE raisins! They are so good! I don’t like vegetables any more. I used to eat them a lot, but now I know better! Mommy isn’t too happy about that, and she still tries to get me to eat them, but I just don’t want them!





Kami: Do you like to get into mischief?




Jordan: No, not really. It doesn’t bother me too much that there are things I can’t do or touch. I usually listen. It breaks my heart to get into trouble. I get very sad, and then mommy gets sad too. So, I just try to be good, and I think I am most of the time. I do like to have a tantrum on occasion, but not often.




Kami: Do you like being able to walk?




Jordan: Oh, yes. Very much. It is still scary though. I get really scared when I fall, but hopefully, I will get better soon and not fall so much.




Kami: How was your birthday party?




Jordan: It wasn’t very good. I got to see my Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt, and Uncle and that was fun. But, my tummy hurt really badly again because I had a bug in there. I wasn’t hungry, and I was really sleepy and cranky. It wasn’t very much fun. A couple of days before my party, I threw up a lot in the car. I was so sad because I had this yucky stuff all over me and it got on my bear too. I was afraid to touch him. I thought he was dead! But, when my grandma pulled him out of the dryer, he was just fine! I was SO happy to see that he was okay, I didn’t let him out of my sight the rest of the day! Then, my grandpa and my aunt got the bad tummies, too. So they were very sad. I did get to try cake for the first time, and it was really good, but I just couldn’t eat much because my tummy hurt.




Kami: What did you get for your birthday?




Jordan: I got lots of bath stuff, including this big green froggy that goes on the wall. Mommy was excited about that. I think it stores my bath toys. I also got some cute clothes, jammies, a purse, and a big teddy bear.




Kami: Well, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat with me, Jordan. Happy Birthday, Sweetheart! You are such a wonderful little girl – sweet, curious, clever, and silly! It is an honor to be your mommy, and I look forward to many, many more birthdays, whether they are very "happy" or not.




Jordan: No problem, it was a pleasure! May I play with your cell phone?

Lucky St. Patty's Day!

Last Friday, I went to the post office, and when I got home after going to a few other places, I noticed that Jordan had lost her hair bow. I dug all through the car and it was nowhere to be found. I figured it fell of at the post office. Rats. It isn’t that big of a deal, but I was upset. Just a bow, get over it.

Today started out crappy. Jordan is cutting another tooth that is giving her hell. It has never been this bad before. I forgot to wear green, or dress her in green. Not that I care, but I always try.

I had to go to the post office again, and was just about to get back in the car when I thought "Hey, let me at least look for the stupid bow!" I found it, immediately. It was nestled into an expansion joint in the sidewalk close to the door. Hallelujah! I cannot believe it! It was still perfectly clean and intact. What a small little blessing of good luck!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

I know the secret to get rid of door-to-door salesman!

A few days ago, two salesmen came to the door. They represented a reputable internet and phone service company and were actually trying to sell something we might be interested in. However, it was almost 5:00. Jordan kept trying to make her way out the door. My dogs already had run out the door while I was talking to these people, and since I had 3 babies to keep track of and needed desperately to start dinner, I wasn't interested in listening to them. But, they kept at it, I couldn't seem to convice them that I didn't have time to talk. I would pick Jordan up, then she wanted down, and she would try to fall out the door, so I would pick her up again. About the 7th time we repeated this procedure, Jordan vomited on the entry floor just inside the threshold of the open door with these 2 horrified onlookers. Bailey, being the good little helper that she is, promptly cleaned it up for me. Since I am accustomed to this, it took me a few seconds to remember that the general public actually finds this disgusting. Then, I got a little embarrased even though I was thinking, "See! I told you this is NOT a good time!"

The salesmen wrapped up and left within 30 seconds. So, the next time you have annoying salesmen at your door, just find a vomiting child and a hungry dog, and that ought to take care of it!

The Attack of Einstein

Einstein is a very beautiful Cardinal that has graced us with his presence every Spring/Summer that we have lived in this house - which will be four this year. He has been dubbed "Einstein" because he attacks his reflection in 2 of our most reflective windows - this is how we came to know about him. He used to come get his excercise every day at the same times, but his activity has waned a bit. Perhaps he is getting old. However, I still hear the unmistakable "WHACK, WHACK" more often than I would like. His "Mrs." is usually watching a few feet away, perpetuating the theory that all men feel that they need to appear macho to impress women, regardless of species.

His favorite window is the one that now belongs to Jordan. So far, his timing has been such that it hasn't woken her up, but I know that it is inevitable. I placed some Juniper branches on the outside sill to prevent him from perching, but apparently, he can still attack on the fly. I am not sure what to do, so if any of you have experience with birds, let me know your thoughts.

I have some blurry pictures of him somewhere, so if I can find them, I will post them too.

I think today is the day!

This morning Jordan and I went to a Mom's Club Business meeting, and I guess Jordan was so excited about all the other ladies and kids that she just took off! She was walking around like crazy and loving it! She has been slowly fine tuning her skills, but still too chicken to just do it. But, she did it today, and kept walking once we got home. Hopefully she won't chicken out and backtrack now that there isn't as much excitement. I am so ready for her to just "get it" and be a little more independent

One Step at a Time

Well, I guess it is official - she is walking! Yesterday, Valentine's Day, she took four to five perfectly balanced little steps before losing her balance. She has done that several times since, and I know that it is probably only a matter of days before she is tearing across the house! It was so exciting, and she got really excited too!

Isn't she supposed to cry?

Dale and I decided to call up the babysitter and go out for dinner and a movie. We saw "Juno", by the way, and it was excellent! So, Jordan was playing with the sitter while I gathered some last minute things and then went back to her to say my goodbyes. I said "Okay, Jordan, Mommy and Daddy gotta go Bye-Bye." And what does she do? She smiles and waves at me!

This is a good thing, I know that it is. But, I have to admit I am a little heart-broken! I pictured her trying to run over and grab me like "Don't leave!" and crying. That is what most kids do, and I guess what deep down I wanted her to do.

Well, I guess it means that she is comfortable with the sitter, and confident that I will return, and that is a really good thing. The sitter did say that Jordan "walked" around the house right after we left looking really hard for something, probably us. That made me feel a little better!

Does Jordan have a Crush?

So, there was this 2 year old little boy at the Super Bowl party we went to. Jordan chased him, she actually chased him! She can't walk on her own, so it was like me holding her hands and letting her go where she wanted, but she was after him. They hung out together inside, Jordan cruising around the soda cooler and Otto (that is his name) was goofing around nearby. Otto would walk away, and then come back. Every time he came back, Jordan's face just lit up! It was really cute, even though I am not too happy about her chasing boys this soon. But, she has been around other kids, some boys, and hasn't acted like this. Oh well! So have you heard that new song by Rodney Atkins, "Cleaning this Gun"? Hmmm. Not such a bad idea. We'll have to remember that one.

Sweet Baby

I have to say that I am impressed with Jordan over the last few days. We left to visit my parents on Friday, but we almost cancelled because Jordan was gettting a cold.

I know having lots of people around helps to entertain her, but while we were there she was coughing like crazy, runny nose, sniffling, sneezing, mouth breathing - you name it. But, she never complained. Only a few times when she coughed hard did she cry some out of pain.

Bless her heart, she was so good even though she must have been pretty miserable.

She wants to walk so badly - practicing is her favorite thing to do. And, if you want to make her smile, bring out the camera! She knows just what to do! No matter what she is doing, if she sees there is a camera pointed at her, she stops, turns, and smiles. It cracks me up! She also started to shake her head "no" when I tell her "no" about not touching something. She has also been doing her first sign ("all done") that I have been trying to teach her so that she can tell me when she is done eating. As frustrating as it can be sometimes to take care of her, it has been neat the last few weeks as I can tell she is starting to make connections and communicate some with us and really relate to the world around her.