jordan: months 0 – 5

I’ve been meaning to update my blog month-by-month with updates about life with Jordan, but obviously I haven’t. So, I plan on recapping the past 5 months of her life in one post and then hoping to be diligent in keeping up each month from now on. We’ll see. Here we go!

Month 0 (February):

Life is a HUGE adjustment with a newborn. I don’t think I’ve ever been so tired in my life! I can’t seem to remember anything since I’m so sleep deprived. Luckily we write down every time Jordan eats and when we change her diapers so we don’t forget - seriously. Jordan is a tiny little baby, maybe only 6 lbs. She sleeps a lot. Her cries are quiet, cute, and lamb-like at this point – which earns her the nickname Lambie. We watch the winter Olympics pretty much 24/7 since it is the only thing on in the wee hours of the night/morning. On a side note, I am now familiar with the ins and outs of curling :) I feel like I’ve been hit by a semi, but at least I started feeling more like myself within a few weeks. Chip is exhausted as well and has been my total support during this time. I seriously couldn't do this without him. Frank is not sure what to think. He knows something is different, but isn’t quite sure what to make of this little screaming “thing”. He tries to sit on our lap when Jordan is there and always wants to be around us. I guess maybe this is how an older sibling feels when the new baby comes home, like they’re being replaced? We try to give him extra attention to make sure he doesn’t get sad. When Jordan is about 3 weeks old she gets a cold, or so we think. She sounds awfully congested so we take her to the doctor. The doctor says she has Gastro Esophageal Reflux and prescribes baby Zantac for her. She had been spitting up so much it would come out her nose and the stomach acid would inflame her nasal passages. My poor little Lambie :(

Month 1 (March):

Jordan is getting slightly bigger; she may be 7 pounds now according to our bathroom scale. She still has issues with her reflux and spits up quite a bit even a few hours after she eats. She is getting more and more alert and expressive, but still sleeps most of the time. She smiled for the first time on March 26. It was beyond adorable and totally makes up for the lack of sleep, daily crying fits from 4 – 6 pm we affectionately refer to as “the witching hours”, and the total chaos our lives have now become. Jordan HATES bath time and screams the entire time we bathe her. I hope she grows out of this! Jordan likes to look at some simple black & white pictures I drew for her of a smiley face, tree, checkerboard, and a lamb. March brought my parents from Kansas City, MO for a visit. I enjoyed getting some help caring for Jordan for a week. Chip and I even got to go see a movie together, Alice in Wonderland. I’m surprised we were able to stay awake through it though! Jordan got to go to the beach for the first time and to Destin Commons, a local outdoor shopping center.

Month 2 (April):

At 2 months old Jordan is up to 9.2 lbs! Yay, she is finally gaining some weight. The reflux is now under control and she isn’t spitting up most everything she eats. April brought Jordan’s first Easter. Not that she cared; she was red-faced and screaming most of the day. I did put a pretty little dress on her for Easter Sunday at church. It was much too big on her. Jordan slept through the night from 9:30 p.m. until 5 a.m. on April 25. When both Chip and I woke up that morning and realized neither one of us had to get up with her during the night we were SO excited. A full night’s sleep never felt so good! And with more sleep, my memory started getting better. Now more triple-checking to make sure I locked the front door because I couldn't remember if I had or not. Yes! Month 2 also brought the demise of half the hair on Jordan’s head. I figured she wouldn’t be a brunette baby since both Chip and I were blonds, but I guess I thought I’d be more gradual than it was. April was a big month for our family as we decided to purchase our first house! We were excited to find it and to soon have a lot more space and a yard. We decided to remodel the kitchen, ourselves, before we moved in.

Month 3 (May):

May was a busy month for all us! Jordan now weighs in around 10.5 lbs and is getting heavier by the day. Jordan’s feeding issues are a thing of the past, and our baby girl is thriving now. She is now a little chatterbox! She makes all sorts of fun “oohs” and “ahhs”. Jordan also loves to smile at us and anyone she encounters. She loves to sit in her swing in our sun room and look out the window at all the trees. Jordan also loves to play on her undersea toy mat and bat and grab the toys and rings on it. She enjoys her baths now too. She smiles excitedly as she kicks her legs to splash the water. If she gets startled or scared by a loud noise, she screams and cries…so sad! We celebrated my first Mother’s Day by participating in Baby Dedication at our church. May marked my and Chip’s 6^th anniversary. It also was the month we became homeowners…and home renovators. Chip and several friends and family members overhauled our kitchen by ripping out counter tops, cabinets, and knocking out a soffit. We are so grateful for all the help. It was a stressful and exhausting 2 weeks, but in the end our new kitchen looks amazing! I have loved cooking in it so far and am looking forward to putting it to use for the holidays.

Month 4 (June):

Jordan now tips the scales at 12.6 lbs and 24.5”! She has now doubled her birth weight. She also drools like crazy now and sucks on her hands. June was a big month for Jordan. Not only did she roll over from her back to her stomach on June 2, in front of a group of friends no less, but she also started solid foods. I wondered if she’d be too young for it, but she took to it instantly and seems to love eating solid food like a big girl. We started her on rice cereal on June 5 and then a few weeks later gave her peas, which she made the funniest face of disgust when she ate. She got over her disdain for peas and still eats them. Jordan continues to love to chat and smile at us and others. Jordan also laughed out loud for the first time. At first I thought she coughed, but then I realized it was a laugh. She’ll laugh if you kiss her on the cheek or blow on her belly. It is so cute!! She also likes to play “Super Jordan”, where we hold her up in the air and fly her around like Superman. Jordan is also a bit of an observer. She loves to just sit and watch people in the room and sometimes finds that more interesting than her toys. She also smiled at Frank! It was precious. She was playing on the floor and Frank walked in her room and she smiled at him. June brought the celebration of Chip’s first Father’s Day. We celebrated the day by spending it with his family in Bonifay. We took Jordan to Chip’s parent’s church and introduced her to their friends. June also brought the exciting news that my dad got a job in Pensacola and my parents would now be living one hour away instead of 16. We’re very excited that Jordan will get to have both sets of her grandparents so close by.

Month 5 (July):

Jordan’s weight is now up to 14 lbs and she is 26.25” long. She’s getting more and more active and looks to be getting close to being mobile. She loves to roll over on to her belly, but often gets frustrated and cries when she can’t roll back over or get anywhere. She moves her arms and legs when on her belly, but just hasn’t gotten it together enough to move anywhere. Her hand eye coordination has gotten really good now and she puts everything in her mouth! She even tries to put her pacifier in her mouth, but sometimes she misses and bops herself in the cheek. Jordan is also quite vocal, shrieking and squealing whenever the mood strikes her. She also loves in sit up and see the world from that vantage point. We have to support her when she sits up since she’ll fall over if we don’t steady her. Jordan reaches out and “pets” Frank now when he’s near her. It is SO cute! Jordan still loves her veggies and has now added carrots and sweet potatoes into the rotation. Jordan has had a few cranky days this month due to her teething. No teeth have cut through yet, but we suspect they will sometime in the next couple of weeks. Jordan likes if you sing and dance for her. During 4^th of July she’d get a big smile on her face if you’d hum patriotic songs for her. Jordan had her first 4^th of July. She slept through the fireworks though. Oh well, maybe next year. Chip and I are enjoying a newfound sense of stability in our lives. We know have 5 months under our belts of being parents and feel like we are more prepared and enjoying things more now. We’re definitely more easy-going parents. We tend to not let ourselves worry too much about things. If Jordan is healthy and happy, then we are good.