jordan: month 21

November was a pretty uneventful month in terms of new things for Jordan. She did get to experience her 2nd Thanksgiving and partake in the food this year. I was more excited than she was. She didn’t want to eat anything other than mashed potatoes and pie. Go figure! All Thanksgiving morning she kept asking for pie! She had never had it before so I’m not sure why she was so fixated on it.

The day after Thanksgiving we put up our Christmas tree. Last year Jordan was not very mobile and didn’t show much interest in the tree. This year was a different story. She loves to look at all the ornaments. We play a game where I say the name of an ornament and she will point to it – stars, balls, Santa, and the picture ornaments of Jordan (she just says baby).

One weekend this month we rented the game Just Dance. Jordan loved it and always wanted to play. She also had to hold the Wii controller as well. She’d even wake up from her nap and ask to play it. Too bad we only had it for a day. It was fun to watch her dance to the songs.

jordan: month 20

Jordan continues to grow up so fast and learn and do new things every day! A few new firsts for Jordan this month was her first ear infection (and a double one at that!), doing a somersault (didn’t know she even knew how), dressing up as Muno for Halloween, and going trick or treating.

Jordan’s vocabulary is also growing rapidly. I’ve lost count on how many words she can say. She is starting to talk more and use words instead of gestures. It can be hard to figure out what she is saying sometimes since some words sound the same.

Jordan is also entering the “terrible twos” early. Wow! She can get so mad so fast now and really tests us. She also screams no at me when she doesn’t want to do something. It can be very frustrating, but I just try to remain calm, breathe, and sometimes just ignore her since she is just looking for a reaction. We have good days and bad. I just tell myself it is just a phase and I must remain consistent with her.

Jordan went to the pediatric dentist for the first time this month. I kept meaning to take her, but let it get away from me. The dentist’s office was great! It is decorated in a jungle theme with animal murals painted on the walls and a Tiki Hut in the exam room. The hygienist and dentist were great with Jordan and were very patient with her when she got scared when they reclined the exam chair. She really liked getting her teeth brushed with the bubblegum toothpaste and also when they squirted water in her mouth. The dentist said Jordan’s teeth looked great and she was rewarded with 2 stickers.

Another great development this month was that Jordan is showing signs of interest in the potty. We noticed she would tug at her diaper and hide when she goes #2. If you can ask her soon enough if she needs to use the potty she will say yes and run to the bathroom. As soon as you get her stripped down and on the toilet she freaks out a little and says she’s done. When we were at the dentist office she even asked to use the potty. I took her in and she didn’t go, but I was impressed that she asked to go. These are great first steps! I think I need to get her her own small potty to help make her feel less scared by the big one.

jordan: month 19

Jordan had an exciting September with her first trip out of the state and her first trip on an airplane. My sister, Beth, got married in Denver, CO and we flew out there for the festivities. Jordan did pretty well on all the flights, but we did have a few bad moments. Jordan decided to bite the tip of her purple crayon off while on the flight to Denver. She proceeded to scream and cry for several minutes while we frantically scrambled to clean her mouth out. She also lost it when I took her chicken mcnugget away because she was just holding it and not eating it. I didn’t want her touching every surface on the plane with it. Speaking of plane surfaces, Jordan decided it was a good idea to lick the airplane window! Eww! I couldn’t help but think of the death flu she’d probably catch by doing that.

Sharing a hotel room with Jordan was a whole other issue. The whole time we were there, Jordan would wake up every 1.5 hours crying in her sleep. We’d have to go pick her up, hold her for a minute, and then lay her back down. Then we’d repeat the process in a few hours. She also would cough. A lot! Since it is so dry out West Jordan would get congested half way through the night and start breathing through her mouth. Her throat would dry out pretty quickly and then the dry coughing would start. As you can probably tell, Chip and I slept pretty terribly that whole weekend. The last night we were in Denver we moved hotels to one closer to the airport. Once again Jordan did her cry-in-her-sleep thing. Unfortunately, the first time I jumped out of bed to calm her down I tripped over a coffee table that I forgot was there, and knocked it over. Not only was it loud and made Jordan wake up and cry even louder, but I got a lump the size of a ping pong ball on my shin and a large bruise on my knee. Ouch!

The wedding itself was nice and Jordan behaved ok, though she had numerous meltdowns during the reception since she was up until 11 pm. She hung in there. Chip and I did barely. We did a lot of passing Jordan around to her relatives. She got to see her great-grandparents again as well as meet my uncle and cousins.

One really cute thing Jordan started doing while we were in Denver was calling my dad “Papa.” That is her way of saying Grandpa. It was so cute! Every morning she’d wake up, stand up in her pack n’ play, point to the front door and say “Papa.” When she’d see him she’d squeal with delight and have to walk with him holding his hand. She is definitely a “Papa’s Girl.” I don’t think my dad minds one bit.

As for the rest of this month, Jordan has now mastered climbing on to furniture. She will climb on the fireplace, the couch, the recliner in her bedroom, and even my bed! She always seems to look so proud of herself when she does it. Unfortunately she also likes to stand up and jump on the couch or bed, which she knows she’s not supposed to. This has led to quite a few time outs. Another new thing Jordan started doing this month is twirling her hair around her index finger when she drank from her cup. Not sure why, but it is cute. Jordan also sounds like she sings songs. She doesn’t say any discernible words, but you can tell by the melody she is singing. Songs we’ve heard her sing include “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” and her “ABC’s”.

jordan: month 18

I can hardly believe Jordan is already 1 1/2 years old already! Time seems to have gone by so fast. At Jordan’s 18 month checkup she weighed 24 lbs and was 32.5” long. Her growth continues to be nice and steady.

It seems like Jordan keeps developing new skills and words all the time. It amazes me how much she understands! I need to give her more credit than I do. She may not be able to say a ton of words, but she certainly understands them. A few new words she said this month were color and outside. Jordan can also point out her ears, eyes, nose, mouth and belly button when asked. She is proud of showing off her belly button and even spent most of a trip to Walmart with her shirt pulled up showing it off.

Another thing Jordan started doing this month was helping put Frank in his crate when we go out. I guess she’s seen me do it a number of times, so now she mimics me. She’ll help me corral Frank into his crate and then once I close the door she says and waves bye to him and blows him a kiss (that part is hers, I merely say bye).

Jordan has also developed quite an opinion on things. For some reason I started showing her clothes to wear each day when I’d pick something out for her. She’d say no if she didn’t want to wear something and yes if she did. It was cute at first, but quickly got old when she wouldn’t like most of the things I’d show her. I’d go through like 7 or 8 shirts before she’d agree to wear something. Most of the time now I just pick something out for her and don’t give her a choice. She can pick out her own clothes when she is older!

Jordan still loves to dance, but reading is a close second. Jordan loves for Chip and I to read stories to her and will frequently bring us books to read to her. She also likes the recordable storybooks my parents gave her since she can feel like she is “reading” on her own.

Jordan is now getting to the age where she is testing us a lot. It can be pretty frustrating and has resulted in her getting numerous time outs. We’re having to set more boundaries now and trying to get her to understand what she should and shouldn’t do. She can get very angry, very quickly if she is told no. She now likes to scream at the top of her lungs if she gets angry. Big fun! We just have to be consistent. She’ll even try to do cute things like give us a hug or a kiss if she’s about to get a time out to try to get out of it, but we have to be strong. It’s almost like training Frank all over again! He’d do the same things…except for the screaming J

Jordan has her trying moments, but for the most part she is a wonderful addition to our lives. We won’t sell her to the gypsies just yet ;)

jordan: month 17

Jordan is quite the chatter box now, though no one can tell what she is saying most of the time. This frustrates her sometimes. She is using her sign language more now and will “say” please for things. Thanks to our friend Robyn for teaching her that! A few new words Jordan said this month were baby, amen, and nana (in reference to her Grandma Jan).

Jordan is getting better at running around now, but still trips and falls a good bit, too. She seems to always have bruises on her knees and a periodic bruise on her forehead. I’m sure she’ll get many more as she is now trying to climb things like the bricks on the front of the fireplace. Jordan is also starting to get better at throwing things. She will occasionally toss a dog toy to Frank.

This girl LOVES to dance! Anytime she hears any music she starts to dance. I’ve heard from several volunteers in Waumba Land (our church’s nursery) that Jordan loves to dance during the music time every Sunday, so much so she has been known to lose her balance and fall down. Ha! I keep trying to sneak in there and see it for myself. It always makes me smile to “spy” on her playing and having fun with others.

Speaking of dancing, Jordan’s new favorite show is Yo Gabba Gabba. This show is just up her alley with lots of music and dancing. I like it myself! She will actually watch this show. Most other shows she loses interest in quickly and doesn’t really watch. We haven’t really let her watch tv up until this point either because I didn’t like how she’d sit there like a zombie starring at the screen. At least with YGG she is up and dancing most of the show so it makes me feel a little better about her watching tv.

Also this month the whole Flater family spent the week at a beach house in Destin. Jordan had fun hanging out with the family and getting to see her cousins Jacob & Shawn again. We enjoyed getting to see everyone as well.

Well, I think that about sums up this month!

jordan: month 16

June was a fun month for Jordan. She got to go to her first wedding, the Niceville Children’s Spray Park, and welcome a friend home from deployment. She also got to help her daddy celebrate his second Father’s Day. Jordan also sat on Grandma & Grandpa Flater’s motorcycle – which she enjoyed greatly!

Jordan said a few new words this month: ugh oh, and possibly something that sounded like I love you. She may have not said it, but it was after I said it to her and what she said back was three syllables. Wishful thinking by me, perhaps :) Another new development, though not a good one, was that Jordan now says “no”…a lot! It is kind of annoying, but I know all kids go through this phase. Hopefully it goes quick!

Jordan also can follow some commands. We can ask her to go get a certain toy and she will usually do it. We have also asked to her pick up her toys and she did that as well. Maybe the most impressive one was when she walked all the way from the kitchen to our bedroom to put Chip’s Father’s Day card back. We didn’t think she understood what we asked her to do, but then she did it and we were quite impressed. She may not be able to say a ton, but she certainly knows quite a bit! It is amazing how kids learn a language!

This month also brought back the dreaded teething! I had forgotten how miserable it was until she started to cut 3 of her cuspids (fang teeth). She would be drooly, grumpy, and would wake up crying several times during the night and during naps. I think she is good now, but the 4th cuspid appears to be making its way out now. I think after this she is good until her 2 year molars come in. Hopefully!

jordan: month 15

At Jordan’s 15 month check-up she weighed in at 22.6 lbs and was 31” long. She is growing nice and steady. This baby girl is on the move now! She loves to walk, run, dance, and twirl. Her favorite thing is to be chased, which can be fun but now means anytime time I try to go near her she starts to run away. Jordan also loves to be outside. Every time I let Frank out to potty she throws a fit if she can’t go outside either. Some things she likes to do outside include playing with bubbles and “riding” the tricycle her grandparents bought her (she has to be pushed since her feet don’t reach the pedals yet.) Jordan also loves music. If she hears music she will immediately start bopping up and down. She is also getting more and more chatty. A few new words this month were OK, buh-bye, and cool.

This month Jordan spent 2 weeks with her Grandma and Grandpa Franklin while Chip and I enjoyed a vacation to Venice, Florence, and Rome, Italy. She had a great time and I’m pretty sure exhausted my parents. Chip and I had a wonderful time exploring 3 different and fun cities. We’re so grateful to have had the opportunity to get to go.

Another milestone this month was that Jordan was moved up the “walkers” room at the church nursery. After escaping the nursery several times last Sunday, they finally conceded that she was ready to be promoted. It’s a bittersweet moment…my little girl is no longer a baby :( Kitti, the woman who watched her in the nursery, had done so since she was 8 weeks old!

A random thing we learned about Jordan this month was that watermelon makes her vomit. I had fed it to her once and she seemed to like it. Then the following day I diced some up and added it to her applesauce and she gagged a few times and then vomited it out on her highchair. I initially thought she had picked up a stomach bug, but 2 days later I fed her watermelon again and once again she threw it up. I guess she must not like the taste or something. So now watermelon is on her “do not eat” list. I guess she can try it again in a few years and see what she thinks of it then. Oh well!

jordan: month 14

This month marked when Jordan went from a full-time crawler to a full-time walker. She started out the month taking several steps and then falling and by the end of the month she would walk all around the house. It was an exciting thing, but also an exhausting thing. I now have to constantly follow her around to make sure she doesn’t get into trouble. I’m not always successful, as was the case a few weeks ago when I was putting away laundry and Jordan walked in the bathroom and proceeded to unroll an entire roll of toilet paper. She was quite amused, I was not.

Jordan’s vocabulary has been expanding as well. I think she’s said yes, no, dog, all done, and milk. She will point at things and say “that” wanting to know what they are. Of course she doesn’t say them perfectly, but that was our best guess as to what she was saying.

A funny thing Jordan started doing this month was the “raging bull” face. She would scrunch up her face, flare her nostrils, and breathe in and out like a bull that is stamping its foot about to charge. She seemed to do it when she would get frustrated. Jordan also started shaking her head side-to-side like she was shaking her head “no”. Luckily she doesn’t do it when she means no, she just does it because she thinks it is fun. Silly girl!

Another new development this month was her need for her mom. If she fell and got upset or was overtired and grumpy or even scared she would cry “mama” and reach for me. Even if Chip was trying to console her, she still only wanted me. I have to admit it was kind of sweet. We’ll see how long this phase lasts.

jordan: month 13

How quickly another month has passed! Jordan just keeps doing more and more things that remind me she is not a baby anymore. She will wave hi or bye if you ask her, she can point out certain things on command, and now she will blow kisses. Too sweet! She will also give kisses, but it’s more like she leans her wide open mouth into yours. Still adorable! Jordan also took her first steps this month. She was so proud of herself. She can take 8 or 9 steps and then she’ll fall down. She’s still a ways away from being a full-time walker I think, but who knows. She gets so excited to walk that her bottom half doesn’t move as fast as the top half and she usually just lunges forward and falls. She has some bruised up knees right now. Jordan’s vocabulary seems to be growing as well. Several times I feel like she has said yes “ya” when I ask her a question. I think she also said yogurt “go-gur”. She also says ooh and wow, or at least I think that’s what she is saying.

Jordan also had her first trip to the ER this month. Earlier in the day I had taken her to the pediatrician because she sounded congested. The Dr. said she had a sinus infection and gave her some antibiotics (another first), but that night we heard her wheezing in her monitor and just didn’t feel comfortable letting her suffer. The ER Dr. said she had croup. She had a nebulizer treatment at the hospital and was given a prescription for some steroids. It was about a week before she was better. Luckily we caught it fairly early, so it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. At least our first trip to the ER with her was a relatively calm one. Jordan did great and even smiled and waved at the doctors and nurses :)

Another not-so-fun development this month was the temper tantrum. Jordan had a few days where she would get very angry if she was told no or caught doing something she knew she shouldn’t. She would scream, cry, flail her arms and legs, arch her back, and generally do anything to let me know she wasn’t happy. She got several time outs for her behavior. It certainly tested my patience. Hopefully I will learn ways to diffuse her anger before she gets to the tantrum stage. Fun times!

jordan: month 12

Jordan is a year old now! I can hardly believe my sweet baby girl is 12 months old. Time sure did fly by. At Jordan’s 12 month well baby check she weighed 21.4 lbs and was 28.5 inches long – 50th percentile for both. Also at her checkup she got blood drawn for an anemia and lead test. I felt so bad for my little lamb, but she was brave. She of course screamed bloody murder, but that was remedied with some hugs and kisses from me.

We had Jordan’s 1st birthday party on February 12. We had a house full of family and friends to help us celebrate. It was a great time. Watching Jordan smash into and devour her cake was wonderful. She loved it so much she licked her fingers clean and then ate the extra frosting off her face. She must get that from me :)

Jordan’s new favorite things to do are pointing and waving. I can ask her where Frank is and she will point at him. The other day she was in her high chair eating breakfast and she starting waving. I looked out the window and saw our neighbor out doing yard work. How cute that she was waving at him! Jordan loves to stare and smile at people. If we’re eating out she will usually find someone at another table to stare, smile, and wave at. She seems to be a sweet natured little girl.

That doesn’t mean she always behaves though. We have started giving her one minute time outs when she misbehaves. She will sometimes be too rough on Frank and yank his ears or hit him, so she’ll be punished. She’ll also get a time out if she continually throws her sippy cup or food off her high chair. She clearly doesn’t like her time outs, but maybe if we’re consistent she will stop doing things we don’t want her to do.

Jordan’s separation anxiety hit an all-time high this month. Let me tell you it was not fun! I couldn’t leave her sight for a second without her bursting into tears and crawling after me. That made for some dicey days for the church nursery workers. Her separation anxiety certainly wasn’t helped by the fact Jordan got all her 1st year molars and an incisor in 5 days! Hopefully that teething perfect-storm doesn’t happen again. I felt so bad for her; her gums were so swollen and painful looking. I’m certainly grateful for Tylenol and Orajel.

This month we took Jordan to the Gulf Breeze Zoo. Jordan seemed to really enjoy seeing the animals and would happily shriek at the all. She liked the petting zoo where she could touch the animals – and steal their food. She grabbed some of the food pellets they sell to feed the animals and tried to put it in her mouth. Yuck! Luckily she didn’t eat it.

Jordan is quite adept at crawling now and can really move. She is also standing up fairly well on her own now, but it makes me nervous because she will sometimes fall backwards and hit her head. We have to watch her like a hawk now. She certainly wants to be independent, which is fine, but I just don’t want her getting hurt. To help her with standing/walking, I bought her her first pair of shoes. The rubber soles on the bottom help her not to slide around so much.

Well, I think I’ve remembered it all. It’s fun to continue to watch Jordan grow and develop. Chip and I are certainly enjoying this little girl.

jordan: month 11

Month 11 was certainly not as exciting as month 10 for Jordan. Not much to report this month. Jordan did get her 7th tooth – her bottom right lateral incisor – much to our surprise. I didn’t realize she was teething again. It must not have bothered her too much. My favorite moment came on January 19 when Jordan said “Mama” for the first time. It was a wonderful word to hear. She still by far says “Dada” a ton more, but at least I get some acknowledgement now. Right before Jordan’s first birthday we stopped giving her bottles and gave her only sippy cups. She protested quite a bit at first, but luckily within a day or two got over it and doesn’t seem to miss her bottles at all. Phew! We’re trying to feed her more table foods now, but she is beginning to develop a picky palate. She doesn’t seem to like texture too much, but we’re working on it. Another highlight this month was when Chip and I got to get away for the weekend without Jordan. We spent a few days in Orlando together and went to Disney World. It was nice to get a break from Jordan, but it was hard not to miss her at the place people crawling with kids. We’ll take her one day when she is older and will be more likely to enjoy it.

jordan: month 10

Jordan’s tenth month of life was quite possibly her busiest yet. In one month she got 3 teeth, started crawling on Christmas Eve, and now pulls up on everything! Needless to say life has changed for us quite a bit now that we have to constantly chase after her. She is fast! We had to finally drop Jordan’s crib now that she can stand. We noticed she chewed on the rail. It now bears her tiny teeth marks. It irritated me at first, but now I think it is kind of cute. It was a sad milestone for me to drop her crib - just another reminder how my baby girl is becoming a toddler. When Jordan smiles now you can see her 6 teeth – 4 on the top and 2 on the bottom. Jordan celebrated her first Christmas this month. She went to Chip’s work Christmas party and got to meet all his coworkers. Then we spent Christmas with my parents and my dad’s parents. It was nice for Jordan to meet her great-grandparents. Jordan cleaned up on gifts. She got lots of toys and some clothes. Jordan had yet another first this month – she projectile vomited. She was acting totally fine before it happened and was happy and smiling immediately after. About two days later I caught it and 2 days after that Chip got it. I guess this is just a taste of what we can expect in years to come. Other things that happened this month: she loves cold weather and gets a big smile on her face when a cool breeze hits her, she clicks her tongue on the roof of her mouth and will start doing it if you do it to her first, she “dances” when she hears music, smiles when I sing her Feliz Navidad, shows interest in what Chip and I am eating, she doesn’t seem to like grapes or oranges but likes yogurt and pierogies (much to the delight of my mother), and she also prefers Earth’s Best baby food. We discovered this after she was refusing to eat other brands’ stage 3 foods. She would clamp her mouth shut and cry. I happened to have a jar of Earth’s Best and she happily ate the entire jar. So now I gladly spend the extra twenty cents a jar for a more pleasant experience for both of us. Well, I think that about does it for what happened this month. It was an action-packed one. Ten months down, only 2 more until she is ONE!!

2010: year in review

baby:
2010 started off with me being around 31 weeks pregnant and pretty swollen. Jordan was due March 4, but I felt like I was about to split open and didn’t know how I would ever make it 2 more months. Luckily, God, Jordan and my body had a plan for an early escape - like 3 weeks early! Labor went relatively quick once my water broke. After about 5 hours, an epidural, and 40 minutes of pushing Jordan was here! Our precious 6 lb 4 oz baby girl had made her arrival into the world on February 10. Life hasn’t been the same since, but it is good. We’re now the parents of an almost one year old, so we’ve survived the first year! The reflux, sleep deprivation, teething, crawling, separation anxiety, and impending walking have all been worth it. I can say that now at least :) Jordan is such a beautiful, sweet, fun little girl. We’re looking forward to more fun with her in the years ahead!

house:
2010 was also the year we FINALLY bought a house. After looking at what seemed to be close to 100 homes, we finally found the one for our family. We literally walked in, toured for 10-15 minutes, and decided to put an offer in. Two days later it was accepted as-is and that was that. We moved into our new place the end of May. Chip and I crazily decided to remodel the kitchen ourselves in 2 weeks– with no prior experience and a 3 month old baby! Needless to say it was a tremendous amount of work; Chip suffered a few sleepless nights and a 15 lb weight loss, and it was more than we could have ever bargained for. BUT, now we have an awesome brand new kitchen to show for it. Thanks again U.S. Government for paying for it (tax credit was the best!). We’ve now been in our house 7 months and have really grown fond of our place. We are truly blessed to have this home. We love the house and the great neighborhood it is in. Our patience definitely paid off!



family:
2010 also brought my parents back to Florida. First they came to visit in March after Jordan was born. Then the next week their house in Kansas City sold and within a few months my dad got a job in Pensacola. They moved to Pace in August. It is nice to have them so close. The last time they lived this close to me I was still living at home, so a while! They got to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with us this year, so that was fun. We’re glad to have babysitters so close by should we ever need to leave Jordan and Frank for a vacation…say to Italy this Spring ;)

sad times:
2010 also had sad times as well. First, Polly Sauter passed away in early January. Polly was like a Grandmother to me. I met her when I was in kindergarten through her granddaughter. Over the years my whole family has stayed in contact with her and her husband Jack. For several years they would come over to our house for Christmas. Polly and Jack were also at my wedding. I am grateful to have had many years to know her and a lot of good memories.

Another loss our family suffered occurred in late October when my sister-in-law Erin passed away. It was a shocking and unexpected loss. Sadly, Jordan never got to meet her Aunt Erin. It will take us quite a while to process her loss. My heart goes out to Chip and his entire family. It can’t be easy, and probably never will be.

final reflections:
2010 was a year filled with highs and lows. It had its challenges, but also its rewards like Jordan’s smile, all of our family being so close now, and our great friends. All of which we’ve relied on this year. Who knows what 2011 will bring, but as always I look forward to another year of growing and learning as a family.