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.