ian's story

 

 

 

After I went into labor and delivered Jordan nearly a month early, I was kind of expecting to have subsequent children early. I wouldn’t have minded it either since being pregnant during the hot Florida summer was pretty miserable.

 

I started having contractions around week 30. I had been having Braxton-Hicks contractions for a while, but these were more intense and reminiscent of labor contractions. They would come at any time of day or night and could be triggered by bending a certain way or for no reason at all. I mentioned this to my doctor at a checkup and he said it was alright as long as there weren’t more than 10 a day. Luckily I hadn’t had more than 10, but I did have a few occasions where the contractions were very intense and I was afraid my water would break. Once I was 32 weeks, my contractions had reached nearly 10 a day and were quite painful and also coming about every 2 hours. My doctor and I were afraid I was going into labor and decided the best thing for me and the baby was bed rest. I didn’t have to lay in bed 24 hours a day or anything, but basically I needed to limit my activities and take it easy.

 

I’m very grateful that Chip was able to work from home and care for Jordan during the next few weeks. Since Chip is a full-time student at the local University of Florida campus he could do almost all of his work and studying from home. It was a tremendous help having him there. Between that, and me taking it easy, my contractions started to decrease. It was mentally exhausting though not knowing when I would go into labor. Every time I had a contraction I’d wondered if this was the one that would break my water and cause me to deliver the baby. Luckily weeks began to pass and I still hadn’t gone into labor. Once I hit 36 weeks I felt confident the baby would be ok if he was born.

 

Week 36 came and went and then I was 37 weeks – a first for me! At my 37 week checkup the doctor did an ultrasound and noticed that the baby was in the Frank breech position. The baby’s head was in my rib cage and his feet up by his head. Normally babies get into the head down position by mid-pregnancy, but for some reason he hadn’t. The baby still had time to turn, but the bigger he got the less likely he’d be to turn. If the baby didn’t turn head down I’d have to have a C-section to deliver him, something I hadn’t really thought much about but wasn’t keen on.

 

I had a few options to try to get the baby to turn. The doctor could perform an External Cephalic Version (ECV) at the hospital and try to manually turn the baby by pressing on my stomach and trying to rotate the baby into a head down position. It only had a 58% success rate, and from the YouTube videos I watched about them it looked barbaric and painful. Also, the ECV had to be performed at the hospital because there are some potential risks to the baby and it could cause my water to break which would lead to an immediate emergency C-section. Another option was to see a chiropractor who could perform the Webster Technique. The chiropractor adjusts your hips and sacrum to try to open them up to create space for the baby to turn. The Webster Technique is safe for the baby and there is no risk to the mother either.

 

I opted for the Webster Technique and saw a local chiropractor 4 times for adjustments. I had never been to a chiropractor before, but was willing to give it a try since I really didn’t want a C-section. The first time I went it was amazing! The baby didn’t turn, but my back and hip pain was all but gone! It was such a great feeling to not hear awful popping noises every time I bent down or moved my legs. It also helped me sleep better since I could get more comfortable. So for that it was worth every penny!

 

At my 38 week checkup the baby was still breech and my doctor wanted to schedule a C-section for the following week. Unfortunately no doctor in this area will deliver a breech baby due to insurance liability issues and safety concerns for the mother and baby, so a C-section was my only option. So August 6 was going to be the day we met our son. I was apprehensive about having surgery since I’ve never had surgery before, but I was ready to have this baby.

 

August 6 arrived and Chip and I got to the hospital at 5 am. I didn’t sleep that much the night before because I was pretty nervous and also excited to meet our son. Once we got to the hospital we were taken upstairs to Labor and Delivery. We went into the Pre-Op room where I got my hospital gown on and had to fill out a bunch of paper work. Then the nurse started my IV of fluids and antibiotics. Then I had to drink this tiny bottle of disgusting tasting liquid that was to neutralize my stomach acid in case I vomited. It tasted like bubble solution mixed with vinegar! At about 6 am my OB/GYN came in to say hi. The minute I saw him I started crying. I told him I was scared and didn’t want the C-section but knew it was what had to happen. He calmed me down and told me it would be fine.

 

A short while later I walked into the operating room. Chip had to wait outside while they started my anesthesia. It was so white and sterile in there and everyone was wearing surgical masks and scrubs. I immediately became a nervous shaking wreck. The anesthesiologist started my spinal and I started to cry. My OB/GYN came over to me and put his hands on my shoulders and told me it was going to be ok and that it would be the most textbook, boring C-section he had ever done. That helped me calm down a little. Once the spinal was done they had me lay down on the operating table. I started to freak out because I knew surgery was about to begin and I could still feel everything. My legs felt heavy, but I could still feel them. I told the anesthesiologist that they shouldn’t start yet because I still had feeing and he said I’d feel pressure, but not pain. Then they put me on oxygen, hooked me up to a heart rate monitor, and put cuffs on my legs from my knees to my ankles that were to prevent blood clots. Then they put up a blue sheet. I really started to get nervous and then Chip sat down beside me wearing his scrubs and mask. All that was visible were his eyes. The anesthesiologist leaned over and said that the surgery had begun. I started sobbing.

 

I told Chip to talk to me to distract me from thinking about how I was being cut open and our child was going to be pulled out of me. He did his best, but I was a lost cause. There are a lot of things about a C-section no one told me about, so some things caught me off guard. Once the doctor made his incision into my abdomen it got really hard for me to breathe. It felt like I had a lead weight on my chest. I told the anesthesiologist and he said that was normal and would go away shortly – in an hour. Not helpful! Apparently there is a pressure difference between your chest cavity and the outside world and when you are cut open your chest feels really heavy like that.

 

I also wasn’t prepared for how odd and weird it would be to feel our son pulled out of my body. Someone behind the blue sheet was pushing on my stomach where the baby’s head was trying to move him down. Then I felt his head move down my stomach and then be pulled out of my abdomen. It was very odd and sort of unsettling. It didn’t necessarily hurt, but it wasn’t comfortable either.

 

Then I heard the doctor say it was a boy and then I heard our son cry. I was still crying at that point, but at least now it turned to happy tears. He was behind the blue sheet so I couldn’t see him. I wanted to see the little guy who I was going through all of this for. First they had to clean him up. Chip got to cut the umbilical cord, something he didn’t get to do with Jordan. (Jordan’s umbilical cord was cut by the doctor because it was wrapped around her neck.) Finally they brought him over to me, but it was hard to get a good look at him since the way they were holding him made him upside down to me. Then they took him off to the nursery for some tests and to be weighed. I had to be sewn back up.

 

While they were sewing me up I started to feel nauseous and had a weird taste in my mouth. The anesthesiologist put some anti-nausea medicine in my IV. Then he had me sniff what I think was a cotton pad soaked in rubbing alcohol. Not really sure why I had to do that. I started to feel better after that. He said the weird taste was the nasty stuff I drank earlier coming back up – eww!

 

Then Chip went off to be with the baby and the doctor finished sewing and gluing me back together. Once he was done they removed the heart monitor and blood pressure cuff from my arm and rolled me onto a gurney. I felt like a numb beached whale. Lovely, but at least it was over and I made it through. Then I was wheeled into the Post-Op room.

 

A few minutes later Chip came in and said that the baby was 7lbs 13oz and 21” long. I couldn’t believe he was that big. Just 3 days earlier the ultrasound estimated he weighed 7lbs 2 oz. I thought ultrasounds usually overestimated, I guess not!

 

I felt ok after surgery, probably since I was numb from the waist down. The nurse in Post-Op gave me some pain meds in my IV that made me feel extremely tired. I felt like I could barely keep my eyes open. Then a nurse came in with the baby. I finally got a good look at my little boy and got to hold him, something I didn’t get to do for over 5 hours after Jordan was born. It was so nice to get to hold my little boy on the outside and not feel his little head burrowed into my rib cage anymore. We then called our families to share the good news and to reveal our son’s name – Ian John. Chip and I like to keep the name of our baby to ourselves until they are born. People always want to know details about your pregnancy, even strangers. This is a way for us to have something special for just the two of us to know.

 

About 30 minutes later the nurse came back to take Ian to get a bath. I was wheeled to a recovery room. I’d spend the next 24 hours in bed with the cuffs on my legs automatically inflating and deflating every 30 seconds or so and hooked up to a catheter.

 

Two hours later my parents came with Jordan to meet baby Ian. I was pretty out of it when they got there. My mother said I looked extremely pale. Apparently I didn’t look too good as Jordan was scared of me when she saw me. I guess I looked as good as I felt.

 

Once the meds from surgery wore off and I could feel my legs again, I started to feel how sore I was from surgery. The nurse gave me more of the same pain meds that made me very tired. Eventually I asked to be given something else as that medicine made me feel pretty bad.

 

The next day the cuffs came off and the nurse wanted me to get up and walk a bit. It was very hard to stand up. It seemed hard to stand up straight. I don’t know if I actually was pulling my incision or if I was just extremely nervous to do so. A short while later I took a shower. I felt so weak standing in the shower. As I was showering I started having pretty intense pain in my shoulders. I figured I was sore from being so tense from the day before so I made the shower water hotter thinking that would help loosen my muscles. That was a bad decision. I learned later from the nurse that the hot water makes your blood pressure drop. I became very light headed and had to sit down on the bench in the shower before I passed out. I shut off the water and called for Chip to come help me. When he came in he found me trembling from being cold and white as a sheet sitting on the bench in the shower. He grabbed some towels and wrapped me up and got me out of there. The nurse came by a few minutes later and said the pain I was feeling was trapped gas pain from yesterday’s surgery. The air that got into my chest cavity when they cut me open was trying to work its way out. It is painful! They can give you gas medicine to help with the discomfort, but walking around is what is supposed to work the best. After another day of walking and some medicine, the trapped gas pains started to get better. Then we were released from the hospital.

 

Even though I found the C-section to be an unpleasant experience, I am truly grateful that our little boy was able to be safely brought into this world and most of all was healthy!

jordan: month 24

Jordan turned 2 this month! I can hardly believe how fast two years has gone by. To celebrate the occasion we had a Yo Gabba Gabba themed birthday party for Jordan. She had such a fun time dancing and playing with her friends, John Benjamin and Abby.

At Jordan’s 2 year check-up she weighed 26 lbs (25 – 50%) and was 35” tall (75 – 90%). She’s a tall, skinny little thing! She’s getting pickier in what she will eat, so I’m trying to think of new and healthy things to give her.

Jordan is quite the little chatterbox and quite expressive when she talks. She will talk with her hands quite a bit. It is still hard to understand what she is saying all the time, but she is getting better. Jordan also loves to sing. Her current favorite song is “If Your Happy & You Know It.” She asks for us all to sing it and do the hand motions together all the time. She also started singing “Jesus Loves Me”, which is the song they are learning this month at church. Jordan will also randomly bust out with the FSU war chant and do the tomahawk chop. She’s ready for football season – too bad it is still months away.

Jordan enjoys coloring in her coloring books, dancing, reading books, and watching her new quasi-favorite show, Barney. She likes to play pretend a lot and will push her stroller around the house holding keys and a purse. She also likes to have conversations on her phone with people. On more than one occasion I’ve heard her talking to her Papa. She also loves to have tea parties.

Jordan seems to be a bit of an OCD person. Messes really bother her – dirt on the floor or her feet or spilled food on her hands or tray. She will say “Uh oh, I made a mess” and want something to clean it up with. I have a bruise on my shin and she thought it was a mess she could clean up with a rag. Too bad she isn’t so concerned about the mess she makes when her toys get scattered everywhere…maybe one day!

She is getting better at naming a few colors. She’s usually good at pointing out things that are pink and sometimes white. She started occasionally pointing out purple, blue, and yellow – though she gets them wrong quite a bit. She will also count things if they are in small sets like twos and threes.

Overall she continues to grow and develop into a wonderful little girl. For now, this will be my last monthly post. I’ll try to post things occasionally about things she does or we all do together.

jordan: month 23

This month is a bulleted list. Sorry, didn't have time to type it all out nicely :)

- Becoming more independent and wants to do things herself – zip things, buckle things, put on own shoes, take off her clothes occasionally.

- Asked “why” when I told her she couldn’t do something

- Using more phrases – “I wanna play” “I do myself” “No, I walk”

- Throws fits often and screams at the top of her lungs when mad about something

- Got her bottom two 2-year molars

- Doesn’t play with baby dolls, but has a stuffed Snuggle fabric softener bear (it was mine from when I was a child) that she calls her baby. She feeds him, pushes him around in a stroller, puts him down for naps, tells me he has to “go poo poo” and will put the bear on her little potty in the bathroom. She carries Snuggle bear all around the house.

- Somewhat understanding I’m pregnant. When I ask her where the baby is she will point to my belly. She will even kiss and hug my belly. Though sometimes when I ask her where the baby is she will pull up her own shirt and point to her belly.

- Can name certain shapes – circle, star

jordan: month 22

Jordan’s vocabulary exploded this month! She likes to point out and name almost everything she sees, which is cute but can get annoying because she will keep repeating the word until you acknowledge her. It makes story time particularly drawn out because she will point out everything on the page while I’m trying to read. I’m glad she is enjoying learning new things though.

Jordan started saying “please” and “thank you” this month. It was so cute and it is nice that she is so polite. Another new thing she says is Frank’s name. She LOVES her big brother Frank and will get all excited and say his name when she sees him. She also calls any dachshund she sees Frank as well. We have a book called The Halloweener that I read to her frequently about a dachshund named Oscar. She will point to Oscar on EVERY page and call him Frank. There is also a pastel I drew of Frank hanging above her dresser that she always points at and says Frank.

Jordan also started asking about what color things are. She seems good at picking out things that are pink (which might possibly be her favorite color at this point) and will occasionally note if something is white or blue. She gets her colors confused sometimes, but she has plenty of time to straighten them out.

Jordan is beginning to get a bit pickier in what she eats. A lot of her “go to” favorites she doesn’t seem interested in anymore. She used to love yogurt and cheese, but a lot of the time now she doesn’t want them. She has been asking for a bowl of cereal with milk for breakfast most mornings. She seems to love it. She’ll eat any cereal, too. One day all I had was Wheat Chex and she gladly ate it all! She also loves to pick up the bowl and drink the leftover milk when she is done. Some of her other favorite foods are french fries, macaroni and cheese, and apple wedges. She also asks for cake and cookies a lot, but rarely gets them.

December also meant it was Christmas and time to see Santa. Jordan did fine with him last year and didn’t seem fazed by him. This year was totally different. She was truly terrified of him and would sob and scream at the top of her lungs. The first time we took pity on her and left, but we went back about a week later to try it again. She had the same reaction, but being the mean parent I am I still wanted the picture. And a picture we got. Don’t worry; I don’t think she’s scarred for life.

Christmas was more fun for Jordan this year since she was able to open her own gifts. Once again, she cleaned up in the amount of gifts she got. She wore herself out that day playing with all her new toys and her Papa, Grandma Franklin, and her Great-Grandparents. She also enjoyed eating a huge quantity of potatoes and corn casserole at dinner. All-in-all I think she had a great day.

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.

jordan: month 9

Jordan is 3/4 of a year old! At her 9 month check-up she weighed in at 19.8 lbs and 28” in length. This month marked Jordan’s first Thanksgiving. Both sets of her grandparents joined us as well as her Aunt Candi. Jordan got to try some our turkey and mashed potatoes. She didn’t appear to be a fan of either. Not surprising, since we started giving her baby food with chunks of veggies this month she won’t open her mouth and doesn’t want to eat it. We’ve also started giving her more finger foods, sometimes as a snack and sometimes just pieces of things we’re eating. So far she’s had puffs, grapes, chicken, steak, fish, and green beans. Jordan’s gotten much better at feeding herself and not just dropping everything into her lap. She also got her 3rd tooth, one of her front teeth, this month. Jordan is developing more emotionally now, too. Overall she is a very happy baby. She laughs and smiles often, especially when I sing her favorite song “Skidder Marinky Dinky Dink.” She has begun to experience a bit of separation anxiety though, and that is not fun. She cries almost every time we leave her in the church nursery. She seems to get over it in a few minutes, so that is good, but if she sees us in the room and we don’t immediately come to her she will start to cry again. It breaks my heart every time it happens. One word she doesn’t like is “no.” Jordan will throw a fit and cry if I tell her no. Oh joy! I thought she was too young for this. Jordan has also mastered getting into the crawling position from being seated and standing up with assistance. The thought of her walking soon is just crazy to me. She’ll no longer be a baby and will graduate to being a toddler. Slow down Jordan, I don’t know if I’m ready!

jordan: month 8

Month 8 wasn’t the most eventful month for Jordan. A few of the highlights included Jordan doing the sign for more (maybe), spending the whole day with Grandma Franklin so Mommy & Daddy could have a date, eating meat for the first time (a jar of Earth’s Best Apple Turkey Cranberry dinner), holding her own bottle during feedings, and saying “Dada.” We had a less-than-exciting trip to the Pumpkin Patch at the Methodist church in Niceville. Jordan seemed very disinterested – maybe it was too noisy with the loud traffic sounds and jet noise from Eglin. Month 8 also brought a sad first for Jordan - her first funeral. Chip’s sister Erin passed away unexpectedly this month. Sadly, Jordan never got to meet her Aunt Erin. Chip and I are committed to making sure Jordan knows about her through pictures and stories. Chip and I travelled to Naples for a memorial service for Erin and left Jordan for the first time. We were away from her for 5 days. She did great at my parent’s house. We are so grateful to have them so close by now. Because we were in Naples, we missed Jordan’s first Halloween. Not a big deal since she is so little and has no concept of the holiday. Jordan was going to be a sock monkey, but I couldn’t find a costume so I ended up buying her a cute pink sock monkey hat. At least she can wear the hat during winter so she’ll get some use out of it. Besides, it’s adorable :) Jordan’s still not crawling yet. She doesn’t really seem interested. She can roll pretty much anywhere she wants to go. She is getting up and rocking on her knees now, so she’ll probably be crawling in a few more weeks. For now I am just enjoying her while she’s still not too mobile. Once she is I’m sure she’ll be off. My little girl is growing up so fast!

jordan: month 7

Month seven was a big month for Jordan. My little girl got her first two teeth…at once! Jordan also got her first fever, not related to an immunization. She had it for about a day and then it went away. Luckily Tylenol came to the rescue. Jordan continues to learn and do new things all the time. She reaches and grabs for anything and now I have to watch her even more closely as she almost pulled a dinner plate off the table! Jordan’s “vocabulary” has also expanded. She says “la-la-la” quite a bit in a sing-songy voice. She also is making a gurgly “G”. Jordan still isn’t crawling yet, but is quite adept at scooting and rolling to get to where she wants to go. When Jordan tries to crawl she just ends up pushing herself backwards. I’m in no rush for her to be mobile…just yet. Month seven also brought the demise of the pacifier – mostly because I was sick of getting up in the middle of the night to put it back in her mouth when she woke up looking for it. It was really not bad. As long as she doesn’t see it, she doesn’t miss it, though I have slacked a bit lately and brought it back a few times because it seems to help her when her teeth are bothering her. Taking her pacifier away has helped her to sleep from 8:30 p.m. until around 7 a.m. soundly – hallelujah! On September 26 Jordan did the sign, or what looked like the sign, for hungry. I have been signing to her hungry, milk, all done, and more since she was around 4 months old. I’m still not 100% convinced she really did it, but our friend who was there at the time said it sure looked like it to her. Jordan also learned to clap her hands, which she demonstrated for the first time at our friend Lexi’s baby shower. Several of Jordan’s firsts happened in front of a group of people. I guess she likes to impress people with her skills? She is also waving, though usually not when you wave at her. She’ll just randomly wave. Jordan also reached out for her Daddy when he came to pick her up from the church nursery on October 3. I didn’t get to see that one, but Chip said it was really sweet. Since he is usually at work during her firsts, I’ll gladly let him have this one :) I think that is about it for this month. Jordan just continues to amaze us with all that she learns and I continue to be amazed how fast she is growing up!