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.