The next X Games star

Merry Christmas, Jordan!

Jordan must have been a good little girl this year. Very good. Santa arrived last night along with a bounty of gifts for our baby girl. Although this was her 2nd Christmas, Jordan was still pretty unsure about all of the festivities. Jordan slept in until 8:30-ish, but when she awoke Josh and I were anxious for her to begin unwrapping some of her gifts. However, Jordan was unaware that this Saturday morning was unlike any other Saturday morning in the last year, and immediately got upset when she was not whisked away to her high chair for breakfast, as she usually is. After some milk and a banana we were all ready to begin unwrapping gifts.

At 10 am we were joined by Josh's parents and Eric and Kenzie. At this point, more gifts were exchanged for the remainder of the morning. For the most part Jordan was more interested in ripping the paper on her gifts than actually playing with her new stuff. This should come as no surprise, really, since ripping (and subsequently eating) paper is one of her favorite pasttimes. It was fun to watch her finally go hog wild with the paper though, after several weeks of trying to keep her away from the gifts under the tree. She really did well.

By the time dinner was ready we had a house full of relatives and friends to share the feast with. Space was tight, but the food was plenty. With bellies full, all that remained was to spend some time in front of the boob tube. Instead of watching 24 hours of "A Christmas Story" we watched WSU play in the Diamond Head Classic.

Christmas 2010 is just about at a wrap, but the holiday festivities continue through Sunday evening when we will travel to Spokane (weather permitting) and visit more family. By next year I hope to be a good mother and have a nice stocking made for my daughter, since she doesn't have one yet. I'm sure by then I won't be able to get away with such atrocities. I also won't get away with filling her stocking in the morning while she is eating breakfast. Moms and dads like us have a lot to learn about how to let Santa Claus do his good work.

Jordan is walking.....sort of

Jordan's Progress Report

Yesterday I had an opportunity to chat with Jordan's daycare teachers about her development. Josh would have come too, but he had to be in Boise for work, bummer. The WSU Children's Center uses two different assessment tools to help track the childrens' progress as they develop. Both are essentially check sheets of specific skills that can be observed in children of a certain age range. Picking up two different objects and dropping them into a bucket, for example, was one of the skills. Based on the amount of these skills observed a child's progress is deemed as behind, on track, or ahead of her peers.

Jordan's large motor skills are lagging behind, but this is not surprising simply because she is not walking yet and many of the associated skills stem from the ability to walk. However, she is beginning to take more and more steps and build more confidence in walking every day. Josh and I think she is holding out on us, just like when she should have been rolling over or crawling but never had any interest until long after she had the ability to do so.

In addition, Jordan needs to work on her verbal communication skills. She is doing a lot of pointing and signing to let us know what she needs, but isn't really forming words yet, just sounds. Maybe she has her mother's quiet demeanor.

We also talked about the upcoming transition to the toddler room and different aspects of the transition that can be difficult for children. We will be working on a "good-bye" routine to reduce the anxiety that can happen when there are big changes in a baby's surroundings. We will also be working on determining boundaries for which behaviors are acceptable and which are not, and also work on being consistent with these boundaries as parents, since toddlers are beginning to test boundaries. Finally, we will be working on "gentle touches" instead of the hitting and smacking that Jordan (and most of her peers) enjoy.

For the most part Jordan is right on track. She is very aware of who is around her, and sensitive to new faces. She is very interested in what others are doing, even adults, and often laughs when she hears others laughing. Her favorite activities at school are stacking things and exploring books. Her teachers say she seems very happy every day and that's all we can really ask for!

Happy Halloween

Jordan was a lobster for Halloween this year. We don't know if she would have chosen to dress as a lobster, but we like to think so. Josh and I accompanied the lobster dressed as a pair of chefs, complete with white chef hats. We didn't trick or treat this year, but Jordan helped her daddy hand out candy to other trick or treaters. Here she is seen selecting candy from the bowl and giving it to her daddy. She loves to feed us and especially the dog at every opportunity.

Harvest Festival 2010

The WSU Children's Center sponsors a fun (and highly p.c.) event they like to call the Fall Harvest Festival. Children are encouraged to wear their costumes, bring a non-perishable food item for the food bank, and come prepared for a world of sensory delights! This being our first Harvest Festival we didn't know what to expect, but were pleasantly surprised.

The event featured several infant-friendly stations that Jordan really enjoyed. There were fun pouches of a gel-like substance that had hidden treasures in them; a long roll of sticky paper was adhered to the floor which was extra fun to walk around on because of the loud noise it made when your shoes un-stuck from it; a large pot of cooked spaghetti and a tub filled with dried legumes proved to provide endless entertainment for baby hands; and finally a small "pond" filled with floating rubber ducks and other aquatic dwelling creatures entertained all. Plus, each duck was numbered and was accompanied by a corresponding door prize of the same number! To top it all off, there was a smorgasbord of snacks, beverages and treats provided by parents and family of WSU children. The Harvest Festival was a huge success and a lot of fun for Jordan.

New Videos

Jordan loves Kipper


Jordan playing in her new birthday toy.  She loves the ball pit!

Jordan is a Runt

We're now at the 12-month milestone, and it's time to see where Jordan stands among her same-age peers:

Length: 27.9" or 16th percentile
Weight: 19.2 lbs or 20-21st percentile (she has finally doubled her birth weight!)
Head Circumference: 18.2" or 84th percentile

In summary, Jordan is a runt. With a large head.

Jordan received all four of her regularly scheduled immunizations plus the first of a 2-shot series for the flu. She will have to return to see the nurse in a month and receive the required flu-booster that all first-time flu shot recipients need. Bummer.

We are transitioning, rather abruptly, to whole milk for Jordan instead of breast milk. I have packed away the breastpump (good riddance!) and dream for the day when I am no longer Jordan's personal pacifier. It's going well. She doesn't seem to mind the different flavor of cow's milk, nor the fact that it is served in a sippy cup instead of a bottle. Now if we could only end her incessant attachment to me I could be a happier mommy.

New Chompers

Sometime last week (probably while we were sick) Jordan sprouted two more upper teeth! So now the official count is at four on top, and two on bottom. Time to learn how to brush baby teeth I suppose.

Happy 1st Birthday to You!

Officially you won't be one full year old for another 45 minutes, but Happy Birthday, Jordan! Thanks to the nice little flu virus you passed on to your mom and dad I doubt you will get to do anything too fun today. The activities will have to wait until your birthday party, assuming we all feel better by then.

It's been both the shortest and longest year for us as parents and we can't wait to see what the next one brings!

Illness Update

Jordan had a puke-free night last night (yay!) but her diaper was dry this morning (boo). She is keeping liquids down again, so we proceeded with our morning routine as usual. What we should have remembered is that daycare has a 24-hour symptom-free policy. That means that we got her up and changed and over to daycare only to find out that she needed to be at home today because it had only been 18 hours since her last sign of illness symptoms. What a major drag. I guess I should be glad that they are enforcing their policies at daycare, but it's not an easy thing to deal with when you're a working mom!

Rough Day for Baby J

This morning I snuck into Jordan's room while she was still sleeping and saw little piles of what I thought was part of a fleece hat she ate the previous day all over her crib. The piles were covered in dried, crusted mucus. I immediately ran downstairs to get Josh for a 2nd opinion, since I couldn't believe my eyes. He looked and discovered that the little piles were actually pieces of the black beans she ate for dinner last night. Poor baby J had puked everywhere, and as a result, had rosy red rashes on both of her cheeks (probably from laying in the vomit all night). We never heard a peep from her last night, so we aren't sure when all the sickness happened.

After a cleansing morning bath, baby J couldn't seem to hold down liquids, as she puked after nursing, and then puked after downing a cup full of pedialyte. It was very worrisome, but we continued to force the fluids, while allowing her to munch on Kix cereal (her favorite).

By about 5 pm Jordan went down for a nap, and has been okay (so far) since then. We decided to dilute the pedialyte, and that seemed to help. We will see how she fares in the morning. We're hoping for a wet diaper, at least.

Jordan Gives a Round of Applause

Tiny J is so proud of her achievements she will now give herself a round of applause...literally! She is hooked on clapping her hands together and interlocking her fingers. Sometimes she attempts to wave bye-bye while her hands are folded. It seems that she has really made a lot of discoveries related to her hands and fingers because she also points at everything she sees.

Also, sometime between our last post and today Jordan decided it was okay to crawl on her hands and knees after all (as opposed to her usual army-style crawl). This sort of happened overnight, as if she had been holding out on us the entire time and only wanted us to think that she couldn't crawl. Likewise, we knew she could ascend the stairs like a champ but had no idea (until last weekend) that she could also crawl back down safely. We first observed this new skill while visiting grandma and grandpa Lewis. She crawled up to the top of the stairs, and as I went to bring her back to the living room she promptly did an "about face" and scooted back down on her own accord, feet first on her belly! We are guessing that she picked up these new skills at daycare where they have a small play structure with a low staircase.

This may have been one of the low points in Josh's life, but this next anecdote is worth mentioning because Jordan might think it's funny if she ever reads this blog. On Monday evening Jordan and I came home from swim lessons and were greeted by a freshly-shaven Josh. Apparently Jordan didn't approve of her daddy's new haircut because she screamed and screamed relentlessly any time he was in her sight. We surmise that she didn't recognize Josh and was not comfortable with this "stranger" in her home. Much to Josh's dismay, this behavior lasted from Monday night until Thursday morning. However, the daddy/daughter relationship was pretty much repaired today when she got to have a sick day at home with her daddy. They had fun playing and hanging out together.

Jordan's First Swimming Lesson

We found parent/child swim lessons for Jordan that will actually work with our schedule! All of the classes offered this summer were during work hours, which was a major bummer. These classes are at WSU on Mondays at 6:15 pm. It is a squeeze to get home, get fed, and change into swim suits then head back to Pullman in time. Now I can appreciate all the times my mom and dad raced home to get me to soccer practice. All that's missing is the minivan.

For an indoor pool the water temperature was quite chilly, and Jordan's teeth were chattering the whole time. She is the youngest child in the class by probably close to a year, but this does not affect her enthusiasm. Jordan gulped a big mouth full of pool water at the beginning of class, but otherwise she thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We haven't dunked her head under the water yet, but maybe that will happen next week. I'm pretty nervous about it, but she'll have to learn sometime.

A New Tooth

After what seemed like months of drooling, irritability, wakeful nights, and general angst, one of Jordan's elusive top front teeth finally broke through her gums! The other one is not far behind either. Where her bottom teeth bothered her for about a week before appearing, these top teeth have been taking their sweet time. It looks like two additional top teeth might be nearing the surface as well. Will she have her mommy's teeth (4 years of braces and other orthodontia) or her daddy's teeth (nice and straight, no braces necessary)? Time will tell.

Over the River and Through the Woods...

...to grandmother's (and grandfather's) house she goes! Jordan's early morning antics were beginning to wear on us and we really needed a little time and sleep for ourselves. Grandma and Grandpa Femreite were eager to spend some quality time with their granddaughter, so we shipped Jordan off to Deary for the night on Friday. We were both a little anxious about being away from baby J overnight for the first time, but the prospect of a full night's rest helped to soothe our minds. Josh and I took advantage of our "empty nest" by enjoying a few games of bowling and we made sure to turn in early as well.

Jordan had fun hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa and especially enjoyed all the special attention she received from them. Josh and I got some time to relax without having to worry about baby J-- it was a win-win scenario. We thought for sure that we got the better end of the deal, but Grandma and Grandpa assured us that Jordan was on her best behavior and that she even slept well for them. We might have to try this more often!

Lots To Catch Up On

Jordan is 3 days shy of 10 months old already! She has made huge strides in her mobility (literally!) and independence since the last post. In fact, Jordan is really starting to keep us and the dog on our toes. Her army crawl has evolved from a single-leg scoot to a bipedal one which has doubled its work efficiency and thus the speed at which she gets around the house. It could be my imagination, but it also seems like Jordan is getting closer every day to the more conventional crawling method (hands and knees). However, she most certainly prefers to stand and walk along furniture or using her walker. She is getting pretty daring on two feet, and also gaining a lot of confidence in her balance. She can stand for brief periods unassisted, and likes to try walking along furniture using only one hand. It's really fun to watch her move from her walker to the couch and back again.

One problem that Jordan has with walking is getting from her feet back to the floor. It is a big drop down for a tiny baby, but she cautiously bends at the waist inch-by-inch, then closes her eyes and drops down to her bottom with a thud. However, once she is on the floor, getting back to the standing position is a piece of cake (as long as she has something sturdy to hold onto).

Jordan loves to climb over objects, as I learned while sorting the laundry the other day. She took to the mountain of clothes like a sherpa takes to the Himalayas. She also climbs over her mom and dad, climbs over her toys, and climbs stairs (under careful supervision, of course!).

Another thing Jordan loves is riding in her bike seat. She took her first bike ride with mom this weekend, and while getting the helmet on was a traumatic experience, the tears quickly dried up once she felt the wind on her cheeks. I hope she gets used to wearing her helmet, because I don't want it to be the reason why we refuse to ride bikes. I wanted to get a picture of the tiny rider, but Josh was busy building a fence. I'll try again next time.

It hasn't been all smiles this month though. Jordan is working on getting her top two teeth and it's been a real drag for everyone. She has trouble sleeping through the night and has been extra "salty" (to quote uncle Jeff) during the days. Poor Josh had to take the brunt of her crankiness because she was enrolled in "daddy daycare" for the past two weeks--more on that below--instead of her regular child care. This means that she didn't exactly put on her happy face while grandma Weze and uncle Jeff came to visit. I'll know why if they don't want to return any time soon.

Finally, I experienced a little taste of what the first day of school jitters may feel like in a few years. You see, we took Jordan out of her previous child care facility at the end of July and she started "college" today at the WSU children's center. I was super nervous that she would be very shy and experience separation anxiety this morning. In anticipation, I took her there 30 minutes early and stayed to play and help her get used to her new environment and new teachers. Turns out she was very distracted by all the new toys and new faces that she didn't even realize that I was there. When I came to visit during lunch she was happy and smiling, even as I left to return to work. I am really pleased with her new childcare provider so far, and it's great that I can come visit her throughout the day, it's a quick 5 minute walk from my lab to her building.

The Walker

Jordan has started to stroll around with her walker.  It's really a love hate relationship.  She loves it when she can make it around, but hates it when it makes her fall to the ground.

 

Jordan the snack lady

Jordan is denied by Cairo when she tries to bring her a treat.

The Belly Scoot

The first of what I am sure are many crawling videos:

Jordan is a 9-Month-old

Jordan is gaining independence. We like to think of her as our pint-size little explorer. Her mobility style, while unconventional, works well for her. She prefers an ARMY-style crawl on her forearms and toes rather than hands and knees. Jordan has logged quite a few "baby-miles" around the house exploring the carpet, the entertainment center, under the kitchen table and under her baby swing. She also found her toy box and Cairo's toy basket during an exploration. However, something really fun for her to do is chase Cairo around the house. It's a really entertaining game where she crawls over to the dog, who subsequently gets up and walks away (dog wants nothing to do with baby). Then it's really fun to go get the dog and do it all again...and again...and again.

In addition to crawling, Jordan is practicing independence on her feet by standing against furniture, or while holding onto mom and dad's hands. She can cruise a little, but is mostly working on her sense of balance right now. Usually she needs help getting to her feet, but has pulled herself up without any help a couple of times.

Jordan is eating a large variety of solid, well pureed, foods and also cereal puffs. She likes most foods with the exception of plain cereals, peas, and mixed vegetables (which smell like spinach, yuck!). Cereal puffs are fun because she gets to pick them up and put them in her mouth all by herself. Her dexterity seems pretty good, as she can manipulate many kinds of objects that move in all sorts of ways. She has a baby xylophone that she can strike with a plastic mallet to make music.

At her well-baby check-up yesterday Jordan weighed in at 17 lbs 14 oz, and measured 27 inches in length--both in the 28th percentile for babies her age. Her head, however, is still very large and in the 75th percentile. We didn't have to get any immunizations at this check-up so that was excellent, just like Jordan's health.

Is that Eric Cartman in our front yard?

Jordan does her Eric Cartman impersonation. (If you don't know who Eric Cartman is look it up).

The Mega Video Post

Jordan and her cousin Peyton playing


Jordan plays outside in the grass and wind


She's mobile!!

Our First Family Vacation

Last week we enjoyed our first official vacation as a family. Our destination? McCall, Idaho, with time split between the family cabin and Varney's Lakefront Vista. Ma Nature bestowed us with a lot of sunshine and warmer temperatures through most of the week (well at least warmer than 55 degrees, which it had been until then). Knowing that our best bet for lake activities was going to be the beginning of the week, we started our vacation there.

Jordan had never been to a beach before, and therefore had never seen sand. Varney's Vista features a beautiful sandy beach, and I must admit that Jordan ate her fair share of it, literally. She loved the feel of both wet and dry sand on her feet and hands and every now and then if we weren't looking we would catch her sampling it. However, she quickly learned it wasn't that tasty after all; a little gritty in fact.

Like I already mentioned the weather was a bit warmer, however the lake was pretty chilly, so I was reluctant to swim. Josh was braver than I and he would take Jordan out a little way into the water and dunk her feet in periodically. I could tell by her expression that she also thought the water was a bit chilly. So mostly she hung out with me on a beach towel and played with her toys. It must have been relaxing because she took a substantial nap one afternoon, meaning I got to have a nice little nap as well!

One of the nights was particularly exciting because there was a powerful wind storm that knocked out our power just before dark. We were able to find some candles in the cabin, and Josh donned a headlamp from our truck so that Jordan could enjoy her first meal by candle light. Fortunately the power was restored shortly after we woke up the next day. Others, we heard, weren't as fortunate.

Perhaps Jordan's favorite part of the vacation was playing with her new BFF, Peyton. Peyton is Jordan's second cousin (or something like that) and he was born just one day after she was. Though they are the same age, Peyton towers over Jordan and has mastered crawling already. Peyton had fun in Jordan's jumperoo and Jordan had fun standing at the coffee table with Peyton while they both slapped it with their hands. Jordan also got to meet her great aunt Mary Jo and her mom's cousin, Lindsey that day which was very exciting.

Toward the end of our vacation we took a short day trip to Boise to see the 'big city.' It so happened that we were able to meet Jordan's great aunt Lisa, great uncle Larry and their daughter, Hanna as well as great grandma Jeanne and Jim at Red Robin for lunch. Afterward, we drove around for a while and made a stop at Babies-r-us for some supplies. Then we were on our way to Nampa to take Jim's ski-do up to McCall on our way home. It was a quick trip but we needed to get back to the cabin since we left the dog there by herself. Jordan was tired of her car seat, but she was a trooper.

All in all we had a lot of fun that week. We played on the beach, felt the sand in our toes, cruised town in our stroller, saw a moose drinking and eating marsh grass, survived a power outage, and even got to watch Spain beat Portugal in the quarter-final of the World Cup while dining at Josh's favorite place in the whole world, the McCall Brewery.

Miscellaneous Updates

In this post I will try to update our followers on various topics regarding baby Jordan.

New Foods: Jordan has tried several new foods since my last update. She enjoys applesauce, bananas, green beans, prunes, pears, and the Gerber sweet potato puffs. She hates peas, and still is not a big fan of rice cereal, though she will eat a few bites if it is mixed with apple juice instead of milk. Speaking of juice, she has had quite a bit of apple juice to aid her digestion. She has sampled an apple/prune juice mixture but didn't like it.

New Teeth: Jordan officially has 2 teeth! The second tooth "erupted" this week and is still working on emerging fully from her gums. This most likely explains her recent trend of waking up very unhappy several times each night. If this is how some babies are all the time I would hate being their mother!

New clothes: Jordan is growing out of her 6-month gear and now wearing mostly 6 to 9-month or larger clothing. This is worrysome because her 9-month clothes are all made to be worn in a Summer climate...not in this October-esk weather we've been experiencing lately. Here's hoping it warms up soon!

New Viruses: We took Jordan to the doctor this week after suffering a two-day, low grade fever. Based on her history, we suspected she might have another ear infection. Fortunately, the doctor told us her ears looked fine and that her fever was most likely the result of some kind of virus and wasn't something to be too worried about.

New Weight: Jordan now measures 16 lbs, 11 oz at just a few days shy of 8 months old.

Jordan Goes for a Swim

Jordan took her first trip to the aquatics center to try her hand at swimming. The water was a little chilly, especially with the wind, so we mostly walked around and had fun watching the other kids play in the water. If you look closely at the picture, you can kind of see Jordan's first teeth in her lower gums!

Roughing it

This last weekend Jordan was privy to her first camping experience.  Our friends Corey and Jen and their two month old Jake and 1 year old Charlie gave us a call about a month ago asking if we would like to head up the St. Joe river with them for memorial weekend.  My first thought was camping with a 7 month old could be interesting and possibly a pain.  Then I thought about the fact that my parents spend summers in logging camp with my newborn brother and me in a small camper and did just fine, not to mention Corey and Jen were taking on this task with two kids one who was only two months old.  We decided it would be a bit too cold to truly "rough" it in the tents so we grabbed the old camper (same one I spent my first months in) and headed up the river.

It was your normal Memorial weekend.... RAIN, RAIN, oh look the sun is starting to come out.....BAM downpour.  We headed up Friday afternoon and got everything set up, Jordan had her wide eyed stare on for a while as she took in her new surroundings.  That evening was pretty usual, Corey and I headed out to find the biggest dead tree we could cut down for firewood (where we also had a wolf howling over the ridge at us and chased a black bear down the road) and Jen and Jamie stayed in camp with the kids.  Jordan just happened to be getting over a cold and cutting teeth so she was very moody to say the least.  Jamie spent a lot of time in the camper with her feeding and trying to rock her to sleep but she wasn't having it.  Saturday was filled with a lot of rain and sitting around the fire, again Jordan was slightly agitated and Jamie was a trooper spending time with her in the camper trying to console her.  Sunday brought some better weather and Grandpa and Grandma Femreite showed up to hang out with us for the day.  We drove up to Avery to get some supplies at Sheffy's and Jamie loaded Jordan into the packer and walked around a bit.  Jordan loved watching everything around her and seeing this "big" world that was out there.  That evening Jordan got to experience how mesmerizing staring at a camp fire can be, and took her first atv (or rather side by side Yamaha rhino) ride, most of the time she seemed a little confused by the wind hitting her face and this loud motor noise.

I would say overall the trip was a success.  Once the weather gets warmer and Jordan is not as cranky from teething we will be heading out again.  I want my little girl to grow up appreciating the outdoors and what it has to offer, and I think camping is one of the best ways to do this.  Check out the photo album for some updated pictures from our camping trip and below is a short video of Jordan relaxing by the fire.

Jordan Cuts a Tooth

It was May 28th, officially, that we could see the first small bit of Jordan's lower-left front tooth poking its pearlescent, knobby head through her gums. That explained all the crankiness, finger gnawing and restless nights that occured earlier in the week. Oh and there was drool as well, but that's been at a constant dribble since she was about 3 months old. Whatever you do, don't ask her to let you see her new tooth; it's a sore subject, no pun intended.

While sightings of this new tooth are rare, i'm fairly certain that i've spotted it's mate erupting through her gums now as well--or at least dang close to doing so.

We're both pretty sure that baby Jordan is milking our empathy every night when she wakes up from the pain. You see this is how it goes: she cries; dad gets her out of her crib; mom nurses her back to sleep in their bed; neither mom nor dad want to put her back in the crib; she winds up sleeping the remainder of the night snuggled between mom and dad. We're hoping this does not become a habit. We liked when she slept all night and thus we slept all night.

Playing with toys

Jordan likes to sit and gather all her toys together and marvel at them.

Carrots & Squash

Jordan has added pureed carrot and squash to her solid food repertoire without complaint. And now that we have an actual high chair eating from a spoon is much easier. I am still working out the logistics of transitioning to solid foods while maintaining a reasonable milk supply...I guess i have some research to do.

But for now, Jordan is enjoying some new tastes every week and I am enjoying the asthetics of her new chair. I had a lot of anxiety about picking out a high chair because I think that, for the most part, they are all so ugly. Josh had done a lot of consumer review searches and found what he considered to be the best high chair ever based on functionality, but it looked like some kind of space-age baby torture contraption. I might have cried if I would have had to look at it every day, haha! Instead we opted for a nice wooden model (much to Josh's dismay) that matches the color of our kitchen table and chairs. Best of all, I hardly even notice that it is there. I only hope that I don't have to hear the "I told you so's" from Josh a year or so down the road should my beautiful high chair decide to fall apart.

Mother's Day

I celebrated my first Mother's Day as a mom yesterday and I have to admit it was a little strange! This time last year I believe I was still mostly plagued by "morning sickness." But now I have more than made up for all the meals that wound up in the toilet, and better yet, I have a beautiful baby girl who I love so much!

We made our 2nd of three planned trips in May to Seattle. This was a rough trip for several reasons: first since it was WSU's graduation weekend there was a lot of traffic coming to and leaving from Pullman; second, we were delayed for an hour-and-a-half just east of Snoqualmie Pass due to road connstruction; and finally, the Sounders forgot to show up to their game and were subsequently handed a 0-4 loss by the Galaxy. However, we still managed to have some fun this weekend, and Jordan got a lesson about trees from grandpa.

Jordan doesn't seem to mind the long car trips. Mostly she sleeps and generally requires one pit stop for food and a fresh diaper. We prefer to stop at the rest stop just outside of Vantage (at Ryegrass) because it is about halfway and there are some places to park that offer us some privacy so she can nurse. But on this last trip her patience was tested while we basically idled for 10 miles, or an hour-and-a-half. We were pretty sure she pooped her pants and desperately needed a new diaper, but to pull over to the shoulder would have meant even more delays. Fortunately we powered through and made it to Sammamish without too much frustration.

Sweet Sweet Potatoes

Jordan's pediatrician recommended that we start trying new solid foods on a consistent basis now that she has reached 6 months of age. We will try one or two new foods a week, preferably starting with vegetables (rather than the sweeter fruits). By limiting the variety we are hoping to better pinpoint any food allergies that may occur. Plus we heard that babies usually don't like any foods the first time they try them. For her sake we will hope she has her dad's tastebuds and not mine because I am what people describe as a "picky" eater.

Today's installment: sweet potatoes
the verdict: baby J ranks these much higher than rice cereal.

Jordan Takes a Hike

Today we decided to take advantage of a nice spring day and visit Kamiak Butte. None of us had ever been to Kamiak Butte, but some of my co-workers told me it was a nice place to go for a hike. So we did just that...the 3.5 mile 'Pine Ridge Trail' that looped up and around the butte. And, of course, we rewarded ourselves afterward with Blizzards from Dairy Queen. Yum.

Jordan is 6 Months Old

Once again we have failed to make regular posts to our blog. Oddly enough, we find ourselves busy. I will make my best attempt to summarize the events that took place since we last posted.

I will start with the raw facts. Jordan is growing. She now weighs 15 lbs and measures 25.5" in length. Both figures are in the 50th percentile range for babies her age. Jordan has officially outgrown her 3-month clothing and is now in 6 or 6-9 month gear (depending on the brand, of course). She received three more immunizations today (ouch!) and managed to shred the paper liner on the exam table until it was in a hundred pieces. Plus, her legs bled a small amount after receiving the shots and to quote Josh, "It looks like a war zone [in the doctor's office]." Since she has reached 6 months we will now start encouraging her to try solid foods on a consistent basis.

I played "single mom" on two separate occasions while Josh was away for business and pleasure, respectively. Baby J and I had some good times together, fortunately nothing too eventful (i.e. no emergencies and no cutting of teeth). We made a trip to Lewiston to stock up at Costco (with the help of my friend, Blanca), read lots of stories, took some walks in the neighborhood, and had lots of cuddle time, of course!

Jordan has taken a liking to bath time with mommy. Since she is too small for her tummy tub now and doesn't sit up well enough on her own for her regular bather yet she gets to sit in the "big girl tub" with mommy's supervision. I throw on my swim suit and draw a nice bath and baby J splashes and kicks and plays with her bath time friends (an assortment of rubber ducks, an octopus, a crab, and a pelican). She likes to float on her back while I support her head and shoulders above the water, and also tolerates some tummy floating (and kicking around like a frog!) It is almost more like introductory swim lessons with some soap and shampoo mixed in.

Jordan's favorite activity is still bouncing in her jumperoo, except with more babbling and bigger air than a few weeks ago. She has now learned that she can spin around in the bouncer seat for 360 degrees of fun. This way when one angle gets boring she can spin around to the next play station for additional entertainment. Unfortunately, she hasn't learned these "escapes" when she is on her tummy on the floor. She still mostly hates tummy time, but will keep herself well-entertained on her back. Once she learns to roll over she will be much happier. It seems like she should be more than capable of that type of maneuver, but she is just holding out on us. Only time will tell.

Jordan saw great-grandma Jeunette on Monday while we were in Spokane for a doctor appointment. And it was blaringly obvious that Jordan wasn't quite sure about this "stranger" who was holding and hugging and kissing her. It was the first time we had seen her get upset around anyone. This means that Jordan is definitely recognizing the "regulars" in her world and it will take some getting used to new people. Poor great-grandma wanted nothing more than to snuggle and admire Jordan, however, Jordan was much too apprehensive to cooperate.

We are still enjoying full nights of sleep--to bed around 10:00 pm, awake around 6:30 am. I am savoring it while it lasts. Once those teeth decide to poke through I am expecting some long nights.

Jordan figured out how to bounce

Jordan Attempts a Solid

Yesterday Jordan got a mini-introduction to solid food. Er, well, she tried at least! She must be in the middle of a growth spurt because she ate so much more than usual all week at daycare. When she normally drinks about 10 or 12 ounces of milk in a day she most recently has been polishing off all 18 ounces that we supply her with for the day. She was especially hungry on Wednesday when she drank all her milk by 2:00 pm. Fortunately, she was satiated enough to last until Josh picked her up for the day, or else I would have had to leave work early to nurse the growing, hungry baby! Now we make sure to pack an extra bottle or two for her daycare consumption.

Because of the recent spike in her nutritional needs we decided to try out some rice cereal between a regular feeding. The La Leche League usually recommends waiting until a child is 6 months old to begin solid foods because this is about when the birth weight should have doubled and the child is developed enough to sit up on her own. Jordan hasn't doubled her birth weight yet, but she can sit up, so we decided to give the rice cereal a try, as recommended by her pediatrician.

We weren't expecting much cooperation. If she has to take her milk from a bottle (as when I am away) Jordan now prefers to hold her own bottle. So, naturally, when the "airplane" was making its way to the "hangar" Jordan decided that she needed to help guide it in there with her hands. The rice cereal was so liquidy that it just ran down the spoon and all over the front of her. If I had to guess, she might have actually eaten about a teaspoon worth of cereal...maybe. But Jordan was having fun making a huge mess! We would have had more luck with a baby dropper. I suppose this is a sign that she may not be ready for solids yet. We'll probably try again next week.

Five Months (almost)

It's hard to believe Jordan is almost five months old.  It seems like only a week ago Jamie and I were just entering this journey and Jordan was just a little bump in her belly.  Over the past 5 months so much has happened and Jordan seems to be growing stronger and smarter everyday (I refuse to use the word bigger in fear of the wrath of Jamie who will deny that our little one is growing up and must stay a baby).  One of the many things I have learned is the phrase growth spurt is not some myth.  Overnight she seems to learn new skills and grow out of one item of clothing and into another.  One day she lays on her mat staring off the next she is looking at us and babbling on and on.

 Her highlight reel of new skills include, laughing and giggling.  She has graduated from pure baby grunting talk to actually forming some sound resembling speech that every so often actually comes out sounding like a word (I do understand this is purely accidental, but it is shocking to hear what sounds like a word come out of her mouth).  She loves to stand up and every day gets stronger, currently she will stand without any assistance and only hold onto my hands for balance.  She is still a bit fussy on her tummy but can raise completely up off of her chest.  Her dexterity is improving as she can now grasp toys and will use both hands to play with different toys.  She has also started to hold her own bottle on the rare occasion that Jamie is away and I feed her.  This can prove to be a little more difficult sometimes though as she isn't quite strong enough to hold a full bottle, this doesn't deter her from trying though and usually results in her just pushing it around giving me a challenge in keeping it in her mouth.  Once she finishes off about half of it she has the strength to hold it on her own.  Her new favorite past time the past few weeks has been to grab her toes anytime she can and attempt to put them in her mouth.  The most comical moment is when she tries to do this after a big feeding, lying on her back chin down to her chest reaching as hard as she can unable to quite reach because of her full tummy she will grunt and grunt and try over and over until finally giving up.  That covers most of it, tomorrow could bring something completely new.  Before we know it she will be walking around keeping us on our toes.  Which reminds me someone needs to get going on baby proofing this house.  If anyone has a stunt toddler they would like to bring over so I can follow them around the house making notes of things to baby proof that would be great.

Feeling Much Better

A week ago baby Jordan came down with a nasty cough and her nose began to ooze thick, sticky mucus. The snot we'd seen before--the last time she had a cold--but the cough was a new symptom. She sometimes coughs just for the fun of it, as if she likes the noise she is able to make and the attention she gets after she makes the strange noise. However this cough was not for play...this cough was raspy and productive, and it had us worried. This was on Friday. By Sunday the cough had gotten worse and Jordan's immune system was working overtime to try and eradicate the virus that had invaded her little body. Jordan was very lethargic and irritable and not interested in nursing and starting to run a fever, so we got her into the doctor as soon as we could on Monday.

By now some of the experienced parents have already made their diagnoses. If you guessed 'ear infection' you're the winner! Jordan was prescribed some infant amoxicillin and sent on her way. After missing most of the week Jordan felt good enough to return to daycare today. Her boyfriend at daycare, Tanner, was so excited to see her that he was running circles around her serenading her with his rendition of the alphabet song.

Jordan seems to have her usual spunk back and the cough and mucus are mostly gone. But we all know the next incidence of sickness is inevitable, since daycare babies share everything, including their germs.

4-Month Check-up

Last week marked Jordan's fourth month outside the womb. Unfortunately for her, the 4-month milestone means the second round of immunizations at the doctor's office. If you will recall our first experience with immunizations it should become apparent that we were all just a little apprehensive for the second go-round. This time Jordan was the "model baby" for both Dr. Guida as well as nurse Julie. Jordan showed the doctor how well she can hold her head up and babble and smile back at you, all without tears. Jordan's weight, 13 lbs 7 oz, and her length, 24.5 inches, were just at the 50% percentile.

The appointment was going well up to that point, then came the bad news. She was scheduled for a combination vaccine (for DTaP, Polio, and Hib) as well as another vaccine for Pneumococcal disease and finally an oral rotavirus vaccine totaling 2 shots and a drink. Well, the clinic was fresh out of the combination vaccine so they had to give each of the immunizations individually, which amounts to 4 shots and the drink. What horrible luck! The first shot went virtually unnoticed, but the same can't be said for the last 3 shots. However, baby Jordan was very brave and recovered quickly from the pain.

Jordan's favorite things right now are assisted standing and blowing bubbles/making farting noises with her mouth. She occasionally likes to remind us that she, too, has vocal chords and she's not afraid to use them. Jordan still isn't a big fan of being on her tummy, but she tolerates it more than she used to.

Standing Up

Lately Jordan has decided she likes standing more than sitting.

Down with the Sickness

Well, we knew it was bound to happen eventually.  I just thought that we might get a few more months along before it did.  Jordan has caught her first cold.  I guess realistically I should have known it wouldn't be long once she started going to day care.  That place is like Times Square for germs, viruses, and bacteria.  It all started last Saturday.  She woke up and her nose was abnormally stuffed up, she sounded like a morbidly obese asthmatic trying to breath.  Luckily we had the brain sucker i.e. nasal aspirator handy to clean out her nose.  She seemed in high spirits still and was laughing and playing the rest of the day.  As we headed to bed that night I started to feel a bit of a lump in the back of my throat.

When we woke up the next morning I was sick.  Let me explain that the last thing I thought was I would catch a cold from Jordan.  I see her as our sweet little baby girl incapable of spreading disease, so yes it was a complete shock to me that I suddenly had a cold.  Jordan was still laughing and smiling even with the snot bubbles coming out of her nose.  Jamie also said she was feeling a little ill but couldn't tell if it would develop into anything.  The day went by about the same as Saturday with Jordan having the occasional clogged nose but seemingly feeling ok, while I was starting to feel worse.  Monday was going to be Dad and Jordan's day to hang out because Dad had the day off and mom had to work.  I had planned a day of fun and playing, but both Jordan and I were feeling it by now.  We slept most of the day, Jordan had started to cough a bit and her nose had to be suctioned almost hourly.  By the time Jamie arrived home she too was feeling pretty sick.  This morning we were officially a family of sickness.  Jordan could not go to day care which worked out because Jamie and I both were to sick to also go to work.  We all took the day off to try and get better.  I think we are all on the downhill side of things now and hopefully tomorrow morning will bring a better feeling family.  I am amazed that even with a cold and a stuffed nose Jordan is still smiling and laughing which always makes Jamie and I feel better no matter how sick we may feel.

Happy Valentine's Day

This weekend Jordan celebrated her first Valentine's day. Since she is too young to eat chocolate, I made sure to eat her share of the goods. It was fitting that, on her first Valentine's day, she got to hang with her new buddy, Parker, who came to visit from Boise. (Parker is the son of our friends Nik and Jen Jones, and who is just a few months older than Jordan.) They seemed to have fun "studying" and "talking" to each other and were even seen "holding hands." I know there are pictures of these events floating around on someone's camera but we have not acquired any of them yet. While the tiny tots played, mom and dad enjoyed good food, good company, and some very festive Valentine's day decor at the Jones' place in Deary.

February 14th is generally reserved as the day you remind those close to you how much you love them. But for Josh and I, February 14th is an extra special date because it was that morning last year when we learned that I was pregnant with Jordan! We kept that as our little secret until sometime in late March, and so no one would be suspicious in the mean time I drank a number of false margaritas when we hung out with friends (where Josh replaced the tequilla with tap water.) It would have been too obvious if I would have refused a margarita and claimed to have a stomach flu for several weeks! But I digress...

We put Jordan to bed for the night, but as she sleeps soundly we hope she understands how much she means to us and how much we love her!

Just a Reminder

We are constantly adding new photos to Jordan's photo album...the link is on the right-hand side of this page under "Jordan's Photo Album." So when you want to see more than text look there for pictures, since we don't always attach pictures to our blog entries.

A Few Weeks Later...

It's been a while since we last posted on Jordan's blog. It's not that life has been boring or uninteresting, just more busy. Slowly, we (mom and dad) are trying to add pre-baby activities back into our post-baby life. When we were only 2, I got in as much soccer as I could during the week and Josh was consistently hitting the gym. Now that we are 3 it's almost as though we have to "schedule" these activities with each other to ensure that 'baby J' will be well taken care of. For me this can sometimes be a major source of anxiety because I am solely responsible for providing baby's sustenance. I'm sure that I have plenty of breast milk banked in the freezer should we need to use it, but I get nervous about my supply dwindling as a result of going longer between feedings while I selfishly enjoy some time outside of the house. So what I am getting at is that it looks like we forgot to "schedule" blog time!

With only one week to go until she is officially 4 months old, Jordan seems to be on par with most of the major developmental milestones. Jordan is very good at holding her own head up, both when she is upright and on her tummy. She can also hold her head level with her body when pulled up by her arms from a back-lying position. Jordan enjoys grasping objects (to bring them to her mouth!) and reaches for and bats at objects suspended above her, but within her reach. She gets frustrated, though, when her toys don't fit in her mouth. She recognizes her mom and dad and greets them with big smiles. We have heard her laugh briefly only a couple of times, but apparently she doesn't think we're that funny yet.

Jordan isn't really rolling over yet, though she has done so on accident a couple of times while up on her tummy. However, this was addressed during our first Parent/Teacher conference at daycare as one of her goals for the next few months. Yes, I did say Parent/Teacher conference--at age 3.5 months! It is definitely reassuring to see that she is being encouraged to try new things at daycare and she is not being neglected.

Oh and speaking of daycare, she has a little admirer named Tanner in her classroom. The teachers say that he is infatuated with our little Jordan, and Josh says that Tanner is there to greet her and see her off every day. Tanner's mom told Josh that he has a baby doll at home that he has named 'Baby Jordan' even! This makes Josh nervous, as he thought he had at least 12 years until he had to worry about boys hanging out with his daughter!

Jordan lifting her head

First trip to the McCall Cabin

It's been a pretty slow winter in Moscow, Jordan has hardly seen a snow flake and that is just unacceptable.  We decided to take advantage of the three day weekend to get into the snow and take Jordan on her first (of many) trips to the cabin in McCall.  It takes about 3.5 hours to get down there from Moscow and leaving on Friday after work seemed like the worst possible time to put Jordan in a car seat for an extended period.  Apparently I underestimated the hypnotic effect of a car ride once again, Jordan slept the whole trip.  We arrived at the cabin around 10:30 mountain time.  Jordan had been sleeping for 3.5 hours add to that the 3 hour nap she just woken up from when I picked her up from daycare and you have a sum of AWAKE ALL NIGHT.  Let me warn you right now there is a theme in this post and its called Josh is wrong.  After some feedings and a little awake time Jordan slept the whole night once again.

The first day was very relaxing.  I cooked a big breakfast while Jamie played with Jordan on her mat.  Jordan has finally reached the stage of trying to put everything in her mouth.  It may seem cruel but I find it hilarious to watch her grab the monkey hanging from her play mat and try to get it into her mouth.  To paint you a better picture you have to realize this monkey hangs above her and is about 4 inches away from her head, there is no way this thing is going to reach her mouth.  She will grab its leg and pull and pull on it with her mouth open ready for the foot but as hard as she pulls it never quite gets to her mouth.  Eventually she gives up but not before providing mom and dad with some comedy.  After breakfast we decided to take a walk on the golf course.  For those of you unfamiliar with McCall they have a little machine that essentially snow blows out the cart paths on the golf course during the winter so people can go for a stroll or do some cross country skiing or snow shoeing.  It just happens to be right next to the cabin and provides for a nice area to stroll around in the snow and let the dog run like Seabiscuit.  We bundled Jordan up in her snow suit and Jamie strapped her into the front pack.  It was a nice walk, Jordan seemed pretty interested at first with her surroundings but eventually fell asleep.  We spent the rest of the day by the fire watching movies.  That night we wanted to try something a little different.  Jordan has recently gone through a growth spurt and it seems overnight has grown out of her swaddle.  I guess if there is a night to not get any sleep it would be one where we can sleep and rest all day if needed so we decided to opt for the fleece PJ's instead of the swaddle and see how she does.  The next morning comes and apparently the swaddle is no longer needed, Jordan is still happily asleep (as a side note we were very happy and confident about switching her from the swaddle but it appears we our celebration was a bit premature.  The past two nights she has failed to sleep all night requiring mom to get up and feed her back to sleep a couple of times.  Yes I said mom, don't judge me, I would do it if I had the mammary glands to feed her back to sleep.).

The next day we decided to go stroll around down town so we bundled Jordan up and took her out in the stroller to browse the stores in downtown McCall.  Jordan was awake most of the time and enjoyed looking around at all the items in the store, I can only guess that she was making an internal note on which stores she can run around and break things in once she is capable of biped movement.  We headed back to the cabin so I could repair some of the toilet valves that had gone bad and clean the showers.  Here is a word of caution for people like me who are idiots.  When using Tilex don't spray the whole shower at one time, odds are you will die from the fumes.  I only admit this moment of a lapse in judgment to explain the reason we have the door to the back deck wide open (which is to let the fumes out).  So I am upstairs killing brain cells by inhaling bleach when I hear Jamie yell at Cairo to stay and for me to come downstairs.  I come down to see Cairo sitting at the open door muscles contracted ready to spring like a puma.  I look out and there is the neighborhood fox crossing the back yard.  This is nothing extraordinary since we have seen this fox a few dozen times.  I wanted to get a picture of the fox so I use the old hunter method of whistling to try to get it to stop briefly.  To my amazement after I whistle the thing not only stops but starts to walk towards me. Cairo is fully freaking out by now, I keep whistling and it keeps coming towards me.  Ok time to shut the door because this fox is going to come right in.  I close the door and the fox stops and starts to walk away.  So I open the door a crack and start to call it like I would a dog.  Here it comes again, it comes up to the deck and stands there for a minute then just lays down.  Eventually it gets tired of me calling it and never give it any food for its efforts and walks off.  I shall, from now on, be called the fox whisperer.

We spent the night watching movies and playing with Jordan.  She was a very happy girl for most of the trip and just over the weekend appears to have honed her skills at grasping things with both hands to play with them.  The next morning we clean and pack up to head home.  When we loaded Jordan in the truck I placed a little "teething" toy on her lap mostly because I was to lazy to put it away in her bag.  On our way out of town I looked in the review mirror and into the mirror we have pointed at her and she actually had the thing in both hands and was sucking on it and playing with it.  This may seem insignificant but it was one of those moments that sort of hit me that she is growing up and moving out of the helpless infant stage and into a person capable of self preservation.

Taking a walk on the golf course

Jordan at the Cabin

A Strange Phenomenon

Ever since Jordan began sleeping through the night (just after Thanksgiving) we have observed a fascinating occurence. Fully swaddled, Jordan manages to maneuver herself from the center of her crib to the side rail every night. We're not sure how she does it since she has not demonstrated the ability to crawl or even roll yet. The weirdest part is that she comes to rest in the exact same spot every morning. It is a rather strange phenomenon. Perhaps the crib rails mimic the underside of my ribs, to which she was quite cozy with for several months in the womb. The following pictures serve to visually document the position in which she is put to bed (TOP) and where she can be found in the morning (BOTTOM).

Resuming Work

It is now Sunday, which means tomorrow I begin my second week back on the job. In this post I will reflect on what it means for me to be a "working mom," and also run through Jordan's first full week of school.

So at first I was thinking it would be kind of nice to return to work because it would give me that sense of "normalcy" that I felt was missing since Jordan was born. Then when I got there (to work, that is) it felt strange and wrong to be away from the baby and I wished I would have started by doing half days. However, I've always found that the best way to enter cold water is to dive right in. (Those brave words spoken by the mom who prefers that dad drop the baby off so she doesn't have to go through the agony!)

After the first couple days of work I realized that my quality time spent with Jordan would be cut drastically to about an hour in the mornings and a few hours in the evenings--for the forseeable future--and I feel pretty awful about that. What's worse is that any tasks and activities that I want or need to accomplish will also just subtract the total amount of time I get with her. I've gone from complete time selfishness (pre-baby) to adjusting to zero time selfishness (baby born, she gets complete attention), and now I'm trying to find some balance between the two. It's proving to be difficult to find time for myself, and even to want to find time for myself...if that makes any sense.

Anyway, then I struggled at first with the logistics of pumping at work. I am still getting used to the idea of doing such a personal and private act in one of the least private places possible. Yes, there is a curtained off area in one of the bathrooms with a small table, a chair and some parenting magazines, however, it is less than ideal when you are trying to relax and focus on the task then someone comes into the bathroom to "drop the kids off at the pool" in a stall just an arm's length away. It kind of makes the milk stop flowing... Alternatively, we have a small "sterile room" in our virology lab that is used for cell splits that I have taken to instead. Other women in the lab who have had babies in the past have used this room to pump as well and initially I was against the idea since the rooms could potentially have animal disease infectious agents in them. Then I rationalized that our sterile room gets disinfected every day several times a day, whereas the bathroom probably doesn't. Plus, the bathroom smells gross, and there are some other lactating women in the building that don't wipe up their spilled milk spots and that grosses me out too.

Overall, I have had to get over the idea that everyone knows what I am doing when I have my large black bag over my shoulder and I enter that little room (actually I am still getting over it. it's kind of embarrassing for some reason). Pumping at work is kind of a hassle, but it is a small sacrifice to make for baby Jordan, since I know she will appreciate it, even if she doesn't say so.

As for daycare, Jordan seems to be adjusting well. She is getting a lot of attention from the teachers since she is the youngest, so I am happy about that. The teachers say that she seems happy while she is there, and that they love playing with her. Dad drops her off in the mornings, usually around 7:30, then returns at 4:30 to take her home. Every day we supply her with about 15 ounces of milk, but she usually doesn't eat all of it and we have left-overs. The teachers keep track of when she is awake, when she naps, and when (and how much) she eats. So far she seems to have one long nap somewhere in the middle of the day sandwiched by a couple of small meals and catnaps in the morning and a couple small meals and catnaps in the afternoons. Her current activities include tummy time, sitting in the bouncer, and being held often. I told her to let me know if she wasn't having fun at school...and so far I haven't had any complaints (we'll see what happens when she starts talking!).

Another bummer about returning to work is having to drive myself there now. Previously I could ride the bus and relax to and from work, but daycare schedule does not agree with bus schedule and that necessitates the purchase of an unnecessarily expensive campus parking permit and more frequent trips to the pump for my car. I already miss my bus friends and the unique community of "usuals" found aboard.

The Holidays Part II

On Christmas Eve we packed up the house.  I mean that almost literally.  It felt like we should have rented a moving van for everything we took for our week trip over to the west side.  This was Jordan's first long car trip.  I had visions of pulling over to the side of the road every 30 miles to change a diaper, feed, or just calm her.  We left at about 10:00 am from Moscow, truck loaded to capacity with everything that comes with a baby when traveling plus all the extras for Christmas.  She was crying from the get go and I had a feeling this would be a long trip.  Thankfully by the time we left Pullman she had fallen asleep, and we were off.  My goal, to get to the midway point before stopping to feed and change Jordan.  Did I think it could be done?  No.  We hit the first rest stop before Othello and Jordan was still sleeping this is a good sign, however, Dad needed to stop.  I made it as quick as possible to try and limit the amount of time the vehicle was standing still fearing Jordan would wake up.  We were back on the road without a hitch maybe this will work after all.  As we hit Royal City she started to wake a bit and by the time we were dropping down to the river she was crying.  Luckily we had a bottle on hand and Jamie started feeding her in her seat.  This postponed her tantrum long enough to get us to the rest area I had set as my goal.  As we pull in I start to notice a problem.  Where am I going to change the little one?  The back seat is not an option since the car seat is in the middle, I figure I will take a "break" of my own and think about it.  When I get back to the truck Jamie is in a panic over something.  BLOWOUT she says.  Great, well time to test my diaper changing skills.  The only way I can see this working is by laying Jordan in the front passenger seat while I sit in the drivers seat and lean over the center console to change her.  Simple enough right?  Wrong.  Two things make this not so easy.  The seat is sloped so she keeps sliding down towards the back of the seat.  Secondly she has a major blowout.  I'm talking up the back and down the legs.  This is not going to be easy.  After maneuvering around like a brain surgeon I got her changed without getting anything "fertilized".   After strapping her back in we are back on the road.  We made it the rest of the way without stopping.

We spent Christmas Eve relaxing with Grandpa and Grandma Lewis.  This was also to be Jordan's first night sleeping in another room than Jamie and I.  She would also be sleeping in the pack and play bassinet which would be a first.  Jamie and I were a little worried about how she would sleep.  Christmas morning came and it became apparent that little Jordan loves being able to sleep without interruption from a snoring dad.  She slept like a college kid that night, 9 hours total.  When I went to wake her up for her "Second of her first, first Christmases" I found her completely perpendicular to how we had laid her down the night before.  You might be thinking that is pretty normal, babies and toddlers move around a bit when they sleep, what I didn't mention is that she is also wrapped tightly in a swaddle.  I think she might give David Blaine a run for his money on the whole levitation thing.  She proceeded to do this every night and I still have no idea how she manages to move like that.

Christmas morning Jordan was awake and lively giving us a lot of entertainment as she smiled and attempted to giggle.  We had a light breakfast opened presents then awaited the arrival of Grandma Louise's cousins Jan, MaryVan, Jan's fiance Anette, and Linda.  When everyone arrived Jordan was once again the center of attention.  Grandma Louise made a great turkey dinner that was enjoyed by all and in the back of our minds we were thinking back to Thanksgiving and Jordan's marathon sleeping after having the turkey milk.  That night Jordan slept another 9 hours, whether it was the "turkey milk" or her college age sleeping habits Jamie and I are thankful for the full nights rest.

Jamie was going to be in her best friend Brigid's wedding on New Years eve in Seattle so we had a few days to hang out.  Unfortunately by about Wednesday Jamie and I both woke up feeling a little under the weather.  By New Years eve we both had a full on cold.  Jamie was a trooper and left at noon to get started on the wedding activities.  Jordan and I hung out at Jamie's parents house.  We stayed home for the wedding but would meet the crew in downtown Seattle for the reception.  Jordan was dressed in her new dress for the wedding.  When we arrived at the reception she fell into a sensory overload.  With music and people all around she had no idea what she should be focusing on so her face defaulted to a blank drooling stare.  She spent most of her time in Grandpa Chris' arms.  Grandpa and Grandma took Jordan home at about 10:30 and mom and dad attempted to stay until midnight.  Unfortunately our colds got to us about 10 minutes to midnight and we headed home.  

The next day it was up to get packed and head home.  The pass was pretty bad with snow providing a few interesting moments.  Jordan did amazingly well again making it all the way to the other side of Othello before needing to be fed and changed.  No blowouts this time and we made it home safe and sound.  The trip was a success and we passed another parenting milestone by surviving a week away from home and a long road trip.  As we got home and settled in the realities of what was coming on Monday began to hit Jamie and I.  It would soon be time for us to enter back into the real world and go back to work, but that is a story for another post.

Jordan opens her first present

The Checkup

Jordan had her first checkup on December 22.  Before going to it we knew she would be getting a round of vaccines.  Jamie and I like to read a lot of literature on this baby/parenting thing.  I have discovered there is a book, article, or blog written by some stay at home mom with 12 kids for just about any type of situation that can occur when raising a child.  Reading these can give you some insight into what is to come but we have found it best to take our own path through the parenting labyrinth and only use them to give us a little heads up on what the future might bring.  Ok, back to the point of all this.  As I was saying we read a lot, and we had read that this first checkup can be a difficult one.  Parents traumatized by seeing their little baby screaming in pain from the stick of a needle, babies crying for hours afterwards, the possibility of a fever, and fussiness from the shots.  Needless to say we were a little on edge for this one.  We were excited to see how her growth was going and if our not so little girl was continuing on the path of being in the 99th percentile on most of her measurements.


We arrived at the doctor's office and got her stripped down for a weight.  Expecting 20 lbs to come up on the scale I was happy to see that she was in fact not going to be a giant when 11 lbs 6 oz came up.  Her height or should I say length since she is still horizontal most of the time is 22 3/4 inches tall.  After the nurse took a few more measurements and plugged the data into the computer we were presented with a little chart showing us how her growth was going.  After being born in the 99th percentile at 9 lbs 3 oz she has leveled off and is now in the 50th percentile and in the words of the nurse "Very symmetrical".  So far so good Jordan made it through the first barrage of measuring and poking while managing to keep smiling through the whole thing.  Now we are waiting for the doctor............still waiting for the doctor.............still waiting.  At this point I keep looking down at Jordan wondering when those smiles are going to turn into that bored look which quickly turns into (borrowing a term from our friends Becky and John) a core meltdown.  After about 15 minutes the doctor comes in and Jordan is still holding strong.  She checks her over and says everything looks good.  Then comes the part we had been reading about, the shots.  Now I was thinking, "OK she is going to get a shot in the butt or maybe two" but we found out she will have 3 total shots plus an oral vaccine.  Holy crap did she just say 3 shots, I don't even think I could handle 3 shots and I don't even mind needles.  The doctor leaves and tells us the nurse will be in shortly to administer the shots.  So far so good, Jordan is still in good spirits and we are almost done.  So we wait, and wait.  Jordan is starting to get cranky and ready to go now.  Little does she know the worst hasn't even happened.  After about another 15 minutes the nurse comes in.  First is the oral vaccine.  No problems there she sucks that down.  At this point I am thinking this won't be so bad.  The nurse asks us to lay her on the table with Jamie at her head comforting her.  She brings a tray over I look down and OH MY GOD am I in a veterinarian's office?  I think she mistakenly grabbed the horse syringes.  Well this is about to get interesting.  I have to give props to nurse.  She worked with a quickness and determination of a combat medic.  The first needle went in and Jordan went from cranky to screaming in pain.  Before I knew it the other two shots had been administered and it was over.  Jordan was still screaming, this was the first time I had heard here pain cry which is much more feverish than any other cry.  Amazingly once she was strapped into the car seat and we drove out of the parking lot she was sleeping.  


That was it, it was over.  She got through the next few days without any signs of the side effects, and we are happy to say she is a healthy baby girl.

The Holidays Part I

It's been a few weeks since our last update and I've finally found some time to sit down and write what will most likely be a book on Jordan's first holiday season.  Jordan being the lucky girl that she is was treated with two first Christmases this year.  We start our journey on December 19th at our house in Moscow.  Being that we would be in Sammamish for Christmas day the first of Jordan's two "First" Christmases was with the Femreite side of the family.  Grandpa and Grandma Femreite, Uncle Eric, and Aunt Kinzie came over for the festivities.  Jordan wanted to wear her "Present Snatcher" shirt for the day, abiding her wish I dressed her in it and some of her little socks.  We started out the morning by opening our gifts. Jordan may be a bit young to open her presents but as you can see from the picture she definitely has an appreciation for a gigantic present sitting in front of her.  Twenty minutes later Jordan found herself surrounded by more toys, books, and clothes than an FAO Schwarz.  We had a nice prime rib dinner, amazingly Jordan slept through it allowing the whole family to eat together.  Watching other people open your presents for you must be exhausting since Jordan spent most of the afternoon napping.  The rest of us finished up the evening playing some Wii bowling.  It was an amazing day and having a little one in the house made it feel like Christmas when we were younger.