Thursday, January 21, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
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.
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.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
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).
Sunday, January 10, 2010
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.
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.
Monday, January 4, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
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.
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.
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