3 Months Old

She's 3 months old today! Can you imagine that. Just after she woke up from her many newsroom naps today, she met one-week-old Grace. She's a sweet, tiny little baby. My sweet, tiny baby looks HUGE next to Grace. Jordan is about 7 pounds bigger. So I took this picture. Jordan is a little further in front of Grace... But she looks Photoshopped into this picture. Randy says Jordan looks like she could eat Grace. I think Jordan is too sweet to eat any baby.

Anyway. Jordan slept a good 4 straight hours in the newsroom today. I got work done and Jordan wasn't awake long enough to really socialize with anyone. So her 3rd month birthday was spent sleeping a lot. Not a lot of partying for her just yet.

Jordan and I visited the baby room at what we have considered "Cam's school." I guess starting next week it will become "the kids' school." Anyway. I talked with the two women who take care of 6 babies each day. They sounded very willing and interesteed in Jordan and whatever extra care she may need. It made me feel better. One of the care takers told me her sister-in-law actually is a double amputee. She has below elbow amputations and uses prosthetics. So Jordan isn't really a freak of nature to her. That seemed comforting to me somehow.

Sleep, sleep and sleep in a newsroom

Jordan slept 12 and a half hours last night. That's pretty incredible. Especially when she slept in a newsroom during her naps yesterday. Anyway. She slept even more today -- small naps all day long. The down side: She kept falling asleep in my arms or in student arms instead of falling asleep in her bed. As long as we don't make that a habit, I think she'll be okay.

Since she was so rested this morning, we did some big exercises... She moved her arm extension around a bit. But she was full of smiles:


At the station, she got all kinds of love and affection. She continued to show off her very silly smile with her toungue sticking out. It was so cute, our friend and co-worker Gary wanted to smile just like her:

I helped edit a piece of video at work today -- and I still have it. I'm not quite as fast on the keyboard, but I can still use all of my editing tricks with 3 months away from that skill.

This afternoon, one of the producers and blog fans, Sarah, presented us with an amazing gift from her mom (another blog fan). She kindly made a very cool quilt for Jordan and she didn't leave Cam out -- he got a WAY cool dinosaur quilted pillow case. I'm hoping to take a couple of pictures of them in good light. Hopefully I can do that tomorrow. Thanks Patti!!!!!

Not a bad day

Jordan is comfortable in so many environments. My first day back to work wasn't too bad thanks to the girl's easy nature. I probably could have gotten more work done. I did dig out my desk a bit. I started reorganized the website's organization. I talked to a lot of people. I cooed and gurgled with Jordan. She was so good... She took 3 naps during the work day. She tolerated all kinds of people talking and holding her. She sat in her Bumbo a lot.

We all want an adult version of the Bumbo.

I tried not to feel overly dramatic as we drove to work this morning... But Jordan cried the whole way. It was like she felt the tremor in the force. But she was just tired. I found an office where she can sleep comfortably and away from some of the noisy sounds that come from the newsroom. Overall, not a bad day. I'm hoping to get more work done tomorrow if I can.

The downside of taking Jordan to work, I really couldn't focus on PT or OT work. I did a few exercises here and there... But we never had serious focus time on exercise. We'll try harder tomorrow.

Dear Jordan,

Thank you for these last 12 weeks. It's been so special to focus my life and time on you... And to share you with so many people: Family, friends, students, faculty and tons of strangers who would have never talked to me before if I didn't have you.
I have learned how deep love is. I've watched your brother turn into a gushy love bug over you. He says the sweetest things about you even when he's mad at me. Your daddy and I love you both so much it hurts. I've watched so many of your family and your new friends take all kinds of time and energy to make sure you have the very best life. I'm amazed by how many people have taken extra time to help you or find out information that will help us all understand what you need to grow.

It's amazing how much I have learned in this short time with you. I have learned acceptance, I have learned that people still stare and whisper... But most of all, I have learned that I don't care what other people think. I know you are beautiful and amazing. I can't believe you were strong enough to survive whatever happened to you in the womb. God made sure you would be with us and I know God knew we would love you and give you everything the world offers.

I have to be honest. I'm a little scared to get back to the life I led before you were born. You've changed my priorities. You've made sure I understand the importance of family. I know how my job excites me and I know I'll be happy to be back to it. But I'm scared to let go of all of the time we have been able to spend together. I know you'll be fine. But I'm jealous. I want to keep enjoying every second we've had together.

So when I wake up in the morning with you tomorrow, things will change. I don't think you'll notice it too much. I pray you don't notice. But as we venture into a working mommy's world, I hope you forgive me when I make mistakes or fall asleep. I promise to give you as much if not more love in the many years ahead.

Love,
Mommy

Exercise time

In my quest to get Jordan to move her arm around, I put her on her playmat and discovered one of the toys she was interested in hitting with her little arm. I was so excited, I grabbed the video camera and shot a little video for the first time since she was born. Now that I have an account with YouTube, I figured I'd share her arm action:

It was really exciting to see her interested in hitting and moving her little arm. Go Jordan!

Other than that, she didn't nap very well today. It could be due to her brother's constant crying and tantrums today. Who knows. She's down for the night now (I hope). We'll see how things go.

More signs that she's growing.

If you look on that diaper, you'll notice it says "2" on it. I finally gave up on the size one's... Jordan had leaked on enough outfits. So I have to shop for more diapers... Just after I bought new size 1's a week or so ago. Bad planning on my part.

Therapy time = Long nap

Poor Jordan. Now that I have some exercises to work on with her and the request to give her more belly time, Jordan is exhausted. She did not like anything I did to her this morning... It could be the fact that she slept 5 hours before bedtime last night and that threw her sleep schedule off by 40 minutes. It could be the fact that her brother threw a 5:50am tantrum and woke her up early. It could be that she just doesn't like me putting a little arm extension on or placing her on her side to stretch out and placing her on her belly to work on her upper arm strength. She's been asleep for 3 hours at this point... And she's not awake yet.

Hopefully the more we exercise, the longer she can tolerate the activity. I feel bad that we have to get her to exert so much energy, but everything we're doing will help her as she grows. Yesterday, the physical therapist said we need to work really hard now so she doesn't have to when she's older.

Now that I'm working on helping Jordan relax her shoulders... I had never noticed how high she carries them. That's probably why her shirts are always kind of loose up top instead of dropping down onto her shoulders. I thought it was a little strange... But never even thought about the possibility that she was holding her shoulders high. Poor baby. She still looks cute in her "Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner" shirt.

12 Weeks Old! A day of learning.

So I met with our new pediatric physical therapist today. I learned so much about some of the ways Jordan's little arm has affected her. First, she holds her shoulders high... So I need to help her relax and put her shoulders lower. She also curves her body to the right when she lays down. You can kind of see it in this picture that I took of her yesterday. So I need to help her center her torso out. Also, there are certain ranges in motion that she is not strong at doing -- like reaching out and up. She has some very strong motions, but there is work to be done. We're going to need to mock up something that encourages her to move her arm out to make something move. I'm planning to consult our resident MacGuyver in the family when he comes to visit for Cam's birthday.

I feel like I've started working with someone who is not intimidated by Jordan's rare amputation. She is planning to meet with us in 2 weeks and she plans to go with us when we meet with our PM&R doctor. That's when we're going to (hopefully) prescribe Jordan's first prosthetic.

The physcial therapist said she is thinking a 90 degree angle arm is something Jordan really needs before she can sit up on her own. With the arm at that angle, Jordan can wear it through the day and not have to take it off when she's not heavily supervised. At that angle, she can have something to look at when she looks over to the left... And she can roll over onto her belly without any problem with the arm already in a tummy time angle. When she starts sitting up on her own, we would move to a passive arm that curves. That's a lot of prosthetics in a year... And convincing our health insurance will be interesting. But I really don't care about that. We'll figure it out.

As for yesterday... We spent a good amount of time with an occupational therapist who appears to be really intersted in coming up with good ideas for Jordan. She took scraps of items from a hand clinic and put together this little arm tool for Jordan. I think that's really cool.

Of course today, Jordan expelled so much energy with the physical therapist, she's still sleeping (3 hours at this point). When she gets up, we'll work on the arm and some of the exercises we've talked about in OT and PT. It's kind of overwhelming when you think about all the little things we need to work on.

Jordan's first tool

My girl has a little arm... It's a temporary tool for her to work on looking and recognizing her left side. The pictures are very cool. I'm posting this pics first. I'll tell you more soon. I have to run to the grocery store first.

The circle of support grows

I started the day emailing all kinds of doctors and therapists about Jordan... And ended the day with a pediatric physical therapist who is offering care for Jordan AND a doctor who is willing to help me get Jordan into a state program that will help make sure Jordan gets all of that therapy from the best therapists without sending us into bankruptcy.

I've been talking to so many doctors and therapists... And today it feels like I finally broke into the circle of medical and therapeutic support. There appears to be a group of people who work really hard to make sure kids succeed beyond their disabilities. It feels like I finally found a way to get Jordan in that group. I also found out that when there is a need for a child, there are ways to get that care -- Even if insurance won't help. For the first time, I really think we're going to be able to give Jordan the care she needs in our hometown.

During today's doctor meeting, Jordan weighed in at 13 pounds and 10 ounces! That is really incredible. Do you realize that on February 28th she was 11 pounds 7 ounces? She's gained more than 2 pounds in less than a month. Go Jordan!! I thought she was growing out of her diapers!

By the way, Jordan did wake up once in the middle of the night last night... But she still slept pretty darn well. The strange part: Instead of falling asleep on my shoulder as I convinced her to burp... She got all upset and basically demanded I lay her down in the bed and let her fall asleep on her own. My how my baby is growing up fast.

A sleep test

Jordan and I spent the day in a class and meetings on campus. Jordan had many little naps... nothing big. When we got home, she was pooped. We'll see how it goes when she decides to wake up in the morning. She went down at 5:45pm... I'll guess I'll be up at 4:45 at the latest.

I should go to bed now. But we're watching the latest episode of 24 off of Tivo.

A good phone call

I got home from the long weekend of basketball and found a message on our voicemail from a well-known pediatric PT expert in town. She gave me wonderful tips on how to get Jordan covered under a state program that would really help us get her the therapy she needs without as many insurance struggles. It was a brief and very uplifting phone call. She'd like to meet with us this week and I hope we can find time to make that happen.

I also had a letter from Shriner's. We have our first appointment in three weeks. It's at 7 in the morning and they say it could take three to four hours for her evaluation. It should be interesting to hear what they can help us with.

Bow Head

I went shopping today. I try not to because I know I'm going to spend money that I don't have. But I really wanted to see what kind of bows the stores had to offer here. So I discovered a store with a bunch of bows. And I had to get some. Luckily, my mother-in-law was with me and jumped in to buy these sweet little baby decorations. And she added something more: A little barret with Jordan's name on it. CUTE.




She slept for three straight hours while I shopped. So the guys who were left at the house didn't have to worry about warming up a bottle. Lucky guys.

This kid can adapt

So I seem to recall back in the day... When we traveled with Cam, he couldn't sleep in other houses. It wasn't much fun at all. Today, Jordan was pretty good at holding to her sleep patterns. She napped a ton and slept 11 hours last night. She gave out all kinds of smiles and attention to folks hanging out and watching the many basketball games. Tonight, she got to bed a bit late... So we'll see how it goes.

I've been struggling with finding ways to get her to turn her head to the left. Today we found out an answer... Although I'm not sure I like it: TV. We have four televisions running at the same time. And Jordan is very interested in the many, many flashy pictures. I might have to pull out the Baby Einstein DVDs and turn her so she watches everything to her left. I'll pitch the idea at our next OT evaluation on Wednesday.

Testing the sleep process

So we're staying at the brother-in-law's house to enjoy the basketball tournament... And that means we're testing the sleep ability of Jordan. Cam never slept well in other houses when he moved into the long-stretch of sleep phase of his baby-hood. So now we'll see how the girl does. She did not like going to bed tonight in a way that wasn't our normal music, low lighting, warm and fuzzy bed time. I tried to recreate it, but it wasn't the same. Oh... And her bassinet is on top of a washer and dryer. Yeah. So she's breathing a light fume of fabric softener all night.

I took her to Babies R Us. I love that store. And I bought more dresses for her. I can't stop. I haven't bought new clothes for myself (other than a few breastfeeding tops) in years. But I can't stop buying kid clothes. It's too sweet and fun.

You know the strangest thing about blogging about your life? When you find out how many people read it. I'd say I get at least 50 hits a day on Jordan's blog. That means there are 50 or fewer people who keep up with my life. And I've noticed that means a lot of my conversations go like this: "You know the other day Jordan did (insert story here)..." The person I'm talking to says: "Oh yeah, I know. I read your blog." It's like I have to have a few side stories that don't make it on the blog so I can have conversations with my friends and acquaintances.

"You have a beautiful baby"

It took almost 11 weeks, but today a stranger walked up to me and told me I have a beautiful daughter. I have known this all along. But it was special to hear it from someone who wasn't provoked or even asked to say something to me. I was sitting having lunch with a friend while a woman just wanted to tell me what she thought about Jordan.

It seems like a minor incident for most people. But to me, it was special. No questions about her arm, no strange looks. Just a wonderful comment about my girl.

Getting serious about bottles

So I realized a couple weeks ago that Jordan wasn't picking up on bottles... And time is running out. Yesterday, I gave two of her feedings with a bottle. She wasn't really happy about it. Actually, she was really mad. But eventually after I changed the bottle type, things improved. So I thought I'd go through the same process today: pump and give her a bottle.

Today she immediately puked it all up. Very messy.

But I'm not discouraged, we're going to keep trying. The first week back to work, she's coming with me since her school doesn't have a spot open until the first week of April. So I guess I really have 2 and a half weeks left with her. I'm not ready at all to let go. I realize with all of her doctor's appointments and therapy needs, I'll be around her a lot. But the quiet Jordan and Mommy time won't be the same. It's a struggle so many working Moms and Dads face on a regular basis. I love my job. I have never loved a job before. So I'm not ready to leave it. But I'm sad to walk away from this maternity leave.

From the looks of that puke from this morning. Jordan agrees.

Who put a cat in my baby?

Jordan has started this new squeal when she's upset... I swear it sounds like a cat in heat. It's this high pitched squeal that sounds like death. She usually uses the sound when she's uncomfortable or getting really tired and can't relax quick enough. Whatever it means, it's a creepy sound. I'm hoping it phases out. She may be cute, but that sound could scare people away.

Such a trooper

Jordan got to meet folks the university's pediatric occupational therapy clinic today. She was so good. She had just waken up from her nap, had to be hungry... And yet she smiled and cooed and let the therapists bend her and analyze her without much of a fuss at all until we got to the tummy time stuff. She was incredible.

I often think she's willing to be poked and prodded without complaining is because she survived something so traumatic in the womb... Nothing's worth really complaining about.

It was interesting to see how Jordan ignores the left side of her body. I hadn't really noticed how obvious it was. I've done a few things to try to encourage her to use her left arm, but I hadn't been encouraging her to turn her head to the left. So I'm going to start working on that. I also learned how she needs to work on leaning her body to the left as well. As for the tummy time, I got a few tips on that as well.

It feels good knowing that I'm working towards solid therapy for Jordan.

Moody day

I don't know why, but Jordan didn't smile much today. Every once and a while we had a grin, but she just wanted to be held by Randy and I. I tried to let her Daddy take care of her more. I've noticed she calms to fast with me and really not with anyone else. So I did yardwork for a lot of the day. Jordan slept, ate and gave us very little attention. We tried.

Hopefully she's okay. Tomorrow's another day. You'd think with all this sleep, she'd be a little happier.

My busy brain

My brain never really shuts down. It's always thinking... It's a problem I've always had. But since Jordan was born, it's full of so many new things. I start thinking about what I need to do for both kids, the house, my marriage, my job, my health, my dogs... And I try to think of solutions to whatever is bothering me.

My feeling about my world is so different with Jordan's arrival. I used to kind of know the challenges I faced as a parent of a new baby... But I'm living in a new kind of infant world. And it's hard when there's no one else around who can say they've been there and know how to help me. I'm encouraged that the PM&R doctor that we met with this week was kind enough to give me an update via email this morning. It's Saturday. I appreciate that a lot.

The update: We have an OT appointment later this month with someone local who is interested in pediatric OT. He's still working on finding a PT. And I'm searching too. I have a few people who have connections to the PT world in St. Louis and I'm very willing to head over to Uncle Barry's house and go to appointments in or around the city. I am committed to getting the girl a prosthetic early to help her roll over... sit up... and eventually crawl. I really don't want her to skip that milestone and move directly to walking.

I'm tired, but it's not because Jordan is waking me. She is consistently sleeping at least 11 hours. I'm tired because I have the need to do things. Clean a little, search the web a little, chat online with friends, call a family member and chat. Suddenly, it's late and I still have to pump before bed (or else I wake up in the morning VERY uncomfortable). I know myself, and I don't want to run myself down when I return to work. But it will be really hard not to.

I wouldn't give up being a parent for the world. I wouldn't give up this experience with Jordan for the world. But I just wish there was a little time here or there when I could turn off my brain and get real rest.

12 Hours

Yup. Best 10 week old baby in the world. She slept 12 hours last night. That is exactly 2 hours longer than her brother. That makes me smile. I have a ton of pictures I took of her today, because I can't stop taking pictures.

Calling all pediatric PT experts!!

We need one for Jordan and we need one now! I just got back from an apppointment with a physical medicine and rehabilitation doctor in town. He and a team of people met with us in the PM&R clinic to talk about Jordan and check her out. The poor thing was hungry and tired and just not really into being in that very bright room.

So during the meeting with a bunch of people including prosthetists and doctors, Jordan got really upset. She was overstimulated and tired. So I told them she'd calm down if I fed her a little. So they all leave the room and I started feeding her. I could hear them in the hallway talking about how we don't live in the right town given the kind of therapy Jordan needs... We have to drive 2 hours to the nearest city... Or even further to Chicago. That made me sad. I want to give Jordan the best care possible... and what is possible isn't that good.

So when we continued the meeting, we poked around on Jordan a little more, but she ended up falling asleep on my shoulder. We talked about how Jordan needs PT before she gets fitted for the prosthetic... That's going to delay the fitting because there aren't many pediatric PT folks in town. The one I know about is not under my health care plan. So the doctor and our prosthetic guy are going to start calling around across the state for help. The doctor wants a month of PT before the fitting. I want a fitting ASAP. So hopefully we can get things moving... and if I have to drive all over the country, dang it, I will.

I'm a little perplexed about what to do. I know there is at least one other child in town who does not have a part of an arm... Actually I hear that child is missing both arms below the elbow. How is he or she getting proper PT? I feel like I'm treading in untouched waters and there is no guide. And I will be so upset if I do something wrong.

Kind of blah

It was a dreary looking day outside today. It started with a thunderstorm... which kind of was symbolic of my illness that roared back from Sunday. I'm not sure how I'm going to kick it.

So Jordan and I took it easy to day. We took Cam to school during an awake time for Jordan. We took naps at home. Then we picked up Cam from school during another awake time... Of course that awake time didn't last, she fell asleep on my shoulder as we walked around the hallways. You realize Cam never cuddled up and slept like that. It's pretty amazing.

Jordan has switched the way she likes to be held. She used to like to lay on her back with her body cradled by my arm. Now she likes to be up on my shoulder, preferably my left shoulder. I don't know why. Someone at school says they think it's so she can see more.

Today I tried to put Jordan in a onesie that was for 0-3 months. It didn't come close to fitting.

My little girl is getting big!!

Busy and fun day

Jordan and I had a very busy day (after she slept ELEVEN hours last night). I realize a busy day isn't new during my "maternity leave." Anyway. Jordan helped me teach a broadcast 2 class where I explained to the students how to survive their reporter shifts at the station. Jordan fell asleep in my arms at the start and didn't complain that she was hungry until the class was over and I was just talking to a couple of students. After a quick feeding, we met a group of my independent study students at a restaurant. (Jordan enjoyed a meal there) THEN we met my dear friend Liz at a different restaurant. After a wonderful conversation and Jordan got to try another new location to eat... I took her to the Missourian to meet many people there. I didn't hide her... I just showed her sweet little self off for all to see. She was cooed and hugged. I felt safe even around so many strangers. I think I've had so much support from the J-school, I'm just not worried about what people are going to say or do.

I decided to pick up Cam early from school since it seemed silly to take Jordan home for a little while just to hop back into the car to get her brother.

When we got home, we discovered Jordan's newest and coolest gift: A Bumbo. As you can see, she loves it. It's a baby chair that helps little ones sit up on their own before they're ready to really sit up on their own. Jordan was very comfortable in it and I was excited to see she's already able to use it. It says it's for 3 to 14 month old kids.

After that, I sent her off to nap with another feeding. 2 hours later and she's still sleeping. I have a feeling she may be down for the night. If that's the case, I may actually have to force myself to bed early just so I'm not so pooped when I wake up in the middle of the night to feed her.

10 hours and 45 minutes

That's right. Jordan slept for 10 hours and 45 minutes straight last night.

She loves me.

I wasn't feeling well yesterday and the long stretch of sleep really helped. I was so icky feeling, that I had to call a friend and ask her to buy me drugs. (Thanks Lynda!) The good news is the drugs helped.

Today, Jordan got to go to the university's infant cognition lab. She got to stare at a green block moving on a stage. The researchers were trying to see what actions will hold a baby's attention longer. Jordan did a good job, once she stopped staring at her feet. Apparently, those feet were really cool today. So that was fun. You can see the green block in the picture of the lab room. She got to watch the block move back and forth. The researchers say she did a good job. They gave me a CD that holds video of the experience. I'll see if I can freeze a frame of it.

So, when we got back from the lab and a quick grocery run, I got a call from the local rehabilitation clinic in town. I finally got an appointment with the physical therapist who specializes in amputees. I'm thrilled since I've been trying to reach him for the last month. It took me getting an appointment with a PM&R doctor and having him discuss Jordan's case with the other doctor. Any way, I'm thrilled we'll finally get started on PT. I'm also working with a campus clinic to help Jordan get some occupational therapy (OT). I'll go there until we can get a permanent therapist. I'm so glad things are finally rolling in the therapy department. It's the last piece of the puzzle for Jordan's care.

Going with the flow

So it looks like I didn't jinx myself. Jordan is actually sleeping 8 straight hours. She takes one food break and sleeps for another 4. We're on our way to 12 hours a night. I'm thrilled that she's following the same sleeping pattern as Cam. We'll see if we can continue this pattern when I return to work. I'm nervous about her sleeping in a day care setting. I'm nervous about getting home in time to get her to bed. I'm nervous about her figuring out bottles... Because she is so not into them. Going back to work stresses me out and I have 3 weeks left.

Anyway. Jordan is going with the flow. I took her to Cam's swim lessons today. She was so good even though it was hot and clammy in that room. I met another very nice woman who talked to me about Jordan's arm. You know I'm so fickle about this. I don't want people to stare, I want them to ask questions. But I miss having normal conversations that don't require you to really get to know the stranger standing next to you admiring your baby. You know: "Aww. Cute baby." "Thanks." And you move on. I guess I'm just getting used to living a life with a child who is a bit different. I kind of liked living in anomynity. But the more often Jordan and I go out, we will be remembered by anyone who meets us.

So that picture at the top is of Jordan during "tummy time." It's the first developmental challenge we're facing with her missing arm. I bought a toy to try and make tummy time more fun and it seems to be helping. Of course after talking to an occupational therapist, I could have just rolled up a towel and put her on a blanket. Oh well. It is a cool toy. She is a bit more comfortable on her belly and her little arm isn't as stressed.

A fact I forgot to mention

I know I'm cursing myself for writing this in the blog: But the last two nights Jordan has slept between 7 and 8 hours... Followed by 4 hours. Of course that stretch starts at 7pm and I don't get to bed until later at night. If I was smart, I'd go to bed earlier.

If only I was smart.

On our own

Randy is on a very long flight to Russia right now. And that means this week is my first time alone with both kids. It started immediately... I had a couple of meetings and I wanted to stay at home as late as possible to say good bye to Randy. So Cam, Jordan and I went off to campus together.

Anyway. Jordan is proving that she wants to eat in as many public places as possible. Today it was the Bread Co. and a classroom on campus where I was attending a meeting. It appears that she's trying to get me to feed her in as many different public locations as possible.

After some time at home and a good nap, we returned something to a store and went to a new clothing store that opened this week. As I shopped, she slept in the stroller and people cooed at her and walked on. But one woman was looking at some really cool onsies that had funny sayings. I was intrigued and looked at some of them as well. She started talking about how beautiful Jordan was and we kind of just naturally started discussing her arm. She asked questions, she was interested and didn't feel pity for her. We talked about prosthetics and how Jordan is going to do great. It was nice. I was talking to a stranger the way I want to -- openly and pleasantly. She was very nice. I should have asked her name, got her number and gone out for coffee with her someday. Oh well. Maybe another time.

I just did an amazing thing. Both kids were in bed by 7:15 tonight. Not bad.

By the way, I have a ton of pictures online at my Flickr account. And if I can buy the proper cord to connect my camera to the computer, I'll get more pictures online as well. The second cord I've purchased is not the appropriate cord... So I have to return that one and look for a third option. Oy.

2 Months Old!

Amazing. Can you believe she turned 2 months old today? It's incredible. It's also incredible that we had another warm day. It was warm enough to go to the local gardens and hang out (almost 80 degrees). You should have seen how engaged she was out in nature. We sat under a willow tree. Sure, it didn't have any leaves yet. But it was still peaceful and cool. I sang songs. We smiled at each other. She cooed, I cooed back. I shook a toy over her head. She grabbed at it a little. She smiled some more. She pooped a lot. I changed two diapers. She got to eat a little. Randy arrived with Cameron and dinner so I got to eat a little as well. You can find all kinds of pictures of Jordan's trip to the garden.

It was really nice.

It looks like both kids have the bed times of 8:00 at night. It's possible that Jordan could go to bed even earlier. I haven't worked out our life schedule to make that happen properly. She is sleeping incredibly well. Last night she slept from 5pm until 11pm. She didn't wake up again until 4:40am. She went back to bed after that until 8am. I'm a lucky Mommy.

Oh, one other Jordan story. Cameron sang the sweetest lullaby to Jordan while she slept in her stroller after our big trip to the gardens. He whispered it, so I didn't hear all of it... But it was kind of like this: "Lullaby and good night Jordan. Go to sleep little girl. When I'm at school I miss you. You are a sweet baby. Go to sleep." I almost fell on the floor. It was so sweet.