Big developments

You may see a major trend in the photos I show here on Jordan's blog. Dance, soccer, football. Repeat. Dance, soccer, football. We've had a pretty active but consistent life in the last few weeks. Jordan has dance on Thursday and Saturdays have had the combination of Cameron's soccer games and going to football games. So my pictures of Jordan are clearly in a pattern of pink, green, black and gold.

But it looks like we're mixing things up. In November, Jordan and I are going to the Chicago area to work on her new prosthetic. We aren't going in the myoelectric direction this time. We're going to use a body powered prosthetic that will let Jordan really get some consistent function. There are some things she really wants to do: Swing a bat, ride a bike -- stuff she tries SO hard to do but her little arm is just a little too short to help with. Not long after that trip I'm going to China to conduct some training at a media group. Very exciting but overwhelming since I'm also speaking at a national journalism conference in between those two trips. Oy. Oh... Did I mention there's a major election the day before Jordan and I go to Chicago? Man I'm fried just thinking about it.

But I'm excited about the many big things in our future. I look forward to working with a new company and the possibility Jordan will be able to work with a tool that will help her really do stuff she wouldn't normally be able to do. And it won't piss her off. Her current prosthetic hasn't functioned like we wanted and it's gotten to a point where Jordan yells at it to open when she wants it to open. She also yells at it to close when the hand opens and closes for no reason. But I know she's ready for something that works. A couple of days ago we were hanging out with a bunch of adults when Jordan said she has three arms: her big arm, her little arm and her robot arm. I thought she was joking about three arms until she defined all three arms. She's right. She really does have three arms. I love it.

Special Exposure Wednesday

Jordan is periodically interested in hair bows... But during the football game last weekend she decided her bow was more interesting in dad or mom's hair. I caught a moment between Jordan and her dad that is worth sharing.

An amazing thing in the U.S. Senate

I'm not one to try to talk politics here on this web page... I do that during my day at work. But I did want to let anyone know who would be interested about a new bipartisan bill that was introduced in the U.S. Senate on Friday. It was introduced with the support of the Amputee Coalition of America (ACA). The bill is called the "Group Health Plan Prosthetics Parity Act of 2008" and is designed to make sure all health care plans actually make it affordable for amputees to use prosthetics. This has been one of the biggest worries I've held deep inside my heart as I think about the long term needs Jordan might have when she gets older. Right now our health care plan has been pretty helpful with payments for her prosthetics. I was really worried about what would happen once she grew out of our health care and she needed to use her own company. Hopefully this will give her access to prosthetics IF she wants to use one. Who knows. I feel a little bit better if this bill moves through.

Football, dancing and fun

I pushed my luck tonight. I let the kids stay up super late last night then I dragged them all over the place today. We had Cameron's soccer game where Jordan got to play soccer with her newest friends. (Anyone her size is a new friend. It's so sweet) Then we ran to the football game and stayed for the first half. Jordan fell asleep in the car and I dropped Cameron off at a neighborhood birthday party. We immediately went from that to a dinner gathering with a bunch of families at a local pizza restaurant. Crazy. I'm exhausted, the kids are exhausted. We're all fried. It was fun, but exhausting.

Jordan is a busy girl. She had another dance class this week and she just LOVED it. The moment she walked into the dance room she flopped on her belly and just slid around. It was so silly that I had to take a picture. It's just another example of how Jordan takes charge when she's in any environment. She's ready to order any and all people around. It's amazing to watch.

How could I go so long without an update?

Well... it could be because I've been SO swamped at work. There were a number of big events underway here and I had a lot to do with those. During this time, I got a really cool haircut (I have yet to find a cool picture that documents it) and Jordan got back into the swing of taking her dance class. It's obviously a class made for two year olds. Two of the little girls aren't interested in dancing and are much more interested in their mommies. But Jordan is INTO it. The funniest thing is Thursday is also the day she takes dance at her school. So she's really going to enjoy all of this groovin'.

Jordan got to enjoy a lot of grandparent time last week. But that has developed into a strange challenge. She will no longer go straight to bed. She must choose to go to bed and it usually must happen after I leave the room at least once. She will open the door and I'll ask if she's ready for bed. If she says yes, she finally hops into bed and lets me put her blanket on. We'll do the prayers, songs and scratches and she stays in bed for the rest of the night. Speaking of staying - Jordan has figured out how to open all of the doors with plastic door nobs that are supposed to keep her from getting out of the house.

She can do that, but she still won't come out of her own room when she wakes up in the morning. What's up with that?

So many little quirky things. So little time.

The school year so far

Jordan is starting to warm up to her class... It's funny how she reacted so negatively to her new class when she had one teacher that she's had since April and she's in the same room. The trick: one new teacher and only two of the same classmates. We regressed a ton in the potty training department and she was ANGRY at school.

Luckily she warmed up to the class this week. She was happy at drop off and she was kind to her new teachers.

Today she got to go to her brother's first soccer game. She met new friends who are identical twins (her second set of identical twin friends). She had a great time and even tried to kick around the ball a bit. It was great.

We're gearing up to take the family to the first football game of the season. We're very excited. Our team could be really successful this year!! Go Tigers!

Special Exposure Wednesday

This is my favorite moment at the water spray park on Labor Day. She is SO dang funny.
Nothing is going to stop her and I'm pretty certain she'll figure out a way to do a head stand.

Matter of fact

I knew Jordan was getting to the point when she would be able talk about her difference. I think Sunday was the first day I got to watch her in action. There was a little girl sitting next to her at church who looked over to her mom and said: "That girl doesn't have an arm!" I looked at her and said my traditional: "That's how she was born." Then Jordan gave her explanation:

"I got a big hand. See my hand. And I got a little arm. This is my little arm."

So matter of fact. So to the point. I loved it.

Today I took the kids to the local water spray park and Jordan turned up her independent attitude. She demanded I stay away from her as she ran between the playground and the water sprayers. If only she'd feel that independent about potty training. I have her going commando at home, but she made a mess of things during a newsroom visit earlier today. I'm leaning towards going back to Pull Ups until the messes stop. Commando at home, Pull Ups in public. The process exhausts me!!! Seriously, I was down to two Pull Ups when this problem turned up. I was about to have a personal ceremony honoring the end of landfill piles of poop.

Wah.

Here's a silly moment at the water spray park: