What do you think....

I'm playing around with a new blog for Jordan:

http://www.bornjustright.com

I'd love your thoughts before I officially make the move! I'm still tinkering with possible layouts.

UPDATE: New look as of 1.11.09!!

Mixed feelings

I had a big meeting with the public school district yesterday to decide if she would qualify for their Individualized Education Program or IEP. It's a specialized plan for a child with disabilities in a learning environment. I had mixed feelings about the process since I don't consider Jordan disabled... But I kind of wanted an IEP so I could continue to get assistance in the expenses needed to keep Jordan in occupational and physical therapy.

The school district spent HOURS working on her case. And their conclusion: She's not disabled. To hear them say that is wonderful. I'm proud of all the hard work we've done to make sure Jordan is self-able and confident. She's a take charge kind of girl and we've worked very hard to keep her from falling behind in any type of physical skills. At the same time I'm bummed because her therapy becomes an out-of-pocket expense. Interestingly, the school district said they plan to monitor Jordan to see if she ever needs more analysis and assistance. My guess is that I'll never let her fall behind enough to have that happen.

So I'm in a mixed place... I'm honored to know they consider Jordan so well adjusted and able. They complimented us on our parenting and advocacy. It's just kind of hard knowing all of the resources out there that can help her -- but we can't tap into them because we've worked so hard to get where we are. It's kind of funny. They will only help kids that are behind in skills... And I want to work hard to make sure Jordan never falls behind. Shouldn't our system have that same attitude? Prevention first?

Today I had another really cool moment with Jordan. I was working on dinner when Jordan pulled out her tricycle. I keep it in the house... I figured why not. Anyway... She pulled it out and ASKED for her bike arm. Wow. She's never done that before. But that's the whole point to her prosthetic -- wear it when she needs it. Not only did she want to put on her arm... She wanted to do it. She didn't put it on perfectly... but she did both steps of rolling on the arm gel sleep and clicking her arm on. She's so amazingly independent. She didn't ride her tricycle very long -- She needs her seat moved further back so the bike arm is easier to use. That lack of an elbow really makes this a challenge. But as Jordan proves every second, she'll find a way.

Interesting trend

In Jordan's ongoing quest to get better at dressing herself... She's running around the house without clothes on a lot more often. Her brother never did this... So it's kind of funny to be sitting around in the house and suddenly notice a tiny, skinny little person walking by.

Happy 3rd Birthday Jordan!

The birthday celebrating didn't end when we left Disney World (which by the way - left a balloon and a card signed by all of the major Disney characters in our hotel room the night before we left). We drove 10 hours to Knoxville to visit my bestest friend in the whole wide world who lives there. Shockingly - we hadn't see her in person in a VERY VERY long time. Even more shocking, she hadn't met Jordan in person yet! But that didn't stop my dear friend Tisha from decorating and buying presents for both kids. It was so freaking sweet.

Jordan hadn't removed the pink hair yet - so we continued to celebrate Miss Princess on her official third birthday. It was the 100 day celebration! (Or 3 day... who's counting?)

It's amazing to think how far we've come in three years. My little gorgeous baby is a now firecracker three-year-old full of energy that far surpasses her tiny frame. Jordan is a handful in so many ways. What she's done in the last year just amazes me. She tolerated an arm that never fit or worked properly... And now she has an arm that is really offering her some ways to balance, play and learn. She didn't wear it much during our vacation, but she's already back on track since we returned home. She started dance class, learned how to go potty on her own and is FIERCELY independent when it comes to doing things for herself. I actually sat and waited for her to put on thick tights on her own this morning. It took her 10 minutes, but darn it - she put them on! Jordan's love of pretending to be a princess, chef, mommy, super hero and many other things blossomed in the last year. You never know when she's going to pretend to be a mommy or a ballerina or a little baby that needs cuddles. She got really good at egging her brother on - They will start fighting the MOMENT you leave the room. But more often than not, she will run over and give Cameron a hug or try as hard as she can to keep up with him. I'm so proud to be her mommy. I'll admit, she keeps getting cuter and she can melt me from time to time and that lets her get away with stuff. At the same time, she's very respectful and worries about others. She's mindful and aware of emotions and needs. I can only imagine the amazing adventures we will have in her fourth year of life!

Happy birthday Boo!!