She can eat cake!

Birthday Cake!!!
Originally uploaded by Jen Reeves.

It took a little extra effort, but today Jordan ate her birthday cake. She wasn't interested at first. She was exhausted from all of the fun gift opening. (Her favorite gift: a bucket of blocks) So I sat Jordan into my lap and started eating my own slice. I fed Jordan a couple of bites when she grabbed my fork... And started creating a wonderful mess. Jordan destroyed that slice of cake -- jabbing it, eating a little of it. But mostly, she was taking pieces of the cake and touching it with her little arm or sticking it under her little arm. Why? I don't know. But she had a ton of icing on her sleeve and under her arm. It was strange and sweet and messy and so dang funny. And obviously, she had a BALL. It made all of us smile.

Happy Birthday Jordan!!!!

Today may not have been the most fun of birthdays... We spent the day driving home from Florida. I think we made up for it by going to Disney the day before Jordan's official day. The moment we got there, Jordan was treated like a princess. She was wearing a birthday girl shirt... Someone noticed and told us to go to city hall. So we were able to get Jordan a pin that said: "Happy Birthday Jordan!" Anytime a person who works at Disney noticed that pin, Jordan got cool things: Like stickers or Mickey glitter... Heck we even got an extra "Fast Pass" to the Stitch adventure ride. I remember going to Epcot a couple of times for my birthday was I was in elementary school... But I certainly don't remember getting a pin and getting extra-special treatment from Disney "cast members."

Anyway, Jordan was an awesome Disney World girl. She napped in her stroller, she smiled and waved hi to strangers, she gripped onto me tightly on the Buzz Lightyear ride. And she started picking up words. When we first got there, Cam said the name Goofy, Jordan said: "Goofy." We never got her to say it again, but it was cool for that moment. She did say "Yay!" a bunch of times. But for most of the time, she just smiled, said hi and giggled at her brother. It was pretty awesome. We had a dinner lunch at Disney where Jordan got a cake. The wait staff announced Jordan's birthday and asked everyone to blow her a kiss. It was very sweet. She wasn't very interested in the cake though. I'm guessing it's just because she was tired. But when she licked the icing, she made a big face! We have another cake planned for her at Grandma and Poppy's house, so we'll see what happens.

When we were driving towards home today... I watched the clock and kept thinking moment by moment about what was happening one year ago on this day. At 5:06 we sang "Happy Birthday" in the car to Jordan. She was pretty tired at the time, but seemed to appreciate the song. This picture is one of the many I took while she and I played in the back seat of the van. I can't believe what a sweet and happy girl Jordan has become in the last year. She and I have spent so much time together... As I fed her and watched her grow... As I took her from appointment to appointment... As we learned how to hit every possible milestone in whatever way it took. My big girl is amazing. I've said it many times before, when Jordan was born, Randy and I were at peace with the challenges ahead. But I seriously believe that Jordan can and will do anything. She might have to do it differently, but she is amazing and has found a solution to everything. She is also so flexible and willing to go with the flow. She has dealt with so many therapy appointments, doctor's appointments, family trips and needs... Even loud kids in the baby room. She maintains a happy attitude and a willingness to play and enjoy life. And she LOVES her brother. The one thing that was proven time and time again during our holiday trip was how Jordan LOVES her brother. The way he makes her giggle and how she would play with a piece of dirt if Cam was playing with it first. She loves that boy with all of her heart. Our family is so blessed. The cool part about Jordan's limb difference is how we've been able to meet new families, get to know new communities and have a better understanding about how being "different" is okay. And an amazing benefit to Jordan in our life is how we're learning how being around different people doesn't have to feel different. That may be one of the greatest gifts for all of us. When I think about my family and how lucky I am to be a part of this, I want to cry. I feel blessed and lucky to be the Mom who can guide Cam and Jordan into happy and caring lives.

Happy birthday little girl! I can't wait to see the amazing things you are going to do in the next year.

Working so hard

Jordan had to run off to school early with her brother the last two mornings because I've been leading the morning meeting in the newsroom... And that means scurrying the kids to school right after they wake up. It's no fun for any of us... And I miss my mornings with Jordan. She's been a trooper... I gave her a bottle the last two mornings and she didn't care at all. I did get out of work early enough today for Jordan to work with her physical therapist... And Jordan showed off how hard we've been working on her ability to stand and attempts to pull up. Afterwards, Jordan scooted all over the basement looking for ways to pull up and stand. Our best options right now (other than her cool cube toy) are the stairs and full clothes baskets. Lucky for Jordan, we have stairs on two floors and there seems to be a full basket everywhere as well.

I'm exhausted. All this work, kids and holiday preparation is just a bit much. I'm trying to get some laundry done and get to bed at a normal hour. I can only hope I can pull that off.

Bulging gums

I'm wrapping presents tonight. I was tired of doing that so I thought I'd drop a few thoughts about Jordan's life. I know Jordan isn't really one to complain... I mean her first teeth showed up with no change in her personality. But I keep thinking about teeth when I'm around her because her upper gum line is SO swollen. I wonder when all of her teeth will decide to pop through. Her front teeth not only have caused swelling, but there are now two lumps where they'll eventually show up. The funny thing is how she's not waking up in the middle of the night to complain. As usual, she's not drooling. She's kind of cranky when she doesn't get her way, but that just comes with the age.

What am I babbling about? I don't know. I guess I'm giving fair warning for some announcement about how all of her remaining teeth arrived in one week. Mind you, she only has two teeth at this point.

Another issue to think about. The pants Jordan wore today were almost black on her bottom. She scooted on my recently swept floor, the newsroom AND the damp ground in our backyard (it was a really warm day). I don't know what to do except just buy cheap pants because if she continues to scoot, there's nothing I can do but wash in hot water and deal.

We went to the mall today. Dumb I know, but I had to get gifts for a few more people. I strolled around with Cam and Jordan and we actually had a pretty good time in the crowds. Cam was great and Jordan kept it together with the help of a few diversions from her tickle-monster brother (he likes to tickle her face and she thinks it's SOOO FUNNY). When I go out in public with Jordan now I don't look for stares I'm happy to present her and I offer no excuses or reasons because Jordan is who Jordan is. She was cooed over in so many stores. It's the sparkling smile... and swollen gums. Anyway, I caught a couple of stares from kids here and there, they were slight and not offending in any way. But it was funny to notice a few and not take offense, not worry about it... it's just the way things are. I'm SO glad I'm cool taking Jordan anywhere. I'm not patting my back, I just feel like it's still an accomplishment to have grown so much in the last year with my little girl. I'm so much less self-conscious about my life, my family... We are who we are. And if you want to get to know us, go right ahead!! We don't bite.

I'm still looking for the shirt: "You stare because I'm different. I stare because you're all alike."

Time is ticking

The holidays are roaring into my calendar and I feel totally lost. I have a ton of wrapping, packing, mailing, sorting, cooking... everything to do. But I have to clean my house. It's terrible and it's starting to bother me. It doesn't help that our backyard is muddy and the dogs keep tracking mud into the house. It really doesn't help that Jordan scoots on her butt and nomatter how I try to sweep and clean, her butt is always dirty looking from being my own personal Swiffer broom. Tonight I couldn't take it any longer and threw the pug into the bathtub. Hopefully that will help my nose buds from falling off everytime he tries to sit on my lap. The big dog is a lost cause.

I can't over emphasize how Jordan has turned into a toddler in the last week. She is arching her back and getting mad when I pick her up sometimes. When she WANTS something, she really wants it bad and she's not afraid to scream or yell for it. She really wants food and she's going to wave her hand around it in a similar fashion to the sign I made up for her that means "More!" She is obsessing over a toy that lets you put magnet letters into it. When it fits perfectly, you press down on the letter and it plays a song about that letter and tells you the sound it makes. Jordan loves it when she gets the magnet to fit. But she gets very upset if she can't make it work fast enough. She'll actually throw a magnet to the side and pick up a different one if it takes too long to work. I'm guessing she's assuming that the letter must be broken and the next one might fit better. It's amazing to watch. And exhausting to think about the next stage we're heading into.

Baby's first stage performance

Jordan got to perform in her school's Nutcracker show... And she was sweet and happy and waved at the crowd at the end of the show. My camera didn't do a good job capturing her very brisk time on the stage. But she got to sit in the front of the sage at the end of the show... And she smiled and clapped and waved. It was very sweet.

She did such a great job at the show and even smiled a ton while we went out for ice cream afterwards. It was a fun night!

By the way, Jordan was wearing her baptism dress as part of her costume tonight. I can't believe she still fits in that... And it still fit with her wearing a shirt under it. Crazy.

New trick

Today, I found out that Jordan drank her own bottle at school! I was thrilled to hear this, and decided I'd try to push those lessons further with travel sippy cups. I've read on some limb difference boards that those cups are the easiest for one-handed kids because they're so light weight. Apparently, that advice might be true. Jordan grabbed the top of the cup and then pushed the cup up with her little arm. SO freaking cool.

Tomorrow the girl and her brother perform in their school's yearly Nutcracker performance. Jordan will play the role of a snowflake and I'm not quite sure what Cam is going to be -- something that requires dancing in a circle. I'll let you know tomorrow.

Breaking news

When Randy and I weren't looking, Jordan pulled up into standing all by herself onto a big block toy. This is a picture of the toy. I bought it for Cam when he was little... And he never really took a serious liking to it. But Jordan digs it... And here's a funny thing: Cameron really likes it a lot now that he's 4 and a half. Anyway. Jordan pulled up so she could look inside the square compartment. Big freaking deal. Then Randy thinks Jordan tried to take a step to me. But I think he was seeing things.

Either way. The girl is rapidly figuring things out. I'm thrilled and I'm really happy I've found a toy that she can use to pull up and keep practicing the skill.

The holidays are here

After the big storm, we've been delayed on decorating... But yesterday we turned on the holiday music, put up the tree and turned on all kinds of lights outside in the front yard. Jordan seemed to have a lot of fun pulling ornaments off the tree. She won't keep a santa hat on... But I caught this picture at the right moment.

I've been getting nostalgic about Jordan since her birthday is coming up soon. For some reason, her first birthday feels like a huge accomplishment... But in a different way from Cam's. I think it's because I know what happens after the first year... She's days or weeks away from becoming an official toddler. She's already growing a personality that fits a toddler: She knows what she wants, but she doesn't always know how to explain it beyond grunts and whines.

Then there's the standing... She's trying so hard to stand up. Almost every time she's on the floor these days she plants her feet and sticks her butt in the air. We just have to get her to improve her pulling up skills. Balance? She has some of it. It's a process that we'll just keep working on day after day.