Potty update

I promise not to blog much more about the potty training experience. Here's the deal - Jordan will do it when she wants to do it. Yesterday at school, she told her teachers that she needed to pee, but then they got into a spat over who would take off her pants. Jordan wanted to do it!!! So since that took too long, she ended up peeing in her pants. She had a couple of situations through the day when she just forgot to go to the bathroom. All in all and five pairs of underwear later, I think she made progress.

I have no idea how she's doing at school today - I'm a little stressed just thinking about it though. I really really look forward to this stage ending as soon as possible (you know, like in a year).

Update: Today was a much better day for this experience. Only one accident, but barely an accident at school. She used the bathroom a number of times at home too. I'm feeling a little better about going cold turkey on diapers! I'm really proud of how she's able to pull her clothes up and down on her own when we're not in a rush to go potty. Go team!

Wish us luck

I bought the cotton underwear - She's wearing them and I've already had to do two extra loads of laundry. That's cool, we're learning. She's already used the potty more than ever before.

And she doesn't really like it. When she uses the potty, it's exciting and she's proud. But she doesn't like that I've pushed this situation on her. Pull ups and diapers are awesome.

So... I set her off to school with three extra outfits and an extra pair of shoes. We're in deep now.

Plan averted

I've suddenly started feeling crummy. My goal was to leave the house this evening to shop for cotton underwear for the girl... But I've suddenly picked up a sore throat and I'm wondering if my body is saying I should put this potty training on hold. I'll give it a couple of days.

Here's the problem: She's finally consistent with the potty thing without pants. So I should just go for it. I know I should. I guess I'm trying to hold on to one tiny little piece of sanity that I'd lose the moment we go into hard core potty training mode.

By the way, I stumbled onto an article that talked about how the mom blog Dooce pulls in $40,000 in advertising revenue a month. A month! I am in the wrong business. Wow.

Grace period?

So... Remember how I thought we were in a grace period when we took the crib rail down? A grace period between when Jordan was contained to her crib and the time when she realizes that she can get out of her bed whenever she wants to?

Ummm. We're still in that grace period.

Can I still call it a grace period when we're reaching close to two weeks of sleeping in a "big girl" bed? It's stunning. She stays in bed when I put her down and when she wakes up in the morning, she doesn't get out on her own without me in the room. It's great. It's also kind of strange. Randy has decided that this is going to be a great item to harass Jordan about when she's older. It took her brother about a week to figure out he could escape his room whenever he wanted. That didn't last long. IT was a bit of a battle of the wits. We're headed in that direction with Jordan soon enough. I shouldn't complain.

Speaking of not complaining... Jordan is starting to really give the potty thing a run for its money. Here's the tricky part: Taking off a diaper or pull ups are really hard. The one handed removal with tightly fitting "underwear" is really hard. Tonight she was working with just her elastic shorts and she was doing a great job - pulling up and down and up and down. In all of this effort, she was pretty productive. And it made me wonder if there is practice underwear that would make it easier for her than the disposable stuff. I'm willing to bring four outfits a day to school for Jordan if it helps her learn the potty thing faster. She wants to do everything on her own -- I just need to figure out something that will help her to just that!

Making progress

We were able to get approved and fitted for another UCBL shoe insert for Jordan today. Hopefully that can help her get those ankles working better. The poor kid was exhausted from the combination of a late night dinner celebration for Mother's Day, an early morning First Steps meeting and a 10:30 shoe insert fitting. She was exhausted... So exhausted that she fell asleep on our way to school. That ten minute drive was too much for her. But the good news: I got extra cuddles as I took her out of the car. I swear, Jordan cuddles are some of the best you can find.

Special Mother's Day Gift

Check this out. It may be one of the sweetest things I've gotten from a school project at Jordan's school. I may have to explain what's going on here. This is a piece of fabric to celebrate Mother's Day... On the right side you can see her hand print. On the left side you can see her little arm print! This is super special because none of her other teachers has ever taken part in a class project where they got Jordan's little arm involved. They usually just repeat the right hand... But her new teachers just painted up that little arm and let her go with it.

I love this gift. I have no idea what I'm going to do with it... But I'm certainly never going to get rid of it.

IFSP annoyances

I'm lucky to be a part of the state's 0-3 program that helps me afford Jordan's many therapies and care. (It took many month fighting to get her into the program) It has been a way to help me fund the little things that insurance will fight - like shoe inserts that have helped Jordan's strange leg structure. I finally got my pediatrician to fill out a prescription for new UCBLs (a technical term for the shoe inserts). But then I had to try to track down my First Steps coordinator, find a meeting time and then schedule an appointment for a fitting. It takes a week or more to get the inserts built. 

Oy.

Poor kid will be without inserts at least two months before we get new ones. It stinks that the process is so slow when she's growing so fast.

What's really a bummer is how we have to leave the First Steps program in six months... We could apply to get assistance through the school system. But the difference is the school system program focuses on helping kids with the skills that will help them sit in the classroom and learn. Jordan will be able to do that. What she will need are therapists that can help her to learn how to take her clothes on and off, how to use the bathroom without falling into the toilet... You know, life skills that I hope I can provide, but I bet a little more expert guidance would help her get there quicker. Once we leave the First Steps program, I really don't think I can afford the monthly $160 it would take in copays to get the same number of occupational therapy appointments she has now -- and we'd have to return to DRIVING to the appointments instead of having the therapists visit Jordan at school. Add in the price of using more gas... and that's a lot more money each month. That doesn't even include our physical therapist who is amazing and I'm not prepared to lose. I'm bitching. I realize this and I apologize.

Wow. I'm an Alltop Mom!

I've been a mom blogger since 2004 (I started with Mom Thoughts). It isn't as long as many people out there. I have this small little following and I love everyone who visits here. I've always wondered if there were ways to make sure I reach as many moms out there who have kids with differences. I work full-time and I don't have a ton of time to "pimp my blog." But a friend of mine pitched my two mom blogs to Alltop Moms - it's considered the ultimate aggregator of blogs. I'm really honored to be groups with a great bunch of mom bloggers.

I've been pondering some issues as a parent of a limb different kid lately as I watch Jordan move into a bigger girl stage - I've been wondering if I should post it but I figured this is probably the right moment. I have a couple of hours off from work. A half hour before I need to grab the kids. So I have quiet thinking time (which is rare around here).

I've moved into another fearful stage - I realize that every time I see a huge mountain that Jordan has to climb, the girl flies over it after a few false attempts to get up the rock face. But because I live in a two handed world, I can't fathom how she's going to do all of the simplest things that I do every day. I was opening a container of yogurt, and used both hands even though I tried it with one. I started buying glass milk containers and I have a hard time opening it with two hands. This potty process... Jordan has a really hard time getting her pants up and down on her own.

I realize she's going to figure all of these things out because she doesn't even know what the world is like with two hands. But I'm intimidated. I see these thousands of menial tasks as a huge challenge. And it exhausts me. Jordan's stubborn drive to learn everything on her own will get to her accomplish everything. But to get my brain to wrap around how she'll catch a ball with her new baseball glove AND throw the ball back to me is hard. I know she'll find a way. That little arm can do a lot of work. I just get into these little ruts from time to time when Jordan starts moving into a new phase of development. It's my problem and I know she'll overcome it all. Not once will I ever tell her that she can't do a thing. I just get scared when a simple challenge like getting dressed seems so difficult.

Beautiful day

Jordan and her brother had a busy day as usual. We made a trip to church where the kids got to go to their choir practice. The choir leader says Jordan was really into it. She listened and even tried to sing along. I love that.

The day started out cool, but it was perfect for playing outside. The kids had a great tacklefest with their Dad. And they both took an increased liking to hanging out in Dudley's dog house.

Jordan also got a couple of cool new things at the toy store: a baseball glove and roller skates. I know. I know. They're both things that are a little too old for her. But I thought the roller skates would be a really cool experience and maybe help build a little less fear about rolling things. The baseball glove is from her recent interest in the game since her brother is playing a ton of t-ball games. She even tried to hit the ball off the tee tonight. It was super cute. Every time she got the ball off the tee, we cheered and she would run and run.

"I fall down the bed"

Yeah... Jordan is a wigglier sleeper then her brother. Before I went to bed last night, I found her sleeping on the floor of her room - on top of a book. Early this morning I heard her calling my name. I went into her room to find her on the floor again: "Mommy, I fall down the bed."

I picked her up and helped her back into bed.

I'm going to investigate possible bed rails. I'm not sure. Cam never fell out of the bed. Of course I have pillows on the floor of her room... So I'm not sure what route I should go: Pillow falls or bed rails.

Either way, she had a blast at Cameron's t-ball game tonight and enjoyed the little league bar-b-que afterwards. She napped HARD this afternoon and did not fall out of bed!

Big deal change

This morning I found Jordan hanging on for dear life on the top of her crib railing. I realized I can't let her do that again. I can't imagine the chance of her taking a big fall and breaking something.

So... Here we are. I have a little girl sleeping in her crib that was converted into a daybed. This will be a short run - I'll move her to the big girl bed soon enough. But OH MY was she excited to see her "new bed." The whole family went upstairs to admire her bed. She climbed in and just kept falling into her pillow. "My bed! My bed!" We did our regular book, prayer, lullaby sequence and she stayed in bed.

This is what we call our grace period. Jordan hasn't figured out that she can get out of bed by herself yet.

It took her brother (who was 3 months older than Jordan is now when we moved him out of the crib) about five days to figure out he could roam freely. Wish us luck.

Enjoying the baseball season

Jordan got to go to her brother's first t-ball game last night. She was a little put off by the heavy winds ("There wind in my hair Momma."). But after a while she was playing with the other younger siblings and chasing after me while I took lots and lots of pictures. The season is usually a bit long by the end, but we were all having fun last night.

I've even taken to introducing all of the team parents to Flickr. I created a private photo group so we can all share our pictures online there. So far I already have two new members to the group and I sent out the email two hours ago. That's pretty cool.

I'm merging my nerdy world in so many ways. I've been on BabyCenter's new community for a month or two and recently "bumped" into a new mom from my area who has a little girl born with a limb difference. The funny thing is we talked a few months ago, but we hadn't spoken online again until she found me on BabyCenter. It's a small world!

Cold turkey

Yup. The girl had to drop her lamby cold turkey today. It's been one of many reasons for her to be stubborn at school, so obviously we had to stop bringing it to school. But I'm still a little sad. I can handle her crying about it on her way to school. I'm more sad about how this is just another little sign about how my little girl is growing up. She isn't a baby anymore. Just as Jordan says: "I a big girl."

I forgot to post this

This is how Jordan rides a bike:

28 Months Old!

Another amazing month of growth, words and INDEPENDENCE.

My goodness, I grow 'em independent. So independent, it's why Jordan got moved into the 2 1/2 and 3 year old classroom. They knew she could hold her own... But unfortunately, her teachers will have a lot of "breaking" to do. Jordan has ruled the roost with her previous teachers. Now she has to listen and follow instructions more. Her class is bigger. The kids are a lot older (a number of the kids are already three years old). Many of the kids are potty trained. It's kind of overwhelming to see her around these kids who seem SO much older. So things are going to change for Miss Boo.

This past month Jordan has turned the "two year old thing" up a very large notch. I build my kids loud and strong. I can't complain about that. She also started to hold her own a little better with her brother. Those things I've never seen before -- little shoves, little taps and annoying brotherly things -- are now being verbalized (or tattled) by Jordan. "Mom! Cameron hurt me!" Her brother isn't getting away with anything anymore.

Her swimming teacher today said Jordan would probably do better in the non-parent involved swimming class where older kids are taught... Since the Mommy or Daddy vs. Jordan experience isn't going very well these days. She is just THAT independent. But we love her. And darn are we proud of her. She's talking, she is trying to do EVERYTHING on her own. She's turning into a strong-willed, confident little person and I couldn't be prouder. (Or more exhausted)

What a weekend

It was quite a busy weekend -- Busy because I really wanted to spend time with the kids and have fun. In between the fun, I had many interesting challenges with Jordan. The battle over shoes, getting dressed and putting on the seatbelt continued.

It is tiring and at some points, I have to just get her dressed, get her shoes on and put her seatbelt on. I look forward to bringing in more concepts of logic for Jordan. I think she can make decisions with logic when she wants to -- But in most cases, she just gets so upset that I'm making her do something that she didn't choose to do, there's no chance in reaching her. Typical two year old stuff.

Jordan was a trooper when I helped coach Cam's t-ball team. Randy is out of town so I had some extra responsibility in helping keep the practice in motion. It was tricky keeping Jordan out of the parking lot AND Cam focused on the ball.

After practice and a challenging trip to the grocery store, both kids helped me cook egg burritos for dinner. Cam and Jordan helped me crack the eggs - something I'd never done with them before. Cam was super careful with the eggs. Jordan knocked the poopy out of the eggs. They both loved it. Most nights I'm rushing so fast to get dinner cooked that I don't get the kids involved. It was kind of cool to let them help out even a bit.

A number of big changes

You can tell that I'm swamped at work when I don't blog as regularly. It's so glaringly obvious.

Well, while I've been swamped at work, Jordan's had some big changes in her world.

First, she transitioned into a new classroom this week. She is now in a room with a majority of kids who turn three in the next month or two. It's kind of strange to see Jordan as the littlest kid after she's been very much in charge in her classrooms for the last 6 months or more. But the change is perfect for her. She's so dang verbal that in the last week, her speaking has improved dramatically because she can really talk to the kids in her new room. PLUS, a lot of these kids know how to use the bathroom. And that means Jordan was immediately motivated. We made some progress in that department - even though I haven't moved forward to an all-out training method just yet. (P*tty training bloggers, please do not leave comments, I have my own system thank you very much)

Jordan also officially grew out of her shoe inserts - it was a painful realization. I had noticed a red spot on the side of Jordan's foot, but it rapidly turned into a blister that bled. Randy noticed it when he dropped her off to school yesterday, so I immediately went on emergency shoe patrol. Before yesterday, Jordan had three pairs of shoes: sneakers, a pair of dressy/casual brown shoes and a pair of black dressy shoes. All three pairs had the insoles pulled out to fit the inserts. Well, without the insoles or shoe inserts, Jordan would NOT wear them. So I ran to Target and bought some new Dora sneakers. I also splurged and bought a pair of princess sandals. I realize Jordan will get new inserts and won't be allowed to wear sandals again. But in the meantime, I wanted to give Jordan the chance to play with a pair of sandals. She LOVES both pairs of shoes. She spent a lot of time at school yesterday and today telling the grown ups about her Dora shoes and how she had princess shoes. (By the way, Jordan's pronunciation of princess sounds like "penciss" and confuses people who think she's saying "pencil")

I'm thinking about really working on living a pants-free lifestyle in the house this weekend to get the real training underway. I'm feeling inspired... Even though I need to read three graduate projects and two graduate project proposals.

Yeah. I'm crazy.

Speaking of crazy, Randy and I were both told we are getting promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor. That's a big honor and it's nice to be recognized for all the hard work we give to our jobs.

Playing with video

My newsroom has new cameras and I wanted to figure out how to use them. So I took it home and shot some video. I edited it together and here's some of the results.

First - Video the proves Jordan will say that she loves anything. Even poopy.



She also loves me.

AND some morning playtime with songs and a little loving message to my Aunt Jan -- you can kind of her Jordan says "I love you Aunt Jan" and "Get well soon" before she plays peek-a-boo with the camera.

I almost fell over laughing

The kids rarely take baths together... But we were going to bed late and I had to offer a two for one bath-time to save time. It was so dang funny to watch that I had to take pictures and video.

Our town held its annual Earth Day celebration... Giving us a chance to watch all of the locals pull out their hippie clothing ad dance to drums. I unfortunately blew the event after sending Randy to the car for a camera that I didn't leave there -- I left it at home. Then we had a hard time meeting up... Since my phone as in the camera bag. (nice one, eh?) Anyway, we were able to relieve the stress with the help of watching Jordan eat her very first popsicle. Oh my goodness. It was SO FUNNY. And messy. Add in some face painting and an Earth ball for Cam to jump on and things were better. Jordan was exhausted... I actually had to wake her from her nap so she could get to bed at a reasonable time (note back to the bath). The only challenge that we face for now is during Earth Day, Jordan fell down onto a sidewalk and cut her little arm just slightly. I'm a little worried about putting her arm into a prosthetic all day tomorrow. I guess I'll check to see how it looks in the morning and make a last minute decision.

Cool!

Look!! Look!! I dropped Jordan off at school during music time. The kids were banging on drumsticks to the beat of the music. The teacher handed Jordan two sticks, so my little girl dropped one of the sticks into her prosthetic hand and started banging onto the stick. I took pictures because it was so cool.

Long delay!

After a relatively long business trip, I'm home again with the kids. I hate being away for so long, but I did a lot of good stuff for my students and I got to see a ton of cool technology and ideas. (I was at the RTNDA/NAB conference in Las Vegas - such a silly town)

Jordan got to spend time with her grandparents while her dad and I worked and had fun. We stayed at the super trendy Palms hotel, ate amazing food and even got to see Cirque du Soleil's Love show as a way to celebrate our tenth anniversary. Those who know us are probably wondering if what happened in Vegas came home with us like Jordan -- I have high hopes that we'll remain a two kid family.

The kids and the grandparents left us a sweet note on the door when we got in. I think they missed us.

I'm trying to get Jordan back into the swing of life with Mommy. She's taken to screaming for what she wants. Unfortunately for her, I don't do things for screams so she's going to have to find her talking voice to get action from her mommy. It might take some time to work that out.

This morning we walked Cameron to school in the rain. I decided to put Jordan in the hiking backpack so we could use an umbrella together. At some point Jordan dropped her lamby on the sidewalk. So we hopped in the car and drove around to look for that precious pink thing. The entire drive Jordan was yelling: "Lamby! Lamby!" as if we were looking for a missing dog. It was so funny. Anyway, the wet little lump of pink was discovered on the sidewalk near the school. All is well -- and a cleaner, drier version is waiting for her when I take her to school for the day. It's bring a stuffed animal to school today - so she'll get to bring her new love: A little white Webkin she has lovingly named "Puppy." And no - we haven't gone online to plan with her cyber Webkin. We aren't like that yet in this household.

By the way - that's a picture of Jordan playing with a bubble maker I bought recently. She loves it and I had to play outside with the kids before work yesterday.

Super silly

Jordan is a kick. She is SO stubborn. She's so stubborn that you have to laugh. Her new thing is to take a stand. A loud and screaming stand. It is so appropriate since she's my kid. But today was a turning point.

She talked back at me. I was telling her that we were going to pick up Cameron at school and she kept saying: "No Cameron's school."

I told her yes, we were going to to get her brother when she yelled, screamed: "NO CAMERON!" There was a tone of disdain that I'd never heard before.

Ah life with a two year old. She's also taken to throwing an all-out tantrum when I try to get her dressed or when I need to buckle her into her car seat. Traditional stuff to try and test my will to live.

It's all good. And exhausting.

Busy day

We started the day with an awesome hike. The four of us headed to the nearby state park and enjoyed my favorite two mile trip. Jordan had fun - especially at the end of the hike when she got to get out of the backpack and walk on her own. She was having so much fun at one point I had to remind her to look where she was going -- it was a good idea to walk onto a bridge instead of into a creek.

The evening, we got to go to Cam's first t-ball practice for the season. Last year's practice was while I had to work, so this time around I get to meet the parents early. That was kind of nice. The most interesting moment: A little boy named Jordan (who happens to be 3) asked about Jordan's arm. His mom started talking about his friend who has a little hand. I thought that was really exciting. Apparently there's a little girl who has malformed fingers in his pre-school. Hooray! A new person to meet! The mom said she'd look to see if there's a way to meet this little girl. Go team! The more friends, the merrier!

Party girl

Jordan had a BLAST at Cameron's birthday party. She had to connect herself at my hip when she woke up from her nap (30 minutes into the party)... But once she warmed up to the huge crowd of kids and parents, she was very happy.

There are a couple of really funny things going on in Jordan's world outside of the eye drops and two year freakouts. Jordan has picked up on a sentence her brother says all the time. He often say: "Let me tell you something." Because he ALWAYS says that, Jordan's new thing is "Let me show you something." (It really sounds like "Let me tell yah sumptin') She always grabs my hand, pulls me in the direction she needs and says it. It's a bit challenging when I'm trying to shoot video or take pictures during a birthday party. She also breaks into an "I love..." conversation. She just starts listing off things that she loves. "I love mommy. I love daddy. I love Cameron. I love elephants. I love chocolate. I love shoes" It just pops up into her conversation. The best was in the car on Friday. It just went on and on. She loves a lot of stuff (and people).

One other thing: Boots. Cam got rain boots for his birthday and that inspired Jordan to want a pair of boots of her own. So we went through her winter boots and she's madly in love with a pair that will fit her in the Fall. They are warm. They are cute. She won't take them off. She wants to sleep with them at night. She wants to wear them with every outfit. They are at least one or two sizes too big! Super funny.

Ten years ago...

I had no idea what my life had in store for me... But I knew I wanted Randy to be a part of it.

Ten years ago, I thought I knew it all... But I was only just getting started.

Ten years ago, I promised to share my life with my husband and we've been on a wild ride.

Ten years later, I am so lucky. I have a husband who loves me, puts up with me and helps me take time to enjoy life. Who knew we'd be newsroom managers and professors. We had hoped to to be parents, but we could have never guessed the amazing roller coaster we'd ride with our kids. We had hoped to own a home, have a dog or two... We have it all. We are so lucky and exhausted.

Ten years later I love him as much as I did on April 4, 1998. We know each other better. We love each other deeper. In some ways we're still figuring each other out... But that's the only way to keep things interesting, right?

Happy Anniversary my love!

A party and goop

Yesterday was Cameron's big birthday - and Jordan had to learn what it's like to not be the center of attention. It's the first time when she had to watch someone else open presents. Someone else got balloons. Someone else had songs and cake. She tolerated it pretty well... Except for the beginning of present opening. She didn't like it at all. Eventually she was really happy with the wrapping paper. It's the little things.

At the same time, I started to notice Jordan's eyes were getting SUPER goopy. It was really gross and Jordan was complaining about her eye hurting. I knew that she wasn't going to be able to go to school today. I called the doctor and after a VERY uncooperative two year old experience, she was given eye drops to deal with conjunctivitis. No fun. They actually think she has a virus in her eye that's turning into a bacterial problem. Poor baby. She's doing great with the eye drops - she actually just stayed on the floor and let me put them in. I don't know if that will continue when she starts feeling better.

**UPDATE** She's already feeling better. I'm keeping her home with me today - but I know she'll be back to normal tomorrow and uninterested in these eye drops.

Mud? I don't care about mud!

It's been a very wet spring so far. There's been a lot of flooding in our state. For us, our backyard just won't dry out. So when it rains, the backyard turns to mush immediately. But that doesn't mean a thing to Jordan. Today's temperature was in the low 70's and that was just too warm to keep Jordan inside.

So...

She decided to play in the puddles:



If you can't see that, click here to view it in a pretty nice video player.

I swear, every day she does another thing that makes me fall over and giggle. By the way, to my new BabyCenter friends, sorry I haven't been able to play in the new community - my login is having problems and I can't get back in!

27 Months Old!

27 months old. It's pretty amazing. There's so much amazing happening these days. We're having full conversations. Jordan is trying as hard as she can to butt heads with me, but I'm trying to stand tall. Her talking took up another notch this month... She not only states fact and asks/demands things, she's holding her own in conversations. For some reason, I think it's stinking cute.

Her walking and stair use improved a lot this month as well. She's really holding her own. It's incredible.

What's most incredible is just how she's a little person. She bates her brother. Her brother bates her. It's difficult to listen through the noise and yelling, but it's an amazing process to watch. When the kids get along, it's pretty great. They ACTUALLY have conversations. They're short, but great.

Other awesome things Jordan is doing: Singing and singing and singing. Her favorite songs can pop up at any moment. She'll sometimes sing with the piano. Often I'll find her singing to a doll or an animal when she's playing alone. Lately, I've also found her showing stuffed animals and dolls how to go potty. She isn't doing it yet, but there are many very knowledgable dolls in our household.

This is a amazing age and I'm so proud of everything she can do. I look forward to finding ways to help her prosthetic function better and looking for ways to help get her ankle structure proper. Seriously, I want to get this girl into sandals!! Those ankles have to get fixed before I have my shoe wish!

Group pride

I'm a co-moderator for a support group that's been known as the ABS Support Group for a long time. ABS stands for Amniotic Band Syndrome -- a diagnosis many kids get when they're born missing pieces of limbs. It's what my doctor said immediately. I'm now very skeptical with that diagnosis... And I lean more towards a vascular incident that restricted Jordan's blood flow just at the moment that it affected her arm. Anyway, this week we announced that ABS Support is now called Sammy's Friends in honor of the founder of the group's daughter.

Anyway, this has been one of the online groups where I've found a lot of support. I tend to talk a bunch with the parents on the group and in the last few months, I've become a moderator on there with six other moms. During that time, we've just gone through a big brainstorming process to name the group differently so we can produce business cards and other stuff so more parents can learn about our group and find that there are a lot of adults, parents and kids who can offer support, advice and friendship.

So, one of the moderators put together this really cute logo and we're close to putting together a cool business card. I can share it at doctors offices and prosthetic groups around my area so I can reach out to more kids and parents in town. I'm pretty excited.

GROSS

SO... We're still doing diapers these days. I'm glad because right now, Jordan has the icky intestines. The upside of getting closer to potty training? She tells me when things are getting bad in that diaper of hers:

"Uh oh Mommy. I poopie."

(Oh. Gross.) Thanks honey, let's go change that.

YUCK.

That pink thing

When I was pregnant with Jordan, I was ADAMANT that I keep my little baby daughter away from the color pink. I hated the color. I didn't want to force my child into some kind of gender assigned color coordination. It was wrong. My child was going to wear green and yellow and heck, BLUE but you were not going to put her in pink.

Until she was born.

Oh my. When she was born, some of her clothes didn't fit right because of her little arm. Her little arm would pop out of those stretchy necklines... And I worried about her getting cold. So we bought outfits with zippers up to the neck instead. My mom bought pink... And I suddenly melted. My little girl looked so DANG cute in pink.

Now when I go through her pictures, there are very few without pink. Every time I take her into work, my news director makes fun of me. It's true. Jordan has so much pink. I completely folded. I relented. I accepted a little piece of girliness when Jordan was born. Now I'm pretty accepting. I still wouldn't wear pink all the time for myself. But Miss Jordan looks good.

By the way, Jordan got to return to school today. Her brother isn't AS sick as yesterday, but I'm staying home with him today to make sure he gets better.

We interrupt this regularly scheduled day

Just when we had the day rolling, Jordan and I suddenly spent the day at home while her brother sleeps. He wasn't feeling well... Bad enough that I decided to not drag him into the car just so I could take Jordan to school. So we've let him sleep and she's let me take conference calls and do some work. Unfortunately, this means Jordan missed her second occupational therapy appointment today. Hopefully we'll be able to reschedule for later in the week.

So what has Jordan done today? Well... She's played cards, played with blocks... And I've let her watch TV. I know. I know. I try so hard to not spend that much time with TV... But I've let the rules relax since the day isn't going as planned.

Jordan is enjoying a snack and learning about animals with Zaboomafoo right now. We might find a show that talks about colors -- we need to work on that.

A happy Easter

Jordan enjoyed her third Easter... And she was able to participate in it more than ever before. She put up with my attempts to pose the kids for Easter in their pretty outfits. She put up with my need to put them through an egg hunt. She enjoyed eating a bunch of sugar -- Although she would only take little bites and throw out the rest. She's been eating strangely lately. She loved talking about the Easter bunny and she LOVED challenging her brother over what is hers and what is his. She's getting very possessive. Of course that bugs the heck out of her brother.

Other than that, Jordan made sure she talked as loudly as possible during the prayers at church but happily went to children's choir with her brother. It stuns me how she has grown up since she turned two.

Jordan Approved

Jordan loved it. We all loved it. It's funny and Jordan loved the action and the sillies. She spent half of the time saying: "That's funny Mommy! That's funny Daddy!" and the other half eating popcorn and drinking water.

I swear, if she could, she'd eat nothing but popcorn. Obviously she's my kid.

Thanks blog friends!

I have to say I'm pretty amazed by the immediate response of my blog and web friends when I announced our latest prosthetic arm problems.

I live closest to a Shriner's in St. Louis - that Shriner's does not produce myoelectric arms. So, hopefully my physical therapist will target a Shriners that would be interested in working with us... Or another shop that wants to help. Of course I'll check in with our current prosthetists and see what they have to say. My PT doesn't think it's appropriate to wait until the Fall to get a better functioning arm.

The more advice I can get, the merrier. I'll take more ideas from my blog and web friends. Talk to your prosthetists... Talk to the experts you know. Share the word. Jordan is an unusual case. She doesn't have an elbow - but the base of her arm can bend SLIGHTLY into the direction an elbow would bend. She bends it in that direction when she wants to grab something. So clearly it would be logical to try to harness a sensor in that location. So far, our prosthetists haven't been able to do that. It would be AMAZING to find a way to accomplish that feat. And the fact that Jordan already "gets" the concept of having a hand open and close means if we could get a tool that really works, we could have a tool that can actually help her when she needs it.

Once again, my girl can do just about anything with a prosthetic... But if there's better technology, let's try it on Jordan! Come on! Who wants to play?

Another busy week

It's amazing how swamped I am at work this week. Today Jordan got to meet with her physical therapist for the first time in many many months. I was kind of hoping we'd get the all clear from wearing those shoe inserts and move towards letting Jordan wear cute sandals and other shoes like that.

Oh well.

Jordan wears her shoes with inserts almost all of the time. I don't just watch her walk without those inserts. So today, we took a look. We had her walk around without shoes and socks and you can really see what's going on. The good news: Jordan's knees aren't knocking inward anymore. But her ankles are still strangely pointing in and her feet are SUPER flat. The new recommendation is to get Jordan to walk around without shoes on more often. That may not be as easy as it sounds. Not long after she started wearing bare feet, she started looking for her shoes to put them back on. Apparently walking without her inserts make her feel a little off.

Our therapist also took a look at the prosthetic we're using. It's a myoelectric arm and it just hasn't worked exactly as we wanted. The hand doesn't open and close when we want it to -- and after playing around with it today, the trigger on the sensor is actually inconsistent. It was fully charged! And what stinks is Jordan has been looking at the hand lately and ASKING it to open. That means she totally gets what it's supposed to do! Grrrrr. The one positive about the arm is Jordan's range of motion is finally expanding. She's able to lift her arm up so much higher than before. So we're gaining muscle and to me, that's very important. But because Jordan is clearly ready to work on the hand function, but we can't seem to get that to work properly, our therapist is going to look for other possible options. I'm willing to travel anywhere if we can find a solution.

Jordan's going to be fine with our without a prosthetic. I'm certain of that. But I'm totally open to find an even better option... If there is one.

Every day I am amazed

Miss Independence continues to wow me. She knows what she wants and she's all about ordering me and anyone else around. This weekend she was pretty close to me after I missed most of Saturday due to a work meeting. Today was a perfect example about how Jordan is growing.

While her brother was playing at a friend's house, she and I spent some time outside. It wasn't warm, but you can feel Spring trying SO hard to emerge. I sat down when Jordan walked up and said: "Hold my hand." Then she pulled me all around the backyard. She wanted me to play in the house tent, she wanted me to watch her run... Whatever it was, she made sure I knew it.

A tricky side of this independence thing is the lack of sidewalks in our neighborhood. Jordan doesn't want to hold my hand so we've compromised. She knows she MUST stay on the curb or else she MUST hold my hand. But that hand holding must be instigated by her or she puts up a fuss. It's SO two-year-old. Oh and when she requires me to hold her hand, I MUST hold her hand with my left hand. She will not allow me to cross over and hold her hand with my right hand. She'll say: "No. This hand." So particular.

I know I keep writing about it, but the way Jordan has taken to the stairs is still awesome to me. She's also starting to really put together the ABC's song, Wheels on the Bus, Twinkle Twinkle and of course, Elmo's Song. Every time I try to get video of her singing, she stops. I have to figure out a sneaky way to catch it.

Swimming lesson update

I think I should convince some stranger to take pictures of Jordan and I at the pool just so I can share a picture.

Lately, the only picture you'd get is her screaming: "NO KICK! NO JUMP! NO WATER!" She loves the swim class for the first 15 minutes and then her mood changes. It usually changes after she gets her head fully wet. I'm pretty sure it's a control thing. She wants to be in control at all times and when she's underwater, she feels out of control. Obviously, that's not a good thing in her world. Other than personality struggles in the water, she is getting stronger at kicking and getting more natural at reaching her arms out in the water.

The best part of swim class today: It was the first night when we left the building without freezing to death. Hopefully Spring is actually here. I've been getting pretty annoyed with this long, cold winter.

We won some cool stuff

I didn't want to jinx myself, but that video that I posted earlier won us a really cool contest. I submitted it a while back and today was the official reveal.

We won a couple of iPod Nanos, a couple of watches and some t-shirts. Pretty cool!

I'm oddly sick - Dealing with a fever and a bad stomach. Hopefully it won't last long.

Stubborn. Just plain stubborn.

I've watched Jordan move more and more into a very stubborn mode. It's standard with a two-year-old. The funny thing is it doesn't make me mad most of the time. It makes me proud.

That stubborn attitude finally has her WALKING UP AND DOWN THE STAIRS BY HERSELF! I know that doesn't sound like a big deal, but it has not been a skill she could do on big, traditional stairs. She doesn't have to have a railing. She's just holding onto the wall if she has to.

Makes a mommy pretty darn proud.

Then there was swim lessons tonight. Oy. Half of the time she would say: "No kicks! No pull! No swim!" She did kind of jump in the pool twice with my guidance - from the edge of the pool, deep down under the water and back up. She came up both times spitting water and feeling excited and scared and a bit clingy all at the same time. She did give high fives to her teacher so I guess that means she felt like those jumps were an accomplishment. It was great hearing her teacher talk about how it was cool to see how Jordan can do anything any other kid can do. Yup. She sure can.

Whirlwind trip

I just got back from a whirlwind trip where I had a chance to meet with a bunch of companies in California. I had hoped to meet up with BethGo, but the schedule was packed. I barely slept. I did eat well (Cliff House, Brickhouse Cafe, Circolo) and I am feeling very inspired when it comes to my job.

I got home without getting to see Miss Jordan before she went to bed. But she did make sure she hogged the phone when I called in this evening. She can talk and talk and talk but when she has a phone in her hand, all she says is: "Hi Moma! Hi Moma! Hi Moma! Hi Moma!" I think she's just trying to hog the line so no one else can talk.

Spring... Please don't leave!

Finally! A beautiful day!

It was warm today! It was so warm that we didn't even need a jacket! It was so warm that I just want to write sentences with exclamation points!

No seriously, we went on a hike on a local trail and walked to a nifty playground near a little lake. You could feel a sigh of relief everywhere you went. This has been an unpleasant winter.

Jordan was super happy to ride in the hiking backpack. Anytime you say the word "hike," Miss Jordan gets super excited.

We even got to grill outside for dinner. That meant the kids got to just ramble around in the backyard, squish in the smooshy wet parts and enjoy chalk, baseballs, basketballs and even the wagon. It was simply a happy thing.

Jordan got so dirty that she had mud on her face down to her toes. (Yeah, she took her shoes off because she didn't like having mud on her shoes.) The big moment of the day: Her yearlong strike on riding swings ended today! She asked to get on her swing and just giggled as I pushed her. I'm SO glad she's willing to ride again! (There I go with exclamation points again)

This video brings me good luck

This sweet video that oooozes with love brought some extra good luck to the family today. I'll tell you more when I confirm our good luck.

Family time

Jordan got to enjoy a surprise visit from Uncle Barry and Beth yesterday. She was so excited when she saw her Uncle. The coolest thing: She knew who he was before we had to tell her. That's pretty special. By the end of their visit, Jordan was calling him "Beardy" with periodic proper pronunciations. Very cute stuff.

Today Jordan got to hang out with the big kids at a Science Night event put on by Cameron's after school program. It was super cool and Jordan even got to help create slime! Gross, but she really liked stirring. Maybe I'll get her to help me make pancakes or cookies that involve stirring. I think it's that play kitchen of hers that has got her into mixing and creating.

By the way, for those of you who were wondering, Jordan's prosthetic has been back for a week. It seems to be working a bit better... It still has a strange click when the hand opens very wide. But the sensor just seems placed a bit wrong -- it either goes crazy and constantly opens and closes from Jordan's muscles or it barely opens and closes. There doesn't seem to be a happy medium. So I'll just keep considering the arm as a tool to help her grow muscle -- And I've seen her use it for all kinds of gross motor things. Today I watched her push a chair into a table and pull up into a big chair. I even showed her how she could use it to drink from a water fountain.

That was kind of wierd

I took Jordan to the grocery store today. Just as we were walking in I noticed a table of Girl Scouts selling cookies. That was no big deal, but I immediately recognized my OB-GYN who almost delivered Jordan (she kind of flew out on her own... seconds before my doctor ran into the room). Anyway. I sort of never went back to the doctor after Jordan's birth. I was really unhappy about the fact that no one noticed a missing arm in the ultrasounds. I felt a bit pressured from some family members to stay away from that practice. I just kind of backed away from the medical community for myself and focused on finding the right care for my girl. So today was the first time I've seen the doctor in almost two years (she met Jordan once when she was four-months-old). I was polite and Jordan was NOT interested in saying hi. I'm guessing Jordan felt my discomfort.

For some reason that meeting made me feel a little raw.

This doctor didn't really have a thing to do with Jordan's difference, but she put me back to that place where I first felt lost and unsure about my little baby. Of course that little baby has turned into an amazing little girl who struggles to get those pull-ups on and has mastered putting on Velcro shoes. I shouldn't feel like I felt two years ago. That OB-GYN shouldn't stir that up in me... And yet she did. Damned brain.

What a big girl!

Two weeks ago we started Jordan on swimming lessons. Four lessons later and today Miss Boo kicked butt.

We got into the water and she instantly started kicking. BIG splashes. She did so well. This swim school puts short tables into the water so the little kids can stand in the water. The idea is to learn how to put on your "sea legs." Two weeks ago, Jordan screamed as we got her to walk up and down the table. Tonight, she not only walked up and down the table. She didn't even need to hold my hand. PLUS she learned how to jump. And when she realized the glory of jumping in water you should have heard the the squeals of happiness. She hasn't mastered jumping outside of water so this was really fun for her. PLUS, Jordan started blowing bubbles and being okay with putting her head under the water. I was SO proud. I never saw this much progress with Cam at this age. I felt so proud and she just had fun. It was totally worth the insanity it takes to get the kids fed and dressed and out the door in time for the class.

Not to mention how dang cold it was after the class.

When is winter going to end?
Ahhhh!

One little thing

Say a prayer for my Aunt Jan. She's amazing and battling cancer. She has battled and battled and continues to kick it's butt. She's currently going through an experimental treatment that left her a bit fried and somehow still with us.

I just talked to her on the phone and I just want to make sure as many people as possible are praying for her. While she's fighting this, she's still thinking of me and offering me advice. And that means the world to me. She means the world to me.

I love you Aunt Jan!!

Ten Percent Rule

Randy threw this one at me and I think he may be right... I just don't spend time dwelling on it:

Ten percent of parents are totally cool with being around Jordan. They don't care she's missing some of her arm and they just know she's a kid and it's obvious her family loves her. 90 percent of parents don't know what to do so they just kind of ignore the family's existence.

That sucks. But it's true. Randy noticed the 10 percent rule while at swimming lessons yesterday. I think he's right. I wish I could move that to the 90 percent rule but I don't think our culture can handle that.

Speaking of noticing differences... Some of Jordan's friends from school who are six months older started asking me about Jordan's arm. She was wearing a prosthetic that day and we all talked about how Jordan has a smaller arm and the prosthetic helps Jordan get strong. Both kids showed me how they have a big arm. It was sweet and non-judgmental. That made me realize that we're probably only six months away from letting Jordan speak for herself. Six months. That's mind boggling.

Found a new way to play with pictures

Click here if you want to see it bigger.

You can build multiple pages and then Scrapblog creates a little power point presentation of all of your scrapbook pages. It's cute. I've always been jealous of those people who create beautiful scrapbook pages on their computer. I'm a bit busy to really get detailed, but this was simple and cute.

Getting brave

Jordan had a ball egging her brother on today... They ended up playing pretty well right before bed time. But the big moment was when Cameron jumped onto the little toy rocking horse that sits in the living room. Jordan has been wary of it... Until now.

With my help, she got on and had a BALL! She was obviously proud. Check out that smile in the picture. It wasn't long ago when I tried to get her on that horse and she was not going to risk it. She felt really unsafe. Tonight, when I was taking her upstairs, she kept calling "Horse! Horse!" thinking I'd change my mind and let her ride it one more time before bed.

Nope. I'm a sleep nazi.

Anyway. I'm happy to see her continuing to be brave. It's awesome.

My little valentine

Jordan had a ton of fun with this Valentine's Day. She started the day with a yummy breakfast snack at home and at school. I had been pretty bummed that I was going to miss her school party since I was helping out at Cam's event at his school. UNTIL... The poor kid got sick. Suddenly I had a chance to see Jordan eat ALL of the chocolate that her friends gave her for the holiday. And since I'm the dorky mom, Jordan handed out little containers of Play-doh instead of candy. To be honest, I watched two of the 9 kids in the class try to eat the dough. (woops)

Jordan ate ALL kinds of sugar. I mean a lot. That picture proves it. She was covered in chocolate. So what did I do? I took her to work so she could eat more sugar while I worked. You know, newsrooms are famous for their collection of food. What was even more incredible, my sugar-high daughter even ate dinner when we got home. I don't know how she did that, but I can only predict ugly things to come in future diapers.

How's that for a post-Valentine's Day post. Pretty darn loving, he?

I love this kid

She is a different kid

Lately everyone at Jordan's school has commented how similar she is to her brother. She is stubborn, she thinks she knows what is right and DANG IT she will do it her own way. Apparently she is willing to throw tantrums like he did (and honestly, still does). But tonight proved she's a different kid.

She enjoyed swimming lessons.

She REALLY enjoyed it. She giggled and splashed and learned how to jump into the pool from a sitting position. She tried to kick and she really worked on reaching out and paddling towards the edge of the pool. I'm thrilled. While we were working, Cam was learning to swim with a class full of kids who were smaller than he was. Good news: he didn't seem to mind. He also didn't cry at all. (sigh of relief)

Anyway. I'm pooped. Changing our schedule to include evening classes is really hard. I rushed home to grab the kids to get to swimming on time. Randy picked them up, dressed them and fed them. He kindly heated food I ate on my way to the pool. We got there JUST as class started. I'm sure it will get easier. The trick is it's so cold, you have to get dressed before and after class. Add in the need to clean the chlorine off the kids before bed and you've just eaten up two hours of hard core work.

It's all worth it when you watch Jordan giggle and splash.

What's even more enjoyable, I didn't feel like everyone was staring at us in the baby class. Everyone said hi and giggled right along with Jordan. It was really nice. I didn't feel ostracized... and I've felt that way before at pools. So I think this change of scenery might actually get us swimming more by the summer.

"I fart"

As I continue to try and teach Jordan about how to manger her bodily functions... This weekend she made it clear that she understands what a fart is. Every time she does it, she makes sure we ALL know it.

"I fart! Mommy, I fart!"

"Great Jordan. Can you say excuse me?"

"I fartcuzme!"

Today she was incredible at church -- No, not when she was trying to talk about every baby that made a noise during the prayers ("A baby!!" "Shhhhhhh!!!") When I got up to take the kids to the children's sermon at the front of the sanctuary, she just walked up, sat down, sucked her thumb with her lamby. When it was over, she got up and just walked with the crowd to choir... Cam and I had to chase after her. Then she walked into the choir room with Cam and didn't even turn to say good bye. She had a great time according to the choir director. Cam says she didn't sing much. But I'm thinking we chalk up the occasion as a win since she didn't cry.

The last thing we talked about tonight was about farts... I tried so hard to convince her to say excuse me every time she mentioned it, but I think that might take a while. She's kind of stubborn.

Weekend, sweet weekend

I just got Jordan down to bed... She made sure she tried to keep me in her room longer by asking for "Moh rubs. Moh sawngs." She wanted more backrubs and more of my lullaby songs. Sorry Boo... It was time for bed. She was so tired that she was going to cry but decided halfway in the middle of the first cry to just quit and sleep.

I figured something out that's kind of cool today. I tied a shoe with one hand. It's actually not that hard -- The hard part is getting the little bunny ears tight. I used my foot and figured it out. I figure that if I can do it, I can help teach Jordan when it's time to learn.

I'm fried

The combination of election coverage and Randy not feeling well this week has left me running out of steam.

But a couple of neat things have happened this week:

Last night Jordan, Cam and I went to Cam's school for Music Night. First graders and Kindergarteners got to show off the cool stuff they do in music class. Since Randy was feeling sick, we danced and played music and just enjoyed being around the other families from school. Seriously, we have really great parents and kids that go to our school. I'm glad I took time off from the newsroom during Super Tuesday to enjoy music night.

Tonight I took both kids to a local swimming school. Cam has never been a great swimmer and I've had not-so-fun experiences at the local pool that does Red Cross classes. I'd heard good things about the local swim school and Jordan's therapists have recommended that we get her in swimming so she builds more strength in her left arm and shoulder. We started with a one-on-one class with the school owner to guage Jordan's needs while Cam took a group class. In the end, we're going to put Cam and Jordan in the same swimming class twice a week. The goal is to help Jordan gain balance and strength and get Cameron up to his age level in the pool. A two year old and a five year old in the same class? Well, we'll see how it goes.

The bad news:
The prosthetic is broken again. The motor is acting strange again. It clicks and opens and closes without any reason. It SUCKS. I'm really bummed that we're going to have to go without the arm again... Just when Jordan was starting to use it more.

I'm tired. I might actually go to bed early tonight. It was nice to have an excuse to take a shower after the swim class. It was nice to be in a pool even though Jordan cried almost the whole time.

Oh -- And the class kind of felt like when I took the dogs to puppy training school. The teacher was spending more time teaching me how to talk and help Jordan in the pool than actually teaching Jordan. It was funny.

I'm seeing a trend

I was a big nature-loving hippie type in college -- At least before I really got into this journalism thing. I would hike and camp and eat a lot of vegetables. Yeah, I went through a vegetarian phase and I'll admit I'm still a bit skeptical about meat products.

But as my life got busier and more focused on other things, I stopped worrying about it... Until I had children. When the ultrasound said our second child was a girl, I got extra concerned. I worry about the effect American produce and meats have on the hormones of a girl. I worry about a lot of things when it comes to food. So when I was pregnant two and a half years ago or so, I started returning to my organic ways.

Lucky for me that was also when our economy slowly started taking a turn. The price of organic milk isn't much more expensive than the non-organic kind, but fruits and vegetables, meats and other things keep going up. So lately I've been struggling with the organic vs. non-organic choices at the grocery store. Our bill has doubled from what I used to spend with two adults and a little boy. Now that it's two adults a growing boy and a little girl, things are different.

It's tricky. I want to offer the family healthy food. I want to afford it... But it also has to be easy to cook. Dang work. It always gets in the way.

Oh yeah. And it pays for that expensive food.

I see a pattern.

Growing by the minute

My girl
Originally uploaded by NerdyMom

Jordan enjoyed a long weekend with her Grandma and Poppy in town. Along with all kinds of attention, she got her hair trimmed a bit. It was only her second haircut ever!!

We've seen an increased drive for independence -- Yesterday Jordan threw her first SOLID tantrum in the middle of Target. She would not let me help direct the stroller that she was pushing (I should have never let her get out of the that thin!). Obviously one and a half arms aren't that great at pushing a stroller in a straight line... and I wanted to get in an and out of the store. We had already spent a couple of hours snacking and reading books with friends at a bookstore. But Jordan wouldn't let me touch the stroller -- It got bad enough that I strapped her screaming, tantruming body into the umbrella stroller and just let her SCREAM! Cam and I tried to giggle about it -- What else can you do? But MAN! "My do it! My push! My srow-wer! (that's how she says "stroller") She solidly independent. I won't change a thing about that.

She is amazing to watch -- That little fire in her personality is going to carry her far.

Mommy misses her kids

I have been working a lot. A lot.

When I walked into the house today, Jordan squealed with excitement. She scrambled up the stairs. She babbled to her heart's delight. She missed me.

I've been swamped at the beginning of a new semester - There has been a culmination of projects that need attention at the same time. Plus, my class more than doubled in size. I have so many people to train, fires to put out... I could go on and on.

But let me tell you about my girl.

She's now 25 months old. 25 months. Can you believe it?

In this past month, her ability to communicate has SKYROCKETED! She knows what she wants and often puts together the words that helps us know what she wants. She knows colors WHEN she wants to tell us the right color. She wants to sing the ABC's but doesn't always feel like she needs to say the right letters at the right time. She loves to play the piano and she loves to be in charge. She warmed up to her daddy this month. She gets upset if she wakes up late and he already went to work. She hugs and kisses him more. She leans on him for comforting sometimes. She's growing up.

She knows how to say her brother's name and she loves him on her own terms. She's very demanding of him and she always wants what he's doing. Lately she gets upset about her breakfast. No matter what, she'd rather eat what's in his bowl. Who cares if they have the exact same breakfast. She wants HIS.

We continue to talk about potty training. She is not comfortable with actually using the potty after our initial success. She is getting pretty good at pooping on the floor. (YUCK)

Jordan is starting to use her prosthetic a bit more. She uses it at dinner sometimes. She is using it to work with coloring and other art projects at school. She's really doing great with her occupational therapist... Mainly because we're doing therapy at school twice a week. I think I get in the way of therapy.

"Read a book" is a big deal in our house. Jordan is reading up a storm. She loves it when we read, she loves to read, she's copying her brother's enjoyment of a good story. Lately she's been telling me the things she sees on the pages. She really likes Elmo stories, nursery rhymes and baby animals. Her teacher tells me that Jordan is really good at school. She transitions incredibly well. The only thing she does that's challenging is she does stairs very slow. If I felt off balance, I'd do stair really carefully too. So if that's the only challenge in her class, I think Jordan is kicking butt. (But we already knew that)

I'm so proud of my girl. This coming month we're going to try swimming lessons to help build her shoulder strength. I'm considering equestrian therapy as well. I'm just looking for ways to help her continue to gain strength so she can continue to use her prosthetic in more useful ways. If she gets stronger, she'll be able to use it more.

Beyond therapy and talking... I'm just having fun. I look forward to getting past this work hump and spending more time with the kids. They are growing in so many amazing ways.

Special Daddy Moment

Jordan needed to cross the parking lot with her dad tonight. So her dad asked her to hold his hand... She immediately lifted up her LEFT hand.

LEFT.

So he held onto her prosthetic hand and walked to the car together.

Wow.

Wow.

So... Yesterday I had a moment to myself. I was able to take a really long shower. You know, the kind you take when you don't have any concerns. You know, the kind when you don't have to wonder if one of the kids is climbing on top of the kitchen table or drawing on the wall.

I was standing there thinking... I really have let work and kids take up my world lately. There is this one project that I really want to launch. I really, really want to, but I don't have the technical skill to do it and no money to find someone to do it for me. It stinks. Add in other responsibilities for work and the normal kid needs... I let myself go. The only positive side: no weight gain.

Go team.

Tonight the family called me while I was at work. I swear I heard Jordan say: "Come home." Poor baby. I need to slow down, do something fun and take a nap.

Word explosion

Jordan talks. She doesn't just talk, she has exploded with words. Everything she sees she days: "WHATSTHAT?" That's the fast version of asking "what's that?" If she knows what it is, she says, "yeah." If she didn't know what it was, she'll repeat the word.

In the last couple of days, she'll walk up to any of us in the house, drop a book on our lap and say: "READABOOK?" She's even asked Cam to read to her. We've spent the last six months encouraging Cam to read to her and Jordan would always say no. I'm thrilled that she's finding purpose in having Cameron around.

Anyway. The girl is obstinate. She is excited to communicate. We're thrilled with the communication. She really can speak her mind these days. She wants to do EVERYTHING on her own: "MY DO IT!" And man, you have to let her do it. I try to patiently wait for her to ask for help. She does ask for help. More often than not, she doesn't get that aggravated. She's much angrier if I don't let her try than if she does try and realizes she can't do it. That's the kind of spunk I hope she maintains forever.

Silly night

In between my non-stop attempts to launch a new website and taking care of the kids... Jordan got sick for a day and came back remarkably quickly 24 hours later. I'm not sure how you can wake up with a 102.7 fever and feel better by the next day. But heck, Jordan did. After work she and her brother had a fun evening being silly with me.

Quick update

I haven't been online much because I'm desperately trying to launch a new website for work. At the same time, I've tried to continue the potty training message to Jordan. Unfortunately, our success on the first day has not continued.

Jordan has peed on the floor, she's sprayed water from her potty baby doll's bottle all over the house... She's walked around the house without pants for hours at a time. But we haven't successfully used the potty since last Sunday.

I'm thinking that this is too much focus for a little girl who just turned two. I'm thinking about going back to normal life with diapers and forgetting about the trends I started this week (we had pants-free time each day). Jordan actually stood up from the potty today, pointed to her butt, said "I need diaper." Then she walked away and started chanting "diaper, diaper, diaper."

Yeah. I think I'll keep working on the potty thing some other time.

Let the potty training commence

I jumped into the potty training experience today. Jordan started talking about it after church today. She actually wanted to sit on the potty. So while she was napping, I bought a training potty that actually plays MUSIC when something hits the potty. So when Jordan peed into it TWO TIMES today, that potty played a little celebratory tunes.

My goodness, she was proud. So damned proud. She told her grandparents on the phone (with a bit of a mumble that included the word "potty"). When we praised her, Jordan would flash the biggest smile.

I'm not sure if this is just the first little step towards potty training interest or if we're really going to drop the use of diapers. I do know it's an intense process that will take amazing amounts of patience and attention.

Lucky girl

Jordan's grandma and grandpa left yesterday after spending some great time with the kids. I swear, even though I was away from the girl for only four days... She has grown up even more. She's talking, showing more 'tude. It's just amazing how she's sprouting rapidly into a little person.

Quite possibly the sweetest moment yesterday was when Jordan got to go to her new classroom for the first time. She was SO excited to go to school. But when we got to the doorway of her new room, she did NOT want to go inside. My parents were saying goodbye to her before I took them to the airport. They both gave her hugs... And then my dad and Jordan had an amazing little heart-to-heart moment. This picture says it all. Apparently my dad talked to her about how she could play with her friend Dylan and she should go have fun. It worked. She had a great day.

I'm so happy the kids had grandparent time without us around. My parents haven't had that many opportunities. I think it's special for them and for the kids.

By the way, Jordan is finally starting to figure out that hair bows are useful. I bought her a few yesterday and it seems that she's finally figuring it out: They keep her hair out of her face. It's pretty cute. I'm hoping this little turn towards useful hair tools will help us control the crazy hair until I get her bangs grown out.