18 Months Old!!

It's Jordan's half birthday!! It's just amazing to think about what a big girl she is turning into. We had Jordan's 6 month IFSP meeting this morning: Individualized Family Service Plan as part of the state's First Steps program. We are going to cut down on our PT time (we were approved for 2-3 appointments a week) and we're going to continue the two OT appointments a week.

Another big deal event happened today. Jordan started making the transition to her new classroom. It's full of 18 to 24 month olds. All of the kids walk and play at a level that Jordan needs to reach. She knows a few of the kids really well so I think she'll be excited about that. I will miss the wonderful teachers she's had in the 12-18 month old room. They have been so incredible with my girl. But I'm glad she's making the move just so she can be around older kids who can challenge her physically.

Jordan isn't screaming as much as she did last month. She's finding words and using a few more signs. She is still very clingy in a loving, but challenging way. For some reason, when I gear up to cook, Jordan turns up around a leg demanding I pick her up. I actually cooked an entire meal with her in the hiking backpack just so she'd stop begging! She is still a Mama's girl... But she's also getting much more excited about her Daddy. In the past week, she's been much more interested in him. As we drive home, she starts giggling and yelling "Dada!" She squeals when she sees him. She kisses him on demand more often. She also smooches her brother more often. As we drop him off at school, Jordan always walks over to him and gives him a kiss. She seems to be pretty proud of that. I think Cam is proud of it too.

Jordan is talking so much. She's very interested in making dog noises. Her favorites are monkey and dog noises. But she can make all kinds of other animal noises on demand. She can also copy a bunch more. You should hear her say 'moo.' I should try to get some audio of it. Classic stuff. Colors aren't that exciting to her yet... But she is starting to get excited over Dr. Seuss's book on colors.

My girl is becoming more self-reliant... But she's still trying to ask me to carry her around. I'm doing my best to help her but also encourage her to give it a try on her own. She's trying very hard to play just like her brother. Any toy he has is better than the one she has... Standard younger sibling stuff. She knows what she wants: His stuff. We're hearing the world "MINE" more. It will make our future road trip very loud.

We spent most of the past month dealing with intestinal issues... They aren't resolved yet. I'm hoping her final 6 teeth might come in and clear things up... But Jordan's made it clear that teeth making is a slow and mysterious process for her. We're going to have to get her prosthetic fixed for her growing arm... And we're going to need to get lifts back into her shoes to help straighten out her legs and flatten out her feet. But with all of the challenges, she's growing and thriving!

Who knows what kind of amazing tales we'll tell in the next month!

Could I be leading my girl astray?

For the first time in my 17-month-old's life, I let her watch almost an entire hour of Sesame Street. She sat on my lap while the whole family gathered in our bed. She kept pointing and saying "baby!" The theme was about babies and what it's like being an older sibling. Cam was even engaged.

But here's the thing. I haven't really plopped the girl in front of the television before at home. She's watched DVDs in the car during a long car ride, but never at home. By this age, Cam was a pro. But Cam turned into one of those kids who zones out with the television on. When he was little, he'd throw such a tantrum when I turned off the tv that I just stopped turning it on. Nowadays Cam has to earn 30 minutes each day. That's pretty much it. So Jordan loses out. She watched about 50 minutes this morning and she was so engaged. She learned about the letter E and the number 17. She watched all kinds of people talk about babies. She loved pointing out the babies.

Should I Tivo Sesame Street so she can learn more some other day? Is she falling behind because she hasn't worked on colors and numbers like Cam did... Especially since we've spent so much time getting her gross motor skills up to speed? I know this is silly, but my boy knew his colors at 18 months. That's before they really teach that kind of stuff at school. It's silly for me to expect Jordan to understand colors at the same age. It isn't normal. But for some reason, I open that little baby color book every morning for her to read just in case her mind can grasp onto the concept of colors as early as her brother.

Did I mention Jordan demands to read books in her crib every morning before I can get her out and change her diaper and clothes? She loves to page through her bwa-bwas. (Yeah. She calls a book "bwa-bwa")

Did I mention that the closer Jordan comes to being a full-time walker, the more personality comes out? She's dynamic. She loves to interact with people, but she's wary of strangers at first. She'll actually hide into my legs. If she's comfortably walking, she'll drop down into scooting mode if she feels crowded by a stranger. She also loves to say hi. She is starting to talk to people on the phone! But as she grows more independent, she still loves me with all of her heart and soul. It's incredible to watch the joy in her face when I walk in. It's so great to get the hugs and cuddles when I pick her up! She is such a sweetheart.

Did I mention she'll kiss Mommy, Daddy and Cam on demand. She'll even kiss the phone when asked while we talk to family members.

Did I mention that Jordan is SO into using the word "no." It's comical. I'll tell her it's time to go upstairs. She says no. I ask her if she wants a snack. She says no. Any sentence that ends in a questioning tone leads to Jordan saying no. Most of the time, she really means it. She wants to do her own thing unless she wants me to get involved. It's FASCINATING to watch her become her own person. Cam made this transition so rapidly, I'm gobbling up the process of watching Jordan grow.