My merry little girl

Jordan enjoyed her first Christmas... And she proved again and again that her brother is so much cooler than any gift we can give her. Every time we had a present to open, she was more interested in what Cam opened and what he was playing with. It was sweet and funny to watch Cam's aggravation.

Miss Jordan is trying harder and harder to pull up. She's finally taking steps when you hold her arms and guide her across the floor. And man, she loves saying: "HI!" It's been so fun to watch her grow in the last week. She amazes me by the minute how grown up she is these days. My baby... Isn't really a baby. And an amazing development... Jordan loves and I mean LOVES talking on her Elmo cell phone. I have no idea where she learned that! (ha ha)

We're getting ready for Jordan's big birthday. To think a year ago on this day I was feeling very certain Jordan was coming soon... And man was I uncomfortable! She was worth all of that and more.

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.

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.