I decided to start blogging about Jordan from the moment I found out I was pregnant. Jordan was born with a little arm that didn't grow like most babies. Her left arm stopped just above the elbow. Now I'm committed to making sure Jordan gets everything out of life. We feel blessed to be the parents of a very special little girl.
Showing posts with label Jealousy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jealousy. Show all posts

7.27.2007

I guess it's time to go home

We are mostly packed up and ready to go... We have two days of 12 hour driving to make it back in time for work on Monday. I kind of feel like the stars and moon aligned properly to send us off the right way -- look at that picture. The moon came out with all its glory to glow onto the cove tonight. It's a peaceful view from our porch.

I hope things will be peaceful in the van as we drive home!

One moment to note from today. Jordan is starting to figure out this jealousy thing. She can't STAND it when I am cuddling with Cam. But it goes deeper than that. Cam was coming out from his room while Jordan was sitting next to me on the couch. When she noticed him coming down the stairs, she immediately climbed up on top of me and cuddled into my chest. She was laying there just staring at her brother. She wanted to get his goat. Oh man. Let the mind games begin. Or they've been going on and I've just started catching on.

7.26.2007

Pie, lobster and the beach

We've continued this non-stop vacation with non-stop trips. After visiting the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens yesterday, we took the kids to eat at one of the best diners in the country: Moody's Diner. We got their famous 4-berry pie. We even bought a slice for Jordan She'll eat it ONLY if disguised in vanilla ice cream. It was strange, but I was happy to see her try it no matter what. Cam opted for the standard slice of chocolate cake. Oh well. I cooked up my famous scallop dinner. Cam wasn't interested at all, but Jordan took a few bites before throwing it to the floor. She's really into throwing food lately. She mainly throws because she only wants to eat one food type at a time. So if she's eating a hot dog, she'll throw the bun so she can eat the bread. If she eats the bread first, she'll throw the hot dog. If I catch the food first, she'll probably eat what I salvaged, but not until she's done with the first food. You just never know. After a while, she just throws everthing. She throws before she says "all done." By the way, Jordan's "all done" is "no no" in a sing songy "all done" manner.

Today we let Jordan take a good morning nap before we drove off to one of our favorite sandy beaches along the Maine Coast: Reid State Park. I was pretty surprised by Jordan's reaction to it all. After I put her into the water where a little surf was lapping our legs, she screamed. Randy thinks she freaked because the water was so cold. I'm just not sure if she trusts water that moves like that. Either way, we didn't really get into the water very deep. She did enjoy a bit of time in the water jetty nearby. Her brother had a BLAST jumping and running through the frigid cold waves. He's getting braver by the moment. When Cam invited Jordan to join him in the water. She gave him a solid: "No." I almost fell onto the sand from laughing so hard.

Tonight we had our annual home cooked lobster meal. Jordan and Cam got to see the lobsters before they went into the big cooking pot. Cam is still very scared of the hard shelled guys. Jordan wasn't phased at all. She just checked out those guys until she got annoyed with just sitting there.

Speaking of annoyed. The brother/sister dynamic is becoming a lot clearer in this time away from home. Jordan is growing so fast right now. She even said "lobster!" These cool developments in her personality has us zeroing in on her... It's exciting to see her become her own person. But Cam is seriously jealous. He admited to me that he feels left out sometimes. It's one of the hardest parts of growing up. Jordan deserves the attention... Cam deserves attention. Figuring out the right way to give each what they deserve and need is the hard part. I think it doesn't help with the way my girl clings to me. Even after this many days with our whole family, she's still desperate to be in my arms. It's great for my arm muscle growth... Terrible for the overall peace between my son and I. We'll figure this out just like we have all kinds of other things to figure out. I do know that long-term vacationing is wonderful and we've been so damned lucky to do it.

3.04.2007

Family weekend

Jordan got to spend the weekend with her Grandma and Poppy... While I judged contest entries all day on Saturday. It was an honor to be a part of the judging process, but MAN did it take a long time. I missed a whole day with the family.

But here's the moment every Mom wants. I came home while the family was eating dinner. I walk in and there's Jordan waving her hand and little arm to say hi. She was SO happy and it made me smile. You know, the deep-down smile where you feel warm in your belly. Her bright little face. It was just a great moment.

She started chanting "no no no no no" this weekend. Yuck. The funny thing is most of the time she's not really saying no to mean no. She's just saying it because it's a word. Hopefully it's just a beginning for words that help her feel like she's communicating... And won't need to scream.

Another thought... I've noticed I'm obsessing on two-handed kids again. Maybe I'm really just obsessing on kids that can walk. I'm not sure. But it feels like I go through waves where I'm still dealing with a little sadness and jealousy towards other families. It's silly though. Jordan doesn't know any different... Her world is complete. Hell, my world is complete. But every once and a while, I just wish it was as simple as other families have it. Pulling up to stand isn't even something you notice, because it's so easy. Going out doesn't require finding a jacket that fits over the prosthetic arm. I don't want pity... I guess I just want it to be easier. In reality, things aren't that difficult in our world. Jordan needs therapy, she isn't walking, but she is growing, learning and so happy. I shouldn't complain. I'm just a little jealous lately.