Christmas Day!

Twas' the night before Christmas and all the presents were finally wrapped. "Santa" had put together Jordan's rocking duck and left it under the tree for her to find the next morning. And as you can see, Miss Kitty was sleeping comfortably in one of her favorite chairs by the tree.


On Christmas morning with the video camera rolling, we plopped Jordan in her rocking duck, and she seemed to like it. Since it was her big present, I was sure she would hate it, but I'm happy to report that she liked it. Of course, we have to rock it for her, but she sits in it and is content even when we aren't rocking it (for about 15 minutes at a time). I had put her wrist rattles on that morning which is why she has an odd looking stuffed thing on her wrist.

I had to get a picture of her with her "My First Christmas" ornament from Eggplant. I wanted to get a cute little girl ornament, but all of those were blond, so I refused and went with the cute little snowman. I even asked the sales woman (a brunette) for a brunette or black haired girl ornament but to no avail.

Jordan sitting on Dave's leg at my mom's house while we were opening gifts. You can see Maddie in the background since we didn't want to leave her home all Christmas day. Jordan is checking out a cute little stuffed frog in a purple dress that Nana got her for Christmas. Thanks again Nana!

Ahhhh!!! The bow is eating her face. Anyone who has had anything gift boxed at Eggplant knows about the huge bows they attach to gifts. Dave got Jordan a Little Giraffe pillow to match a blanket Nana got Jordan before she was born, and Eggplant put this lovely bow on the package. One of us put the bow on Jordan's head, but by the time the camera flashed, the bow managed to slide down to cover most of her face. Since I found it funny, I had to include it. You can also see the other wrist rattle- an elephant.
Since we had the video camera on while opening Jordan's presents at our house, we didn't take a lot of pictures. We kept putting Jordan's hand on the wrapping paper and making her hold it while we pulled the paper away. Although she had no clue what was going on, she seemed to go with the flow. We had a good first Christmas as a family and look forward to many more!

Christmas eve a.k.a. Christmas celebration #2

The second Christmas celebration was Christmas eve at Mom's friend Robert's house. Our wonderful receptionist at work, Pam, got Jordan an adorable dress that she had to wear for one of the Christmas celebrations. Since Christmas eve is a nice sit down dinner, that seemed like the best time. Since Jordan has discovered her fist, it is hard to get pictures of her without her hand crammed in her mouth. I'm also being brave and including some pics of myself.

Jordan and I in the living room posing in front of the tree. Jordan looked cute but wasn't being cooperative with pictures.

Dave and Jordan at Robert's before dinner. I've told Dave he looks mean in pictures, but he refuses to hold a smile for pics.

A family pic. Notice the fist in the mouth.
And then we have Queen Jordan. Of course her crown is actually the bow from Dave's present. And the finger she has a hold of is her Uncle JC's, though he still wouldn't hold her.
Jordan got a Tiffany & Co. sterling silver baby cup engraved with her initials and date of birth from Robert, though I forgot to take any pictures of it. She will definitely appreciate the little blue boxes in a few years.

Don't forget that pictures from Christmas day are yet to come!

First round of Christmas pics

We had 3 days of Christmas this year. We had Christmas #1 at Dave's Mom's house on Sunday. We opened presents from Ma Maw Connie, Aunt Julie and some of Dave's aunts and uncles and ate all kinds of good food from cheese sticks to baked ham. Jordan got some cute clothes and more toys than she knows what to do with. Jordan wore the cute Christmas outfit Ma Maw Connie got for her and behaved very well, even with Zachary chasing our dog around the house. Jordan spent part of the evening laying on Connie's bed being sweet and talking to us.


And after she got tired and a little fussy, Ma Maw wrapped her up and got her to take a nap.
We hope each of you had a good Christmas and keep checking for pics from the other Christmas celebrations, some of which didn't go exactly as planned.

Daycare Christmas party

Yeah for all the comments on the last post! Please keep them coming!

The daycare Christmas party was Friday, though there weren't any activities geared toward the infants, so none of them stayed too long. The theme was Twas the Night Before Christmas, so all of the kids were allowed to wear their pajamas to daycare. Jordan's Christmas sleeper says "Baby's 1st Christmas", though it is a little hard to see in these pics.
Shelly (below) is a girl at work whose little girl, Marlee, has taken a real liking to Jordan. Apparently Marlee has been kissing on Jordan quite a bit lately. When I arrived on Friday afternoon, Shelly was holding both of the girls who seemed to be having a ball. Notice that Jordan is trying to show Shelly's chest- one of her favorite things to do to men and women alike.

And Jordan trying to pose for a picture. I swear she smiles, but it is so hard to catch with a camera.
Merry Christmas eve! We hope each of you have a wonderful Christmas!

House hunting and my ultimatum

As some of you know, we have been doing some house hunting for a couple of months. When the sewer incident occurred, it was the last straw and we decided it was a sign that it was time to move on. We've checked out several houses and have one good possibility at this point. Last Sunday we went with a realtor to a couple of houses, but we bundled Jordan up since it was starting to snow. I just love the teddy bear ears on this warm snow suit outfit.

Now for the ultimatum. While I find Jordan absolutely adorable and love doing this blog, I'm beginning to think that no one ever looks at it but me. My ultimatum is that I'm not going to post any new pics of Jordan until I get at least 5 comments on this post, even if it is just Elizabeth, Kim and Andrea posting multiple times. If you are checking the blog, be sure to post so I know you are keeping up with Jordan and our family. I really want to post Christmas pics of Jordan, so I'm asking for your comments- please!

The Bumbo is a hit

Jordan almost never wants to lay back like a baby, so last week we let Jordan try out the Bumbo seat. After some tickling, this picture of her cracking up shows her reaction. I currently have this picture as the background on my work computer because I have to laugh every time I look at it.


And because Dave has an odd sense of humor, this is Jordan's nun picture. Of course, it is really a burp cloth on Jordan's head, but she looks like she is a cute little nun. This poor child doesn't have a chance with us as parents- does she?!?

Checking out the Exersaucer

Even though the recommended age for the the Exersaucer starts at 4 months, Jordan loves standing so much that we decided to try it out a little early. I got the bright idea to try to put the thing together when I was alone with Jordan a couple of weeks ago. When I encountered problems with the first step, I quickly realized I needed to wait for Dave to tackle this one. Thankfully he was able to get it together without blood shed and minimal bad language. Jordan was amazed at all of the different toys and noise makers on the Exersaucer.


She seems to like it, but she hasn't lasted more than 15 minutes at a time playing in the Exersaucer so far. She can't reach everything on it yet, but she is getting there.
Jordan got another cold, so we had to go back to the pediatrician this week. She is with Maw Maw this evening so Dave and I can get some rest (and because Maw Maw would keep her every Friday and Saturday if we would let her). We intended to go to a party this evening, but I was too pooped to get dolled up and leave the house. Since we've been slackers, we have to drag out all of our Christmas stuff tomorrow. I can't wait to see Jordan's face when she sees the Christmas tree all lit up with the colorful ornament.

LET'S GO.....................MOUNTAINEERS!!!!!

Jordan and I have both been sick this week, so she hasn't been up for too many pictures. When she went to the doctor on Wednesday, Jordan was sleeping when the PA came in. She was so funny when she woke up and realized she had a new audience to entertain. She smiled and made her cute cooing baby sounds like everything was fine even though I knew she felt terrible. Her cough is truly one of the most pitiful sounds I've ever heard.

In preparation for the Backyard Brawl tomorrow, Jordan had to sport her WVU sweatsuit and onesie to daycare today. One of the other girls in her daycare, Marlee, was also decked out in Mountaineer attire, so the infant room was all about team spirit today. Tonight Jordan and I practiced cheering for the Mountaineers, which she seemed to find pretty funny. Dave is going to the game while Jordan and I will cheer from our much warmer living room tomorrow.

Let's go..............................Mountaineers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

14.2 pounds!

Jordan had her 2 month well baby visit on Monday and had to get her first shot since the hospital. After the nurse weighed and measured her, she informed me that Jordan is off of the weight charts for her age, as she was 14.2 pounds! I knew she was a little chunk but had no idea she was already 14 pounds. She is now 23" long, which puts her in the 75% for height. Hopefully she will be taller than me since I claim I'm 5'4" but that is being generous.

Today was Jordan's first Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, she has had the croup and has been coughing and sneezing. She scared my little brother's girlfriend this evening because Kate was holding Jordan when Jordan started coughing badly and then threw up a bit and scared herself. We will be having yummy Pedialyte this evening to make sure she doesn't throw up during her sleep. I hope she feels better soon because her cough is the most pitiful thing. On a positive note, she did very well being drug to 2 Thanksgiving dinners and being passed around a little.

Although you can't see the full thing, her bib actually says "I'm cute- buy me something"

Sewer gas, crap and a condom

Yes, you read that correctly- unfortunately. Dave, Jordan and I had a heck of a week last week, which is why I have been MIA. If you ever think you have bad luck, just call me, and I'm sure I'll be able to tell you about our luck and make you feel a little better.

Last Tuesday, Dave called me while Jordan and I were on the way home to say that we had a major problem because we had sewer gas in the house. When our neighbors 2 doors down had Roto Rooter come to their house due to slow drains, they managed to force the main line sewer into our basement. Dave was 2 floors up on the computer when he smelled sewage and quickly traced the smell to our basement. That's right, he went to our basement to find sewage and a condom that came up through the sewer in to our basement. It got to the carpet and a little bit of the dry wall, so we had to evacuate our house for almost a week. There is nothing like fleeing your home with an 8 week old. We stayed with friends, family and at a hotel one evening. The basement had to be professionally cleaned, and we are now in the process of picking out new carpet and paint. A contractor is supposed to start on the drywall on Monday. This has been a HUGE pain! Oh, well. At least we are back in the house now (knock on wood) and doing alright.

I had to share a picture of some of the items from our laundry room that were destroyed because they were graced by the presence of crap (yuck!)


And most of the basement furniture on our back patio. You can also see some of the ripped out carpet in the grass on the far side of the patio. Thank goodness you can't see the back patio from the front of the house!

And on to happier things...

Jordan is now smiling a fair amount now. Unfortunately it is hard to photograph. Here are a couple of attempts at capturing what I believe is an absolutely adorable smile.

Here is Jordan hanging out on the morning of Oct 30 in her Halloween bib my cousin Reggie got for her. Even though her hands were doing their random flailing, I love that it looks like she is smiling and waving.

And smiling during a diaper change laying in the changing part of the Pack N Play. She hated diaper changes at first but really finds them fun now since I feel the need to blow on her stomach and make faces at her while dealing with the diapers.

Surviving

Last weekend Jordan attended her first baby shower. My friend from work, Marsha, is due right before Christmas, so we went through a lot of pregnancy stuff together. When Marsha came to visit in the hospital, I told Jordan she had to be good so she didn't scare Marsha. We had the same talk before the shower (not that I really thought it would work either time), so I was happily surprised that Jordan didn't cry or fuss at all. When the quivering lip appeared, I gave her a bottle and all was right with the world.


Then, at the firm Halloween party on Friday, Marsha held Jordan in her Halloween costume. Don't you just love the sea shells on her chest?!? I didn't know until later that Marsha had never held a baby under 6 months of age, so I'm glad I took a picture of the big occasion. At the start of the Halloween party, Jordan was extremely alert and looking around at everyone and everything. By this point, however, she was dead to the world in a cat nap.

I'm happy to report that we survived our first week back at work. I was pretty tired much of the time, but we all seem to be doing better in a routine. Jordan has been sleeping better and has only been doing 1 middle of the night feeding for the last few nights. We were home alone for most of Thursday evening, and I was reminded of how sweet she can be when we are alone. When I visit Jordan in day care during the week, I love that she looks up at me with her beautiful eyes and really seems to recognize me.

Mixed feelings

Jordan will be 6 weeks old tomorrow, so I'm returning to work on Tuesday. I am ready to have a break from being home with Jordan all the time, but it is going to be a major adjustment. Pitifully I'm tearing up thinking about being away from Jordan so much and handing her over to strangers. I'm so glad she'll be right there in my building so I can pop in at lunch or whenever I start to miss her too much and can watch her on the daycare cameras.

I took Jordan to a baby shower today, and I'm happy to report that she behaved very well. I was so nervous she would throw a fit and scare the mother to be and was happily surprised that she was very good. Many of the women commented on how alert she was. Jordan always loves looking around and often gets irritated if you don't change her scenery often enough.

On that note, here is a picture of Jordan hanging out in her bouncer but reaching for me. She always has her arms, hands and legs going, but I love when she seems to be reaching for me.

And this is a self-portrait kind of shot during a moment of peace when Jordan and I were home alone together. Often after a bottle and some burping, she loves to sleep on my shoulder, holding on to make sure I don't put her down.

Jordan and Zach

This picture is a couple of weeks old, but here it is anyway. This is the first time that Jordan's cousin Zach held her. Obviously she had no idea what was going on, but Zach is a ham who loves having his picture taken. He and Jordan's Aunt Julie came to the house after a field trip which included a scavenger hunt. Zach was more interested in Maddie most of the time he was here but was happy to pose for a picture with Jordan.


During that same visit, Jordan spent part of the time passed out on my stomach on the front porch. Even if it isn't the most flattering picture of me, Jordan looks very peaceful. She loves just being outside sometimes since there is so much to look at outside.

Naked baby

Jordan has mixed feelings about being a naked baby. Actually, when I snapped this lovely photo, Jordan was wearing a diaper before I got her dressed. I tried several times to get pictures of her laying on the loveseat looking content, but she wouldn't hold still for more than a split second. Putting my hand on her chest and stomach made her hold still for a moment. However, if you look closely, you can see that Jordan picked this exact moment to spit up a tiny bit. As I've said before, she certainly has her mother's timing. Although she is a good sized baby, I think she looks small compared to my hand.

On a side note, we are going to a free baby massage class tomorrow. As long as she does alright, we will then head to my office so more of the girls from work can meet her. I haven't taken Jordan anywhere alone yet, so wish us luck.

Sometimes we'll try anything

So, Jordan has quite a set of lungs and likes to show them off from time to time. When she is screaming bloody murder when it isn't time to eat and the diaper is fine, we end up walking from room to room moving her into a thousand different positions and trying the pacifier trying to find something that makes her happy. Thankfully, these episodes are decreasing in frequency since we are learning her different cries, but they are definitely not gone.

This picture shows one of the odd positions that Jordan found relaxing after Dave had tried a bunch of different things. Sometimes you just have to go with what works...

Have I mentioned that my daughter is a pirate?

Jordan has a habit of keeping one eye watching us when we want to put her down or are feeding her to make sure we aren't going anywhere. We jokingly call her a pirate and say she is giving us her pirate eye since she just keeps the one eye open. She doesn't do it as often now, but it still makes me laugh.

Jordan will get to meet her grandfather this evening or early tomorrow. My dad is supposed to be on his way from NC now to meet his first grandchild. I'm not sure if I've seen him hold a baby after my 23 year brother, so this could be interesting. I'm glad he is staying with my Uncle John rather than staying with us since our nights can be pretty hectic. Jordan has slept a little better the past few nights, but I don't want to jinx anything by saying that. Keep your fingers crossed for me on the sleep front!

First sponge bath

These pictures are from Jordan's first sponge bath a little over a week ago. Since her cord was and is still on, we haven't tried a real bath yet. This sequence shows the uncertainty before the bath....

The not so favorable reaction during the bath...

And the excitement and relief after the bath when we were drying her off with one of her hooded towels.
I'm happy to report that we gave her another sponge bath yesterday, and it went much better. I really hope she likes real baths when we reach that point.

On a side note, Jordan met her uncle JC on Saturday. His mature reaction was fear of the umbilical cord and comments that it looked like goose poop. He wouldn't even hold her. Such a wuss!

Today was my due date

It is amazing to think that Jordan wasn't "scheduled" to arrive until today. Instead, she kicked her own plan into gear and showed up 11 days early. We have already had the joy of semi-sleepless nights and fits of crying that last more than 30 minutes with no real reason behind them. She is snoozing at the moment, so I'm probably going to try to take a nap, too. Today is my first full day being here without one of the grandmothers coming to assist during the afternoon, and I already went to the back deck with Jordan and almost locked us out. Since then, Dave has told me where we have a hidden key that I didn't know about. Oh, boy...

This picture is of Jordan hanging out in the changing part of her Pack N Play with an up close and personal picture that shows her beautiful eyes when she is alert and content.


And I love this picture below. Dave is adjusting well to the true balancing act he been doing. Maddie seems to be protective rather than jealous, but she always wants to be close to the action. She keeps trying to get close to Jordan and sneak little kisses on the head and feet. She is pretty good to stop when we tell her to though.

1 week old today!

Here is a picture of Jordan sucking away on a pacifier in the hospital shortly before we got to come home.

And a picture from her first car ride. I, of course, had to ride in the backseat with her. She stayed awake for the first few minutes and then drifted off. I love this picture because Jordan was so alert and taking in all of the scenery. This picture also features the fancy outfit that her grandmothers bought for her to wear home. As soon as we put the outfit on her, she spit up a little bit on it. Thankfully it wasn't much,
And last but not least a picture which shows Jordan's favorite sleep position when not in a swaddle blanket, arms up. Here she is sleeping in her Pack N Play, which has been one of the most used baby items we have. It is currently set up in our living room so we don't have to go up and down the stairs as much as we would have to if we were always putting her back in her cradle.

Amazingly, at 8:15 pm Jordan will officially be 1 week old. She had been rolling onto her side since the day we brought her home. She is also trying to grip the bottle already.

I got my staples out today at my OB's office and am happy to report it genuinely didn't hurt. My stomach feels a little better now, but the steri-strips won't come off for another 7-10 days.

Tomorrow Dave returns to work, so it will be my first day home with Jordan for a long period. He has, of course, been running to the store and the gym for an hour here and there, but I've never been alone with her for a long period. I think both of the grandmothers are coming by tomorrow afternoon, so I will have reinforcements during part of the day. Wish me luck!

Jordan is here! (and healthy!)

As you probably already know, Miss Jordan Alaina arrived on Monday evening at 8:15pm via c-section. At my OB appt on Monday, the plan was to schedule a c-section on Friday Sept 14. Apparently Jordan had other plans though. My water broke within 2 hours of my appt, and my friends from work Andrea and Chanin drove me to the hospital. I should get to go home tomorrow, but below are some pictures of Jordan in the hospital.

This picture is of Jordan being held by nurse Bethany right after c-section.


And a picture we took of Jordan after we got her dressed for her hospital photos. Of course, as soon as we got her dressed for the picture, she dirtied her diaper and had to be changed. She already has her mother's timing. She is going well and sleeping well so far, though who knows how things will go when we get her home tomorrow.

Made it to 38 weeks

In honor of the big game tomorrow, here is a pic of our Mountaineer flag out front. Say it with me:
"LET'S GO....................................................................................MOUNTAINEERS!"

So, I've officially made it to the 38 week mark. Of course, that means I haven't had a drop of alcohol in 34 weeks- not that I'm counting. Below are 2 pics from our 4D ultrasound that was done at 31 weeks and 6 days. I can't wait to meet Jordan in person, especially when I look at these pictures!

Hopefully everything will go smoothly this weekend. Dave is going with me to my u/s and OB appointment on Monday. I'm sure I'll post on Monday to share any info I get from the doc and the u/s tech. Wish us luck!

Monitoring in L&D today

I had a regular appt with my OB today, and my blood pressure was a little high. I got sent to labor and delivery for monitoring- what fun. Jenny was nice enough to go with me, though they made her wait in the waiting area for a little while to begin with. Thankfully my BP went back to normal before I left the hospital and most of the blood work came back fine. I came home to rest afterward though. I have to go back in the morning for 1 more blood test, though my doc seemed to think everything was fine. I did learn that I'm having small contractions that I can't even feel, which is crazy to think about.

Since Maddie was so happy to see me coming home early, I'm adding a pic of her to this post.

First blog post

I wanted to start a blog once the baby arrived but decided to go ahead and start it since I'm not exactly technologically advanced. I'm counting on Kim, Andrea and Elizabeth to help me figure this thing out so I can post pics and video clips once Jordan is here.

On the pregnancy front, I'm still pregnant, though the girls at work seem to think I could "go" any moment. My due date is still almost 3 wks away, but with the baby measuring big, who knows what will happen. Other than extremely swollen feet and calves, I guess I'm doing as well as I can.