Jordan's 1st Christmas!

Santa came to see us! Along with most everyone else...hee hee!

Seriously...we had a wonderful Christmas weekend. Kenneth's parents, brother, and nephew came down Saturday and spent the night. We just had a bunch of finger food, appetizer type stuff to eat. I had to work in the nursery, but Jordan stayed at home with everyone. We got Nathan up at midnight after Santa had made his rounds and found his way down our chimney! I went to bed around 1 and they were all still up. That didn't keep Nathan from getting up at 8:30 raring to go! He did tear himself away from his Power Rangers long enough to let me take some great pictures of him and Jordan in their PJs.

Jordan and I went to church, but only for a little while as there were no babies in our room! I imagine they were all at home playing with new goodies! My Mom and Carroll came over after church, too, and Jordan started opening presents. She was so funny to watch! As expected, she was more interested in the paper than in the gifts themselves, but that was just fine. She did help tear some of the paper, though. After Mom left, it was time for a little nap--and do I mean little! She slept for 30 minutes! She took a 30 minute nap when we went to church, too.

It was time to eat around 3:30ish. My Dad and Grammy, my brother and Heather arrived just in time to join us! Kenneth's Mom made pernil (wonderful roasted ham) and Kenneth made rice and beans. We also had sweet potato crunch and mac and cheese. Everything was delicious.

Then it was time to open more presents from Dad/Pop and company. Jordan really made out pretty well. She got toys, clothes and stuffed animals. Anyway, we all had lots of fun and it was so entertaining to watch Jordan with all her presents and paper and all. I am also really happy that everyone was able to make it to our house to help us celebrate--it really made for a very Merry Christmas!!

my first overnighter!

Saturday night we went to a wedding for one of Kenneth's co-workers.
Congratulations Chris and Ashley!!
Jordan, however, stayed at her Nanna's house. The wedding was at 6pm, so we figured it was just easier to have her spend the night rather than worry about transporting her in the middle of the night or having Mom and Carroll have to travel home at such a late hour! Mom was, of course, thrilled with that decision. So, mid-afternoon we packed up and headed out. (I feel like we packed 1/2 the house with all the stuff we took!) I did have a teary moment when we left, but we still needed to get ready for the wedding, so there really wasn't time to be weepy!

It was great to see all the friends that we did at the wedding. I did exceed my usual one drink limit, however. By how many, you ask? Not so sure--let's leave it at that! We even went out for a little while after the wedding. It's crazy how your perspective changes when it's been months since you've gone out without a "curfew"! I kept my cell phone at my side and resisted the urge to call throughout the night. After picking up some greasy food (a necessity at that point!), we went to pick Jordan up Sunday morning. She had a great time at Nanna's and even slept through the night--yay! Thankfully, she is welcomed back! :) I just have to say a huge thank you (again!) to my Mom and Carroll for making our first overnight adventure very easy! And, as much as I'm glad she had a good time and was a good girl, it is great to have her back home gabbing it up with us!

Daddy's back home!

Kenneth made it home from Boston. It was a crazy trip, but he had a great time and really enjoyed meeting people that he talks to all the time. It makes a difference when you can meet someone face to face. The icing on the travel cake, though, was a tree limb on the driver's side of the front of the car. So, there's a nice dent to remind him of his trip!

Oh, the pediatrician is still closed today, so I guess it will be next week before I can make her appointment. With my luck, the only appointment they will have will be sometime Friday and this will be the round of shots that she doesn't tolerate well and be cranky all Christmas weekend! Let's hope not because I believe she will be getting the flu shot this time, too...

freezing rain, freezing rain, go away!

I had planned to tell you all about Jordan's 6 month well check appointment today! However, we didn't make it out of the house (except to the neighbor's) at all because of ice accumulation and an ice storm warning. We went next door to use the phone when even my cell phone wouldn't get a signal. Plus, it was a good excuse to see their new (2-week old) baby, Elaina! Kenneth has been trying all day to make it to Boston for work. Poor thing left for the airport at 4am so that he would not get hung up in the bad weather. I don't think he actually got on a plane until 4pm! And as of now, is still not in Boston!

I will be calling the Christie Group tomorrow to reschedule her appointment, but I can say that I think she is over most of the cough/cold symptoms that she has been fighting. Her appetite is back, too. She's been doing really well with her solids lately. We are through most of the fruits and will start with vegetables tomorrow. She sits up like a champ and tolerates her tummy time a little better than she used to. Kenneth can't wait for her to crawl, but I'm willing to let her take her time! The other indicator that we think she's feeling better is that she has been sleeping through the night without as much struggle--that always make for a happy Mommy!

field trip!

We went to Rock Hill today to meet Andrea. Andrea was born in February and lives in Charleston. Andrea's dad, Stephen, is Kenneth's cousin. I can't believe that it's taken us so long to be able to meet her! Jordan and Andrea got along very well and we took some GREAT pictures of the girls, their dads and their cousin, Nathan, too.

Kenneth's brother had come across some Super 8 home movies of the 4 cousins growing up. During some of them, I could have sworn that we were looking at Jordan! Kenneth looks so much like her that it's just crazy! After a while when we were watching and everyone was identifying people in the shot, they would say "There's blah, blah, blah, Jordan, blah, and blah." I can't wait to get my hands on some baby pictures of Kenneth to post for y'all to see for yourselves.

progress report

Well, the last couple of days have been a little rough. Jordan is still working on getting rid of this cough thing and it hasn't really been too pretty!

Sunday afternoon got ugly enough that we called the pediatrician. Poor little girl just couldn't stay asleep because of coughing and gagging on what she coughed up, which led to more unhappiness than I care to explain! I did have to work in the nursery Sunday evening and took her with me. I'm glad I did because she fell asleep in the car (the ulterior motive) and stayed asleep while we were there. Kenneth ended up talking to the nurse on call and got some tips on trying to make her more comfortable. We did what we could, but it was still a pretty long night!

All day Monday, she just seemed so interested in what I was eating. After her afternoon nap, she was in the highchair while I unloaded the dishwasher, etc. She was kind of fussing a little, so I held up her spoon to her mouth and she opened right up! So, 1/2 container of peaches later, I figured she REALLY must be feeling better to want to try solids again. Woo hoo! That was the turning point because she has been feeling better each day since then!

a new family member!

No, nobody's pregnant, but it's the next best thing! Trey (my brother) proposed to his girlfriend, Heather, tonight! We are all very excited and can't wait to have her in the family. They are looking at the first weekend in June, so they have lots of planning to do!

CONGRATULATIONS!!

doctor's visit

I decided to take Jordan to the pediatrician today. She has had a little cough for a few days, but Kenneth and I both thought that it was probably just drool rolling back down her throat because it sounded like she was trying to clear a tickle. And, she has been drooling a lot because we think she is working on 1 or 2 bottom teeth. But, yesterday afternoon and today the cough started to sound a little more "wet" and she is kind of rattly sounding. She also started with a runny nose, but it's clear, so again I had attributed that to teeth. I beat myself up thinking that I should have taken her sooner until we got to the doctor. Doc says it's probably a viral infection, but not to worry. No meds (fine by me), but to watch if her breathing becomes labored, etc. So, an hour later, I guess I am just like any other first time Mom!! This cough is probably why she has not been interested in her rice cereal and fruits, though. She was doing so well and all of a sudden, she clams up when a spoon comes near her. We're going to take a couple days off from the solids and try again when she sounds a little better. Oh yeah, she weighs 16.5 lbs!! Since she's apparently not missing any meals, I don't think the lack of solids shouldn't be too detrimental...

Great Grandma came to see me!

OK, so she didn't come all the way up from Floriday ONLY to see Jordan, but none the less, my mom's mom is here to visit. As I was getting the pictures together, I realized that we have no face shots of Jordan with Grandma--I'll have to work on that!

Anyway, Jordan got to hang out with Nanna and Grandma after Thanksgiving dinner while Kenneth, Trey and I went to see the new Harry Potter movie. Then Jordan and I went to Nanna's house today to visit for a while (Kenneth stayed home and worked on his car). We all took lots of pictures and just played and played. I'm so glad that Jordan is fairly agreeable and doesn't mind other people holding her. She only really looks for me when she's tired or hungry.

This picture is a prime example of some of the great shots we got. Not sure if she's talking, yawning, ?!?!?! :)



As you know, we have been eating rice cereal for the last couple of weeks. Today we decided to try some fruits as well. The first selection was bananas served this morning. I only tried a few spoonfuls because I wasn't sure how she'd react. She did surprisingly well and the face she made was really funny as she tried to figure out what was in her mouth since it wasn't milk or rice cereal! I can't believe my little girl is eating food!?!

visit at the Manning's

Kenneth is taking vacation this week and while we don't have any real "plans", it will be nice to have him around! We have been missing out on opportunities to visit with his parents, so we went to Rock Hill today to see them. Unfortunately, Kenneth's dad had to work, so we only got to see him for a little bit after work, but he held Jordan for the first time! I was able to sneak a few pictures before the moment ended...

sitting up?

We have been watching Jordan doing "crunches" and really wanting to sit up. She just couldn't quite get it down. The first time that I really noticed Jordan trying to sit on her own was Thursday, November 3rd. But, it was only for a few seconds and I didn't have the camera handy. However, that did not keep me from crying about the fact that my little girl is getting so big! But, over the last few days, she's gotten much better! She can sit up for close to a minute. I can tell that she is trying to balance herself when she starts to lean too far to one side. When she corrects, sometimes she overshoots and topples to the other side instead.
But, I just can't believe that she is 5 months and 4 days old...and sitting (sort of!)! Time is just flying by--next thing you know, she'll be asking for a car! Yikes...what a scary thought!

Since Jordan loves her Daddy so much, she really wants to be like him and drink out of his bottle of IBC Black Cherry Soda. It's hard to see the bottle at first since it's clear, but she is holding it with both hands. I think this might also mean that she's ready to try a cup. How much fun will that be! :)

By the way, we are at a friend's house watching the Clemson/Florida State game--hence all the orange you see!

open wide!

Jordan tried rice cereal for the first time tonight! As to be expected, she rolled the first few bites out with her tongue, but by the end of it, she was opening her mouth when the spoon was presented. She's such a smart girl to know how to do that already! Hard to say if she liked it or not as there were only a few bites involved, but it was a good start on the road to solid foods!

She is still a little small for her high chair. We left the actual food tray off of it because it comes to just underneath her chin currently! It's just one less thing to have to clean off the way I see it!

Jordan also really enjoys the dogs--she is usually very intrigued watching them go by. Sometimes she gets some kisses, too! By the time I had grabbed the camera for this shot, Mackenzie had already laid down, but initially she was standing right beside the jumperoo just looking at Jordan while she was trying to reach out and "pet" her. I think Mack likes Jordan, too!

Why am I wearing a hat that says Miami?

We went to visit the Manning's today. They have this thing for a team that wears orange (yay!) and green (not so sure!) in Florida. Jordan was a good sport and wore her Miami hat even though she and Mommy were covered in Clemson attire! And it was a great day all around since both of our teams won!

Happy Halloween!

We decided to team up with our neighbors to hand out candy to the trick or treaters. They are expecting their first little girl, Elaina, anytime now. Jordan tested out their swing and it must work because she did take a little nap while we were there. This is their 2nd dog, Floyd sniffing her paws...I mean feet! And they were such cute feet that there had to be a picture of the back side, too. This is actually the first year that we have been around to pass out candy and it was lots of fun. And to think that next year, Jordan and Elaina will be able to walk around and get their own candy! Hhhmmm, we may have to rethink this plan since I'm sure that all that sugar is just what a 16 month old will need...

EP family picnic

What a busy day we had! After baby dedication and lunch, we had just enough time to go home, change clothes, let the dogs out and get back in the car. Then we headed to Moonville for Erwin Penland's 2nd Annual Family Picnic. We were home for such a short amount of time before we left again that I didn't change Jordan out of her dress until we got to the picnic! Jordan was a big hit with all of Daddy's coworkers. This is a picture of Jordan's first hayride. Thank you to Brooklynn's Daddy for taking a great picture for us!

Baby Dedication

Jordan was as pretty as a picture today! It was Baby Dedication at church. She wore her hand made smocked dress that her Grand Mamacita made for her (my best friend, Sara's, Mom) and it was gorgeous! I even broke down and bought a bow for her to wear. She was pretty well behaved during the service and waited until we were back down in the nursery to spit up! After church, we went to Mom's house for lunch.

Halloween parade

Everyone dressed up today at school so that we could parade around and show off cute babies in cute costumes! So, these pictures will look an awful lot like the Halloween pictures that we will take Monday since we only have one tiger outfit (what else would she wear?!), but I couldn't miss an opportunity to put some pictures up now could I? :)

the pumpkin patch

At school today, there was a pumpkin patch for everyone to visit. We sang songs (OK, the adults sang songs!) and took some pictures. Jordan's Daddy and her Nanna came to visit. It was lots of fun and there were plenty of baby sized pumpkins, too...

my 1st Clemson game!

Jordan enjoyed her very first Clemson game today with her Mom and her Pop (my Dad). We could not have asked for better weather--perfect football game weather! Jordan made it all the way through the first half without too much fuss. There was a little bit, but who can blame her--she's not interested in what's going on down on the field yet anyway! But, we got paws on her faces, she wore her Tiger Rag and we are trying our best to help her figure out how to cheer "C-L-E-M-S-Oooo-N"! We are hoping she will make a repeat appearance at the FSU game, but it will depend on game time.

Daddy can never leave us!

Kenneth went out of town this weekend for a bachelor party. No big deal, right? Just the girls hanging out sounds like a great weekend! Well, apparently Jordan felt otherwise...She slept very poorly Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. She was up 2-3 times each night. It has been weeks since she was up more than once per night. Kenneth came home Sunday, but it was very close to her bedtime, so they really didn't get to spend much time together. After work Monday, Kenneth got to catch up on his Jordan time and that she slept like a dream! So, I told Kenneth that he is not allowed any more weekends away!

Saturday we did enjoy the great weather downtown at Fall for Greenville. We picked up Mom and Carroll and wandered around Main Street. The food was wonderful and I am pretty sure Jordan had a good time, too!