Catching Up

It has been a while since I have updated on what Jordan is up to developmentally.  Before I began this post, I looked back at his 1 1/2 year post and it is amazing to me how quickly he learned/grew/developed.  Craziness.

On December 10th, Jordan will be 21 months ... 3 months away from turning 2.  Lord help me, for he's already a handful!

At this time Jordan is:

*talking ... as in actual words that people can understand :) We are working on naming items and not just pointing at everything.  If he wants a banana, he has to say banana - water, milk, cup, etc. You get the gist.  Most importantly, I am finally, finally, mama :) I love hearing that little voice go "mama!". Somehow though, when he is looking for me, I become "stacy" again.  go figure.

*"Help me' has become very common - it's usually because something is stuck or a toy is under the couch that he cannot reach.

*in October, Jordan moved from the high chair to a booster chair.  Mealtimes became easier.  Happy toddler, happy parents!

*Imaginary play is emerging around the Thompson household - what fun! Animal sounds, talking on the phone, and zooming cars.  We love listening to Jordan when he is engaged in imaginary play.

Jordan is a world class fake crier and can 'cry' at the drop of a hat.  He squinches up his eyes and puts on his best sad face.  He'll peek at you to see if you are falling for it, and when you aren't, he resumes again.  If he thinks you have fallen for it, he's all smiles again, trying to comfort you! I have never met a child that made it so hard to not laugh when they are in trouble and "upset".

I found this online recently - Murphys Law for Toddlers.  It pretty much sums up Jordan (and every toddler!)

• When you need to carry a child they will want to walk.
• When you want them to walk they will want to be carried.
• A child's favorite one day is never a favorite the next day (especially food).
• The intensity of the tantrum is directly proportional to the amount of people around to witness.
• The amount of sound from the other room is inversely proportional to the amount of trouble the child is getting into.
• When you are in a hurry the child will dawdle.
• The later you let a child stay up at night, the earlier he will wake up in the morning.
• When leaving the house without an extra set of clothes, they will render the clothes they have on unwearable

Halloween

This year for Halloween, Jordan was ... drum roll please ... Dennis The Menace!

We learned our lesson last year to not use a costume that Jordan would refuse to wear (ie, a headpiece, which happened to come along with every adorable costume). This costume was perfect for Jordan, since he resembles Dennis the Menace in looks & ahem, personality :)

We had a very fun Halloween this year! We went to a party and then later, went trick or treating for the first time! We were unsure if Jordan would trick or treat, but he did! There's a bowl full of candy on the kitchen counter to prove it :)

Dennis, Alice & Henry Mitchell 

Halloween party! 

Trick or Treat!

Nana Time!

What a fun week Jordan had when his Nana was in town!! Lots of cuddles, play time, laughs & love. It was rainy off and on throughout the week & you can bet that Jordan dragged Nana outside to play basketball every time it cleared up. We were also able to visit with Jordan's great uncle (Nana's brother) & his wife. On Friday, David took the day off & the four of us went to Irvine Park Railroad to visit the pumpkin patch. We always love having Nana in town and Jordan loves being spoiled when she's around! Every child deserves to be spoiled at times, right? :) Besides, what grandmother can say no this face?

1 1/2 years

Jordan is 18 months. Just six short months ago, he was turning 1. In six short months, he will be turning 2. Is it just me or does time go by faster when you have a toddler?

At his 18 month checkup, we were pleased to learn that Jordan is quickly catching up in height and weight. Huzzah!

*Jordan is starting to walk backwards, except he's not looking where he's going so he bumps into quite a few things :)

*Bring on the vocabulary! It is fun to hear the new words that Jordan is learning. I don't always understand what is said, but you can tell that he thinks he is being perfectly clear in what he's saying

*Climb much? At any given moment I can turn around to see that Jordan has climbed onto a kitchen chair, the couch, or the coffee table. I did not mind too much, until he decided that standing up on whatever he climbed onto is so much more fun than sitting!

Jordan loves playing outside with his basketball. After dinner the 3 of us usually head outside and "play" basketball.

The big activity for the month of September was going to the L.A. County Fair. I think Jordan could have spent the majority of the time running around the barn looking at the animals.

L.A. County Fair

End of Summer

This has been a busy summer for the Thompsons. We spent the month of July in Oregon with David's family & in August, we spent a week at Coronado with my family. Jordan has been blessed with being able to visit with both families in one summer! As I did on the last post, I have attached a slideshow at the end of this entry from our Coronado trip.

Only one week until Jordan is 18 months, and hits the 1 1/2 year mark. Time sure does go quickly! During the 17th month, Jordan:

* learned how to climb onto one of the chairs outside and turn himself around so he was sitting the right way - so fun to see because he is so proud when he does it!

*is picking up Mommy's phone when it beeps, holds it to his ear and says "hi"

*helps Mommy unload the dishwasher (we're working on putting things where they actually belong!)

*is saying his version of "ready, set, go!" - it usually goes like "sahhhhhh ::pause:: go!"

*wants to sit at the table and be a big boy, but he's far too squirmy to do so!

*when asked "Jordan, who am I?" he points to his eye and says "eye"

*last but not least - Jordan is finally saying "mama" !!! It's not in context with who mama is, and he generally says it in a high and shrill voice, but he says it!

One of Jordan's most recent activities is trying to walk in Mommy or Daddy's flip flop - my silly boy :)

As promised, here is the slideshow of our Coronado trip!

Coronado Trip

Oregon Trip

The Thompson family spent the month of July in Oregon! Jordan loved spending time with Nana (David's mom), Uncle Ian, Aunt Gwen and his baby cousin, Winter! We had a lot of fun being with family and watching Jordan learn new things daily. I have attached a slideshow at the end of this entry, but first .... what is Jordan doing now? :)

At 16 months Jordan is:

*climbing onto various things (loves climbing/walking up & down stairs)
*learned to squat in order to catch a ball that is rolled towards him
*signing "more", "food" and "please". We are working on 'thank you' and a few others
*saying "daddy", "dog", "go", "up", "cat", "out", "there", "hi", "bye", "stacy", "yeah", "no", "down" - not all the words are clear, but we get the gist of it :) The most common saying is "hi dog!"
*if asked what sound a dog makes, Jordan will either pant or go "woof woof", and occasionally, if you ask what sound a cat makes, he'll meow (then our cat meows back at him!)
*showing off his skills at throwing balls (and toys ... we are constantly saying "you may not throw that!")
*feeding himself with a fork/spoon, gets his cup of milk/water out of the refrigerator (once it's been opened), and puts trash away (yes!!)
*finally tall enough to open doors ... (dang it)
*giving hugs and kisses - he's finally becoming affectionate!
*exerting his strong will & stubbornness (terrible 2's, here we come!)

Our little munchkin is so active, fun loving and his laughter is infectious. He's charming and knows it - he uses every trick in the book to get me to smile when he's in trouble. (Notice I say he tries every trick with me - he knows he can get his daddy to fold in a heartbeat!)

And now, for your viewing & listening pleasure, I present the Oregon 2010 slideshow!

Oregon 2010

Shake Your Groove Thang!

At 15 months, Jordan is 21 lbs and 29 1/2 inches long. The big news is that he has gone from the 5th percentile to the 10th in height & weight. Yay!!! It only took 15 months :) Now, as I'm sure most of you know, my little one has a voracious appetite. He just doesn't look like it. It was slightly humorous when the doctor wanted to know what Jordan ate, then was somewhat amazed that he wasn't 'growing' more (I think she meant getting chubby as all get out) with the amount of food he ate. My answer was, "Jordan doesn't know the meaning of the word 'still', not even when he's asleep."

Jordan is:

*"helping" Mommy with chores around the house, and helps Daddy in the yard with weeding.

*learning new words such as 'daddy' and cat'. He "talks" (meaning babbling, with a few words thrown in here and there) to himself often. One of my favorite things is to listen to him 'talk' in the car on the way home - I like to think he's telling us about his day :)

*"reading" - Jordan is FINALLY letting us sit down and read a book to him, usually before bedtime. The other day, I heard Jordan "talking" and went to see what it was. He was sitting on the floor in the midst of books with an open book in front of him, "reading" to himself. Precious.

Last but not least, Jordan is also starting to dance! It is too cute and silly :) Turn the sound up & enjoy!

And .... We're Off!

I chose this clip because not only does it show Jordan walking (!) but it also reflects his personality. My little man is too funny.

Jordan started walking (and stuck with it) at 13 1/2 months. He is now 14 months and almost running. Everyone said that he was going to be fast when he started walking, but no one mentioned that when he would first start, he would be concentrating and thus be quiet - for a time I missed the clacking of the toys on the floor as he crawled around (I always knew where he was!). Now that he's comfortable and is able to bend over to pick up objects without falling, get up on his own, etc - he is back to being vocal. I love that I can ask "Where's Jordan" and almost immediately he 'answers', usually by shrieking and he comes from wherever he was to give me a big grin before heading off again.

I wish I had a map where X marks the spot ... Jordan is continuously picking up random things around the house and finding new locations for them. These locations are unbeknownst to me until --
*"ok, how did this packet of chili seasoning wind up in his laundry basket?"
* "Ah good, the iced tea that I never finished is in his toy chest - nice to know where that went" *"Of course, the coasters should be in the drawer with the seasoning!"
-- and many many more :) There is still a shoe missing somewhere!

To Walk Or Not To Walk ... That Is The Question!

Two days after Jordan turned 1, he walked! Our little boy who wouldn't even walk holding on to one hand walked on his own (while holding a spoon in each hand).  Thank goodness I got it on video because well ... that was it! No more walking.  We've tried so many times to get Jordan to walk again but after a couple falls our timid little boy decided he was much happier walking with us holding on to one hand.  While I'm not the biggest fan of being dragged around everywhere (really, that's what it feels like), I am still thankful that I have not had to resort to chasing after Jordan as he stubbornly turns and walks in the opposite direction as I've seen so many kids do.  :)

Jordan likes to go up to someone (usually that someone is sitting on a couch), grab their hand, find just the right finger to hold, and takes off.  It has provided many laughs as Jordan realizes that he cannot go any further since the person whose hand he grabbed has yet to actually get up and move with him.  Determined little boy he is, Jordan turns, glares and huffs (yes, huffs) at the person, then tries to walk again. He never ceases to make people laugh when that happens!

* Jordan has learned to say hi, uh-oh, bye and up - he is not consistent in saying these words, but he sure babbles a lot (usually dada is his main thing to say) and no, he still has not said mama.
* It seems like Jordan has overcome being a picky eater, thanks to his daddy who has been feeding him whatever he's eating.  Jordan now eats a lot and it is sure amusing to see that little belly get bigger and bigger until Jordan decides he is finally full (yesterday for breakfast, he ate what a grown man would eat! Everyone at the table was staring at him in shock)

This might be the last post I get to write for a while - if Jordan starts walking soon, who knows when I'll be able to blog again! :)

Mommy Wow, I'm a Big Boy Now!

  March 2009                                                              March 2010

Is it truly possible that an entire year has gone by? My teeny tiny 6 lb bundle of love is now a very energetic stubborn inquisitive laughing little boy! David and I have truly been blessed as parents, and Jordan has made parenting easy (so far!).  We'll see what happens when he turns 2 :) 

At the age of ONE (!), Jordan is showing us that he is very much emerging into being a 'big boy'.  Jordan is helping with getting dressed - he will hold out his feet when it is time to put shoes and socks on.   He also will step out of his pants for us, one leg at a time ... even when all I need to do is change his diaper, he's determined to help me by taking off his pants.  He's not so great at helping put his pants back on however. 

Jordan loves his bath time and does not want to get out until the water has drained completely - even then, he is content to keep playing with his toys.  Something he loves to do is stick his face in the water and even lay down while holding his head above water.  Future swimmer? We'll find out this summer!

We have also entered the lovely stage I like to call "kid, you are testing my limits by refusing to eat your food!".  Jordan, the boy who used to scarf everything down has now become a picky eater.  Lord help me - it sure tests my patience.  Yes, those of you who know me are laughing b/c I myself am a picky eater, but I was really hoping Jordan would take after his father in this area! It would not be such a concern if he were above the 5th percentile in weight but since he's not, I get nervous when he refuses to eat his veggies and only wants to eat fruit.  Even putting cheerios in things does not help - he just plucks out the cheerio and eats that.  I could write a blog just on the subject of new things I try to trick Jordan into eating his food!

When the frustration passes and Jordan gives me a huge toothy grin, I remember just how blessed I am and really, how easy it is to be his momma :)

Don't Bother Me, I'm Eating

This month in eating, it has been about table foods & finger foods.  Bye bye pureed/chunky baby food and hello wonderful messy big boy food! It is a relief to reach this stage, even when it seems like I spend more time preparing meals and even more time cleaning up.  Jordan eats almost everything and lets me know when he's full by squashing the food between his fingers and flinging it on the ground.  Oh joy. 

Other happenings this month include Jordan learning gross motor skills - being more and more brave in walking with his push-toy.  Once again, while I am excited for Jordan to walk on his own, I am happy at the moment, especially when I saw how fast he walked with his push-toy!! We took him outside to go for a 'walk' and he had fun using the push-toy, and even more fun stopping to pick up leaves or examine small cracks in the sidewalk.  Such a boy!!

Along with using the push-toy, Jordan is slowly but surely gaining confidence in walking by holding on with just one hand! Okay, so he cries half the time as I nudge him gently and encourage (force) him to walk one handed, but he's usually more than happy to show off when someone is waiting for him on the other side of the room (like his daddy).  It all depends on his mood ... takes after his mommy that way :)

As for fine motor skills, Jordan has learned the fine art of pointing ... at everything :) Still grabs a bunch of cheerios at one time and shoves them in his mouth, but hey, he knows how to point to the bag!

Last but certainly not least - let the temper tantrums begin!! We had our first 'big' tantrum last week and I stood my ground, I "won"! This stubborn boy is going to learn real quick that his momma is way more stubborn than he is!

No No JoJo!

As the title of the blog suggets, I am quite often saying 'no' to Jordan these days! I should rephrase that - I say "that is not for you", "you may not touch the curtain", "Jordan, the cat's toy does not belong in your mouth" and yesterday, "Jordan, it is not okay to poke Liam in the eye".  My goal is to only use the word "no" when he's in a dangerous situation and needs to be stopped immediately.  At first, I thought it would be difficult since "no" is the first thing that comes to mind.  With practice, it has become second nature to use alternative ways of saying no ... and I've been having a lot of practice lately :) At 10 1/2 months, Jordan is increasingly finding new things that he really should be staying away from.  Lately, the only way to get him to stop doing something is to remove him from the situation.  Sometimes he'll crawl back with a grin on his face, but most times he's easy to distract and stays away (for a while).

Quick Updates:

Jordan is crawling "normal" and my goodness, does he go everywhere (and fast!)! I tell people I look forward to him walking, but most days I wish to retract that statement since I have a hard time keeping up with him already! 

Lesson learned: always go into a room before Jordan, otherwise he'll close the door on you then proceed to wiggle and get himself stuck between the door and the frame when you try to open the door.  

Jordan is saying "da da" all the time now and even does the sign (close enough) for 'daddy'.  Saying 'ma ma' and signing 'mommy' are not even on the agenda.  If I ask Jordan to say 'ma ma', he looks at me, smiles a big grin and triumphantly goes "da da! da da!".  little stinker.  Lucky for him he's adorable and I love hearing him say/sign da da.  

The teeth are a-coming! Jordan has two bottom teeth, one top tooth, and 3 emerging teeth on top.  Just in case I forget, he likes to put my finger in his mouth and chomp down.  Looks like "Jordan, you may not bite" will be yet another frequent saying :) 

I had to get creative when it came to giving Jordan his bottle.  My little guy is so active that he rarely drinks a bottle in one sitting and it became quite frustrating for me.  Thank you PBS kids and Curious George!! For a half hour, Jordan will sit on the couch and drink his bottle while watching Curious George.  I have no guilt about this and guess what, I enjoy watching the show as well!