Sara and Jordan

This was taken this past Saturday. Aren't my girls beautiful?

Trip to the U.S.

We have been home almost two weeks, but our trip back was so eventful that I have to still blog about it! We didn't have a leg that wasn't full of excitement and obstacles!

It all started from the very beginning-- when we checked in in Chiang Mai. Several of our friends met us at the airport and helped us through security with all of our bags, which we actually only checked five of the eight we could have checked! We went to the international ticket counter and were told that United didn't renew their contract to allow us to go through immigration in Chiang Mai. We were allowed to check our luggage all the way through, but couldn't go through immigration and therefore would not be able to spend the evening inside the airport area where we had reserved a day room (our flight from Bangkok left at 6:40 am). We all went to the domestic check-in area to check our luggage and then went back to the international side to see if immigration would let us go through, which of course they didn't. Our flight got delayed and we were afraid the United office would close before we got to Bangkok so we called. They didn't really understand our dilemma (that we really needed to stay inside the airport so we could stay in our day room). We did find out that their office would be open until 10 pm. Our other problem was that we needed the bulk head for Jordan's car seat because it needed to be reclined. When we got on the plane, we were not in the bulk head and Jordan's car seat didn't fit...but it was a short flight so it didn't matter. Once we got to Bangkok, we hurried out to get to the United office. It was "hidden" and had to be pointed toward it but finally got there to find it completely dark! Lufthansa was next door and we asked them if they knew where they were and we called and had her talk to explain our problem. We find out they actually are inside but in the back! One of the ladies calls the day room hotel and finds out that they have a hotel only 10 minutes from the airport and we can use our reservation there. They arrange for us to be picked up and we trek back down to the meeting point in the airport. We finally get to the hotel and get some sleep...but about an hour less then we would have if the original plan had worked out and we hadn't had to leave the airport. We get back to the airport the next morning 15 minutes before the counters were suppose to open to check-in. (They opened early but we were still one of the first to check-in). At first we didn't think they were going to give us the bulk head, but Jacob was very patient but firm with the agent and he finally put us in the bulk head but says he can't over ride the computer for our flight from Tokyo and we'd have to work on it when we got there. That flight was 6 1/2 hours and wasn't too bad, our request for a child's meal got lost so Keely didn't really eat much but she did take a 2 hour nap. In Tokyo, the agent didn't have much sympathy for us but did agree to put in a request for 2 seats in the bulk head but couldn't guarantee it and told us to check at the gate right before we boarded. They did have a wonderful play room in the airport and Keely played hard on the slide there and ate a McDonald's hamburger (she didn't eat on the next flight either). At the gate, they wouldn't let us board as early has they normally do but when they finally did let us board our boarding passes beeped when they went through the machine and we found out they moved two of our seats and Jordan and I had the bulk head and Jacob and Keely were about 6 rows behind us. We got on the plane and Jacob got Jordan and I settled and by that time the family with the 3 seats next to us arrived (it was a family with a college age daughter) and we presented our story but didn't think they would switch seats but they did! That flight was very difficult (and was good we were all together for the moral support needed to get through the flight)! During our first meal, Keely was really restless and I let her get up and was walking in circles between our seats and the bathroom while Jacob ate until we hit turbulence! Keely had no understanding of this and couldn't understand why we were trying to get her back in her seat and she had a melt down (which included screaming). We tried hard to calm her down but couldn't and she screamed for what seemed like 10 minutes (it may have only been 5, but we have no idea). About a minute after she calmed down she fell asleep...only to be woken up less than an hour later! Keely can gain a lot of rest during a cat nap and we knew we were in trouble!! Jacob and I kept dosing on her but she just couldn't fall asleep. Finally we took Jordan out of the car seat and set it up for Keely and put her in it and gave her some stickers to play with and Jacob and I dosed off again. I woke up hearing Keely look at Jacob and say, "Daddy" and look at me and say, "Mommy." I closed my eyes and when I woke up again she was asleep! She slept the last 4 hours of the 11 hour flight until we got to the gate in Chicago. Our last flight thankfully was uneventful!! What a trip!! I'm sure glad we won't be doing that again for a few months!

2 Months

Jordan turned two months August 6th. Boy does time fly! She is such a sweet little girl, even when her belly seems to be hurting as bad as it has seemed to be lately! We are all looking forward to these next few months when life is calmer (hopefully) to just "hang out" and watch her and her little personality grow and develop!

Sweet Moments

Father gave us some sweet moments to hold on to today-- especially for those hard days! About a week before we left Chiang Mai, Jordan started getting fussy more during the day then just during her late afternoon fussy period. The day before we left and the day we left she was particularly fussy-- so much so that I had to put her in the sling a few times both days in order to do things. She continued to have longer fussy periods--all afternoon and into the evening and sometimes in the morning too. We have been very blessed though that once 8:00 or 8:30pm comes, she falls asleep pretty easily and sleeps pretty well and when she does wake in the night to eat she falls right back to sleep. I have tried taking out all kinds of things in my diet and we have given her gripe water that has ginger and fennel in it, but nothing has helped a ton. But I have been blessed to have Jacob home to help entertain Keely during these times. HOWEVER, today has been a very good day for Jordan and has been fun to see her awake, alert and happy! She still had her late afternoon fussy period, but she had really good wake times. One time after she ate, she sat in my lap and just followed Jacob has he walked past and of course he came back in the room and walked back and forth in front of us for awhile! (It's the little things!) Keely was more interested in her since she was happy today also. One time stands out when she wanted to hold her hand. Later in the afternoon she wanted to hold her, which she hasn't really wanted to much in the past. First she sat next to me and held her and then she sat in my lap with Jordan in her lap. It was really sweet. Thank you Father, I needed that today!

Keely tickling Jordan's tummy

FINALLY

...we have consistent internet! It has been a long process getting it set up and we are in the United States! I guess things aren't just long and tedious in other countries! What's really sad is that I didn't even know Jacob posted a preview 2 month picture of Jordan until just now! The house we are staying in belongs to a local fellowship (that is actually just 2 doors down) and we were told we were responsible for paying the phone bill, but when we tried the phone it didn't work and we just assumed it had been turned off between families staying here. Jacob spent all last Monday morning trying to get the phone and DSL set up and finally had to get the phone set up first before we could do DSL and it wouldn't be turned on until Friday. Thursday my parents get a phone call (that was our contact number) wondering why we wanted a second phone line and come to find out the phone hadn't been turned off but the line had been cut outside! Jacob got that reconnected and we finally had phone! The next day he went to talk to the secretary at the fellowship and found out we had DSL but we didn't have a modem and of course we didn't bring ours with us. Jacob ordered one that day and it arrived to FedEx this morning but wasn't scheduled to be delivered until tomorrow. We decided we had waited long enough and went and picked it up from the FedEx office this afternoon and we finally have a local phone and internet!

We have been busy with celebrating Jacob's 30th birthday, getting settled, me getting sick and going to Tulsa for a surprise(ish) welcome home party for my cousin who is a marine. All of us only struggled with sleeping through the night for a night or two (besides Jordan) but it has taken this whole time for our bodies to really adjust. A two-year-old helps you realize that! Today seemed like the most normal day so far!! We all have needed that! I'll try to get pictures from Jacob tonight and start posting more regularly from now on!!

Jordan - Two Month Preview

New Photo Blog Site

I have decided to start a photo blog site. This is where I will post images that I have captured. You'll still see some on here, but if there are some that are not family related, then they will only appear on the photo site. The link is http://jacobfranklinphotos.blogspot.com.

Playtime

Today we took Keely to the library for story time. This was her first time to a library. I think she enjoyed the books and toys more than the story time.

Our Little Helper

Ok, so ever since we returned to the states, I have been having a GREAT time with my new camera, a Canon 40D, with a 50mm f/1.4 lens attached to it. Here is a picture I took tonight. You can see that Keely is quite the helper, making sure Jordan's diaper is quickly and efficiently disposed of.

We Made It

As the title says, we made it back to the states. We have no internet yet, so bare with us for a while until we can get some posts up. The girls did as well as could be expected on the way home. The 11 hour flight was the toughest, Keely was so tired that she couldn't fall asleep until the last 4 hours of the flight. It made for a long flight for us all. Anyways, we're home, and all are doing well. Pictures, updates, etc, coming as soon as we can get internet at the house.

And we are off...

Hopefully we have been up in the other air for about an hour and are on our way from Bangkok to Tokyo. We should be in Missouri in 24 hours!!

Here are a couple pictures of Keely helping Jacob pack up!

Prayer Bear

Keely likes to recite or sing with her toys that talk or play music. She also likes to sing along to songs on her CDs as well. She doesn't get all of the words (which reminds me of myself sometimes when I don't know all the words to a song), but it's cute. Grandma Franklin loves precious moments and gave Keely this bear that is saying a nighttime prayer.

Can you tell Keely likes to play in her crib even when we come to get her in the morning? Sometimes it's like pulling teeth to get her out of bed because she wants to play with us while she's in her crib.

Tiny Shoes

My aunt sent Jordan some cute tiny shoes. I don't normally remember to put shoes on her since getting out the door takes a bit of time as it is and she's normally starving when I dress her. The other day I pulled them out and realized she was about to outgrow them. So I had to get a picture (even though it's not the best picture)!

How does the baby sleep?

Before Jordan was born, Keely and I would read a book about a family who's mom was having a baby. Sometimes I would ask Keely how the baby sleeps and she would put her hand under the side of her head. We still play the game now and we have an added sleep position when we ask how Jordan sleeps.

Note that in the beginning of the movie, Jordan is sleeping in the position Keely is demonstrating. I also thought it was funny that Keely was using the toilet paper roll as a bracelet.

Swim?

Since Jacob has had his class the past two weeks, he wasn't able to come home for lunch. He's only home for 45 minutes- 1 hour, but it does give Keely a break from me and a chance for her to play with Jacob a little while. So, I tried to come up with different things for us to do. We swam a few different times out on our driveway. She had fun pouring water from container to container! And of course just being outside, which she LOVES!


Wednesday I was planning on letting Keely swim after lunch, but Jordan was really fussy. I wanted her to fall asleep before we went outside and when she finally did I was thinking about not mentioning it. Keely was in the dining room and I went to go see what she was doing and she was looking out the door at the driveway holding her swimsuit, swim diaper and one swim shoe. That's when I realized we better still go outside and swim!!

Crazy Night

When you get so sleep deprived and tired, you better watch out because you may become delirious! If you become delirious you might do some dumb things! Sweet Jordan did let me sleep a bit longer Tuesday and Wednesday night, but with trying to pack up and then Jacob has had class the past two weeks so he hasn't been home at lunchtime and has had homework...I have still been exhausted. Jacob has been exhausted with class and being out in the afternoons interviewing people for his class.

What did these delirious parents do? Jacob was studying for his test last night and I was trying to finish up a couple things on the computer. I was about to go pick up a few things so the helper could clean around and under today when Jacob suddenly got the inspiration to design his display when he goes to speak when we are home. The next think I know it is 10:45 and I haven't done the things I needed before feeding Jordan at 11! After that realization I did do what I originally needed to do along with deep cleaning the bathroom (why I did that then I have no idea)! It's 11:30 by the time I feed Jordan. As I'm feeding her, she gets all excited and kicks off a cup of water on my nightstand, which I'm not sure how it got so close to the edge in the first place! So, I change her clothes and then finish feeding her. Then for some odd reason I started sketching out more ideas for Jacob and the next thing I know I'm turning the light off at 1:30 am and was just praying Jordan would sleep until 5 am again this morning. That hope was dashed at 3 am when Jordan woke up with a diaper that leaked. After she was in PJ's number 3, I fed her and then put her back to bed. I was so excited it had only taken us 30 minutes hoping we'd all get right back to sleep. THEN every little bit Jordan cries and I have to get up to give her the pacifier and calm her down. By the time 4:30 rolled around Jacob and I were not thinking clearly at all and just wanted everyone to sleep. I finally rolled out of bed to find the gas medicine and I can't seem to find the light switch to the lamp in the den and I can't find the medicine. Jordan calms down on her own so I got back in bed. Then she starts crying hysterically again and so Jacob gets up to find the medicine. We finally found it on my night stand! I didn't see it there when I looked earlier! She calmed down a bit after the medicine but still couldn't go to sleep and kept crying. Finally in desperation Jordan found herself in our bed and we all found ourselves asleep! I sure hope I stop such silly things so that I don't go to bed that late again--then maybe crazy nights like these won't seem quite so bad!

Stroller Decision

What have we decided on the stroller? We are pretty sure we have decided to take the single reclining stroller. I'll use the sling or front carrier for Jordan when Keely wants or needs to use the stroller. The double stroller would be great for the travel home and back, but I'm afraid won't be the most practical once we are home. I'm afraid that the majority of the time I'd end up pushing one child in it! However, it has been great for the grocery store this week! I just put the basket on the handles and off we go!

Keely hasn't used the reclining stroller a lot after she got big enough for the umbrella stroller except for walks around the neighborhood. A couple weeks ago, we went to the night market and Jacob decided to use that stroller (we look like we have a stroller store in the back of our truck!) and we reclined it for her at the end of the night and she thought that was pretty neat. A few nights ago, we went to the market again and immediately she wanted it reclined and laid down the whole time we were in the market. We'll see how long the novelty of that lasts...Jacob hopes at least until we hit Missouri next week!!

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and advice! It did help us being reminded Keely will probably want to walk a lot more than ride and that both of them will probably like the room and reclining option of the single stroller.

Hopefully there will soon be some picture posts...my Adobe Photo Shop keeps crashing and none of Jacob's fixes seemed to work tonight! So hopefully soon!

Bowl

Our bottom kitchen drawer houses plastic lids and Keely's plastic cups, plates and bowls. Sometimes when I'm trying to finish up dinner, I won't deter her from getting into that drawer so I can finish dinner. There has been times when Jacob has come home from work that he has been a bit frustrated by where Keely had found her entertainment since there were things from the drawer all over the kitchen. It's funny, though, after someone has walked in your shoes and they realize the reasoning for things you have done. The week after Jordan was born, Jacob made breakfast sandwiches for us each morning and one morning I came downstairs to a kitchen floor full of plastic lids and plates and said, "So you realized why I let her do it, huh?" "Yep, it entertained her and I was able to finish making breakfast." Since that time, Keely put things together and realized that is where we keep her bowls that we put her snacks in. Often, she'll ask for a snack and then go get a bowl for us. This afternoon, she asked for pretzels for lunch and she went to the drawer but there weren't any bowls. I tried to explain that since it was for lunch I'd put it on her plate but she continued to scan the kitchen and saw one on the counter next to the sink (needing to be washed), got on her tippy toes, pulled it down and handed it to me. I am continually amazed at how she seems to insist we do things according to routine or how we normally do it! After she used the bowl, she came back into the kitchen and returned it to the drawer!

Sleep Poses

I just love the little poses newborns get into when they sleep. I had a ton of pictures of those cute little sleeping poses of Keely, but not Jordan! I couldn't resist the other afternoon and thought I'd share!

Yellow

I think it is hilarious how Keely says yellow and I finally got it on video!

MOM! I'm stuck!

I was nursing Jordan (yes she's finally nursing) and she had fallen asleep. Then she stretched real big, but didn't pull one of her arms down and then started SCREAMING! I'm like are you still hungry? What's wrong? Oh, your hand is stuck! My boppy (nursing pillow) has a toy bar to attach to it so there are little loops on the edges and her hand got stuck! Oops, sorry Jordan!!

ABC Zoo Dance

This is my first time to post a video...so if it doesn't look right let me know! I took this sometime back in May, but it's still cute and I wanted to share. I cut out the part of her putting additional animals on the zoo and pressing the button to make their sound-- I figured you got the picture! And you can tell she probably learned to "dance" from her mom! HAHA!

Any Ideas?

Often when you buy things, you receive free things with it. When we bought our bed, we received a mattress pad, two pillows, a body pillow, a comforter and a flat sheet. When we bought our refrigerator, we received a cooler (in case the refrigerator broke?). Sometimes even at the grocery store things come with free gifts. Keely's diapers came with a free bright yellow towel a couple times. Our orange juice has been coming with these fish containers. We now have six of them so far! So, what in the world do I do with all of these? We have two pink, two orange and two lavender? I've been trying to think up some projects to do with them or craft items to store in them...any creative ideas?

Just for fun

In this season of our life, taking candid pictures are difficult to do and are few and far between! With Keely, a big reason is that she is fascinated at looking at the pictures and as soon as she hears or sees the camera I am in trouble! I hope this passes so I can capture those cute little moments again! I really liked how blue her eyes are in this picture, even though her hair is driving me crazy and I'm always putting it behind her ears! It just won't grow at the same speed...it was all evened up at one time...and it's never all laying down at the same time! I'm ready to grab the scissors, but I know I should wait until we get to the states to see if the guy who cuts my hair can help me shape it and come up with a doable toddler style!

Family Picture

We finally managed to get a family picture taken last night! Of course with two little girls, it was impossible to get them both looking at the camera at the same time...oh well!!

Repairmen

The past couple days our internet hasn’t been working very well. We assumed it was because we hadn’t paid the bill yet and went to the mall Wednesday night to pay our bill (the phone company, which our internet is through, has an office at the mall). Jacob mentions our internet problem and we find out that we actually aren’t late with our payment, it wasn’t due until the 15th! She tells Jacob that if we still have the problem to call Technical Support. By the time we get the kids home and in bed, it is almost 8pm when Jacob calls. They say they’ll call back and around 11pm (yes 11!) they call and say that it looks it is a problem on our end and they will be out to fix it. We assume they mean at the box in our area and not at the house, therefore I am not expecting repairmen to come to the house. (The way things can get crazy, I like to have notice when a repairman is coming to my house. However, that isn’t normally the case, especially living here!) Our afternoon gets crazy, and I’m trying to feed Jordan but her tummy is bothering her and I’m trying to read books and entertain Keely at the same time. I also had just recently started itching all over (and I don’t know why) and had been thinking (maybe more like dreaming) about how I was going to take a shower after the girls were down. Around that time the phone rings, but the handset is downstairs and I decide things are crazy enough that I’m not going to worry about it. It goes to the answering machine, which is in the den where we are, and it’s a neighbor calling to say that the internet men are outside needing to come work on our internet connection. I lay an unhappy Jordan down on the floor, tell Keely I’ll be right back, climb over the gate and go downstairs. As I’m hurrying to the door, I notice the mess we have in our house. I try really hard to keep things picked up, but sometimes by the end of the week things are a mess! The laundry was done but partially folded on the dining room floor (near where you enter the house and get to the stairs)! The diaper bags and diapers we bought the night before are on the kitchen table. And in the room where the internet connection and modem is there are toys EVERYWHERE! I let the men in and lead them upstairs and start making paths to the cabinet where the modem is located. We were in Keely’s room at one point when they were working on the internet and I hear one of her toys go off…one of them must have stepped on it or something! Oops! The men work on it awhile and then tell me they have to work on the box and will call me later. So, during naptime when I normally do my computer work or take a nap (or take a shower like I had been dreaming about)…I couldn’t because I was waiting on the repairmen! Don’t get me wrong, I like having a really good internet connection and like it when it’s working, but it’s always the wrong day when things need to be fixed!! THEN the men never called...I could have napped or taken a shower!

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

We leave for the States in 2 1/2 weeks and we have been trying to start getting packed up and do things we have been meaning to do for awhile. With two little ones now, my time is very limited (I know many of you know what I mean). To help me not get overwhelmed, I have been trying to take small bites out of the to do list and hopefully by the time travel day arrives we will be all ready! I have been really proud of us this week, because we have gotten quite a few things accomplished. We are packing up a lot of our personal belongs since we will be gone for 5 months. This week we got living room things packed up like videos, DVDs, CDs and games and we wrapped and packed up all of our knick knack type items and frames. We need to take our rugs to get cleaned, and Jacob rolled our living room rug up last night. This morning he put it in the plastic it came in before the helper arrived and we left. We came home and the rug was rolled back out and the plastic was nowhere to be found! As I searched the house and the trash outside, Jacob called the helper's daughter who speaks English to find out where it was. Her mom didn't seem to know what we were talking about, but finally it sounded like it was in the trash. So, Jacob went out this time and finally found it! Nothing like making headway and then going backwards! The ironic thing about it was that it took us a few minutes to find the plastic this morning, because when we organized things under the bed a few months ago I had put all plastic wrappings and bags for items like this in one bag. However, I forgot and it was the last place I looked under the bed! Then we had to search for that silly plastic all over again this afternoon!! Hope this isn't the way the rest of our packing and cleaning up will be like!

Pooh

Keely has a pooh bear that lights up and plays 30 seconds of music when pushed. Lately pooh has been played a lot. When I get up to feed Jordan, I have been discovering that Keely is awake a lot of the time. Some nights, Pooh gets played the whole 30 minutes I am up! About every other day we have to change Pooh's batteries (thank goodness we use rechargables)! One night last week, I woke up at 1:30am not to Jordan's crying but Keely's! I go check on her and comfort her. I help her lay back down and press Pooh like we normally do as we are about to leave and Pooh is completely dead. I tell Keely that I will change Pooh's batteries in the morning and in a pitiful voice Keely keeps saying, "Pooh." So, I give in and go get the screw driver and the charged batteries. As I'm sitting in the den changing Pooh's batteries I can't get over the realization that I will probably be up in another hour to feed Jordan and here I was up changing batteries in a toy!! Oh the things we do for our children!

I'm Trying to Sleep!

Jordan seems to already be getting use to being the second child. She sleeps through laughing, playing and crying. She mostly goes back to sleep pretty easily after being woken up (i.e. when dad trips on the vibrator chair, when Keely hits her with a ball or when Keely climbs on the pillows around her). We thought it was funny this night when she had her hands over her face.

"I'm trying really hard to sleep here!"

Those are cabbage patch doll legs in front of her. You can see in the picture below all of the toys Keely has put around Jordan to play with! What a sweet big sister!!

What Do You Think?

I have been going back and forth for months now on which stroller we should take back to the States with us. Then some friends bought a new stroller and gave us their double stroller, but now I have a third option! Many of you have two or more young children and I thought you may have some good advice! Even if you don't, if you have an opinion please post it too! I would appreciate everyone's thoughts because there may be something we aren't thinking about.

Here are my thoughts on our three strollers.

1. Large stroller that fully reclines: This is the one I had been thinking we would take with us. Both Keely and Jordan can use it since it fully reclines.

Pro:

• Both Keely and Jordan can use it (in the airport and our whole time in the States). (My plan has been to use the sling for Jordan and the stroller for Keely and then when Keely wants to walk we could use the stroller for Jordan if we wanted.)

Cons:

• It's bulky and heavier than our umbrella stroller.

• It's a little difficult to hang bags on the back because the handles are connected by a bar.

2. Umbrella Stroller

Pro:

• It's light weight and has a bag so it won't get messed up when we gate check it.

Cons:

• Only Keely could use this stroller in the airport and most of our time in the States (until November or so).

• It doesn't recline a lot if Keely wants to rest or sleep in it.

3. Double Stroller

Pros:

• Both Keely and Jordan will have a seat at any time.

• Keely seems to like the openness of this stroller and being able to sit by Jordan and check on her when she wants.

• Even though it is an umbrella stroller it reclines pretty well so Jordan can use it and Keely could rest.

Cons:

• It's heavy and bulky.

• Wherever we would go in the States we would only have this bulkier stroller and not a thinner single stroller.

I appreciate everyone's opinions and thoughts and helping us in our decision making!!

4th of July Fun

Friday, our office had a 4th of July picnic at the international school's pool. As soon as we arrived, Keely was mesmerized by the pool. Grandma and Grandpa Franklin had sent Keely these arm floaties awhile back.

Jacob and Keely showing off her Strawberry Shortcake arm floaties

However, they say for age 3 and up so we hadn't used them yet. I had seen a lot of friends use them with their children Keely's age and younger so we decided to try them out. I was pretty impressed she let us put them on her and she wore them the whole time! The pool has a large wading pool area and Keely loves to be able to touch the bottom! The floaties were great because if she lost her balance-- no problem! She didn't float around too much but enjoyed it when she did.
(Before the picnic, some of the guys played ultimate Frisbee and Jacob got that nice raspberry on his shoulder from diving for the Frisbee. He says he caught it though!!)

Keely floating in the pool

Keely trying to swim

Thanks for the floaties Grandma and Grandpa!

1 Month!

Jordan is one-month-old today! I can barely believe it! This month has flown by, but sometimes it is unbelievable that she came early and spent most of the month of June with us! She was here for our shower on June 13th and her passport came last Tuesday! We had been preparing ourselves for it arriving at the last minute before we left!

Of course when we take pictures Keely wants to be involved as well! She loves to climb up on the chair and see what Jordan is doing.

Keely posing for the camera.
(She was actually pretty tired and is probably just resting!!)

Jordan's One Month Pictures

Play Time With Keely

This past Friday I decided to skip going into work until after lunch. Instead, I went with my girls to the park. We had a lot of fun. Here's a picture of Keely and I playing on the train.

Birth Story

**Update Below**

I don't know if anyone is interested in reading Jordan's birth story, but I always enjoy hearing and reading others birth stories and I need to get Jordan's story down so I will share it. If you aren't interested that's ok and we'll hopefully have some pictures up in a day or two.

Like Jacob posted when I went into labor, my water broke around 5:45 pm on Thursday night (June 5th). I was on my way downstairs with Keely to make some biscuits for dinner and after we made it down a couple steps my water broke and I hurried her back up the stairs! I called Jacob and told him to start heading home, though I was sure we still had some time. My water broke with Keely and the contractions started pretty hard 30 minutes later. I started "nesting" and hanging up and folding clean laundry that I had done that day so I wouldn't have to do it when we got home from the hospital! Jacob comes home and calls our friends who had offered to watch Keely and then makes dinner for him and Keely. Contractions started and they were coming at a good speed but weren't hard at all. I keep moving around and doing things and our friend arrived around 7:30 or so. We talked awhile and she helped me finish folding the laundry (I was really absent minded and couldn't finish a task without thinking and doing 5 other things in between)! It had been raining pretty hard, so our friend encouraged us to go ahead and go so Jacob called the doctor and we left the house around 8:15. The difference this time was that my water had been gushing the whole time where with Keely it gushed once and then just trickled. Also, the contractions just weren't picking up and it felt weird to go ahead and be going to the hospital but something seemed to tell us we needed to go. We got to the hospital and the doctor had told us to go straight to labor and delivery but we didn't know where it was. (There is a new wing where the OBGYN and Pediatric offices and hospital rooms are where we went for appointments but the labor and delivery was still in the old part). We ask someone and they make us check in and they tell us to wait a few minutes. That was when Jacob took matters in his own hands and asked where labor and delivery was and then they took us right there!

Shortly after we arrived, the doctor came in and told us what I had feared...I was only at 1 cm, 80% effaced and the baby's head was at -2 station. The problem was that my water had broken 3 hours earlier and the doctor felt the baby needed to come in the next 15 hours or I would have a dry labor (and what we thought he was saying without saying that I would have to have a c-section if she didn't come in that time frame). However, since her head wasn't engaged very much was why my water kept gushing and so I couldn't walk around to help labor progress until she dropped more. So, he recommended an IV of pitocin to get things going. My contractions had really slowed down and weren't hurting at all while I was on the bed getting checked and talking to the doctor and I knew they weren't progressing things at all. We were reluctant to go with pitocin but felt like that was our only choice. The doctor said he thought it would probably take about 10 hours until the baby was born. My labor was 5 1/2 hours with Keely and so Jacob didn't bring any entertainment with him! After they started the drip (around 9:30), I suggested Jacob go back home to get his computer and books for his class...but then I didn't feel like that was a good idea. I kept going back and forth and Jacob realized he better stay. A little before 10 they came for Jacob to go choose the type of room I would be moved to after delivery. At that time the contractions started coming at a pretty good pace and increased in intensity. Shortly after Jacob got back, I needed his help with applying counter pressure on my lower back. Around that time I went to the restroom and realized that the baby had dropped more and my water was no longer gushing. At that point the contractions were getting really painful and I found a comfortable position leaning against the bed with Jacob pressing my back for a good portion of the time. About an hour or so after the contractions had picked up, they began to fill like transition type contractions. With each contraction I just felt like I couldn't go on anymore and the desire to push increased. The doctor said he'd come back at midnight to check on my, but they called him to come early and he arrived around 11:45. He checked me and I was only at 6 cm! I had 3 hours to go when I was at 6 cm with Keely! I just didn't know how I was going to keep going with the intensity of the contractions. At this point, I didn't have the energy to get back up and laid on my side during the contractions and Jacob somehow still managed to apply the counter pressure on my back. The desire to push increased and it didn't seem too long later when the doctor checked me again and I was at 8 cm. Shortly after he told me I could push and it helped a lot to not have to hold back from pushing. I pushed for 15 minutes or so before Jordan was born at 12:38 am June 6th. Thank goodness for Jacob who saved me from an unneeded cut. A few pushes away from Jordan's birth, the doctor suggested a small cut and I was so ready for her to come and I was like ok if you think so and Jacob was actually watching this time and he said, "I see her, let Sara push a few more times." Thank goodness, because I only tore a tiny, tiny bit this time which hasn't hurt much at all!! (I tore in a star shape with Keely). Since I had a lot of bleeding with Keely, he kept me on the pitocin until morning and didn't have the bleeding problem this time. This birthing experience was a much better experience and I felt really good afterwards. I was really happy with this doctor and he was a great "coach." He helped me a lot when I was unsure of when to push and helped me find a better position to push.

We were discharged 16 hours after Jordan's birth and I felt really good!! It was really nice to be home so much earlier this time. We were able to get into a good schedule starting Saturday. Jordan was awake a lot that 2nd night (though the first night probably doesn't really count because we didn't get to our room until 3am)! She was just up twice the 3rd and 4th night and I think it was the 5th night that she started sleeping from after eating at 11 until 5am! I was afraid it was a fluke but she did it 4 nights in a row. For two nights she went backwards by 30 minutes each night, but last night she went until 5 again. She wasn't waking up enough to eat enough, so I gave her a late night bath and she ate faster and better. **Update** I spoke too soon! Jordan was up a bit last night at 3:30 for a little snack and then woke up a couple other times. Oh well...she is just 12 days old! However, she loves her hands around her face and I had swaddled her too tight that she couldn't get them out and she had mittens on because she kept scratching herself...so that could have been some of it because that is how she soothes herself! Even on the ultrasound she had her hands around her face!! Oh well...it was nice while it lasted!!

Jordan is like Keely and isn't able to latch on yet. I think they both have a high palette and Jordan should hopefully be able to nurse after she grows some (Keely started nursing at 6 weeks). The good thing is that I knew what to do and started pumping right away and so we have a good feeding, pumping, washing and sterilizing schedule going.

So that's the story of Jordan's birth and how things have been going the past 11 days or so!! It's amazing to me sometimes that she is already here!!

Mable

Keely is always saying or doing something funny or amazing us by what she does pick up and knows. When I read to her, often she recites different parts of the stories. One book we read today that we hadn't read in awhile was Fisher Price Little People Alphabet Farm. One line reads, "M is for milking, when Mable says, "Moo!" This evening, Keely brought to me a stuffed cow that is in her plush Noah's Ark and I asked her what it was. She doesn't normally say cow but says moo, so that is what I'm waiting for but instead she says "Mable." That just cracked me up...so are all cows Mable now?

Do They Look Alike?

People have had differing opinions of whether Keely and Jordan look alike or not. Some days I think one thing and some days I think another. Keely's announcement picture was taken when she was 9 days old. Sunday Jordan was 9 days old and I dressed her in the same onesie Keely wore in her picture and took a few pictures to compare. They aren't hte best comparison pictures because Jordan was pretty hungry and her arms and legs were flailing all around...but hopefully it'll still help us to compare. (Jordan is on the left and Keely on the right)

So, what do you think?

What's In A Name?

Has anyone been wondering why we chose the name Jordan Aliza?

The meaning of a name was really important to both of us when choosing both Keely's and Jordan's name. Jacob is also a big believer that the meaning of a name really does reflect on a personality. The other criteria when choosing the girls' names were that I had to be able to imagine calling it up the stairs, all of our names had to flow when introducing the family and the full name had to sound good to our ears when imagining it being called in a graduation ceremony. (We are so silly!!)

Jordan Aliza means streaming down joy.

Keely Nevaeh means beautiful from heaven.

Through the looking glass....

I (Jacob) have been getting back in touch with my creative side. For my birthday, anniversary, father's day, Christmas, and any other holiday this year, Sara bought me a new Canon 40D digital camera and a lens or two to go along with it. While it is waiting for me in Springfield, I have, for the first time since I graduated from college, gotten excited about photography again (for those of you who don't know, I was a film major my first two years of college, and along with shooting films, did A LOT of photography work. If I was missing, it was most likely because I was in the dakroom). I have been reading blogs, and recently started playing with post processing tools, such as Adobe Lightroom. Though these were taken with our point and shoot, I have had fun doing some post processing work on them. Tell me what you think!

First Things We Have Noticed

(Things in italics are my (Sara's) thoughts and additions to Jacob's earlier post.)
First off, Keely has loved baby Jordan from the minute they first met, if not before.

When Keely first met Jordan

"Ticky, Ticky, Ticky"

(Keely likes to tickle her toes)

The two sisters

Every time I turn around, Keely is standing by Jordan, and says, "Baby" and then proceeds to touch her cheek, forehead, sometimes her eye, and pretty much just anywhere she can. She also shows Jordan how to play with the toys that hang down from her vibrating chair, as well as how to bounce the chair (I have to keep a hand on the chair, or else Keely will just let go and Jordan would fly through the air.) It is really neat seeing how much Keely is enjoying her new baby sister.


Ok, so one of the first things we have noticed about Jordan is that she does not like a soiled diaper. The minute the diaper goes from dry to wet, or mushy, she lets us know with a nice cry. This cry does not end until the diaper has been replaced. It is the funniest, and cutest thing, especially when we first realized that this was causing her to cry at 4:00 in the morning.

Last night, Jordan was able to sleep through the soiled diapers...so that was a blessing! The night before she would eat and then 1 1/2 hour later need her diaper changed and then 1 1/2 hour after that eat again. So, that may have just been a thing the first couple days because she wasn't use to those feelings, however, she just "begged" me to change her diaper so we'll see!!

Oh yes, Sara just reminded me that Keely has also wanted to join the baby in both the vibrator chair and the bassinet, another cute sister moment.

Below are our outtakes of the pictures we took for Jordan's announcement. We were trying to get some with the girls together, but Keely didn't like it when Jordan would cry. And Jordan was crying because she was unswaddled!

"I'm outta here."

Announcing...

She Has Arrived....

but we are exhausted. Sara has had a whole 30 minutes of sleep since she woke up Thursday morning, and I have had 2 hours, so stats and pictures will come tomorrow. We're off to bed, well, as long as the newest addition to the family will allow us to be.

The Time Has Come.....

Well folks, I was working late tonight, which has been the theme all week long for me, and around 5:40 Sara calls. I'm thinking I have already held dinner by 40 minutes, so she is probably telling me she is going to start eating. Well, I say "hello," and she says, "Get home now, my water just broke!" I think, "Oh wow!" and start my frantic shut down the computer, pack my bag, and dash out the door routine. We call family, friends, etc, and now are just waiting till the contractions get stronger before we call the doctor and tell him we are on our way. Be thinking of us! Yay!!!