Happy Birthday Jordan

Ten years ago today, I woke up in the morning as a child and went to sleep at night as a mother.

I had no clue this was going to be the day my life changed forever.

I mean, I knew I was pregnant (34 weeks) and I knew things would soon change, but I had no idea how much. Just like any first time mom, you just can’t know how a child will change your life.

In addition to being a first time mom, I was really young. Only 19, still living with my mom as Chris and I hadn’t found a place yet. I had no life experience. I’d read everything I could find about having a baby, but books don’t really give you an idea of what a child means.

At 3:00 my water broke, and just over an hour and a half later my little guy was born. Since Jordan was only 34 weeks, he had some breathing problems at birth and had to be taken by ambulance to a better hospital with a NICU.

The first heartbreaking thing I had to deal with was not being able to go with him to the new hospital. Chris and his dad made the trip with him, and I went to see him the next day. He was so tiny, hooked up to a zillion wires and machines. It was so scary seeing him like that, but the nurses were so nice and told me I could change his diaper…..and he proceeded to crap all over me. I cried, because I was a hormonal post partum woman and I had no idea what else I was supposed to do. Thank goodness for good nurses again.

Amazingly, I caught on to the whole diaper changing thing and every other part of mothering pretty quickly. He made it easy. He was an almost perfect baby. Rarely cried, just generally happy to be around.

He has always been a pleasant kid. He never really went through a terrible-twos fit throwing stage, he’s never been mean. He’s made it pretty much unscathed through all our parenting mishaps.

We have on memorable video of everyone laughing at cats on the roof. Jordan went in to look out a window to see them and the window at the top of the steps fell in (who knew?) and came flying down the steps as he was going up. We forgot the camera was on and all you see for 5 minutes is out feet as we scream and run to him. Amazingly he somehow managed to squeeze out of the way as the window went sliding past. Once he was golfing with Chris and his dad and got swarmed by bees. We were worried about an allergic reaction, but he had no lasting scars (other than a huge fear of bees!) He broke his arm at daycare on Valentine’s Day when he was 4. Three days later I had to pry him and his huge casts of the monkey bars. He was (and is) an unstoppable ball of energy.

He’s amazingly smart with all the things he knows, the books he reads. He can talk your ear off, or amaze you with a song he figures out (on the piano or guitar) or just makes up on his own.

When his sister was born, he turned into the best big brother in the world. She fell in love with him. Every day when she wakes from nap, her first words are “Who’s here”. She can’t wait for “Bubby” to get home from school. He doesn’t get bored of silly toddler games and does his best to teach her to do big kid things.

And today, as he turns 10, he’s starting to make the change from big kid to young man.

Here he is, just a few months old.

Right before his first birthday he started walking. He was into everything!

At two he was a giggling ball of energy.

At three, my sweet playful boy.

At four, showing off his cat. He's always loved animals!

At five, he's a total goofball, hamming it up for the camera!

At six, the little man in our wedding.

At seven, a star on stage in the church Christmas musical.

At eight, a big brother is born.

At nine, he's all piratey goodness at his birthday party.

And here he is at ten. A young man.