two is too many

the girl's first day of ex utero life

Jordan is two today. She's two. What a cliche to say that I can't believe it. Does anyone else have the same time warp of a dilemma though, that upon thinking of life before having a kid seems like, mmmm, 1200 years ago - yet when he or she turns two you find yourself unintentionally coining that obnoxious old adage: "man, it goes by so fast"? 

I'm not going to venture too much into sentimentality about the last two years (cue your relieved exhale), nor do I think I need to explain - to anyone who is a parent already, anyway - how incredibly different and exponentially more gratifying it is to have kids than I previously could have imagined. Absolutely, there have been some horrific times where I've been challenged and frustrated to the point of breaking, or when I've been terrified for my child's safety, or when it's just kind of a bad day and I want a break and can't seem to catch one. But honestly, I don't remember those ones when my memory skims over the last two years. Mostly, I'm wearing my crooked close-lipped smile when thinking back on all the key times with my quirky, dorky, what-goes-on-in-her-brain-at-any-given-moment, beautiful kook of a kiddo.

For funsies, Jordan on her birth day

papa Sean

for my sake please pretend my shoulders are modestly draped and my eyelids don't look like they got swarmed by angry bees

(For some perspective on just how microscopic an infant Jordan was, I was going through Jordan's clothing archives looking for some gender neutral things to pull out for this upcoming baby boy, and found this preemie shirt that Sean had to run out and buy since Jordan was swimming laps through her newborn clothing. Added perspective, my hands are freakishly tiny):

More funsies, Jordan on her first birthday:

 first swim party

 first cupcake

first doughnut

and Jordan now:

She's different, to be sure. She's changed loads and loads. But I still see her sometimes the way she was on the first day: huge curious eyes that bore right into me, and always always with the insatiable energy, from millisecond one. 

So happy birthday, my girl. I kinda like you. Let's be friends forever.

ps - Jordan's birth story is here and also here.