JordynJamieson Archives – Jamieson Diaries

Jordyn Denise : 1 year 4 months

October 19, 2015 Comments : 2

Miss Jordyn Denise is growing up and becoming such a little lady, or “little person” as my husband and I like to call her. It’s amazing how much she seems to learn in only one day. While we were home in September, her Auntie Andye taught her a dance/ballet move, as well as getting her to say “auntie” a few times.

I taught her to say “up” a little while back when she wanted to be picked up instead of yelling and whining. That lasted for a while until we taught her how to say “please” or “tease” in Jordyn language, when asking for anything in general. We have recently added the word “thank you” to her vocabulary with the last week or two. Now, whenever you hand her something (or she hands you something) she always says “taint tou” and it’s the cutest and sweetest “thank you” I’ve ever heard in my life :-). I also can’t wait for her to be old enough to sign up for gymnastics because she’s always balancing on her head trying to flip herself over.

Jordyn has also recently learned how to open the doors… yeah we weren’t too excited about that, but she sure was haha. She loves giving sweet kisses, dancing her little heart out, eating like a big girl in her high chair, playing/taking walks outside, wrestling with Ares, and playing “where is Jordyn?” with Daddy and Mommy. Did I mention she likes to mimic Ares and crawls around on all fours trying to lick us? LOL. Here is a picture of her following him around on all fours..

She is such a happy baby and so much fun to be around. She is hands down one of the funniest little kids I’ve ever met in my entire life. She has plenty of her Daddy and I’s (more so her Daddy haha) silliness. Jordyn is such a ham and has even developed a “fake” laugh to mock those around her when they laugh. I couldn’t be more thankful to hang out with such a cool little person every single day. She continues to teach us how to love unconditionally and be thankful for the little things that in turn are the big things in life. I’ll be back in a few months for another update on this smart little munchkin. Until then, here is a picture of her chasing me around the Halloween store the other night with a sword LOL. And yes, it’s blurry because I was running backwards from her hahaha..

Brie <3

[10.18.15]

All Posts, Dear Diary, Family Love

Chicago Trip – June 2015

July 19, 2015 Leave a Comment

As I’m sure most of you have noticed, I disappeared from the blogging world within the last month. No need to worry, I took a break to enjoy some much-needed vacation time back home in Illinois with my family and friends. I promise I will try not to take such a long break again, because I’m sure you all missed me as much as I missed you, right? Right!

We decided to take the train home because driving 20+ hours in a car with an almost one year old was asking for trouble, just as taking two, two-hour flights was out of the question. The train takes a LONG 27 hours to get from Montana to Chicago, but it was seriously PERFECT. Jordyn was able to walk around, make friends with the passengers and gaze out of the window in amazement of everything passing by us. As a new Mom of a newly walking/mobile baby, I highly recommend this way of travel if it’s an option for you. My husband and I are very happy we made this decision.

We mainly went back home to celebrate Miss Jordyn’s 1st birthday with family and friends. On her actual 1st birthday, June 18th, 2015, we took her first trip to Medieval Times with family and extended family. The show was great, (although our knight kept losing) the food was yummy, and our waiter was awesome. Jordyn even received a rose directly from our knight during the show. It was adorable, and he was such a gentleman for giving it to her considering all of the other people in there screaming for the rose themselves. We took this awesome picture before we were seated, and Jordyn’s Godfather, Jesiah, bought us the keep sake picture to bring home with us. I’m in the process of finding the perfect frame for it to hang it up in the house. It sums up our family perfectly! LOL.

We were also lucky enough to have been home when the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup Championship game at the United Center, which means, we got to go to the Blackhawks parade! My husband, my sisters and I all went together and it was such a great time. There are few things more electrifying than getting to celebrate a huge win like theirs with your favorite city (the best city) in the entire world. When the buses finally got to our section, I’m sure we all went temporarily deaf from the intense level of screaming we were surrounded by and engaged in. Being downtown Chicago for the parade even brought on some college nostalgia for myself. I spent so much of my college career walking those same downtown city blocks and riding those CTA trains and buses with loved ones. It made me that much more proud to not have just graduated from a college in a city as amazing as Chicago, but more thankful for even the tiniest of memories such as those in this awesome life of mine.

Jordyn’s birthday party was a huge success. It’s always wonderful to see so many faces you usually only get to see once a year or less. She received more blessings, love, and presents we could have ever imagined. When I tell you this is one extremely LOVED little girl, I mean it. Her party took place in one of the popular forest preserves on the north-side, and the weather held up perfectly during the actual hours of the party. It wasn’t too hot, and it didn’t rain until an hour after the party was over. The food was great, the company was even better, and the love from everyone was the best. My Aunt Gloria (who makes the absolute best cakes in the world – just ask the birthday party guests) made Jordyn’s Sesame Street themed cake and it was beyond perfect.

The day after Jordyn’s birthday party was not only Father’s Day/My husband’s first Father’s Day, but the 14th annual Ricky Byrdsong Race in Evanston, IL. This was the first year since Kris and I have been together that he was in town and able to attend. It has been a tradition in my family since my best friend’s (Kelley) Dad was killed back in 1999 to participate, support, and volunteer at the race. It only gets better each year. The YWCA Evanston/North Shore does a fantastic job each year with everything from the great t-shirt designs to the perfect entertainment. The race starts at 7:30 a.m. on the dot. Considering we all had a late night hanging out downtown Chicago at Dave and Busters the night before, the initial 6 a.m. alarm was a little rough, but everyone had a great time as we always do. I told them they’d enjoy themselves once we made it out there and they did! Kris, Jesiah, Andye, Jordyn, and I even walked the 5K. A.K.A. we walked and Jordyn slept the entire stroller ride.

We decided to do a few new activities while we were home this time around as well. We went to Xtreme Trampoline with my sisters and cousin one evening. We paid for two hours of jumping time because it seemed to be a reasonable amount of time and the pricing wasn’t too bad. However, we jumped for 45 minutes before we were all laid out on the side of the trampolines trying to catch our breath and regain energy to jump again LOL. If you’re ever looking for a great leg and cardio workout, find your nearest indoor trampoline place and I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

Kris and I even had a date night that was finally out of the box of dinner and/or a movie. Kris has wanted to do indoor skydiving for quite some time, and we so happened to pass the iFly Chicago – Rosemont complex on several occasions driving back and forth to/from my Mom’s house to/from Kris’ Mom’s house. A family friend also recommended it while we were home so we decided to try it out. Kris was surprised when I told him I wanted to do it as well, because when I say I am the least risk taking-est person you will ever meet…I’m NOT exaggerating. I don’t even ride roller-coasters because they scare the crap out of me to give a little perspective on how big of a chicken I am, or as I like to say, I just appreciate my feet touching the ground. Well, let me tell you, I had SO much fun and would recommend for everyone to give it a try at least once!

My second favorite part of going home is the endless options for unbelievably delicious FOOD! I miss having so many of these food places around me 24/7. I’m pretty sure I cried about it at least twice while I was pregnant last year and unable to eat the food I was craving. Whatever – don’t judge me. Anyway, I have way too many food places to name to even begin to give you a glimpse of how much I eat when I am home. However, I do have very specific places I absolutely MUST get while I am home: Giordanos, (it makes me sad how many people will never have great quality pizza in their lifetime) Claires Korner, (because Jamaican food – DUH) Buffalo Joes, (single order and cheddar chips are no where near as good anywhere else) Portillos (Italian beef dipped with hot and sweet peppers, a cheese fry, and strawberry shake – you’re welcome). The other chain food honorable mentions are: Chipotle, Dunkin Donuts, and Potbelly. I was way too excited to devour my food when I received it from any of these locations, but here goes a glimpse for you.

In all the fun and amazing things we did while we were home, my favorite part of going home is always being able to see and spend time with my family. From BBQs at Uncle Tony’s house, playing UNO in my Mom’s dining room, to having brunch after church, these are the memories I will hold onto more than others. I want Jordyn and her future siblings to grow up knowing and loving our family and extended family as much as I do. As I’ve stated in previous blog posts, I come from a very large family. Not only are we large, but we’re a close family as well. Which makes it that much harder to live so far away from them. When I say family, I mean my closest friends as well. Most of my friends have become my family in the last few years and I couldn’t be more thankful to be surrounded by so many awesome people I’m related to by blood and by choice. Many people go through life without either of those options and here I am with more than I can keep up with. I often tell people, I know without a doubt there is a God, because it is not by chance I am living this life. It is not by chance my little family has so many people we can turn to and support us in our times of need. It is not by chance when a new milestone takes place in my life or theirs, we become that much closer to one another. And it wasn’t by chance I was born into the world’s most beautiful, greatest, loving, supportive, strong-willed, and FUN family!

As always you were good to us Illinois. We’ll be back for a brief round two in mid September. Have a happy and blessed Sunday lovely people!

Brie <3

[07.19.15]

All Posts, Family Love

Happy 1st Birthday, Jordyn Denise!

June 18, 2015 Comments : 6

A year ago, today, my water broke at 2:30 a.m. I remember feeling so many emotions once the realization set in that the next time I walked into our home, we would be a family of four. I remember the nurses asking me as they wheeled me to the maternity wing “are you having contractions?” and my response being “I’m not sure. I feel a little uncomfortable, so maybe?” to which they followed up with “this is your first baby, huh?” and we all laughed. Never, in my wildest dreams, did I imagine how much being a first time Mommy would change my life forever.

I only got to see your beautiful face and hear your equally beautiful cry for a minute before they gave Mommy the “sleeping medicine” on the table LOL. But I still remember how I cried immediately upon seeing your little face over the sheet before I fell asleep. However, the part I remember the most was when I finally was wheeled from the recovery room, and I was able to hold you for the first time. I don’t think I’ve ever cried that much in my life. I’m crying right now as I think about how perfect you were and still are. Your perfect little lips, nose, eyes, chin, ears, hair, fingers, toes, heartbeat…I could go on forever because everything about you was seriously perfect. I couldn’t believe the little baby girl I had shared my body with for exactly 37 weeks was finally in my arms. I couldn’t believe I could love someone so little, so much. It was that day I learned what it meant to have my heart on the outside of my body.

Everyday I say the same prayer for you. I thank God for bringing you into our lives, for allowing me to be your Mother, and for keeping you safe and sound. I thank Him for the joy and happiness you bring to everyone you encounter, as well as, being a blessing on this Earth. I pray you do God’s will and fulfill your purpose on His earth. I pray that no weapon formed against you shall prosper, and I end the prayer thanking God one more time for bringing you into my life.

You have taught me a love I will forever be grateful for. You have taught me why the title “Mommy” means the world and more. You have taught me how to love even deeper than I could ever imagine. You have taught me why being a parent is the greatest gift I could have ever received in this life.

Today is such a bittersweet feeling. I have spent the last eight months of your life sharing with the world how wonderful you are. I have written each blog post knowing it was only getting closer to your first birthday. As happy as I am you are growing into such a smart, beautiful and independent little girl, it makes me sad my little itty-bitty baby won’t need me as much as she once did. I am beyond excited to see what this next year will have in store. I especially can’t wait for all of the lessons you will teach me over the next year as well.

Happy birthday, Jordyn Denise Jamieson!

I pray God blesses you to see many many many more.

You are such a blessing and so loved.

Love, Mommy <3

[06.18.15]

All Posts, Family Love

Jordyn is 10 Months Old!

April 18, 2015 Leave a Comment

Little Miss Jordyn is only two months away from turning 1 year old…and I tear up every time I think about it. My Mom and I have been planning her 1st birthday party for the last month and a half, and I’m getting so excited for the day to get here! I’m amazed at how much she has learned and grown in the last month. She took five steps using her little walker toy the other night and I about jumped out of my skin with excitement haha. She can prop herself up on her knees and rock back and forth/dance her little heart out, but she refuses to actually crawl. I’m starting to think she takes pleasure in watching me run around the room looking for items to place in front of her to encourage her to crawl. At this rate, it’s looking like she may skip crawling and go straight to walking. Once she is either crawling, walking, or doing both, we are going to have our work cut out for us, because she is a busy body!

She’s officially at the stage where she can eat pretty much what we eat for dinner just blended up. She has her picky moments when she doesn’t want much to eat, but 95% of the time she eats with NO problem. We all ran into our first stomach bug last week/weekend. Jordyn caught the stomach bug on Wednesday evening and by Saturday, Kris and I both had it with her. It was a rough few days, but we all made it through. Thank God it was milder stomach bug and not a more serious one. I hated seeing my baby girl so miserable and tired. These days she’s doing a lot of shaking her head “no” and/or trying to make herself dizzy. I can thank her wonderful Dad for teaching her this little trick. Speaking of her Dad, she’s still “Da-da-da-da-da”-ing it up almost all day. She used to laugh when I would tell her “say MA-MA,” but now she doesn’t even react anymore. She just stares at me like I am the most boring person in the world, and she wishes I would leave her alone already. I know, she’s sweet like that.

The older she gets, the closer her and big brother Ares are becoming. If he could love on her all day long he would. It’s adorable to watch, but annoying to have to wipe his kisses off of her constantly lol. I’m happy he’s so protective of her and I’m happy she loves him just as much. I have a feeling Jordyn will be walking this month, and something tells me the two of them will be getting into a lot of trouble together ;-).

We’ll see you guys in a month for another update!

Brie <3

[04.18.15]

All Posts, Dear Diary, Family Love

Happy Easter/Resurrection Sunday!

April 5, 2015 Comments : 2

This is Jordyn’s first Easter/Resurrection and we are going to a new church with Jordyn’s BFF Amelia and her Mom and Dad. There is something special about being able to worship His name and everything He does for us with your friends. Growing up, after going to church on Easter/Resurrection Sunday, we always had a big dinner and hung out with the family for hours on end. Now that I live so far away from home, I plan to keep the tradition going, and have our first “framily” Easter/Resurrection dinner at our home here in Montana.

But above all else on this day, I pray you and your families enjoy celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Take the time to reflect upon the ultimate sacrifice HE made for OUR sins. Remember without Him there is no us, and there will never be anyone who walks this Earth that loves us more than Jesus did, does, and always will.

“After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” (NIV) Matthew 28:1-10

Happy Easter/Resurrection Sunday!

Brie <3

[04.05.15]

All Posts, Family Love

Jordyn is 9 Months Old!

March 18, 2015 Leave a Comment

My little Jojo is 9 months old, today. This last month she has advanced and learned so much I can’t believe it’s only been a month since my last post. She’s turning into this semi-independent, head strong, feisty almost one year old right before my eyes. Although Jordyn is only 9 months old, she has so much personality, and cracks me up everyday. I know everyone says their child is adorable and funny, but I promise you Jordyn takes hilariousness to a completely different level. I don’t know how I got so lucky to be the mother of this amazing little blessing, but I can’t thank God enough for her.

“Da-da-da-da-da” is pretty much what she says a majority of the day. Yes, she is officially saying “da-da” and her Dad is loving it. If you tell her to mock you and say “Ma-ma” she smiles and laughs like it’s the funniest word in the world. I’m still not quite sure what’s so funny about saying “Ma-ma” but, whatever, Jordyn! Oh, she also switches up the letters and says “ba-ba” and “na-na.”

Jordyn is a professional at scooting herself backwards while on her tummy. She can also prop her knees up underneath her while on her tummy. However, she hasn’t quite figured out how to make herself move forward instead of backwards, and she hasn’t figured out that she can move her knees while they are underneath her either. It’s pretty funny to watch lol. She loves to stand, while holding onto the coffee table, and she has officially started moving her little feet taking steps sideways while standing at the table. She’s going to be walking before I know it, and I’m not ready!

This has been a month of big girl “firsts”, as well. Jordyn sat in the big girl part of her stroller instead of the car seat for the first time. She also sat in the big girl part of the shopping cart without her car seat. She got her hair braided for the first time, and we got on our first swing together last weekend. So many firsts!

LOOK AT MY BIG GIRL!

This month Jordyn gets to eat some GOOD food. We get to introduce red meat, turkey, whole rice, a variety of beans, and so much more. I’m sure she will enjoy the new foods and I can’t wait to use my Baby Bullet for even bigger batches of food. Before we know it she will be sharing food off of our plates.

Jordyn also has two bottom teeth. She’s been teething like a champ and it hasn’t bothered her at all. Now that she has these two teeth and eats all of this food, we bought her a baby toothbrush and baby toothpaste the other day. We will use it for the first time tomorrow. Speaking of baby toothpaste, did you know Aquafresh makes an all natural, real fruit sweetened toothpaste for babies? I had no clue and thought it was pretty cool when we found it in the store last week. Hopefully she doesn’t mind us brushing her teeth and doesn’t put up a fight. She’s good at putting up fights lol.

Oh, Jordyn is in the “all about the electronics” stage of life. Especially Kris’ Playstation 4 controllers. She’s quickly learning the word “no” during this stage as well. She loves to hold our cell phones while facetiming people. You may only see an eye or her forehead on the screen, but in her mind she’s doing it correctly and doesn’t want anyone’s help. When you do help her, she throws a fit and cries like someone stole her candy. She is what I like to call, DRAMA.

Her 9 month check up will be next week. I’m curious as to how much she has grown since her last check up at 6 months. Seeing her stand next to other babies, we realize how tall she really is for her age.

This is all of the updated information on Miss Jordyn Denise. I’ll be back next month to update you all on my little Jojo again. Have a happy and blessed Wednesday! 🙂

Brie <3

[03.18.15]

All Posts, Dear Diary, Family Love

The Transition: Working to Staying Home

November 2, 2014 Comments : 12

November 14th, 2014 will be my last day as a working Mom. I will begin the transition of being a stay at home Mom until Jordyn is about 2 years old. My little family and I are fortunate enough to have a husband/father who can support us, (thanks United States Air Force!) so I am able to raise our daughter in our home. As exciting as this journey will be, I know it will be a challenge at times. Not only for the obvious reason of occasionally missing adult conversation during the day, but because of how much my lifestyle will change. I have worked since I was sixteen years old. Which I just realized while typing this was exactly a decade ago (yikes!). I was sneaky, and got my first job at Best Buy in Bloomingdale, IL, in June of 2006. I say “sneaky” because my family wanted me to concentrate on school and track, and not worry about having a job. I had to promise to maintain a high honor roll grade point average, as I had prior to working, in order to be allowed to work throughout the school year. Which meant with a full class schedule, and running track, I only had time to work on weekends, many times after running 4-5 races during a Saturday track invitational. Needless to say, I carried this crazy schedule, because I loved making my own money. I give this entire background story, because I’m sure you cared to know I worked in retail at sixteen years old, and it was my dream job. Just kidding. I shared this to give an emphasis on how important working is to me. Not just in the sense of making money, but in feeling like I’m contributing to society, and being the Millennial woman I’m supposed to be. I mean, that’s why I went to college for 4 years, right? (Well, I went for the partying too, but that’s another post for another day). Not only have I sacrificed and done so much to successfully be in the working world, my husband and I have very much so adjusted to a two income household. It’s lovely! Seriously, who wouldn’t want more money to spend for luxury? I say all of this to explain how and why this could have been a hard decision to make on my part, because as Kris (my husband) said “this is your decision to make, not mine.” Then comes the moment, when you think about the little face that you carried for (almost) 9 months.You think about that same little face that made you cry like a legit baby, when you saw hers for the first time. And you think about all of the little milestones you could possibly miss while being away from her, and suddenly all of the luxuries of a two income household don’t matter anymore. I honestly always knew in my heart what I wanted to do. But it’s still a tough decision to make when you love the company you work for and people you work with.

Now let me be clear, this decision was made using common sense too. I have bills, many student loans to be exact (thanks private Jesuit University), and those bills have to be paid. Thankfully, many federal loans allow you to defer them for multiple reasons. Other bills are able to be covered with one income. Because I am part of the working world, and now the working parent world, I get not everyone has the ability to up and quit their job to stay home with their child. And despite what people may think, not every mother WANTS to stay home with their child. Which I can completely understand, and I believe is just as important as those who do stay home. Although I definitely plan on working again, it takes both the working Mothers and Stay at Home Mothers to show our daughters, and future daughters, they have the right to make their own choices and take their own paths. I say this because we all know how people like to “Mommy shame” mothers for doing the opposite of them, but that will be another post for another day as well.

I believe the decision I made to stay home with Jordyn is one of the best decisions I have made in my entire life. My Grandma told me when I had Jordyn, “the most important job you will have in life is raising your children.” I couldn’t agree more. She is the most important job title I hold right now. Everything she needs, wants, and learns all stems from how we take care of and raise her. How cool is it I get a chance to be home with this little cutie pie for the first two years of her life? That is such a blessing in itself. I’m also thankful for my other military, stay at home mom, framily (friends that become family), who I can hang out with, and still remain sane after talking to a child all day. My Grandma also kindly let me know how crazy no adult interaction can make you too haha.

This is a journey I will for sure be sharing with all of you who would like to keep up with it through my blog. It should be a fun, crazy, interesting, I really don’t know what to expect, ride! If anything, lets just hope it at least makes us laugh a lot. And with this little character of a daughter I have here, I have a feeling there will be plenty of posts that ends with all of you laughing at me, or us laughing together. Lets say a prayer it’s the latter! 😉

-Brie <3

[11.02.14]