Since Mia is battling the chicken pox, and her poor mother is stuck in the house with a sick baby AND a sick husband, I have decided to indulge her and show a few shots of my enormous belly. I am 18 weeks pregnant – I have roughly five months to go and I already look like I'm ready to tip over. Here is a front view:


























and the ever popular side view:


























In my defense this is my second baby. And I'm very short. And I'm thinner overall than I was with Jack. So of course I would show more this time around, right? That's what I keep telling myself anyhow. The pounds are packing on – I've gained 11 so far and the gaining is going nowhere but up from here on out. I've become addicted to Mint Cookie Drumsticks and Mexican Food in almost any form. I'm constantly hungry and tired, and the combination makes me a bit cranky. Throw in a screeching toddler and you make for a really happy home some days.

I did find a recipe for playdough using rice flour. Unfortunately Jack wasn't all that interested. I'm sure he will be in the future, and it's good to know there is a substitute out there!

The new banner up top is courtesy of my brother Greg. He's learning a lot with Photoshop as you can see. I need to figure out how to make it less pixaly overall, but I still think it's cute.

The results from our genetic testing are in, and everything is fine. The new baby is healthy and happily flipping himself around inside me. He has all the necessary chromosomes, they are all lined up as required, and there is one X and one Y, guaranteeing we are having another boy.

In more important news, Jack has finally started calling me mom. He has said dad for about 2 million years, but today he ran after me shouting Mom! Mom! Mom! What a good day for me.

One day this week Jack took a long, late nap. I knew going to bed was going to be a struggle, so I tried to find tiring activities that didn't involve going out in the searing heat of the afternoon. Since he can't play with traditional playdough (it contains wheat), I opted for something slightly more messy, but just as fun. Painting!

Here is our little artist at work:















Here I think he was asking me to leave him in peace so he could create:















He shortly figured out there was more than one way to get paint on the paper, and started using the back of the brush:















And demanding more paper:















and in case that's not enough for you, here is a video:



Another of Jack's great loves is French fries. One day last week we were both having a craving for In and Out Burger. Here you can see Jack indulging:















And looking somewhat surly, but still cute:














Tomorrow Jack and I are going to visit Grandma Gloria and Grandpa Tom. Gloria broke her foot last week in a horrible sippy-cup accident, and we are going over to wish her well and entertain her during her recovery. We tried to visit her in the hospital, but Jack was not a fan. This time he'll be more comfortable I'm sure.

The big news of the day – we're having another boy! I am so excited about being the mom to two boys two years apart. It's funny how the baby doesn't seem very real to me until I know the sex – I was the same way with Jack. Now I feel like we really are having another baby, and he will be here in five short months. (Funny how the time goes more quickly the second time around.)

And now on to reporting about our current boy, Mr. Jack. Out here in Arizona we have fountains for kids to play in at the outdoor malls. I think it's the only way to get people to actually go outside when it's 110 degrees. Jack is suddenly a huge fan of water in all forms, and here you can see him cavorting in a fountain at Desert Ridge:



































































































There are more pictures of the day at the fountain, and you can always go to our photo album to see them. Click here.

Jack is also learning a lot of new words. Lately he has been saying "HAT" a lot, and pointing to his head. I found this hat (size 2-4 years, barely fits him), and he marched around the housing saying hat hat hat hat hat:
















He also wore a hat the other day at Artville:















Although it didn't march as well, so he had to take it off:















He's also spent some time looking out the front window lately. We've kept the curtains up since our house is on the market, and he keeps running over, begging to be picked up to look out.















I took him to the office the other day, where he was busily doing something with a set of desk keys:















Whatever it was, he was clearly successful. And pleased.















And lastly, my parents got Jack a new tricycle. He tried to make it work:















But he had a little trouble steering and ran into the wall.















It's hard to believe how big he's getting. I just had to get rid of all of his 12 month shirts because his belly was hanging out, and we had to buy some new shoes because the size fives were pinching his feet. He's going to be two before we know it!

I think we should change the name of the blog, since I haven't updated it in a month!

We have been very busy. Here are some videos to entertain you though

One

Two

Three

Four

A quick recap:

We all got terrible colds that lasted about 3 weeks.

I got a stomach virus and wound up going to the ER.

We found a house we love and bought it.

Now we have to sell the house we're living in, which means packing up a lot of junk and making it look big and pretty.

We had a test at the doctor that came back a bit worrisome. Nothing too alarming, but we're going for some follow-up tests in two weeks.

We still don't know the sex of the new baby, although I think it is a girl. (Not for any particular reason.)

So that about sums it up. I'll leave you with a few pictures from the last month:















Jack playing in the rain















Jack sitting in a normal chair eating.















Jack and Joe visiting the Farmer's Market















Jack and Joe at an undisclosed location















Jack and my parents on Father's Day

That's all I've got for now. Our main computer is packed up, so photos are going to be fewer with less Photoshopping.

And if you know anyone who wants to buy a house in Willo, please drop me a line!