A Day In The Life Of Jack

Though not all of the following happens on a daily basis (but a lot of it does)... here are a few of the things Jack's been up to these days.

He loves to "help" mom and dad. I'm usually telling him not to open the dishwasher... therefore, the look on his face is a regular occurrence. He hates to hear me tell him no... which happens a lot. He loves it, however, when his father hands him a hammer to play with, and will happily tap away at anything within eye range.

He thinks it's so funny to hide from me... though, he gives himself away pretty quick with his chuckling. He also loves stickers...

Loves to climb in boxes... and out of the grocery cart.

He loves to "dress up," here it's with his cape from his Halloween costume and an over-sized t-shirt of dad's...

And here, he found a shower cap in our bathroom and is watching the Letter Factory with it on.

His favorite past time is finding anything he can to fit inside this. Can't find your keys? I'll bet you money you'll find them if you tip it over.

His favorite thing in the world is his sippy cup. He finds various spots to sit while drinking - his first choice always being a box, if there's one around, or the laundry basket. If neither is there, he will settle for his bench in the kitchen.

Loves new toys in the car... and loves it even more when I give him an entire box to explore.

And while I love all of these things that make Jack the busy, fun, adventurous boy that he is...

I love it when he's asleep.

He sure keeps us busy... but we sure love this little man.

It's A...

When it comes to the second child, finding out the sex of the baby is even more suspenseful than the first. We wondered if Jack would have a brother to teach all of his tricks to, or a sister to pick on... and though it's a win-win for either, we couldn't help but want a girl this time around.

For me, having a girl means having more than just a few short years until I hand them to their spouse... just as the saying goes: "A son is a son until he gets a wife, and a daughter's a daughter for the rest of your life." And while I know that I can be close with my sons as they grow older, there's something about having a girl that I yearn for.

Having had dreams for a couple of months leading up to my ultrasound (and sometimes still) that this little nudger was a girl, I was prepared to hear what I wanted to. Most of it was me getting my hopes up, and the rest of it was what I thought was my "motherly instict," as they say. Not to mention the fact that everyone was talking to the "girl" in my belly already.

What I wasn't expecting was the first thing up on the screen to be the shot in between the baby's legs. He had no shame in hiding it (just like his older sibling)... it was definitely a brother.

I didn't cry. For selfish reasons, I might have teared up a little... and the first thing that came to my mind was, "will I ever have a girl?" which only lasted about two seconds - because I couldn't help but see visions of my two little buddies running around and causing mischief together, which could only make me smile. Not to mention the fact that he was totally healthy, which is always a miracle in itself, and the fact that he had a nose identical to Jack's ultrasound picture. Who wouldn't want another Jack to play with? I walked out of that appointment excited and happy that I could start calling him by his name. We couldn't be happier - regardless of whether or not it was a girl. And, Chris, having grown up with four brothers of his own, was beyond excited.

Unlike with Jack, when we were more than ecstatic to call everyone we knew the minute after our ultrasound appointment, we had decided beforehand to wait to announce what we were having. It was fun to keep everyone in suspense... and while that may sound dramatic, it kind of was for me. My family isn't the kind to hold things in for very long.

We decided to announce it that weekend while were all together for the night at my Uncle Brian's house. During dinner, I asked everyone to put their names in a hat, out of which Jack picked one. He happened to pick my nephew Robby's name, which I was hoping for. I think he was excited to be a part of it, and to open the envelope I handed him which held the gender inside.

Jack was just as excited... even though he knew what it was, having come to the ultrasound appointment with us (and having given his attention to the entire thing, as is his nature).

Time to celebrate! Yes, Chris looks very happy here...?

Jack was more than happy to get in on the celebration... as it had to do with candy.

It was a fun way to announce it. Later, we announced it to Chris's family by putting numbers on "Nana's Scoreboard" we had made for her. The girls are still winning, at three to two - thanks to Geoff marrying Aubrey with two girls already. :)

As for me, I am getting ready for this little guy to join us - and trying not to think about how busy Jack already is. Who knows... maybe this one will be more chill? We'll find out!