FLOUR

Who needs toys when mom forgets to lock the pantry?

18 & 16

Ian is officially 18 months old. He did great in nursery, zero tears. He did even better at his appointment today, holding VERY still so the doctor could examine him and not making a peep the whole visit except to tell the doctor "bye-bye" as he walked out. He is a chatterbox...much like his namesakes (his great-grandpa and great-uncle McDonald). He is a fantastic eater. He eats everything I make and always wants seconds. He is ALWAYS happy and never cries unless he gets hurt. When injured, he cries out "BONK, MOMMY, BONK! Kiss it (as he extends the injured body part)." And then the tears subside. He loves to dialogue everything he sees, and usually throws in a random color as well. "White truck...pink flower...black car...etc." The funny part is that he never actually uses the correct color. When we color, he holds up the orange crayon and says "white", then holds the green one and says "blue". I'm not sure if he is colorblind or if he just hasn't figured out the concept of color yet. Here are his stats:

height: 34 1/2 inches (95th percentile)
weight: 23 lbs 8 oz (20th percentile)
head: 18 3/4 inches (50th percentile)

I'm not sure that he is quite that tall, I am a little skeptical of their measuring techniques after seeing Max measured the correct way at the endocrinologist. Max is growing well, by-the-way (75th percentile for height and weight), and we are no longer taking him to any specialists. Huge relief.
I am 16 weeks now. I wish I could say that I'm feeling great, but the morning sickness seems to be lingering and I have zero appetite, not to mention an extremely sensitive gag reflex. J-P is tired of dealing with pregnancy drama and constantly remarks "I sure hope this is a girl, because we are DONE!" I figured I would be sentimental and start documenting my pregnancy with photos in case he is serious. I'm not showing a ton, but at 102 pounds my stomach would be half that thick if it didn't have a baby in it. My doctor doesn't seem worried about my weight loss at all (I have been worried sick), he just says "you will have to gain a lot of weight later on to make up for it." I don't think that will be a problem. Assuming that my appetite returns, that is.

update

It's been awhile. Sorry. I've been sick. Here is an overdue update on our fam:

J-P: Has been traveling. A lot. He went to India in March with his Duke class, and got really sick. He is on a plane home from CA right now, and leaves for Belgium in a few weeks. He is more than thrilled to be able to go back to France while he is there, and has been facebooking his old acquaintances there. He has also joined a cycling group which rides every morning at the crack of dawn.

M-A: Has been SICK. So sick. I finally got to the point where I had to wean Ian cold-turkey in one day so I could take zofran, only to find out that it doesn't work. At least not that well. Between zofran, unisom, acupressure bands, and sips of gatorade, I was able to stay alive. I have thrown up at every eatery within reasonable driving distance, and I will probably never be able to eat mexican food again. I am feeling a little bit better, and my dehydration headache is starting to ease. I can finally drink water again, which is a huge blessing considering how hot it is right now in AZ.

Max: Has taken his vehicle obsession to a whole new level. He is no longer satisfied to announce the color and type of each vehicle that passes us, he is intent on knowing the make as well. He is a little shaky when it comes to identifying shapes, but he can accurately identify a Chevy, Ford, Nissan, Honda, Acura, etc...just by looking at the symbol. "That blue pick-up truck has horns on it mommy, that means it's a dodge ram...Oh look!, that white car has a blue circle on it...that means it's a ford." The other day we were in the parking lot at Lowe's when a teenager in a beat-up nissan drove past us. Max yelled and pointed "LOOK! that car is a NISSAN mommy!" The teenager (who heard everything thanks to an open window) parked his car and angrily strutted over to us with his gangsta limp. He looked at me like he wanted to start a fight. "Excuse me, did he just try to tell me what kind of car I have?", he said with a major attitude. "I'm so sorry, he is a little bit obsessed with cars brands right now..." He cut me off and said "Dude! that is SO cool," and chuckled as he walked into the store.

Ian: Has been talking. A lot. He is a little parrot, and repeats just about everything he hears. He is putting 3 words together--"no, my drink!...outside dig shovel...drink cold water..." and is very good with possessives, "momma's shoe"..." max's crib"..."my blanket"...etc. He loves to read and brings me books all day long. Some of the first words he learned were "book" and "lap" because he loves to sit on my lap and read. He is super sweet and snugly. I am definitely not ready for him to grow up. I am, however, more than ready for him to go to nursery next week! These last 18 months have flown by.