Luck O' the Irish!

we had a really fun weekend visiting family.

Henry took off work friday and managed to leave work a little early thursday afternoon so we could have a longer break. 

while up we took a few drives to look at houses, went out to eat three times, dropped by a local bakery, went to a baby shower, and stopped at a parade for st. patty's day.

we were too busy having fun to take pictures of most of those things, but henry got a few on his phone.

 

bence tried on Poppo's hunting boots. they were a little big. 

the parade was lots of fun. i think bence loved watching the floats and listening to the music.

it was frigid though. 

when we got out of the car i thought it might be warm enough to leave my jacket.

but when the wind picked up it froze our hands and noses. 

i felt terrible for leaving bence's mittens in the car and tried to hold his hands so they weren't so cold.

for once, he actually let me. 

two different times two different mascots walked down the road. the first one looked like a big shapeless elmo.
henry beckoned him over, and the mascot reached over to bence's hand.
and bence lost it.
he screamed and squirmed in his seat like he was trying to get away.
it's really weird for him to be picky about people all the sudden, because he's always been so friendly to everyone.
i think he's reached the stage where he knows what's normal(ish) and departures from that are a little scary.

we didn't ask the second (blue) mascot to come over.

there were a couple bagpipe groups that walked through and it was really neat to listen to them. the traditional irish cultural displays were punctuated by nightclub floats blasting party music while guys in muscle shirts flexed and half naked college girls handed out candy.

(bence's miller lite beads were courtesy of one of the aforementioned nightclub floats)

poppo was decked out in st. patty's attire. 

if felt heavenly to get back into the car after it had sat in the sun for a good hour. we were all frozen and hungry so we went to cracker barrel for dinner. bence even behaved himself once grammo got him a racing car from the giftshop. (he's just the littlest bit spoiled.)

We've been home three days now and i still haven't unpacked our stuff or done all the laundry yet. i'm not too hopeful for today either. but i haven't been completely useless. i did make coconut cake the other day, and it was (is) heavenly. we still have more than half a pan left. 

anyone want to come over and help me eat the rest of it? (it's super rich...like i-can't-finish-an-entire piece-by-myself-rich)

we have hit the second trimester already! bence came along with me yesterday to my 16 week appointment. it's gone by really fast. bence keeps me so busy i have almost forgotten at times that i am pregnant. and then, with a jolt, i realize that i'm growing another human.

bence was pretty well behaved at my appointment. i was a little run off my feet, but that's nothing new. when we were in the waiting room he kept running back to the hallway where the exam rooms were. and when they took me back to check my weight he kept running back into the waiting room. 

when he does this he always looks over his shoulder while running away from me, laughing manically the whole time. i think he knows he's being naughty and he thinks it's funny. to be honest, it's kind of hard not to laugh because it is pretty hilarious. even when he's being a stinker. and he manages to be so cute. (and, as i've had several people tell me, he has the funniest little laugh ever.)

so far baby #2 looks good. i got to hear the heartbeat again, and that's always amazing. it was a pretty quick visit. the doctor said i'm measuring a bit big but that might mean i'm just a little farther along than he thinks. 

after my exam i sat down in their little lab to have some blood drawn and as soon as the needle was in my arm bence ran down the hallway. one of the nurses chased him down for me. even my doctor came out to play with him for a few minutes. by the time a vial of blood had been drawn, three nurses and my doctor were happily chatting about and playing with bence. he is so incredibly social and so sweet i think everyone falls in love with him. 

after my appointment we went to wal-mart, which i felt was a risky move since he had been up so early that morning and we had already been out for over an hour. but it ended up being the best grocery trip i've ever made by myself. 

right after i dropped off a prescription i went straight to Mcdonalds to get him something to eat. and for the next hour he happily gnawed at chicken nuggets and french fries in the cart while i leisurely did my shopping. 

i've come to realize that as a mommy you sometimes have to do what works, even if it isn't the healthiest/most cost effective/acceptable way to do it. he really is a good boy as long as he has a full tummy and is actively being entertained. 

even since my last update about little B, he has changed so much. it seems like everyday he makes knew and/or different sounds. he has so many facial expressions and such a vivacious little personality. he loves to be "chased" (along with any other game where there's a good amount of anticipation.) but he also loves snuggles lately. (i blame the teething.) he's fussy enough lately to prefer me over other people, and he has consistently made me laugh so hard that i feel like i'm going to throw up. (i'm just a tiny bit nauseous still.) 

jeez, we love this kid!