Finn's First Bath

The umbilical cord fell off last monday.

so that meant bath time was imminent!

There is nothing nicer than a freshly bathed baby.

Especially when they've never had a real bath before.

Finn's hair was starting to get a little greasy. 

"Stop taking pictures Mom!"

Just for fun, here's a one of bence (also his first bath) and one of Finn.

Think they resemble each other much?

We think he's pretty cute. 

He didn't much like the bath though. 

He was a little mad about it. 

But after some dinner and snuggles he forgave me. 

Our Second Bundle of Joy!

Our second little peanut is two weeks and two days old. 

and he is absolutely perfect in every way. 

Phineas Harold Dana O'Connor was born on September 5, 2014.

Weighing in at 8 pounds 2 ounces 

and 20.5 inches long. 

When it came to picking a name,

Henry preferred Phineas.

(spelled with a P and not an F)

I preferred Finnegan.

so we met in the middle with the formal spelling of his name starting with a P

but his nickname spelled as Finn.

Henry and I over-prepared for him to be early.

After all, Bence showed up before I even had a chance to pack my bags.

but Finn was perfectly content to bake a little longer.

He decided to show up four days overdue.

Fashionably late. 

But he couldn't be more perfect.

we prayed my entire pregnancy for some very specific things.

and every one of those things has been (mercifully) granted.

Finn nurses like a champ. 

he hardly ever fusses.

and he goes right back to sleep as soon as he's finished eating. 

which is a blessing since bence still has a hate/hate relationship with naps and bedtime.

we love Bence so so much.

but I won't lie when I say that the first year of his life was incredibly exhausting.

I'd hazard to say it was more exhausting a first year than most first time parents experience. 

(he didn't do any of the things listed above.)

Bence was kind of "trial by fire." 

Colic, reflux, being pre-term...the poor kid was miserable the first year of his life. 

(at least during the night anyway)

so this second baby boy seems easy as pie. 

Of course, all the pictures I have are when he's sleeping.

(Which alone makes him perfect.)

but you can take it from me that he has big, beautiful dark eyes.

and quite the headful of hair. 

See that headful of hair?

jumping back a few weeks ago....

I was so surprised when I made it to 37 weeks.

and even more surprised when I parked the car at my 39 week appointment.

and then slightly flabbergasted when I waddled into my 40 week appointment. 

I kept telling myself I wouldn't complain if I went overdue, no matter how uncomfortable I was.

I would just be grateful that I was full term.

and that (hopefully) a full-term baby wouldn't need to be in the NICU like bence. 

When I went to the Doctor's office for my last appointment, I was only dilated to 3 cm.

which is what I had been riding at the last three weeks.

I had been having contractions off and on for the last week.

In fact, that morning before my appointment I almost thought I was going into labor.

I had pretty decent contractions for more than an hour;

but then they stopped. 

so the doctor stripped my membranes and sent me home with a warning to go to the hospital right away once I had contractions ten or fewer minutes apart. 

I spent the rest of that thursday and all Friday with contractions.

But it wasn't until Friday afternoon around 2 that I started timing them.

They were fairly regular....ten minutes apart, then 8, then ten again, then five. 

I thought I'd call my doctor's office and see what I should do.

Luckily my doctor was on call that day for delivery.

he told us to go ahead and make a trip to the hospital. 

Then he could at least see where we were. 

My mom had come down to stay the night before.

And she was able to stay with Bence, which was a huge blessing. 

I was so worried and guilt ridden over leaving him.

I've never been away from my baby for more than a few hours!

but he did great and barely missed us. 

somehow it still took an hour or so to leave the house.

I gathered our things and henry tied up a few loose ends at work.

but this time around our experience was totally different.

It was the middle of the afternoon,

(not the middle of the night)

I was showered and dressed and wearing real clothes, 

(instead of looking like a homeless woman with a bad hair day)

and neither Henry or I were stressed about the baby being okay. 

Yay for being full-term! (and then some.)

We got to the hospital and they took Henry and I to an exam room on the labor and delivery floor.

they said they wouldn't admit us until they were sure we were leaving with a baby.

At this point my contractions felt similar to the ones I had with bence around 5 or 6 cm. 

I couldn't believe it when the nurse said I was still sitting at 3. 

They were uncomfortable enough to take my breath away and hunch over a bit. 

That was probably around 3:30 or so in the afternoon.

The nurse periodically checked back over the next hour or two.

I was progressing, but not as quickly as I'd hoped. 

By 5:40 I was really uncomfortable. 

I told henry to call the nurse back in to check me. 

I was positive this baby was coming at that point.

When she checked me again I was at five centimeters, so she said she'd go ahead and admit us and call the doctor. 

I couldn't believe I wasn't already at 9.

I guess i'm a baby when it comes to pain.

But I didn't remember being nearly as uncomfortable with Bence and I made it to 8 cm before my epidural.

I walked down the hallway to the birthing room, which was way nicer than the exam room we had been in.

and since we weren't pre-registered they brought in all the paperwork we needed to fill out,

Eventually I told Henry to stop reading legalese to me.

It wasn't hearing it at that point. 

By the time I was around 6 or 7 cm the nurse said she'd send for the anesthesiologist if I wanted an epidural. 

But that man took forever to come! 

I decided to use the jetted tub while we waited and that was sort of helpful. 

I alternated between relief at sitting in the hot water

and then feeling like I was going to pass out because it was making me so hot and sweaty. 

It's funny how you want to move so badly to ease the contractions,

but when they hit you can't really move at because you're so uncomfortable. 

After a little while the hot water started to make me feel sick, so I had henry help me out of the tub and back into bed. 

my doctor was there at this point and cracking jokes with the nurses that were in the room.

(In hindsight, he made me laugh. he just hung out in our room for an hour or so while we waited for the baby to come. I've never had a doctor be so personable before.)

And then the anesthesiologist finally came.

I don't remember what time it was.

But I was already dilated to 9 cm. 

and my doctor had broken my water. 

this was my only complaint about my entire hospital experience.

That guy...

He didn't even wait until I was between contractions. 

(albeit I was really close to pushing...)

But he had me sit upright on the bed and stuck me while I was right smack dab in the middle of huffing and puffing. 

and then wiggled the catheter around while a second contraction hit. 

and ten minutes later when I felt the baby pressing and I couldn't help but start pushing, 

and I asked when the epidural should kick in, 

he told me he didn't numb me all the way.

He wanted me to feel enough pain that I would push well. 

I wanted to ask him what the point of an epidural was when I could still feel so much.

but I didn't.

It did take the edge off after a while. 

For which I'm grateful since we have big headed babies in this family. 

And Finn was no exception. 

a 14 inch head on that boy, believe it or not. 

After pushing for probably twenty minutes or half an hour

the baby's head started to crown. 

they decided to give me some pitocin since my contractions only lasted 30 seconds or so

and I was having to push a lot harder on my own.

after that kicked in 

it was only a few more pushes until his head and shoulder were finally out. 

and this beautiful boy was born.

Nothing compares to the feeling you have as a mother when they finally lay that sweet little body

on your chest for the first time. 

and you finally get to look at that sweet little face

and hear their little cries

and meet the person that has been growing inside of you for the last nine months. 

and you realize this is the little munchkin that has been kicking you in the ribs

and giving you constant heartburn

and making you pee around the clock. 

and despite the pain and discomfort you would do it all again in a heartbeat

because the love you feel for that perfect little person 

is so worth any sacrifice you have to make to bring them into this world. 

    Nothing has made me feel more beautiful than bringing two beautiful baby boys into this world. 

We feel so lucky to be parents to such perfect boys. 

and they are perfect, even when they're not. 

We love you Finn and we're so lucky to be your parents. 

Video update

These are just a bunch of videos that I thought I had already uploaded.

Turns out they've just been hanging out lonely and forsaken on youtube. 

unlisted but not unforgotten!

my favorite is the dancing video, second one down.

Callie took it while she stayed with me a couple weeks ago. 

and it is one of the best short videos I have ever seen of Bence.

Pure, unadulterated hamishness. 

40+ weeks!

A lot has changed since my last post over three months ago. 

Namely, my waistline.

Which no longer exists.

We are ready for d-day around here. 

This summer has been busy and feels like it has flown by. 

Henry was gone (excluding Saturdays and part of Sundays) for seven weeks straight. 

He had business trips to Baltimore, Texas, Michigan and Philadelphia. 

We visited while he was in Baltimore. 

It was an adventure, we'll leave it at that. 

(Our entire trip to the Baltimore aquarium could have been titled: bence climbing on things he wasn't supposed to climb on) 

Little buddy and I kept pretty busy getting ready for this little brother of his while daddy was away.

We started by refinishing a dresser to be used as a changing table. 

This is the same dresser my mom-in-law used as a changing table when Henry was a baby.

We then washed, folded and put away all the little bitty baby clothes for this second peanut.

All the while wondering, "how did Bence ever fit in anything that small?"

Bence helped by trying out some of the baby equiptment I pulled out the shed. 

He was in charge of quality control.

And we made lots of trips to the park and the beach. 

Through a friend in our ward I found this amazing state park with an equally amazing sandy beach

It's so fun.

And clean.

And it's never been crowded when we've gone. 

Bence loves when we go.

After giving me a three hour long heart attack the first time we went,

He realized that it wasn't such a good idea to run headlong into the lake and keep going until his head was under water. 

Once he was a little more wary of the water we all had a lot more fun. 

The last month or so we've been shut ins.

It's been a little too hard for me to wrangle Bence in and out of the house, and the car seat and up and down our stairs to brave it by myself lately. 

But Bence has been a real trooper.

While it can be extremely difficult to be the (pregnant) momma of such an adventurous, energetic boy,

It hasn't been as difficult as I originally feared.

Little man has proved to be a great reading buddy and puzzler. 

And I've found that if I give him a few mini-marshmallows while changing his diaper 

he holds still long enough that I don't have to pin his arms down with my legs. 

I probably did a bit of a Bence update last time I blogged, but it's been three months and he's constantly changing. 

He is growing up so fast.

I keep watching old videos of him from infancy and I can't believe how much he's changed. 

I can't believe how much he's lengthened out just since last Christmas. 

His face is so much thinner and that delectably rolly-Polly tummy of his is hardly pudgy anymore. 

He only has one thigh roll per thigh now. 

It breaks my heart just a little, but it's so fun to watch him figure out the world around him and grow into such a sweet little boy. 

He has also discovered that he has a say in everything from nap time to what he eats, and he makes himself known if we do something he doesn't care for....

Like when we put him in his high chair to eat. (He wants to sit in a regular chair.) 

Or when I take away my phone before he throws it in the garbage.

Or when I try to cut his grapes in half. (That's a big no-no.) 

Or when I pull a shirt over his head. 

Or when I wash his hair and get water in his face. 

Basically, when I do just about anything to help him and he doesn't get to do it the way he wants. 

Bence's eating habits vary drastically from day to day, too.

For three straight weeks I went back and forth, debating on taking him into the doctors or not. 

He almost ate nothing for a month straight.

He'd have a Cheerio or two for breakfast, 

A piece of apple for lunch,

And skip dinner altogether. 

I just kept telling myself that if he was really suffering he wouldn't have five massively foul diapers everyday.

And if he was really hungry he would eat something since he was offered at least twenty different things at every meal. 

One day I thought we'd hit the jackpot because I got him to eat some yogurt for breakfast.

So I gave him a small bowl the next morning.

And he threw it across the kitchen floor.

I think I still have strawberry yogurt on my ceiling.

But it did result in this picture, which I'm glad we have record of. 

Bence is especially sensitive to being reprimanded by daddy.

Henry doesn't even have to raise his voice-

He just speaks very seriously and sternly and little B looses it.

His lips quiver

And his little chin wobbles

And he sticks his bottom lip out as far as he can while the crocodile tears pour down his cheeks. 

It's so funny and pathetic at the same time that I've have to leave to room whenever he does it. 

I don't want him to think his own mother is laughing at his pain, 

But I just can't take that face. 

I'm pretty sure his strange appetite has been in direct relation to his two year old molars coming in.

Lucky me, I got a teething toddler my third trimester.

They must be almost all the way in now because he's making up for not eating the previous month.

He has scarfed beans, cheese, chicken, peanut butter, bread, peaches and pears, French toast, waffles, and just about everything else we've put in front of him. 

Henry is actually feeding him curry as we speak.

Not a  mild curry either....it's a little hot and spicy even for me, but he's chowin' down. 

It's been so relaxing to sit and eat and have him eat at the same time.

Small luxuries, eh?

He really is a sweet boy. 

He's turned into quite the book lover too.

Most mornings we will sit on mommy's favorite spot on the couch

(The end that reclines.)

And we'll work our way through a stack of books. 

Bence has a few favorites.

Interestingly, he loves where's Waldo? Along with a few assorted pop up books, a board book all about Halloween,  Brown bear, Brown bear, Richard Scary's cars and trucks from A to Z, and Arthur's birthday. 

One of his favorites is called Baby's first 100 words, and it's just a giant picture book with different categories on each page like food, bath time, outside....that kind of thing.

We never make it past page two, which is called "cars and trucks." 

He loves to point and grunt and each picture and I'll say whatever it is he's pointing out. 

Which brings me to his greatest love: anything with wheels.

I find this really funny, because I haven't pushed him into playing with trucks or matchboxes. 

But he loves anything that goes....cars, trucks, trains....if it has wheels he's into it. 

He likes to take all he wheeled toys and either run them along the length of our kitchen table, (preferable when I'm elbow deep in sorting papers or files or something else that requires stacks of papers.)

Or just line them all up on the edge of the table. 

And then knock them all down. 

We can be reading sleepy sleepy me 

(obviously a book about going to bed)

And he will point to the half covered train toy in the back of the illustration that's buried under the character's blanket. 

Or the ball in the background obscured by the books on the bookshelf. 

He is all boy, all the way. 

In just the last week he's discovered how fun puzzles can be. 

It's amazing how two weeks ago all he did was chuck the puzzle pieces at me. 

Now he understands that they fit and he's figured out how to maneuver the shapes to fit into the corresponding slots. 

Now we're just waiting for this second little man to make his appearance. 

We are up to 40 weeks and (basically) 4 days. 

Which means I can't (and won't) be found in anything other than leggings and Henry's biggest tee shirts. 

My 40 week appointment is tomorrow morning, and I'm crossing my fingers that they won't make me go to 42 weeks.

(Something they've hinted that they prefer to do if you go past your due date.) 

I've never experienced this end of pregnancy before. 

I was only 35 weeks along when Bence was born, 

so I missed out on the worst of the aching hips, 

heartburn 

and backaches. 

I'm not unbearably uncomfortable by any means, 

But I do keep praying that this peanut will come soon.

Mostly so Henry can be home for at least few days before having to go back to work. 

He's been working remotely the whole last month.

We were prepared for this one to be early like Bence.

I didn't even think about going past my due date. 

Turns out, we're much less prepared for going late than going early. 

Right now I'm grateful for stretchy pants and loose soft shirts, recees peanut butter cups, a couch that reclines, and a crockpot that requires minimal effort on my part. 

And of course, for my two boys. 

Bence has been an angel and makes me laugh when I least want to.  

And without complaint, Henry has rubbed my feet every time I've asked. 

We have a pretty great life and I can't wait to update with lots of pictures of the newest O'Connor who will hopefully be here within the next few days! 

PS: I have a ton of videos I've uploaded to YouTube that I need to post. Those will be coming soon!