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!