Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving was great this year.

Nana flew out all the way from Pennsylvania to see our favorite little buddy. 

Needless to say, she had a really hard time leaving...

Bence will be six weeks this upcoming Thursday, and he is getting bigger everyday.He is almost too big for some of his newborn clothes and has moved up to size 1 diapers. 

When we weighed him on Monday

(his actual due date)

he was about 8 lbs 2 oz. 

I'm thinking it was a good thing he came so early--

he would have been a big baby. 

Just like his Mommy and Daddy, he overate on Thanksgiving day--he put away 6 ounces in one sitting..

...and then spit up most of it an hour later. 

I guess he has plenty of time to learn about moderation.

 Mommy has finally figured out what ques to look for when Bence is actually hungry and when he just wants to suck on something for comfort. 

He has been less and less fussy now that his little tummy is settled and he is used to his formula. 

We've also discovered another miracle of modern science: gas drops! 

I'm not sure if they actually make him less gassy or if he just likes the taste. 

He stops screaming the minute he has the syringe in his mouth and furrows his little eyebrows

--like we've thrown him for a loop--

 It must taste quite different from milk, but judging from the smacking noises he makes with his little lips, I think he likes it.  

(We're making sure he's environmentally aware from a young age)

Nana also made a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner for us.

Uncle Cory came too.

We also got a visit from the Greats

(Grandparents that is)

Sadly...the one picture with all three together shows them with their eyes closed....

It must be genetic.

All around  it was pretty awesome.

The next morning I got to eat a Marie Calender's Chocolate Ribbon Pie for breakfast.

It doesn't get a whole lot better than that. 

Until you add this little guy to the mix...

then things are just even more perfect!

4 Weeks

Bence is five weeks old. (almost)

It's hard to believe that he should still (technically) be in utero, at least until Monday.

He has already grown so much and developed such a funny little personality.

At his last doctors appointment he tipped the scales at just over 7 lbs.

He went up two pounds in just over a week.

He makes Henry and I laugh everyday. 

He has the most extensive range of facial expressions I've ever witnessed and he is so vocal.

Henry and I have already decided that it's virtually impossible that he will be as quiet as Hirum; at least if carries on the way he has so far.

Here are some of the things he really likes at this point in his young life:

Being snuggled

eating

sleeping with a bright light

eating

being swaddled 

his binkie

eating

sleeping

and eating some more....

Some of the things he hasn't taken too kindly to are...

pooping/constipation

gas

wet burps

bad dreams

being wet

baths (at least when he gets water in his mouth--he's fine until his face is wet)

Life can be rough for an infant. When I watch Bence drag his little nails down his face (nearly gouging out his eyes in the process) as he *hemhem* does his business, I can't help but feel lucky that it's not such an ordeal when I go to the bathroom. 

There have also been a few times that he's had such explosive gas it wakes him out of a sound sleep--and then he cries because he's so startled. 

We've also noticed that when he gets really hungry, he gets a little frantic.

He'll open his mouth as wide as he can, and shake his head from side to side as fast as he can.

it makes me laugh because he's already impatient.

Overall he has been a happy baby. He has the sweetest little smile, and I swear he's even laughed in his sleep. (He is still doing his goat-man impression from time-to-time)

Sometimes I can't help but watch him while he naps; he's just such a cute little man. Now I understand why my Nana loved squeezing babies so much. It scares me that he's already growing up so fast. I wish I could slow it down a little.

....remember those facial expressions I mentioned before?...

He has stolen my heart! 

(life doesn't get better than this)

Picture Post

So I had a baby....

and he's adorable and beautiful and perfect in every way.

He was a total surprise

Or he almost was....obviously we knew he was coming, we just didn't think it would happen so soon.

There I was, sleeping peacefully (for the last time) when all the sudden at 2 am Thursday Morning my water broke.

To be honest, I thought I had just lost total and complete control over my bladder.

But by the time I ran to the bathroom for the third time, it dawned on me that this probably isn't normal.

and when I smelled my underwear (I know, totally gross, right?) and it didn't smell like ammonia, I knew IT was imminent. 

(And by it, I mean delivery, not the baby)

I crawled back into bed half an hour and multiple trips to the bathroom later, and  leaned over Henry (who somehow managed to sleep through all my jumping up and down) and tried to gently tell him that I thought it was time to go to the hospital; to which he replied: 

"It's not time! It can't be time!"

Sure enough-it was time. 

I noticed very slight cramps shortly after I got up to the bathroom the first time, and they gradually got more and more intense. We waited it out for a little bit just to be sure it was the real thing, and sure enough they got more and more uncomfortable and closer and closer together. Around three thirty I ended up ringing the on-call doctor at my OBGYN's office who told me it might be a good idea to get all our things together and head to the hospital sooner rather than later. 

Henry came to the rescue at this point. I had actually planned on packing our hospital bags that day--so we didn't have anything ready. Curiously, the night before I had given Henry a very detailed idea of what I thought we should bring, and better yet--he paid super close attention. So while I was in the bathroom trying to stem the flow of amniotic fluid, he packed everything I had mentioned I wanted with me. 

We got to the hospital around 5:30 and within five minutes I was checked into my room and had changed into an incredibly fetching hospital gown (bare butt included.) Within ten minutes the nurse checked to see if I was dilated and if so, how much. She was able to feel the baby's head about two knuckles deep. I was already five centimeters in. Two and a half  hours later I was at 7 and I got my epidural. (the BEST 86 dollars I ever spent) By 10 AM I was almost 10 cm and the nurse was calling for the Doctor. They told me I could start pushing around 11:15, and at 11:40 a little man popped out! and He is absolutely perfect in every way.

Bence was born 18.75 inches long and 5 lbs. 3 ozs. Because He came 5.5 weeks early, they took him to the NICU to run some tests right after he was born. He actually ended up spending three days there, mostly because he needed to gain weight. He had a terrible habit of falling asleep in the middle of  eating, so he actually had a feeding tube, but that didn't last long. The nurse said that when she checked on him at one point, he had his little hand wrapped around the tube and kept tugging at it. Sure enough -- he'd ripped it out a few hours later. I guess he didn't think he needed it anymore. 

After our (not) so short stay at the hospital, we're home, happy and healthy. Henry and i have long said our goodbyes to sleeping through the night (or sleeping much at all.) and we've both been amazed that something as simple and ordinary as a healthy bowel movement would fill us with so much joy and happiness. i never thought regular dirty diapers would give such relief. ;  )

We've had a lot of questions about his name. So here it is--

Bence --> Hungarian for Vincent (Henry served his mission there) and we just thought it was a cool name. It's pronounced "Ben-Seh." The "e" sound at the end is the same as the "e" sound in the middle.

Robert --> Henry's paternal grandfather who passed away this last spring

Eugene --> My Maternal Grandfather who passed away seven years ago

O'Connor --> Isn't this one self-explanatory?

Henry's family started a tradition of having two middles names for all the boys, so we stuck with that. We thought it would be a nice little memorial to both our deceased grandfathers as well. We don't want them to be forgotten! 

Bence was three weeks old this last Thursday, and he is doing really well. He has a voracious appetite, and although his weight went down twice since he was born, he now weighs a whopping 7 lbs. (as of his Doctors appointment yesterday morning!) He guzzles formula like there's not tomorrow and squawks if you take away his bottle too soon. He's also the most vocal baby I've ever known. He is constantly grunting, squeaking  grumbling or cooing--even when he's asleep. We've been calling him "goat-man" because...well...he sounds like a little goat.

we love him and we"re so glad he's ours!

34 Weeks and counting!

I'm 34 weeks today!

That means I'm (technically) only 3 weeks away from being full-term

which (I've heard) is a nasty trick played on pregnant women when they still have an additional 3 weeks to go. 

Everything has been cherries and berries in O'Connor world

As a disclaimer, I hope those who follow our blog don't feel that it is a place to read about wife O'Connor whining about pregnant life.

When I say heartburn is my constant companion

and that I now have man hands

and massively swollen feet

it's mostly just a commentary on how strange it is to see my body change so dramatically.

(which it has- and does on a daily basis.) 

I can't begin to explain or describe how bizarre it is to have a little person inside changing everything from how fast my nails grow to how thick my hair is.

But I'm really very happy.

(In case you didn't know that already.)

Our little man is very active.

He is constantly digging little feet into my rib cage and pushing his butt up against the right side of my belly.

The first time this happened, it was like an alien movie--

I just looked down and saw this massive bulge sticking further and further and further out of my side.

and then all the sudden it flattened out and looked normal again.

If you gently poke my belly, it's all hard on the right hand side

but totally caves in on the left.

I think Benny-boy is permanently situated on the right.

He's big enough you can feel little bumps and bulges if you press in the right spots.

Here is some of what we (and by we I mean I) have been up to in the last month. Most of these are picture of recent projects I've (finally) completed.

This was a lovely little rocking glider we got from D.I. (a thrift store) that had the nastiest, grimy-est, grossest tweed upholstery. So I redid it. Now it's soft and plushy. (And it matches the rest of our living room)

I finally finished the crocheted baby blanket I started back in July! I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out--even if the far end (not pictured) is all lumpy and bunched because I wove it too loose in the beginning.

 Remember that fabric I bought for a quilt? I finished that too! I broke two needles on my sewing machine in the process, but I finished it! 

And here is my belly.

At my last appointment, I found out I've gained 40 pounds. I think I may need to cut back on the reeces. 

 We also bought our crib about a month ago. Henry put it together and it fits right next to our bed. 

Everything is coming together!

Until next time!

This was a great year. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did! Here is the last Quiz for the final session- Sunday afternoon. Good Luck!

Quiz Link

Sunday Morning Session Quiz

This morning's session was pretty great didn't you think? See what you remember by taking this quiz at the link below:

Quiz Link

Saturday Afternoon Session Quiz

Well here is your chance for redemption if you didn't do so well this morning. Round two of the Conference Quiz is just a link away. See if you paid attention.

Quiz Link

Saturday Morning Session Quiz

I have put together a quiz for the Saturday morning session. Click the link to submit your answers and we will see who gets the most answers correct!

Quiz Link