♥ The Ritchey's ♥: September 2011

Lately, I have been really sad and disappointed in myself for my absence in the blogging world. I recently sat down to revisit old posts... It made me miss blogging even more! The posts triggered so many great memories with the kids & Dan from the past several years, they reminded me of cute things Alexa said/did, and I enjoyed reliving how I was feeling/thinking about everything going on in our life. I wish I could find the time to update more frequently for many reasons. One, so I could look back years from now and "relive" life with 2-year old Alexa and infant Jack. Two, so the kids could look back at what their childhoods' were like. Three, to serve as a refresher on various life stages (e.g. how many times a day each child napped or how much food I was feeding them or how I transitioned them for one thing to another) so that it could help me with my parenting. Four, to share with family & friends the awesomeness that is Alexa & Jack (and me & Dan too) on a regular basis!

Although I don't think I will ever make the time to blog as frequently as I should (or used to - life is extremely busy with 2 kids!), I know lots of other SAHM who make the time to do things (or have hobbies) besides taking care of the kids and tending house. So for me, I am going to try to post cute short stories frequently (no promises on how often) and longer updates on a monthly basis. My hope is that if I stay somewhat current, it won't be so overwhelming or time-consuming to write a post. With that said, here is an update on the past 6ish months....

March

Alexa took swim lessons on Thursday nights and did a really great job!
Alexa went to her first play - Perry Middle Schools' production of Aladdin. She was such a good girl during the entire performance!
Jack continued to try new solids, including learning how to self-feed various items (like Gerber Puffs and Rice Rusks). Clearly eating is his favorite past-time, hehe.
Jack learned to sit unassisted!

April

Jack began riding in the stroller like a "big boy" (i.e. not in the infant carrier).
Went to Kalahari for 2 nights/3 days - Alexa, Jack, and I joined my parents, sister, and two of her friends at the huge waterpark in Sandusky for a Spring Break-cation :-) It was a fabulous time!
First trip to the Columbus Zoo of the season! We will DEFINITELY be renewing our family membership!!
We traveled to North Carolina... we stayed one night with Maureen & Dan (in Greensboro), then stayed one night with Andy & Cathy (in Durham) - and got to meet our newest niece, Jocelyn, and then had three nights with my family (in Monroe). It was a WONDERFUL trip!! We had such a great time with everyone we saw and the kids did an excellent job traveling :-)
Celebrated a nice Easter in Perry, which included an egg & basket hunt on Sunday morning and an extended family get together in the afternoon.

May

Jack began to sit in the booster seat and Alexa in a 'big girl chair' for meals - both kids do a fine job in their new seats at the table.
Jack started playing and exploring his world. He was getting more mobile (i.e. rolling) and showing preference for certain toys.
Alexa had been yearning for more outdoor play time, which was hard given the constant rainfall. But enjoyed the times we did get to go outside - including a few trips to the zoo, several outings to the park/playground, and hanging out in the backyard!
Prom and Mother's Day in Perry. A fun-filled family weekend ♥ Cute story: The week before Mother's Day, Daddy asked Alexa what she wanted to get me. Here were the items she told him... a Mickey, a lollipop, a bib, a blanket, a white, and a pink shirt. Knowing that a pink shirt was probably the only thing I may want from her list, he asked her, "what kind of pink shirt?" and Alexa told Daddy, "one with big letters." He ended up getting me a 90-minute Grand Massage at Charles Penzone (which I did last week - AMAZING!), yoga capris from Victoria's Secret, and the most meaningful gift.. a 'pink shirt with big letters. It is so great knowing that it was a gift Alexa picked out for me, and she gets so excited/proud when she sees me wearing it :)
Had several playdates with the Nguyen's, Hinton's, and Huston's! It is so great to have other "Mommy" friends to visit with while our kids play :)
A Girls' Night Out for Mommy - I went to Big Bang Piano Bar downtown with Bobbi & her friends/family. It was a great time!!
A new way of bathing for Alexa and Jack... I bought a new laundry basket at Target for Jack to sit in in the tub (instead of the baby bathtub). This has encouraged more interaction between the two during bath and they really enjoy it!
A visit from Maureen and Dan. We had a nice dinner at Abuelo's (and a walk around Easton) and a fun trip to the zoo :-)
Memorial Day weekend in Perry was jam-packed with the kids getting their 1st haircuts, going to the Cleveland Zoo, swimming at Johnny's pool, attending the Perry Memorial Day parade, and seeing some of my high school girlfriends (and their families)!
Jack began talking ♥ He started putting the sound Dada together first, but I think that Mama was the first word he said with meaning. I loooove hearing him call my name :)

June

Jack learned to clap :)
Had lots of pool, Splash Pad, park, etc. playdates!
Took Alexa & Jack for new pictures. Check out the Professional Photos on Facebook.
Watched Auntie (my baby sis) graduate from high school!! She gave an excellent speech as Senior Class President and then we enjoyed a nice dinner at Bahama Breeze :)
Jack was 'upgraded' to a convertible car seat because he was outgrowing the infant carrier... the best part?? The kids LOVE the box - they still play in it everyday!!
Dan and I celebrated our 5-year anniversary: we had friends over one night, went out to dinner & a movie another night, and then went to MEXICO for 6 glorious days! It was so great to celebrate this milestone anniversary so many times :) :)
The kids finally met their big sister, Hope - Dan's birth daughter who has been living in China & Taiwan for the past 3.5 years. Alexa warmed up to Hope really fast and had so much fun playing, reading, and eating lunch with her! We've been trying to spend as much time with her as possible because they leave to go back to China on September 10th.
Had a nice Father's Day. Jack got Daddy a stepping stone with his footprints (Alexa got one for him the first Father's Day after she was born, so I figured we should carry on the tradition). And Alexa picked out statues of a gnome and a bunny for Daddy all by herself. He really liked his gifts :)
Me, Dan, my parents, Paul & Katelyn, and Danielle & Anthony went to the Kenny Chesney concert. Great time!! Thanks to Gram, Aunt Janine, & Uncle Ken for watching Alexa & Jack so we could have an adult night out! :)
Danielle's Grad Party... another great time (we've been so blessed to be having so many great, fun, interesting things to do these past few months!).
While Dan & I enjoyed our vacay to Mexico, Alexa & Jack had a Perry-cation. We missed them tons and they missed us, but we all enjoyed our vacations! Thanks to Mom, Dad, & Danielle for taking such great care of our babies so that we could take an anniversary trip kid-free. It was great to be Nikki & Dan (not Mommy & Daddy) for a few days!!
We also learned that several of our friends are expecting... really looking forward to the arrivals of A&J's new friends in the beginning of 2012 :)

July

Of course, while we were in Mexico Jack started crawling! :( :) I have mixed feelings about this because while I am super excited and proud of him for getting that gut off the ground and beginning to move hehe, I am sad we missed it. It seems as though our children are bound to crawl for the first time at Noni & Papa's house while Mommy & Daddy are away (Alexa crawled for the first time when we were at Cedar Point 2 years ago).
Jack sprouted his first two teeth :)
We hung around Perry for 4th of July! We were able to attend my parents' friend, Johnny's Annual Pool Party, go jet skiing (including Alexa's first ride), bum around Mardi Gras, and watch fireworks on the beach. It was wonderful ♥
We've taken full advantage of our renewed Columbus Zoo membership with several trips to see our favorite animals.
Alexa had tubes put in her ears on July 8th. After enduring 9 ear infections in 13 months, the pediatrician referred us to the ENT for this simple surgery. She did a FANTASTIC job!! Although she was inconsolable when she first woke up from the procedure, by the time we got home she was singing "I Just Can't Wait To Be King" and "Hakuna Matata" as if nothing ever happened :) We've already had a follow-up with Dr. Powell (the ENT surgeon) and he said that she has been an A+ patient! Two audiologists have tested Alexa's hearing and speech and they were both blown away with her language development - saying it is extremely advanced for her age! Very proud of our brave, lil chatterbox ♥
Had lots more playdates
Enjoyed Noni & Auntie's visit to Columbus for OSU's orientation - can't wait for her to get down here in just 11 days!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I am pumped that the countdown is no longer months, or weeks, but now days!)
Add another gross motor milestone to Jack's repertoire... learning to pull himself up to stand! Between the crawling and standing Jack is now into E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. Definitely keeps this SAHM busy!!
Our dear friend, Art, came to town for a visit so we had a big party. Had lots of fun and made great memories with many of our closest friends! So thankful that they are all willing to come hangout at our house because it is easy for us with the kids.

August

Been trying to stay cool despite the summer heat... loads of time either spent at the Splash Pads or various pools (thank goodness for Bobbi, Becky, and Stephanie, who have all been so nice to let us tag-along at their condo complexes!! Although I think we are gonna just have to get a pool membership somewhere so we don't necessarily have to 'bother' people to cool off).
Somewhere along the way, Jack has picked up a few new words: baby, hi, bottle, book, and recently dog & woof! It's fun trying to get him to say things! Although he doesn't say a ton, you know he understands a lot of what you say to him. For example, when I go to get him out of his crib and say "Jack, take out your pacy" he immediately spits it out :) He has also learned to sign for "more" - no shock there, the kid HAD to learn a way to get more food LOL ;-)
Went to the Zoo with The Randall's & Butcher's (Hope & her family). We had such an excellent day bumming around, looking at animals, eating lunch together, etc. The relationship that we have with this family because of Hope's open adoption is so special!
Went to The Fest, which is a Catholic festival in Wickliffe, OH. It was great to hear the Christian bands, eat yummy food, and attend an outdoor Mass. I could have done without the torrential downpour at the end of the night that had all of our clothes stuck to our bodies by the time we got back to the car though, hehe.
For awhile now, I have had to do something with Alexa's hair every day - whether it be a side half-pony, a full pony, a bow, a braid, etc. - to keep it out of her face. Now it is Jack's turn. When he has his hair spiked, Alexa tells him "You look like a stud!" :)
We had a sleepover with Hope!! She came over on a Saturday afternoon and hungout with me & Dan while the kids napped. Once they were up, we played, ate dinner, went to the park (where Alexa was stung 4 times by a swarm of bees!), and had Menchies (fro-yo). After putting Alexa & Jack to bed, we watched a movie with Hope. We enjoyed breakfast together as a family before returning Hope to her parents. It was nice to see the bonds forming between Hope and Alexa & Jack. They have all really grown attached to one another!
I took Hope, Alexa, & Jack to have their picture taken as a surprise for Dan. It turned out great! Then the five of us had lunch at Mirror Lake (Pita Pit for me, D, & H and McDs for A&J) and got smoothies at Berry Blendz (my fave - can't wait until Danielle is living on campus, I'm gonna go here ALL the time LOL). It was a nice morning together :)
Auntie and her boyfriend, Anthony, came to visit for a weekend. Among the fun things we did, had ice cream at Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream, and played/picnic-ed at Homestead Park in Hilliard. So glad they made the trip down to see us!!
We went to Perry the last weekend of the month and enjoyed ice cream, playing at the park, dinner at Joe's, and some down time at home. Always the best to be with my fam ♥
Alexa & I had a quick 12-hr stomach flu. It was brutal on both of us :(
The kids & I went downtown to have lunch with Daddy. We ate at Boston's Pizza and then played in a nearby grassy area. It was so nice to see him mid-day!! Now that it is cooling off a bit (but before it gets too cold), we'll have to go have lunch with again!
Overall we did lots of playing in play areas at malls (when it was too hot to be outside), went to the SplashPad a few more times, went to the Zoo, had playdates at friends' houses, cookouts with neighbors... just busy Busy BUSY making memories ♥

September (so far)

Our Labor Day weekend was action.packed.to.the.extreme. Let's see if I can remember everything we did... Friday: nothing. Thank goodness for this day of relaxation to gear up for a big weekend! Saturday: Dan & I went to campus for the home opener vs. Akron. It was scorching hot (over 100 degrees inside The Horseshoe) so we left after watching TBDBITL perform Script Ohio. While on campus, we got to hangout with the boys at BW3s and tailgate with Jamie & her bf, Alex. The kids stayed at home with Frankie. Once we got home & they woke up from nap, we went out to Pataskala to see Maureen & Dan (who were babysitting Andy & Cathy's kids). It was great to see them and it gave the cousins an opportunity to play together! Sunday: We had a cookout at Dan's parents' house with them, Andy & his family, and the Randall's. It was chaotic to have our 2 kids, Andy's 3 kids, and the 3 Randall's all playfully busy, but it was a lot of fun! Hope gave Dan a stepping stone with her handprint to be paired with Alexa & Jack's footprint ones in our backyard :) He was shocked and really loved it! Monday: Had dinner and ice cream with Maureen & Dan and Pat & Becky. The kids both enjoyed quieter playtime and the undivided attention from Dan's family members. It was hard to say goodbye to Maureen (who is now living in California) and Dan (who is still in NC until the end of the year) because we don't know when we will see them again :( Hopefully, we'll be able to keep in touch using Skype though!

This month (like every other) is going to be super busy. We have resumed going to Storytime at the library, and I have Alexa signed up for a few different classes (a couple at the Zoo, a ballet class, and swim lessons) and have Jack waitlisted for swim lessons. Two weeks from today our "baby" is going to be ONE!! I made the comment to Dan the other day that "The first year with Alexa went by really fast. But this first year with Jack went by even faster!" I can hardly believe that he is almost 1. It has been such an incredible year becoming a family of four, getting to know him, establishing new routines, watching the kids grow fond of one another... the list goes on. We have Jack-Attack's 1st Birthday Party on Sept. 17! :) Then on Sept. 18th my sister moves to Columbus!!!!! There are loads of other things going on this month, but these are the things that I most look forward to!

Phew, I would be outta breath if I had just verbally said all of that - haha! So yeah, that is a pretty comprehensive synopsis of life in the Ritchey household for the past few months (and a brief preview of our next few weeks). Now I am just gonna jump onto my observations/thoughts/feelings on both of the kids:

Alexa

These days Alexa is super talkative, bossy, sweet, and ornery :-) She loves anything Princess or Fairy, her brother, and playing - whether it be in the basement or outside. Her brain is like a sponge and she just soaks up new vocabulary and knowledge every single day. She is also quite inquisitive and will ask me a string of "why" questions until I finally tell her "Because that's the way God wants it (made it, or whatever appropriate phrase to end her questioning, haha)." Then she will look at me with a silly face and say "Why? Why? Why? Why?" and laugh hysterically. Alexa has always been quite the lil jokester ;-) Another hilarious thing she used to say is "Cause be" instead of "because" (she even did it 10 seconds after you correct her - we have since corrected this though). She brings me such joy (and sometimes frustration) every single day... We definitely have our moments (like sitting at the dinner table) when I wanna pull my hair out. Or when I call her name or repeatedly ask her to do something and she doesn't. I know she is not quite 3 (holy cow!) but sometimes it is so easy to forget because she doesn't sound like or even act like a 3 year-old hardly ever. Alexa is so smart, so advanced for her age, that I think I hold her to higher standards then I would one of her peers. Maybe that's because I know she is capable of more, maybe it's because she is my daughter... All I know is that I keep trying to remind myself that although she is extremely verbal/communicative her mind still processes things & she still will behave like a 3-year old. It's a work-in-progress :-)~ But oh the joys, my Lil Rose brings me ♥ We read books together and she loves to retell the story back to you. She wants to learn what letters make what sounds, and she is already pretty good at a lot of the strong consonant sounds and a few others (T, D, P, B, X, Z, O, F, J), the K-C-S thing is confusing but she's figuring it out. I am so proud of her for not only how smart she is but for the kind/caring and funny girl that she is. Here's a recent Alexa story: She has a MAJOR crush on Tommy (a boy at the gym). One night she tells us, "He doesn't even know my name." And after asking what he calls her then, she proclaims, "Spooky!!" Hahahaha. I'm pretty sure she does not understand the meaning behind it (nor am I sure if a. this is true or b. 3-year old Tommy would get the meaning to make the statement funny) but as an adult, it cracks me up! I bought her a Halloween shirt that says Spooky on it, LOL. I could go on and on with funny stories, bragging about her stories, but the bottom-line is this: I love Alexa more with each passing day and am so thankful that God gave me her as my precious first-born baby ♥

Jack

These days Jack is super smiley, getting thinner, and into everything! He is totally aware of his world and eager to move around to interact with things. He can seriously demolish the basement playroom in 3-5 minutes. Tops. He loves to stand up and empty out any drawer, bin, etc. Makes for one heck of a clean-up session at the end of playtime, hehe! We finished breastfeeding just a few weeks ago - and he is getting 3 feedings of formula a day still (2 in bottles, 1 in a sippy cup - working on the transition). Jack doesn't seem to be as adaptable to change as Alexa was as an infant, so I foresee a few things in his near future being a bit problematic (e.g. taking away the pacifier in about 2 months). His head (the plagiocephaly) has continued to improve with our "repositioning" techniques... after repeat visits with the neurosurgeon (and his wonderful nurse practioner) and the orthotist, we made the decision to forgo a molding helmet. Jack's head was showing measurable progress without it and we thought that the helmet would just hinder his development while only offering very miniscule different to his head shape then what the repositioning was doing. We had to accept that helmet or not, Jack's head is never going to be perfectly symmetrical. This is something we struggle with (still) almost every day. Did we make the right decision? Is it noticeable? Will he be teased/tormented later in life?... We just want what is best for Jack!! Most days though, his head looks great and we are happy with the decision we made :) Jack is very "talkative" and I have a feeling he too is going to be a chatterbox - our pediatrician, Dr. Jacob, even teased me that we just create talkative offspring! It is so neat to be able to communicate with him - for him to call out for us, ask for his ba-ba, or woof at Chloe and for us to be able to give him simple instructions. He is definitely more physically active then I remember Alexa being. He can already go up and down the stairs with no assistance, he crawls fast, he stands on everything and walks around furniture. I'm sure before too long, he'll be walking! Jack loves to eat and will almost anything you put in front of him! Some of his favorite foods are blueberries, bananas, waffles, yogurt, bread, peanut butter, sausage, peas, corn, ice cream. The one thing I cannot get him to eat: lunch meat. But other than that, mealtimes with Jack are always enjoyable because he just loves food! Jack has been such a perfect addition to our family! He excels at things Alexa didn't/doesn't (and vice versa), he is so loving, and he has a smile (and eyes) that make all right in the world. I love my lil man (or lil monster, as I call him) with my entire heart and feel truly blessed that God gave him to us as our sweet second-born ♥

So yes, being a stay at home mother of two is certainly challenging and tiring. But it is also extremely rewarding!! Their giggles, smiles, and zest for life is contagious and heart warming ♥ It is so wonderful to see how much Alexa and Jack love one another and the people around them. They both are charmers and brighten everyone's days, most especially mine. Every day I am more thankful for those two precious little humans that God gave us :) Tends to be a repetitive comment I make, hehe.

Oh before I forget, I wanna share this photo with you comparing my Papa & Jack. The resemblance is amazing! So happy to see my Papa living on in my son ♥

For more photos though, please check Facebook.
March 2011
April 2011
May 2011
June 2011
Mexico
July 2011
August 2011
September 2011
Professional Photos
Mobile Uploads I
Mobile Uploads II
Mobile Uploads
**Although I am not quite as diligent with my photo-taking as I once was, particularly with the camera, I have done a decent job of capturing things and posting frequently since I got my iPhone in July. So definitely check my various Mobile Uploads albums for current pics!

It is going to take me forever to go through the countless videos we have taken the past few months, so in the interest of posting this blog in a timely fashion I'm going to omit them this time and promise to post an all-video blog soon!! The other thing I want to do but don't have time for right now is to do the detailed Milestone charts from Babycenter.com. That too I'll post at another time! And I'm sure there are other things I forgot to include since it has been so long - I'll post those as I remember 'em. And I'm sure you all also want to know how Dan and I are doing too. Rest assured, we are doing great! We are enjoying parenthood and try to steal moments with our friends & with each other to get a break from this challenging/rewarding job! More on us in another post too!

Ahhhh, I DID IT! I WROTE A BLOG POST!!!!! I cannot explain to you the level of relief and the sense of accomplishment I feel as I get read to hit "publish." This post has been a work-in-progress since June and my [crazy early] wake-up this morning gave me the opportunity to finish it before Alexa, Jack, or Dan woke up!! YAY! GO ME :)

I hope you all enjoy hearing about our adventures, learning what the children are up to, and seeing new pictures of our prides & joy :) Until next time (which the only promise I can make is that it will be sometime in September) my faithful followers... Ciao.

♥ The Ritchey's ♥

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

A Moment to Cherish

Write a [Overdue] Blog Post: Check!!