"...I appreciate it..."

Oh the double meaning of the title... I will start with the funny Alexa story. What morning was it? I guess it would have been this past Sunday. Anyway, I heard Alexa on the monitor so I went to get her and take her to the potty (more updates on potty training to come later in this blog). She brought Mickey Mouse into the bathroom with us. We sang a duet of Itsy Bitsy Spider (she actually can sing almost all of the words) and Alexa used Mickey's hands to do the motions. When we were done singing, she said, "Thanks Mickey Mouse. I appreciate it!" I was SHOCKED - what child her age can appropriately use such a big word?!?! She seriously amazes me and cracks me up. I am constantly telling Alexa that she is hilarious, and then she laughs at herself :-)~ The other meaning of the title?? I appreciate it that Alexa is wearing regular underwear (not pull-ups) all day long!! (Again, more to come on potty training later, but Alexa is having great success ***knock on wood, of course)

Friday, August 13th
Alexa wearing Papa's Jimmie Johnson hat and drinking from her Barney cup. She will tell you that all of her (really Auntie's) Barney things are "At Noni & Papa's house in Perry."












We wondered when she would learn to do this:


Saturday, August 14th
We spent the day hanging out at home. It cooled off a bit so we were able to enjoy the patio and outdoors :-) Aunt Kathy & Uncle Dave arrived from NC and Alexa was THRILLED to see them! Aunt Kathy captured me wearing dorky socks on camera (which I was wearing because of the mosquitos!). And Gram joined all of us for dinner. Of course, Alexa conned Noni & Gram into watching a Barney episode with her before she went to bed, lol.










Sunday, August 15th
It was a busy Sunday for us! After going to church - side note, Mass was outdoors and when it started raining Alexa repeated like 5-6 times, "It's raining. Oh my gosh." Very embarrassing, despite countless people telling us how cute they thought it was - we spent some quality time with the family.









Papa & Noni have taught Alexa to say, "48 is great!" We're still trying to get Alexa comfortable with the motorcycle - here she agreed to sit on it while it was warming up. She did okay for like a minute, but then ran to JaJa for protection ;-)









Before we left, Alexa helped Noni pick some cherry tomatoes for us to bring home. They are called sun-something and are AMAZING! (We have some in pots too, they just aren't growing)









When we returned to the Columbus area, we dropped Chloe off and quickly unloaded the car before rushing off to Olive Garden to have dinner with Pat, Becky, Maureen, and Dan. After dinner they all came over to see the changes/rearranges we've been doing lately and Alexa borrowed Maureen's pretty green shoes!












She enjoyed some play time with Dan and Maureen and was so happy when Dan told her that he could definitely let her sit in an ambulance the next time we make a trip to NC!










Wednesday, August 18th
I had my "weight check" ultrasound of Jack... he was 6 pounds 2 ounces!!! The average baby at his point of gestation weighs 5 lbs 8 oz, so he is well over 0.5 lb bigger than average! The ultrasound tech suggested I talk to the OB about an induction and was relieved to hear that I had already set a date with Dr. Davy :-)









The sad/devastating news (for me) that I received at this appointment was that I am no longer allowed to travel 50 miles outside of Columbus. This means no more trips to Perry until after Jack is born :-( My sister may come for a night or two Labor Day weekend, my brother & dad are probably coming down to use our OSU football tickets the weekend before my induction, and my mom will be coming at least the night before I'm induced so that she can be with Alexa, and I really look forward to any/all of these visits. However, it is not the same as going home and all getting to be together... I had accepted (and was okay with) no trips to Perry after this coming weekend but was crushed to be told I couldn't go anymore when I still thought I had one last visit. The plan has been that Jack will be born on Sept 21st and we'll make our first trip to Perry the weekend of Oct 1st. We would get to see Danielle play in a volleyball tournament and go to her Senior Homecoming :-) Jack would be 10 days old - Alexa was 11 days old on her first trip to Perry! But now I've found myself wishing that he'll come even earlier than the induction, by like a week, so that we can go to Perry even sooner. For Danielle's 18th birthday to be more exact. I cannot believe my baby sister is going to be 18 and I'm not going to be there to celebrate with her (and the rest of the family). Just the very thought of it even brings me to tears right now.... This whole living hours away from my family just sucks and despite the new friends we've made and the bonding we've done with the neighbors, I still yearn to be geographically closer to my parents and siblings. I'll stop droning on and on about my sadness and get back to sharing all the wonderful things that have been happening in the Ritchey house lately!

Thursday, August 19th
We officially began aggressive potty training! We geared up and got excited on Wednesday by letting Alexa select Minnie Mouse big girl underwear at Target and talking about how the next day she would no longer wear icky diapers. I told her she would receive some big prizes if she could stay "clean and dry" for a half-day. On Thursday morning she had two half-accidents. By this I mean, she started to pee in her underwear, stopped herself and told me "pee pee potty," and then finished when I got her on the toilet. No prize Thurs morning. However, she earned her first prize on Wed night for staying C&D during nap and all afternoon/evening. It was a Barney puzzle. I did spend the early part of the day asking/reminding Alexa about using the potty, but by Thursday evening she started telling me without prompting when she needed to go to the bathroom.













Friday, August 20th
Alexa stayed C&D ALL DAY!!!!!!!!! Her morning prize was Backpack.












Here is a video that demonstrates Alexa's awesome vocabulary:


This video shows how loud Alexa is and her OCD personality - she always lines up all of her Backyardigan stuffed animals with their matching self on the couch:


One final clip of Alexa with her "friends":


Alexa's night prize was bathtime crayons!! Which her & Daddy have really been enjoying :-) Also, Daddy has been teaching Alexa how to wash her own body and how to brush her teeth (instead of sucking on toothbrush whenever she holds it). He says she is really doing a great job!










Saturday, August 21st
Here is Alexa with the Barney puzzle that was her prize on Thursday night.









This was the first day we ventured out with Alexa in her underwear for the first time (Thurs/Fri we had been on "lockdown"). In the morning, we ran some errands - no accidents. We came home, ate lunch, and took a nap - no accidents. Then we went to one friend's graduation party and another friend's housewarming party - no accidents. Another accident free day!! This was the last day of prizes and Alexa knew there was only one prize for staying C&D the entire day... a Firefighter hat!!! We are SO PROUD of Alexa, as always she has far exceeded our expectations ♥










Sunday, August 22nd
We headed down to Ohio State to try to find an outfit for Jack's hospital picture - Alexa had her hospital pics taken in an OSU dress and it hangs in our OSU kitchen, so we want to continue the tradition with Jack. We didn't find anything for him to wear, but we had an excellent time on campus!! Here we are with a bronzed Brutus Buckeye in the new (& awesome) Ohio Union.









Daddy & Alexa took a leisurely walk around Mirror Lake :-) While we were strolling around, talking about our "glory days" at The Ohio State University, Dan and I agreed that going down to campus whenever we want and feeling the Buckeye Pride is something we will both miss terribly when we [inevitably] move out of Columbus. For now, we both want to visit and instill the pride & tradition in our children. Alexa already says, "GO BUCKS!" whenever she sees anything football related or an Ohio State emblem and she know "O-H-I-O!!!"












For dinner we went to BW3's... Alexa needed to get her picture taken with her boyfriend, our neighbor (and server) Anthony :-)










Tuesday, August 24th
Lex & Ky = Best Friends :-)
After having so much bonding/hanging out time with Bobbi & Kyla during the month of June, we went through "separation anxiety" (rofl) a bit throughout July and the beginning of August because of both of our busy summer schedules! Things have gotten back on track this week, meaning we've literally had a playdate every single day :-)~ A couple of side notes: I am so thankful that I joined the gym, which led to meeting Bobbi and doing ZUMBA. I'm also so happy that we've been bonding with our neighbors, the Perito's. The Huston's and the Perito's have made living so far from my family less lonely this summer. These bonds have also proven to be great because both wonderful families have offered to help take care of Alexa if I go into labor before my induction. We decided that if I go into labor early, Alexa will spend time with the Huston's (so she can play with/be distracted by Kyla) until Noni (and whoever her entourage is, hehe) arrive in town.










Our "nesting projects" are about finished. Hopefully, I'll be posting pictures of Alexa's new room, Jack's nursery, and the playroom in the next few days. All furniture has been moved and arranged in the room it belongs in. The house been totally "spring cleaned," well almost because we have to finish the kitchen this weekend. And I am practically done shopping, much to Dan's relief lol. I have made some great purchases lately, including two Sit n Stand strollers that I found on Craigslist - one for us and one for Noni & Papa. All we still need is a chair for the nursery and I of course want to get both children some more clothes! Now that the stress is winding down, we are all really looking forward to relaxing and enjoying our last few weeks as a family of three!!

Despite my valiant efforts at wanting to post once a week, it appears as though bi-weekly is the best I can do for now ;-) Probably the best I'll do from here on out actually. I hope that keeps y'all current enough with us and provides you with just enough of my wonderful commentary, hehe. For now, I gotta boogie - another playdate with Bobbi & Kyla is set up for after nap and I still have a few things to do before then. Will write again soon! Ciao.

Busy Busy... playdates, projects, & much more!

Despite struggling through the summer months, I'm ready to get back on track with my resolution to post once a week... it's easier to blog knowing I only have one week's worth of pics & info instead of three!

Wednesday, August 4th
In the picture on the left I am 33 weeks pregnant with Alexa and on the right I am 32 weeks pregnant with Jack. As you can see, my belly is definitely popping out more with this pregnancy! (I'd happily like to draw your attention to the fact that my face, arms, butt, and legs are all smaller this time though!!) I've mentioned before that we were having maternity pictures taken... We had three different sessions: 7/6, 7/21, and 7/29. Here is the link to the Professional Maternity photo album I posted on Facebook. It is a compilation of the best pictures from all three sessions - hope you enjoy them as much as we do!












Since moving the office upstairs, Alexa has brought her toy laptop up too. She sits on the couch and "works" right alongside me :-)









Thursday, August 5th
Alexa and I went to visit the Sip Family again. We took them a couple of meals and were able to have loads of time with Serey since we were their only company. I am so proud to say that Alexa does a GREAT job with being gentle and affectionate with Serey; something I am hoping will transfer to her own baby brother in a few weeks! Since last week, she has continued to talk about "baby Serey" and how he'd be "done eating in couple minutes" (because she saw Michelle cover up to nurse him) and how he is "cute." ♥









After nap we met Zach, Bobbi, & Kyla at the Splash Pad in Dublin -- we all like it so much better than the one in Powell! The girls spent more time in the water, and we don't have to chase after them as much because unlike in Powell where there is a playground right next to the SP, there is not a playground next to the Dublin SP.


















Friday, August 6th
We had a family date night at the Ohio State Fair ♥ As you can tell from all of the pictures, Alexa really enjoyed the animals!! She was very brave - petting the horse, a Mama & baby cow, and other various animals in the petting zoo. Daddy & Alexa rode the Merry Go Round twice, and we all splurged on unhealthy fair food :-)





































Saturday, August 7th
We didn't take any pictures this day, but I can tell you how it was spent :-) Every Saturday morning (that we're in Columbus) I go with Bobbi to her ZUMBA class in Hilliard and Daddy & Alexa have Daddy-Daughter time. This alone time has been so special for the two of them the past few months... they have settled into a routine of sorts (going for coffee, to the park, and to the library) and it has definitely enhanced their bond ♥ Once I returned home, we did a little bit of shopping and came home to do lots of work. We're making great progress on our "nesting projects" that I spoke about in my last post! The gate is down in the basement and we are just trying to figure out the best placement for all the toys, the couch, the TV, and George (the damn gorilla is a P.I.T.A. b/c he is so big and only works well in a corner spot). All of the closets in the entire house have been sorted through & reorganized (you should see all of the things we donated!), the [only] guest bedroom has been rearranged, the floors have all been scrubbed, more laundry has been done... the list is endless.

Sunday, August 8th
Besides doing even more work at home, we went out to Pat & Becky's for a visit. Hard to believe we hadn't seen them in five weeks! Alexa enjoyed entertaining her grandparents with her intelligence and humor :-)


















Monday, August 9th
Aunt Janine and her friend, Chris, stopped for a mini-visit on their way back to Kentucky. We had a yummy lunch at Applebee's! The highlight, in my opinion, of lunch was when Chris asked Alexa how old she was. I didn't expect her to answer because I have never talked to her about her age, but she shocked me by saying "Eighteen months." I laughed and told her no, she was actually 21 months but good try :-) I could not believe that Alexa even knew the number 18 or the word months!! Just goes to show that children are like sponges, they absorb EVERYTHING, even things you were not trying to teach them! Like her butterfly outfit? It was mine when I was her age - I found it in a bin over the weekend when I was clearing out closets!










Jack's bedding arrived today - yay! It is called Blue & Cocoa Argyle by JoJo Designs (here it is if you want a sneak peek before you get to see it in Jack's nursery). So we went to Home Depot to pick out paint tonight. We are doing three walls Brown Teepee and then an accent wall Chocolate Coco. As I write this, Dan is painting the accent wall :-) We are so excited to begin work on the nursery FINALLY!! If he doesn't come before his eviction date, Jack will be here exactly six weeks from today... so hard to believe! Our goal is to be done with all of our "nesting projects" by the end of next weekend so that we can enjoy the last month of this pregnancy without stress and really devote a lot of time to Alexa before she has to learn how to share us :-)~

The other big event on our agenda involves Alexa's potty training... Everyday she is getting better about telling us that she has to use the bathroom, so I've decided that next Thursday her and I are going on house arrest (if you will) for a few days to do aggressive potty training. We are going to get her big girl Dora underwear, a few big prizes, and hopefully by the end of next weekend (not only will we have our entire house in order but) Alexa will be diaper free!! Please pray for us... patience for me (& Daddy too) and self-control for Alexa!!!

We're all looking forward to this weekend... it'll be our second to the last trip home as a family of three (we will go again the weekend of Aug 27th & then I'll be given the orders of no more traveling until after Jack is born). So NE Ohionans make sure you see us this weekend or in two weeks because we won't be back again until the first weekend of October (I'm guessing). Alexa is anxious to go see a big water fountain with Noni & Papa (that they saw in downtown Cleveland and have been telling her about on the phone) and to see Uncle Dave & Aunt Kathy (who will be up visiting from NC). We'll see more visitors when we return to Columbus on Sunday because Maureen & Dan will be here. Every time we see an ambulance, Alexa says, "Ask Uncle Dan ride ambulance," so I told her she can ask him this weekend if the next time we visit NC (which probably won't be until next March/April) he can let her ride (or at least sit in) an ambulance :-)

I better go keep Daddy company while he paints... don't want him to think I'm merely FB stalking while he is hard at work ;-) Oh, for those of you who've been asking... I still feel GREAT! I'm doing ZUMBA one/two times a week and then working out another one/two times. I'll keep hitting the gym hard as long as my body isn't whining, which is okay with Dr. Davy (side note, as we drove down Sawmill yesterday GPS Alexa pointed out Dr. Davy's office building - she is just beyond amazing, right?!). Okay, for real, I'm headed upstairs because despite my best efforts to get up there sooner, Daddy has now finished the accent wall and wants me to check it out... Ciao.