During the kids' afternoon nap yesterday, I created a chore calendar for myself. I always feel so overwhelmed at the thought of cleaning the entire 2,000+ square feet of our home at one time or updating the blog when it has been too long since my last post. I think that having a 'chore calendar' will make accomplishing tasks more manageable when broken down into a few items per day and therefore make me more productive. So I have designated Wednesday's chore as "Update Our Blog." Here's to hoping you'll be getting weekly updates again on our wonderful family ♥ Gosh, my last post was December 12, 2010 - almost 3 whole months ago!! Time FLIESSS! So much has been going on with all of us during this time. Alexa is completely potty trained, Jack is sleeping through the night and eating solids, I am at pre-pregnancy weight, and Dan is busy as ever at work. That's the quick catch-up. Want more details? I'll do Milestone Charts again to breakdown what Alexa and Jack are doing these days. Remember, the bullet points are skills that are Mastered (most kids that age can do it), Emerging (half of kids can do it), or Advanced (few kids can do it) by the listed age.
Alexa Rose - currently 28.5 months old
The home scale has Her Highness weighing in at 27.6 pounds this morning.
27-28 Months
- Jumps with both feet (M) - Not yet, she is still a little behind in gross motor development, but she can hop back and forth from one foot to the other.
- Understand descriptions, e.g. big, soft, nice (E) - ABSOLUTELY!!
- Starts to recognize ABCs (A) - Probably 18/26... Cuteness alert - Alexa singing the Alphabet Song (see video below)
29-30 Months
- Brushes teeth with help (M) - Check, actually she pretty much does it on her own.
- Draws a circle (E) - Not really, she mostly scribbles :)
- Names one color (A) - Seriously??? She can name EVERY color (and even differentiate between 'light' and 'dark' of various colors)
31-32 Months
- Recites own name (M) - Yes, although she pronounces it A-wex-a (she has issues saying the 'l' sound)
- Balances on each foot for a second (E) - Check
- Uses two adjectives (A) - Our talkative girl uses way more than two adjectives! She is very good at describing things :)
Alexa loves
- her stuffed friends, in particular Twinkly twinkly (adjectives!) Mickey & Minnie, Charlie Brown, baby Meka, and Barney.
- anything Pinocchio or Disney Princess.
- puzzles and books.
- swim lessons, which we just started taking on Thursday nights.
- Skyping.
- going to Perry.
- Jack (and Mommy & Daddy too).
Alexa is
- potty trained!! Hurray! She stays 'clean and dry' day and night. She will even wake up in the night sometimes and call us to take her to the bathroom :)
- not eating dinner very well. It is like she has lost interest in food because even getting her to eat her favorite things at dinner can be struggle.
- a wonderful big sister! She will give Jack his pacifier and sing him Barney's "I Love You" song when he is crying ♥
- the most wonderful little girl in the whole wide world!
Recent Alexa quotes/conversations
- Jan 10th
When pulling out of the garage. The moon is watching me, Mommy. Upon arriving a CVS and opening the van door. Thanks, Mom. I can see the moon better now. It wants to come in CVS with me. - Jan 10th
(Daddy) Do you have to go poopy, Alexa?
(Alexa) Yeah, it's gonna smell. *giggles*
After pooping. (Alexa) I pooped a lot!
(Daddy) Wow! You did!!
(Alexa) Thanks, Daddy! As if being told pooping a lot is a compliment, hahahaha. - Feb 14th
The wind is blowing my hair away. I don't want the wind to blow my hair. I like my hair. - March 9th
Overheard on the monitor. It's Ash Wednesday. I get ashes on my head. The ashes tickle a little bit. I don't eat the ashes that would make me sick.
Jack Walter - currently 5.5 months old
The home scale has Mr. Man weighing in at 19.4 pounds this morning.
4 Months
- Smiles, laughs (M) - ALL THE TIME!!! He is such a happy baby!
- Can bear weight on legs (M) - Check. He LOVES standing!!
- Can grasp a toy (E) - Check, his favorite toys are the beads and a butterfly.
- Cuts first tooth (A) - No signs of teeth yet!
5 Months
- Plays with hands and feet (M) - Hands, yes. Feet, no.
- Rolls over in both directions (E) - While Jack can roll front to back, he hasn't quite gotten from back to front (although he is soooo close! Videos to follow.).
- Mouths objects (A) - Everything that Jack grabs goes straight to his mouth.
6 Months
- Turns towards sounds/voices (M) - Check
- Is ready for solid foods (E) - Absolutely!! Jack started waking up several times throughout the night for his pacifier; when Alexa was his age this cued me to realizing she was hungry b/c a. my milk supply had gone down and b. she was ready for baby food. So this time we knew what to do! My OB gave me a prescription to boost my milk supply and then we began giving Jack solids. So far he has had and liked squash, broccoli, sweet potatoes, carrots, avocados, and bananas. He has had and hated applesauce and prunes. Jack also tried oatmeal cereal (mixed with expressed breastmilk) and started to get a pretty terrible diaper rash; so just like big sister Alexa, he is not eating cereal. I have never seen a baby do so fabulously at eating baby food right from the get-go as Jack has! I swear he has a "waste not, want not" philosophy when it comes to food... which is illustrated by all of his cute little rolls :-)~ As a side note, I've been making Jack's baby purees instead of giving him the jarred stuff... So far it is easy, I'm able to keep up with supply/demand, and I like that he is eating the exact foods we are just blended up so it's not loaded with salts/acids/etc. for long shelf life, ya know?! Pictures of various eating times are on Facebook and I'll post a few videos below.
- Lunges forward or starts crawling (A) - Jack definitely attempts to move when he is on his tummy, although he can't get the big belly off the ground hehe! This past Sunday he rotated himself about 90* during tummy time :-)
Jack loves
- his big sister.
- swinging.
- putting toys in his mouth, in particular the butterfly.
- eating (both 'booby time' and solids).
- Auntie and Francesca <-- he creepily stares at both girls.
- dogs. Jack's eyes follow Chloe, Dixie, and Meka wherever they go!
- being held ♥
- his tag blankie (a yellow & green version of Alexa's pink one).
Jack is
- sleeping from 8ish pm until 7ish am - wahooooo 11 hrs!
- taking 2-3 naps a day. Morning nap is usually 2.5 hrs after he gets up and is about 1-1.5 hrs long. Afternoon nap is around Alexa's naptime and is 2-3 hrs long. And sometimes he'll take a 30 min power nap at like 6:00 pm.
- wearing 9 month clothing!!
- preferential to sleeping on the right-side of his head and therefore has formed a little bit of a flat spot. We are attempting to get him to sleep more on his left side and to spend more time on his tummy or in the exersaucer; hopefully it will start rounding out.
- the happiest baby I have ever met (partially thanks to the Prevacid, I'm sure).
For pictures, please view albums on Facebook:
December 2010 Part I
December 2010 Part II
The Kids - Professional Photos
January 2011
February 2011
March 2011 (I will continue to update this album throughout the month!)
Wall Photos (I occasionally upload pics here from my phone)
Movies Galore!!!
12/17/2010 Alexa decorating Christmas cookies with Auntie.
12/18/2010 Alexa "whisking" some cookie dough with Daddy.
12/22/2010 Mom/Noni doing a cartwheel...
12/22/2010 Dad/Papa doing a cartwheel...
12/22/2010 Alexa attempting a cartwheel (see why being in Perry is extremely entertaining LOL).
12/22/2010 Jack telling a bit of a story before bed.
12/25/2010 Walking out on Christmas morning.
12/25/2010 Despite being sick for several days around Christmas time, Alexa was in great spirits while opening gifts! The gifts she had asked Santa Claus for were a rocking horse, Charlie Brown, make-up, and a vacuum (no worries, Santa made sure she got everything & more!).
1/5/2001 Just a regular afternoon in the Ritchey household.
1/7/2011 Talking/laughing time with Jack Attack.
1/11/2011 Alexa playing in the snow.
1/29/2011 Sledding in Perry #1.
1/29/2011 Sledding in Perry #2.
2/8/2011 The Alphabet Song.
2/8/2011 During Jan/Feb Alexa took a Gross Motor Skills class at the community center once a week. Class was 30 minutes long for 6 weeks... here is a 1 minute example of what she did.
2/12/2011 A random "I Love You" singing session in Perry.
2/12/2011 Noni gave Jack the stick of pepperoni and every time we took it away he cried; it was hilarious!
2/15/2011 Jack is soooo close to rolling from front to back! He's got his legs and hips, now if only he would lift his big head!
2/17/2011 Jack's 1st solid food - squash.
2/28/2011 Laughs with Daddy.
3/1/2011 The ugly faces Jack made when he tried applesauce.
3/1/2011 Laughs with Mommy.
3/1/2011 Jack figured out how to play the music in his exersaucer!
3/1/2011 Jack trying out the jumper for the first time.
3/1/2011 Alexa playing with Jack in the jumper.
3/3/2011 Alexa and Daddy doing "Humpty Dumpty Sat on the Wall" at Swim Lesson #1
3/5/2011 Jack hanging out in the walker at Noni & Papa's house.
3/8/2011 Jack talking from the exersaucer.
Dan and I are part of this family too, so I'm sure you want updates on us as well :-)
I love
- working out - I'm going to the gym 3-4 times per week. I've continued to do ZUMBA and have also become dedicated to a weightlifting class.
- the kids. I am having so much fun being a stay at home mom and feel so blessed to have this job ♥
- sleeping through the night! So thankful that both Alexa and Jack are such great sleepers!!
- our wonderful neighbors - we've been spending loads of time with them and it is fantastic.
- trips to Perry. We've cut back to traveling up there every three weeks, but it makes us enjoy our time there even more.
- Skype. We've been having frequent chats with my parents, and have also had the opportunity to talk to my Aunt Janine, Uncle Ken, & Gram (who are in FL), [Aunty] Kat (in London), and Hope (Dan's daughter who is in Taiwan).
- my new laptop :)
Dan loves
- researching watches and wallets. Thankfully he finally ordered a watch and is no only obsessing over wallets, lol.
- working on his "new" laptop - he is the recipient of my old computer and is upgrading a few things like memory and DVD drive and is excited to have a home computer that actually works.
- being so close to finishing his undergraduate degree - he is getting an A in his current class and only has a few left to graduate! Hopefully 2011 will be the year!!
- the kids. He is an excellent Daddy and makes sure to spend time focused on Alexa & Jack individually when he gets home from work each night.
Exciting "plans" for the Ritchey family
- Alexa, Jack, and I will be joining Noni, Papa, Auntie & 2 friends at Kalahari in Sandusky for a Spring Break-cation at the beginning of April :)
- The four of us will be going to North Carolina in April to visit Dan's sister and brother (and their families) and to spend a long weekend with my family too!
- In June, Dan and I will be going to the Kenny Chesney concert with my parents, sibs & their significant others while Alexa and Jack spend quality time with Gram, Aunt Janine, and Uncle Ken.
- Also in June, Dan and I will celebrate our FIVE year wedding anniversary!!! We are planning a trip to Dominican Republic - thanks in advance to my parents for taking the kids so we can have some alone time :)
- I have been asked to be in two weddings - my childhood best friend Nicci Evanchuck (in Feb 2012) and my BFF Kat Apfeldstadt (in Aug 2012 - in Ireland)! Alexa is going to be a flower girl in both weddings and Jack will be a ring bearer in Kat & Dave's wedding.
- We've also been discussing more and more lately the possibility of Baby Ritchey #3 (and #4 because I am set on having an even number of children)... not prego yet, or anytime in the next few months for that matter, but hopefully we'll be having another little one between my two stints as bridesmaid (so Spring 2012).
Well, that's all I've got for you my dear followers. Hopefully in upcoming posts I'll be able to focus on weekly highlights in our family... until next time. Ciao.
WARNING WARNING WARNING
Due to our extended absence from the blogging world, this is an extremely long post.
It saddens me and stresses me out that I have not posted in 9 weeks. I don't even know where to begin because so much as happened with our lil family of 4!! I guess I can start with saying things are going really great for us... we've adjusted to having a new person in the fam and can't really remember life before Jack, let alone before Alexa! Dan and I LOVE being parents to our two amazing children ♥
I found milestone charts on Babycenter.com that I'm going to use to update y'all quickly on what's been going on with Alexa and Jack these past two months. The bullet point milestones are skills that are Mastered (most kids can do), Emerging (half of kids can do), or Advanced (few kids can do) by the listed age.
Alexa Rose
23 Months
• Names simple picture in a book (M) - Check
• Uses 50 to 70 words (M) - CHECK CHECK CHECK
• Opens doors (E) - Sometimes
• Sings simple tunes (E) - Check
• Takes more of an interest in playing with other kids (E) - Check (she is always asking to have playdates or to go to the gym to play with friends)
• Talks about self, e.g. likes and dislikes (A) - Check
24 months
• Names at least 6 body parts (M) - Check
• Half of speech is understandable (M) - CHECK!
• Makes 2-3 word sentences (M) - Check (she is speaking in full sentences, using pronouns, adjectives, verbs, etc. pretty much all the time!!)
• Can walk down stairs (E) - She is still scooting on her butt or holding one of our hands
• Understand abstract concepts, e.g. sooner and later (A) - Check
• Learns to jump (A) - Work in progress (she's got the motion but doesn't get her feet off the ground)
25-26 months
• Stack 6 blocks (M) - Not sure
• Walks with heel-to-toe motion (M) - Check
• Uses pronouns, e.g. I, me, you (E) - Check
• Washes & dries own hands (E) - Check (with minimal assistance)
• Speaks clearly most of the time (A) - Check
This last list of skills are for children older than Alexa, but I wanted to share them as my way of bragging about how great our little girl is ♥ I cannot even begin to describe how proud it makes me to read these things and know that my daughter has already mastered skills that 2.5-3 year olds are supposed to be working on!!!
• Beginning to recognize ABCs (A 27-28 months) - CHECK (she knows #s too :) )
• Brushes teeth with help (M 29-30) - Check
• Names one color (A 29-30) - Check (she knows 'em all!!)
• Names one friend (A 29-30) - Check
• Carries on a simple conversation (M 33-34) - Seriously? The girl can have advanced convos. CHECK CHECK CHECK
• Toilet trained during the day (A 33-34) - CHECK :) I am so happy to say that Alexa is doing a FABULOUS job, and that she has been keeping her diaper dry most nights too!
• Separates fairly easily from parents (E 35-36) - Check
• Rides a tricycle (E 35-36) - Work in Progress (I guarantee she will be able to do this E skill well before her 3rd birthday!)
Alexa loves...
• Mickey Mouse
• Charlie Brown & Snoopy
• Jack
• Mommy & Daddy (this was her response when I asked her what she loves today)
• art class (we've been going to a toddler art class in Powell on Mondays that is AWESOME!)
• going to the gym
• singing (anything from Ohio State songs to Low by Flo Rida)
• being a helper
Alexa is...
• potty trained during the day (***knock on wood). It used to be that we just put her on the potty every few hours and she would go. Lately though Alexa has been consistently telling us when she has to go, and we have been accident-free for over a week! (Praying this doesn't jinx us.)
• testing boundaries like every other 2-year old
• able to identify the letter L and R on the bottoms of her shoes/slippers and can't be these things on the correct feet!
• is a little comedian... she loves making us laugh (her latest joke is from the Backyardigans: Why did the chicken cross the playground? To get to the other slide. When she tells it she laughs after she delivers the punchline, it's hilarious.
• getting better at using a fork and is great at using a spoon
A couple cute quotes from Alexa
• That'd be cool. (She says this ALL the time!)
• Mommy, it's nice out... nice and cold!
• The moon is hiding from me. Brutus Buckeye put it in his pocket. (Alexa told Daddy this one morning when she woke up.)
• I can't give my big booty a smack because my hands are dirty. (Referring to her dance move to Low while eating breakfast and her hands were covered in maple syrup)
• I sit in timeout at the gym, Mommy. For hitting Zander. I say, I'm sorry Zander. (Alexa totally told on herself b/c Christi forgot to tell me. Later I found out that she [not any of the adults] put herself in timeout right after she did it.)
Jack Walter
1 month
• Lifts head when lying on tummy (M) - Check (he doesn't hate tummy time near as much as Alexa did)
• Responds to sound (M) - Check
• Stares at faces (M) - Check (esp. Alexa's face!)
2 months
• Vocalizes, gurgles and coos (M) - Check!! (he is a 'talker' like his Mama and sister already!)
• Follows objects across field of vision (M) - Check
• Notices his hands (M) - Check (we call them his fun hands, which is what we coined 'em when Alexa started playing with her hands as an infant)
• Holds head up for short periods (M) - Check!! (he has excellent neck control IMO for his age)
• Smiles (E) - CHECK!!
• Can bear weight on legs (A) - Check (Advanced)
• Lifts head and shoulders when lying on tummy (A) - Check
3 months
• Recognizes your face and scent (M) - Check (well, at least Mommy, Daddy, & Alexa's faces, I have no idea how to test if he recognizes how we smell!)
• Holds head steady (M) - Work in Progress
• Visually tracks moving objects (M) - Check
• Blows bubbles (E) - Check
• Recognizes your voice (E) - Check
• Rolls over, from tummy to back (A) - Check (he started doing this on his 1 month birthday!!)
• Turns toward loud sounds (A) - Check
• Can bring hands together, bats at toys (A) - Check (he recently has become interested in having the activity bar on his bouncer; which side note, he is QUICKLY outgrowing!!!)
**Jack won't be 3 months until 12/21 so the fact that he is working on and even mastering these skills is proof that he is going to be just as brilliant as Alexa!!**
Jack loves...
• watching Alexa
• Christmas lights
• to put his hands in his mouth (we take them out b/c we do NOT want a thumb sucker!)
• eating (as evident by how ginormous he is!)
• laying on the flooring and kicking his legs
Jack is
• sleeping anywhere between 5 - 8.5 hr stretches at night (thank you, God!!!)
• almost always awake during Alexa's nap - it sure would be helpful if they slept at the same time!
• wearing size 3-6 months & 6 month clothes already
• a nursing champ
• weighing approximately 15-16 lbs
• a Spit-up Monster
• on Prevacid for acid reflux... it seems to be working!
• starting to hold onto toys, burp clothes, etc.
• emotional (his moods range from either extremely upset like it's the end of the world to over-the top happy where he is smiley and cooing)
• awesome, obviously
• loved beyond words, obviously
Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the past few months and some videos (along with my awesome commentary):
For more pictures please check out the following albums on Facebook: October 2010 I and October 2010 II, November 2010 (including a mini photo session courtesy of my dear friend Michelle Sip), and December 2010, as well as Jack - Professional Pics and Alexa - Professional Pics (all albums have been updated since my last post!). I've tried to put descriptive captions for each picture so you know who is in them and what we're up to! I figure if I can leave the blog for stories & videos and use FB for pictures maybe, just maybe, you'll get updates more frequently then once every two months!!!!
10.19.2010 Alexa singing at the library
10.21.2010 Jack rolling over (this was like the 4th time)
10.21.2010 Alexa & Jack playing together
10.21.2010 Alexa & Jack playing together
10.21.2010
10.23.2010 Alexa's 2nd Birthday Party in Perry - she picked out her pretty pink party dress! Hard to believe our 'baby' is TWO!!!!!!!! Daddy and I are in agreement that it has been the absolutely positively best two years of both of our lives :) Being her parents, and now Jack's too, is the most rewarding and challenging job in the world!
10.27.2010 Celebrating Alexa's 2nd Birthday just the four of us - Lunch at House of Japan and painting a name sign at Bare Bowl.
10.27.2010 Alexa opening a birthday present
10.27.2010 Alexa & Daddy painting a crown
10.28.2010 Happy Halloween!!! Alexa was the cutest giraffe ever and LOVED tricking or treating!! She was so polite, saying "Trick or Treat" and "thank you" at each house :) Jack fit into the Jack O'Lantern costume better than Alexa had two years ago, haha. He did great hanging out in his cocoon in the stroller while we trekked through the neighborhood with the Huston's for a little over an hour.
10.30.2010 Cute picture of the kids posing with their sock monkeys (J's was Daddy's when he was little, A's was her big sister gift from Aunt Kathy & Uncle Dave)
10.30.2010 Boo at the Zoo. It was a little bit chilly but we had an excellent time showing Noni & Papa around the Columbus Zoo while we collected candy :)
10.30.2010 Daddy & Mommy (aka Dan & Nikki) at the Zamora wedding.
10.31.2010 Alexa's 2nd Birthday Party in Columbus - she's the best gift of all!!
11.2.2010 Alexa identifying her colors while coloring on her new easel (bday gift from Auntie & JaJa)
11.2.2010 Jack hanging out with Daddy
11.3.2010 The kids and me at El Vaquero for my birthday dinner
11.4.2010 Jack all smiles in his bouncer (go to the Nov album to see the "many faces of JW") and Alexa being a rockstar
11.6.2010 Alexa eating ice cream cake
11.9.2010 Our final photo session with John (more in FB album)
11.11.2010 Jack hanging out with Mommy
11.11.2010 Jack attempting to crawl during Tummy Time
11.17.2010 Alexa & Kyla playing while Jack & Jett alternate hiccuping :-)~
11.18.2010 One of Alexa's 2-year-old pictures
11.19.2010 Wildlights at the Columbus Zoo - we went with the Huston's
11.21.2010 Our Christmas card photo, taken by our friend Michelle Sip (more photos from her in November album on FB)
11.25.2010 Jack & Alexa on Thanksgiving Day at Grandma & Grandpa's house
11.26.2010 Jack & Alexa's Christmas 2010 Photo with Santa Claus (Polaris Fashion Place)
11.27.2010 Jack's Baptism
12.1.2010 Jack loves to hangout on the floor
12.2.2010 Jack talking to Daddy when he was working from home one day
12.4.2010 Alexa & Jack getting a bath together
12.4.2010 Annual family trip to Tower City
12.4.2010 Jack dancing with the Toy Soldier at Tower City
12.4.2010 Alexa dancing with the Toy Soldier at Tower City (seeing this brought tears to my eyes as I remembered my sister dancing with him when she was A's age)
12.6.2010 Doing some singing at art class
12.7.2010 Alexa insisted on watch "Script Ohio on You Tube" (her words) when she saw our Buckeye ornaments
12.7.2010 After we finished decorating our Christmas tree
12.10.2010 Alexa having a tea party with [dancing] Santa, Mickey, and Minnie
12.12.2010 Alexa loving on Jack, as usual ♥
I could go on and on listing all of the people (family and friends) that have come to see us over the past two months and all of the things that we have done, but gosh the very thought of doing so is completely overwhelming... I hope it is sufficient enough to say that we have been showered with love and support from our fabulous families and fantastic friends! We are so incredibly blessed to have such amazing people in our lives!!
I'm sure there is TONS that I have forgotten to include, but I am too ex-haust-ed from writing this post to try to recall anything else!! So for now I'm off to hide Jasper, our Elf on a Shelf friend, and then to have some adult-time with Dan. No promises on when the next post will be, but hopefully it will not be another 9 weeks until you hear from me again, my dear readers. Hope your homes and hearts are filled with love, laughter, and joy during this holiday season as we prepare for Jesus' birthday, Santa's deliveries, and New Year's parties!!... Ciao.
I hope you all understand my lack of posting in the past [almost] 3 weeks. Things are as busy as ever with a very active toddler and a newborn! We are still trying to get into the swing of things as a family of four, and minus a few bumps here & there, I think we are getting settled quite nicely.
Alexa is a FANTASTIC big sister! She says, "I want him" (translation: I want to hold Jack) a bunch of times each day and is actually getting quite good at being gentle with her baby brother. She showers him with kisses & hugs and "check on baby Jack" whenever she hears him cry. Alexa has not displayed any signs of jealousy over the amount of time we spend with Jack or even with my breastfeeding. We've had at least one playdate each week with Bobbi & Kyla and have still been going to Babytime at the library so that her schedule/routine isn't too disrupted. We even managed to go to the zoo for about an hour & a half this past week! Alexa's communication skills continue to thrive - she is speaking more clearly and with better sentence structure each day - and we're working on her gross motor functions, like running & jumping. As I watch her do other things (like using a spoon, she is getting pretty great at it), I'm amazed that she once was a 'helpless' as Jack is! I can hardly believe that we will be celebrating her 2nd birthday in about two weeks!!!
Newborn Jack is very different then newborn Alexa. He is a sweet boy who loves to cuddle, eats frequently, and has mixed up days & nights, lol. We love his big gorgeous blue eyes and are impressed with the neck/head control he is beginning to have. We went to the pediatrician this week and discovered that he now weighs 8 lbs 10 oz (a great 11 oz gain in 1 week!). While we were there we discussed with Dr. Jacob a few issues we've been having with Jack, mainly that he spits up after every feeding and when he cries he gets Angry! It's not that he cries more frequently than Alexa did, it's the severity of his cry :-/ We're tracking his behaviors because Dr. Jacob thinks he may have acid reflux. There were a few days earlier in the week when I about lost it because I couldn't take the crying/grunting (for him - he seems like he is in such pain) and the consequences (for the rest of us - Alexa was unintentionally being 'ignored' which makes me feel guilty)... but now that we've kept him upright as much as possible the temper tantrums, if you will, have been minimal and we're all a bit happier because of it. He is still spitting up after every feeding, so when I speak to the doctor next week she may prescribe infant Zantec (sp?) to see if that helps. We're gonna have to do some research before we give him anything though! Any information that any of you readers can pass along on this matter would be much appreciated.
Other than Jack's health concerns, things are truly going great! Sure we're tired, but we're happy :-) We enjoyed 2.5 weeks with Daddy [on vacation] and the kids & I survived our first 2 days without him (he returned to work on Thurs). We made our first trip to Perry as a family of four and Jack got to meet a ton of my extended family!! And we have accomplished my biggest goal of having alone time with each child each day. In my opinion, we are doing a pretty darn good job of balancing two children ♥ Who knows how we'll do when we eventually have four, lol :-)
As for me, minus being sleep deprived, I feel completely 'recovered' and wish I didn't have to wait three more weeks to be cleared to workout again! I've lost a little over 20 (of the 35) pounds I gained, and I cannot wait to lose the rest and to tone up. I miss ZUMBA like crazy!!
For your viewing pleasure - Here are some movies we've taken in the past three weeks:
I knew there was a reason that the only person I wanted to take care of Alexa while we were in the hospital was Noni... look how much fun they had making cupcakes together!
Jack's 1st Bath (at home)
We had a scripted banter towards the end of my pregnancy, in which I would say to Dan, "Guess what?" and he would respond with "Jack has the hiccups!" This happened every evening between 9 - 10 pm and it actually continued the first few days after Mister Man (what I've been calling Jack) was born!
Alexa learning how to interact with Jack.
Alexa being a cheerleader.
Jack attempting to roll over - not a bad go at it for a 5 day old!
"Koala music"
It is overwhelming (and redundant) for me to worry about posting pictures both on FacebookFB to share photos and the blog to communicate lengthy stories/updates as well as movies. I suggest that you frequently check my October 2010 album on FB for pictures (the captions will inform you of what is going on in the photo). Also, you can go to the Jack - Professional Pics album to view the photos that our awesome photographer, John Caputo, took when Jack was just 6 days old! We'll be doing a second session with John later in the month. Our goal of the first session was to mainly get just Jack pictures; ones in which he was sleeping and easily pose-able. The goal of the second session will be to get whole family photos, awake Jack pictures, and a few creative portraits too.
Common things you will hear Alexa shouting (amplified through a megaphone that a bank teller gave her) around the house these days: Go Bucks, TBDBITL, sousaphone player dots the i, drum major, Script Ohio, O-H-I-O, Brutus Buckeye, We're from Ohio, O-H-I-O Stadium, and Ohio Stadium home of the Buckeyes :-) On that note, I'll end this post with the newborn photos we had taken of both Alexa and Jack in the hospital. They are proudly on display in our OSU kitchen :-)
Until I have time to post again... GO BUCKS and Ciao.
I am sure you have all already been informed, but Jack is here!! He was born on Tuesday, September 21, 2010 at 3:55 pm. Many thanks to all of you for your prayers, thoughts, & well wishes these past few days!...
The hospital was slow getting my induction started, we were here at 9:00 am but the IV didn't start until 10:50 am. My contractions really began around 11:30 am and I was 3 cm. They broke my water at 11:50 am, and by 1:15 pm I was asking for my epidural (still only 4 cm). My exam at 2:30 pm showed great progress, 7 cm! The checked again at 3:00 pm and surprisingly I was just about 10 cm!!! We waited for Dr. Davy to arrive, for the delivery & newborn stuff to get set-up, and for Jack to "drop" a little bit more, and I started pushing at 3:35 pm. So after a short 4 hr labor and 20 min delivery Mr. Jack Walter Ritchey entered the world!!! ♥
Alexa came into see us (with Noni) within the first hour (they just waited for our first nursing session to be over). She did GREAT with her baby brother, wanting to hold him and giving him big kisses - she even asked to take him home as she was leaving!!!
We are doing great thus far! Jack was a bit sleepy the first night and most of yesterday making nursing hard, but now as he is getting more alert we are getting it. He is (so far) a relatively quiet and easy-tempered baby, we'll see if that changes once he spends more time with his sister hehe.
Now we are waiting for the pediatrician to arrive to do Jack's circumcision. Once that is over, we have to wait an hour and will hopefully have our discharge papers ready to go. We are antsy and ecstatic to get home, be reunited with Alexa, and to bond as a family of four a little bit later this morning!!
Here is an album on Facebook of pictures from the past few days - ENJOY!
Until there is time again... Ciao.
Normally I'm not an Autumn (or Fall, whatever you call it) kinda person. I prefer the warm temperatures, blooming flowers, and strong new sunlight of late-Spring. I like getting out my flip flops and tank tops... But something has overtaken my body (maybe Dan's LOVE of Fall is inherently in Jack and thus truly inside of me, lol, who knows), and I have been embracing the weather change openly. Alexa and I have become regulars at Starbucks, filling my cravings for Pumpkin Spice Lattes. We've been reading books that are Autumn-themed (i.e. stuff about pumpkins, apples, leaves, and harvest) and cooking Fall things (e.g. zucchini bread and squash & apple bisque). The two of us even completed an Apple-inspired art project last week! (Hopefully we'll be able to make time for a few other art projects I've been thinking of once Jack arrives and the four of us have settled.) Oh, I've even found the perfect outfit combination for me: flip flops, shorts, and a tank top (because it gets hot late in the day) with the lone hoodie that still fits (because it is cool in the morning) :-) But most importantly with these leaves-changing-color months comes the start of football season!!
Thursday, September 2nd
Here is our lil Buckeye ready for the first game of the season (OSU v. Marshall, 45 - 7)... After seeing the cheerleader outfit I got for a steal at the consignment shop earlier this summer taunting her in the closet for months, Alexa was so excited to finally wear her "Go BUCKS dress!" (as she calls it) and loved listening to TBDBITL (The Best Damn Band In The Land) all day in the car!!
Of course, since Alexa looked cute we had to go somewhere to show her off ;-) So we went to have lunch with Daddy at work! That night we watched the game at home and took a few family photos out in front of the house.
My parents came to visit Fri - Sun of Labor Day weekend! I don't know who/what Alexa was happier about arriving - them or the Barney cup they brought with them, lol. It had been a l-o-n-g three weeks without seeing them, and we were so so so happy they made the trip to Columbus since I had been given the "no travel" decree!!!
Saturday, September 4th
Her Highness enjoyed being pampered first thing in the morning by getting her toenails and fingernails painted by Noni (it was the first time she has had her fingernails painted - I forgot to get a picture, but they looked so cute). The "spoiling" continued with some alone time coloring with Papa and lots of shopping... Besides the Mickey Mouse bathroom accessories (featured in my last post), Noni & Papa got Alexa new Dora shoes and a purse!
SURPRISE!!! I get a text first thing on Saturday morning that Auntie was coming to visit too! When she arrived, Alexa was thrilled to see her :-) It always warms my heart to see the reaction my daughter has to my family ♥ For dinner, we went to PF Chang's. It was Chinese yumminess, and Alexa was fascinated with the ginormous horse statues in front of the restaurant!
For dessert we stopped at Dairy Queen.
Sunday, September 5th
Over the past two years, Alexa has definitely learned to be a dog lover with Chloe and Dixie always around! Auntie took Alexa on a leisurely wagon ride around the neighborhood.
After nap we headed out to 'The Farm' (a piece of property that has been in Dan's extended family for decades). Every year there is a picnic on Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends. The highlight of going to 'The Farm' for the kids is usually the tractor ride, not so much for Alexa though. According to Auntie, she just kept saying, "Go back to Mommy!"
Posing for various family photos at 'The Farm.'
It was sad to say goodbye to my parents, who left directly from there to head back to Perry. But it was made easier by the fact that Danielle was staying Sun night to have alone time with us :-) We enjoyed a movie and snack-overload night with her!
Monday, September 6th
Chloe and Dixie are BFFs... they even eat breakfast together!
After my sister left, the three of us ran a few errands - Alexa insisted on carrying our toilet paper (that was clearly the size of her) out of Target. LOL
We went to the park in the evening. Alexa really loves this slide at the playground in our development!
Tuesday, September 7th
I've taken pictures each week at Babytime because I wasn't sure if it would be our last one or not. Clearly, Alexa did NOT want this photo with Mommy :-/
Friday, September 10th
Alexa wants to wear OSU clothes on Fridays and Saturdays. She wakes up almost every morning and says, "Mommy, it's game day!" When I tell her no she then says, "It's football season!" Daddy and I are quite proud to be raising a little girl with such Buckeye pride!!
Saturday, September 11th
We decided to brave the traffic and chaos to go to campus to tailgate on game day (OSU v. Miami, 36 - 24). We knew it would be really crazy, so we went down early and left before the game began... but we had a blast!! Alexa got her first BUCKEYE necklace and then we walked Lane Ave from High Street to our friends' tailgate on West Campus (across from The Shot). (P.S. Isn't my belly HUGE??? After I saw the photo on the right, I've been wondering how I stay upright without horrible back pain! haha)
Alexa had such a good time at the tailgate... she has Daddy and his friends wrapped around her little finger :-)
We went to another tailgate in the parking lot of St. John's arena to see Mr. Buchman (a former teacher & cheerleading coach from Perry). His wife is the Ohio State's head cheerleading coach and she brought these three cheerleaders (Ben, Ally and Ally) to meet Alexa! She has been waving anything she can around like a pom-pom since - yay, our little BUCKEYE has aspirations to be a cheerleader!!
Sunday, September 12th
Like I said, we've been reading books to Alexa this entire month of September that focus on Autumn. This got her all jazzed up about going apple picking. We took her to Lynd's Fruit Farm to pick apples for the first time, and she had a blast!
Alexa did a great job reaching for and pulling apples off the trees. We had our bag filled with Jonathon apples in no time!
Of course, she had to sample her pickings right in the middle of the orchard :-)~
Alexa and Mommy in an apple tree.
Alexa and Daddy at picking apples and climbing mini-hills.
Lynd's Fruit Farm has the orchard (where you can pick apples yourself), a tent market (to purchase already picked apples & other produce, as well as many other types of apple products), and then a corn maze. It had been my intention to go to the market, then the orchard, and finally make our way through the corn maze. However, I over-planned and we did not have enough time to go through the huge maze because it was approaching Alexa's nap time. As a consolation prize, hehe, she was able to see the entire maze from a viewing deck (plus we sat in front of it for a picture) and played in a kiddie area (that had a little straw maze).
Tuesday, September 14th
This was a bittersweet morning for me... we did what we have been doing almost every Tuesday for the past 20 months, went to Babytime at 11:00 am.
Video from Babytime - Alexa doing The Wheels on the Bus
Video from Babytime - Alexa during There Are Bubbles in the Air
Both the librarian and her volunteer offered to take pictures of Alexa and I because they knew it was our last Babytime just the two of us ♥ Mrs. Jenny even told me she teared up a few times throughout storytime watching Alexa and me together and thinking about/seeing the bond that we have built during our time together at the library!
Video - Alexa has been making this funny sound effect whenever she runs (she is positively hilarious!)
Video - Alexa sharing her BUCKEYE pride :-)
Wednesday, September 15th
Ready for The Great Apple Art Project!
We used a few of the apples that we had picked at Lynd's to make apple prints on Autumn greeting cards that we made on the computer for family.
We used Alexa's fingerprint to make the stem on the orange apples (the rest of the stems I painted on because we were both kinda worn out from the long arts & crafts time). Here are all the prints we made! It was a ton of fun to do a project like this with Alexa!!
After nap, we were supposed to have our last playdate before Jack's arrival... Alexa and Kyla love Library Park, and truth be told so do Bobbi and I! We are thankful for the jungle gym that is safe for them to play on without our big prego selves chasing them around too much, lol. When we got in the van, Alexa started crying and saying, "Come over my house Kyla!" So we had our real last playdate for them on Thursday - they came to our house to play for awhile :-) I know we will continue to see them loads even after Jack comes (and once Baby Boy Huston is born in Nov too), but it'll be different then the Girls' Summer Fun we've all been having together!
Friday, September 17th
This was mine and Alexa's last day alone, as it was Daddy's last day of work. It was a HARD day for me emotionally... I haven't said anything to very many people but the past few weeks (even months, honestly) have been rough for me. I have been having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that Alexa is no longer going to be my only child. She has really been my "best girl" for the past two years, and I am so worried about the unknown of what it will be like to have two children. Don't get me wrong, I am so glad that we made the decision to have another baby and feel blessed that we conceived him so easily (I keep hearing more and more stories of couples struggling with this and my heart aches for them). And I am BEYOND excited to meet and hold my newborn son in my arms :-) I am just nostalgic over the end of an era if you will; my first years as a mother. I love Alexa more than words can say (all you mothers know what I'm talking about) and am so proud of the little girl she is... I'm sure I'll look back and think how foolish I was for ever fearing our relationship or her development could be hindered by Mommy having another baby. But for now, I continuously have been praying to God that our bond and her intelligence will still thrive as another tiny human being consumes my heart too. I've also been praying that I will be just as good of a mommy to Jack even though he won't necessarily get all of the one-on-one time that Alexa has had for the past 23 months.
We spent the day doing what we do best - SHOPPING!!! We got a few last-minute things that we needed and made a pit stop at Babies R Us for Alexa to ride the Barney ride (which Dan swears we should just buy, lol). She is so independent, wanting to put the quarters in all by herself :-) And side note, don't you love the OSU hoodie?? Even though she already has the red zip-up hoodie, I had been looking for a plain gray one to match Mommy & Daddy and finally found one (along with pumpkin puree, something that is in low supply but high demand right now) at Meijer on Thursday... Alexa loves it and looks so adorable with her hands in the pockets!
We had visitors again this past weekend - my dad and gram :-) Alexa did not hesitate to convince Papa to read her one of her Barney books!
Saturday, September 18th
My dad and Dan spent the day on campus, tailgating and cheering on the BUCKS to victory (OSU v. OU, 43 - 7) while Alexa and I enjoyed a Girls' Day with Gram. Besides the cabbage rolls, chili, and coffee cake that she brought down for us, Gram also made us a homemade apple pie while she was here! I am so blessed and very thankful to have such a wonderful grandmother ♥ I also feel very fortunate to watch my dad and husband form the same bond that I witnessed my grandfather and dad have for many years :-) Alexa told us she was "Grocery shopping at Walmart with Barney." (Talking like this is BEYOND advanced for a child not quite 2!!)
Alexa with her the two leading men in her life and with Gram. She impressed Gram all day with how smart she is... Alexa can identify many letters in the alphabet, sing lots of songs, and almost always speaks in sentences. We are really proud of her!!
And what visit would not be complete without a wagon ride?! I think Papa takes the title of Best Wagon Ride Giver, he pulled her around the neighborhood for like 45 minutes!
Sunday, September 19th
After Mass, we took Papa and Gram to Library Park so they could see how much fun Alexa has playing! Everyone had a great time!!
Monday, September 20th
Thus far we have had a wonderful day, our last as a family of 3 ♥ We started off the day with Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks (because I prefer S's Pumpkin Spice Latte to DD's same drink but had promised Her Highness donuts for breakfast). Alexa picked a chocolate donut and a sprinkle donut, and I let her "pay for it" by giving the cashier my debit card (this is something she really likes to do!). After breakfast, Daddy had to take Chloe to the vet (poor girl has an ear infection and a ruptured blood vessel, boo), while Alexa and I had some alone time going to the library. We read a few books, colored, and played with the felt board. (By the way, when I asked Alexa what she wanted to wear today she said, "My Mom's Best Girl shirt." ♥ I think she realizes that today is a special day too!)
Video - Alexa counting at the library (first she counts 1 - 6, which you can kinda hear, and then she recounts but skips 3 and 4... obviously we are still working on the counting thing. Sometimes she can count to 10 perfectly and other times not so much. She can identify written numbers except for 4.)
We then packed lunch and headed to Liberty Park.
What fun having Mommy and Daddy's undivided attention!!!
Like I said, today has been AWESOME! I've been on the verge of tears allllll day (surprise surprise) and even have let a few slip out, but I am really cherishing this time with Daddy and Alexa. We have had an unbelievable 23 months together and are anxious & excited (at the same time) for the next chapter of our family life to begin tomorrow when Jack makes his grand debut!
I'll end with the conversation Alexa and I had before nap that really got me jazzed up:
Mommy: Have we had fun today?
Alexa: Yeah!
M: What did we have for breakfast?
A: Dunkin Donuts!!
M: What kind did you have?
A: Chocolate and sprinkles. I steal Mommy's sprinkles. I taste Mommy's coconut!
M: Did you like the coconut?
A: Yeah.
M: Then we went to the...
A: Library and the park. Motorcycle! (There is a toy motorcycle there like the firetruck pictured above)
M: What about the motorcycle?
A: I want a tricycle!!
M: You want a tricycle?
A: Yeah!! A pink bicycle! (She confuses bikes and trikes)
M: Maybe one day you'll get a tricycle. I'll tell Daddy that you want a pink one.
A: Or an orange one.
M: Ok.
So to spoil the surprise for all of you, little does she know we have been hiding a pink tricycle for her 'from Jack' for over a month now :-) Daddy and I really cannot wait to give it to her when we come home from the hospital now!! So this is officially my last post before Jack is born :-) Will post some pics of the lil man as soon as we can... Ciao.
