.:Meet the Ritchies:.

Today was not a typical day in our house!  I started the day off by going grocery shopping, something I normally put off until the afternoon.  And I have to say, I was in super slow motion at the grocery store, going down every aisle whether I needed to or not.  And Enzo was super patient with me (the squeeze bottle of baby food, blueberry/apple, helped I’m sure) even though it was during his morning nap time.  And I was totally relating to my friend Kira’s blog post about “Portlander Problems” where she got caught in a downpour with groceries in a paper bag.  This is not good.  It was dumping when Enzo and I left the store, and for some reason I parked on a relatively slanted part of the parking lot (cause it was close to the door), not thinking through how difficult it would be to keep the cart from rolling while I was trying to load the kid in the car.  I unhooked him from the cart, turned to put him in his seat and I had this feeling that my cart was rolling away.  Sure enough I turned around just in time to grab it before it hit the car parked next to me.  Sheesh.  That would have been ugly.  So I stabilized it with my foot and then tried shifting bags of groceries from the cart to the back seat of the car.  All the while it’s raining like mad and my bags are getting soggier and soggier.  Thankfully, the clerk double-bagged everything so I didn’t have any blow outs.  But Kira, I was totally thinking about you while this was going on.

I thought I could get Enzo to nap when we got home, even though it was close to 11am at that point (he usually takes his first nap by 9:30am).  But to no avail.

At around noon, our friend Dan dropped off his adorable son Raine (7 months old) for me to watch for the afternoon.  Their sitter had a sick kid, and I was available (yay!) so I happily accepted their request to look after him.  I mean, seriously, look at this face…

smoochy smoochy!

…wouldn’t you say yes?

Raine is the easiest baby I have ever taken care of (including my own!).  He slept for two and a half hours (Enzo did not), so there wasn’t a whole lot of time for him and Enzo to play.  But they still had fun.  Enzo was showing him his toys and Raine was proving that tummy time is actually pretty awesome (he does the army crawl, and man he moves fast!).

"see, this is my car"

"hey Raine, are you sure this is fun?

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The girls got home from school and the babies were in heaven.  And Mark and I got a taste of what four kiddos in the house is going to feel like.  It feels a bit cramped, I’ll be honest.  But it’s cool, we’ll make it work.

Why is Enzo so serious?

We made some homemade pizzas for dinner (Jiffy pizza crust mix is cheap and super good!) and then Dan came to pick up Raine.  Then it was time for Claire and I to rush off to volleyball practice.  It was a busy day, but it was a fun day.

xoxo

How was your weekend?  Besides incredibly wet and grey, if you live in the Pacific Northwest.  We stayed indoors most the weekend, oh wait, the entire weekend is more accurate.  I didn’t get very much accomplished on Saturday because I was having a very strong feeling of morning sickness all day.  All day.  It wasn’t fun.  So then on Sunday when I was feeling somewhat human again (thanks to my husband for picking up some ginger capsules for me! I think they are helping), it was time to think of something to do.

Mark and Veda headed over to Circuit Bouldering to do some physical exercise.  And Claire and I were considering seeing a movie, but couldn’t find one that we were interested in.  So instead we made plans to go out for lunch.  I wanted some place that was kid-friendly, with a play gym or something fun for Enzo.  But unless you want to go to McDonalds or another fast food chain, your choices are pretty limited.  If you know of a cafe in town that has a fun little play area, possibly with a ball pit or something, let me know!  So I read about this place not far from home called Eclectic Kitchen that apparently had a great kids menu (including little bites for toddlers) and a play area. Turns out the play area is just a huge chalkboard on the wall (which will be fun when Enzo is a bit older and won’t want to just eat the chalk) and a shelf of toys and books that I wasn’t really comfortable with him playing with (germs!).  But the food was super good!  I had the BLT-A and Claire ordered the Turkey Bacon Ranch sandwich.  They use bread from Grand Central Bakery and it was so yummy!  And I sat us at the only table that didn’t have a little kids menu pop up on it, so I didn’t see those options until I had already ordered.  I ended up getting a side of breakfast potatoes for Enzo, which he loved.  No really, he LOVED them.  I think the kid would just fall apart if he was told he could never eat another potato.  It’s seriously his favorite food, in any form, doesn’t matter.  He was eating them very noisily (“mmm mmm’ing” the whole time, a couple at an adjacent table thought he was pretty cute).  Compliments to the chef!

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It was at least nice to get out of the house.  And I was happy to not be feeling like death.  It comes and goes.  So far today, I’m feeling okay.  But it’s still early, usually doesn’t come on until around noon.  I’ll be loading up on ginger and B12 to try and combat it.  And we will be 13 weeks along tomorrow, officially in the 2nd trimester, so hopefully it ends soon!

Hope you have a fabulous Monday!

xoxo

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xoxo

Yesterday was so beautiful, we just couldn’t stay indoors.  I really had no idea how nice it actually was until I was putting Enzo in the car to head to a park and was sweating in my sweater!  I had to run in the house real quick and grab a t-shirt so I didn’t die.  And I also took his sweatshirt off of him because it was about 80 degrees in the car.  It was really nice to drive around with the windows down and I will admit to even turning on the A/C (hey, the fan on cold was not cutting it!).

We chose Laurelhurst Park as our destination because I knew it would be filled with lots of people, mostly families and I know the area relatively well.  I know it might sound silly, but I am just not as confident in our society as I used to be.  I didn’t want to be in a park that was so big that there might be a time when I was by myself.  And I wanted to be familiar with the layout.  I am sure it was really beautiful up on Mt. Tabor but I just don’t know that park well enough, and it’s huge, with lots of hills and trees and places where you might be out of sight from other park-goers.  I’m not taking any chances.  Too many crazy things happening in our world these days, unfortunately.

It was almost Enzo’s afternoon nap time but I figured the fresh air would do us both some good.  So I loaded up his bag with snacks, a football, some bubbles and a blanket to sit on.  We walked a few laps around the park (which felt really good on my legs, I definitely want to do more of that).  And then we settled in a little grassy area next to the duck pond and spread out our blanket.  I sat him down and got out his grapes and then took his picture.  And as I’m sending the picture to my Mom via text message, I look over and he has dumped the entire bottle of bubbles in his lap!  Ah well.  So he sat in suds and we enjoyed the next half hour of sunshine.  What a nut : )

eating his grapes

giving Curious George some kisses

playing with his football (from Uncle Chuck and Aunt Stephanie!)

It was a lovely time and we hope to make that a regular thing  But now the rain is coming back so it might be a week or so.  Meanwhile, my hometown is experiencing a drought and I would gladly give them some of our precipitation if I could!  I hope for the farmers sake, that they get some moisture soon.

Oh, and Enzo learned how to say bye-bye this week!  He even gives a wave.  It’s pretty stinking cute.

Happy Friday!

xoxo

We hope your weekend was fabulous!  Claire and I were at volleyball all day on Saturday at her tournament in Salem.  The girls did good, they were a little slow to get going in the morning pool play so they ended up playing in the consolation bracket for the afternoon.  But they won that, taking 5th place overall.  There were some great games where they played awesome, and Claire did amazing!  She is really getting strong at the net, gaining confidence in her hitting ability and blocking the ball!  I love to watch her!  And her serves were really consistent, out of the 5 games they played she only missed 2 serves.  Those are long days, we usually leave the house before the sun is up and get home long after the sun has gone down.  So I left Enzo at home with his Daddy for the day.  I missed him, but he had a blast with Daddy all to himself.

Yesterday, I took Enzo out to a friend’s house in Hillsboro for a group baby play date.  When I was pregnant with Enzo, there were also about 12 other girls in the Design department who were expecting.  So it was really fun to keep in touch with a few of those friends and compare Mommy notes.   Here are four of those adorable babies (including Enzo)…

Lucas (May 13th), Issabella (April 15th), Enzo (February 20th) and Sawyer (February 24th)

Enzo is the oldest and also the least mobile of the four, but also the most vocal.  What can I say?  He just isn’t in a hurry to get around on his own, but he has a lot to say about it.  Sawyer is walking, and the other two are crawling and walking along furniture.  Issy tried to take a few steps on her own while we were there, so she is really close.  Enzo enjoyed using her walker, which prompted me to try and find one for him.

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I didn’t find this exact one, and I might end up taking it back.  What I liked about the one that Issy has is that the weight is distributed in such a way that the baby controls whether it moves or not.  The one I picked up yesterday is pretty lightweight, so the first thing Enzo did was pull it back on top of himself because he weighs more than it does.  What I also like about the one pictured above is that the handle grows with baby.  So it can adjust as they get taller.  I know he doesn’t have much farther to go before he is walking and maybe it’s not worth buying a new toy that he’ll maybe use for a month.  But there is baby #2 on the way who could also get some use out of it.  The brand of the one above is Little Tikes, but it’s no longer being produced so I may have to search out one that’s at least made by that brand because they obviously know what they are doing.

After about an hour, Issy and her Daddy left to go get their photos taken.  So the boys enjoyed playing, and crawling over each other, oh and eating snacks!  Lori (our gracious host Mama) brought out some yogurt snacks, and puffs and the boys were like little voltures circling around her.  It was pretty cute.

Lucas giving Enzo some friendly pats, and then Enzo patted his own head I guess to show Lucas that he already knew how to do that?

Sawyer, such a big boy!

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It was really nice to catch up with the girls and hear their stories about motherhood so far.  I hope we can make this a regular event, because I think it’s really good for Enzo to have this interaction with other littles his size!

Thanks Lori for hosting, you are always so kind to do so!

*here are some outtakes from the group shot, I love how Enzo doesn’t really move through the whole thing, while Issy and Lucas were ready to bail off the couch!

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Haha…oh babies!

Happy Monday!

xoxo

Hi everyone!  So yes, that is the great news I promised you.

We are having another baby!!! 

So when we had Enzo, we already knew that we wanted to add one more to our little family.   When the girls graduate and move out to go to college (here’s hoping!), Enzo will only be 8 and so we decided that adding one more so that the two of them would have each other to grow up with would be ideal.   It took us 7 months to conceive with Enzo, so not really knowing how our timeline would look with baby #2 we decided to just let it happen when nature dictated.  And here we are!

Baby #2 is due mid-September.  I have my first doctor appointment on the 16th of March and we’ll get some more details then.  I wasn’t really in a hurry to see the doctor, I figured since I just did this everything was fresh in my memory.  They weren’t going to tell me anything I didn’t already know!  So we will be about 13 1/2 weeks at our first appointment.   I’m pretty sure they’ll do an ultrasound to determine the exact due date and make sure the little peanut is growing properly.

I thought it would be fun this time around to fill out a questionnaire every couple weeks, to let you know how I am feeling and what the baby is up to.   And I’ll post some pictures of the belly once it starts to look like there’s a baby in there and not just like I had a huuuuge breakfast.

How am I feeling?

Queasy

How far along?   11 weeks, 1 day

Maternity clothes?  No not yet, and my goal is not to let my butt and thighs get too big for my normal jeans this time.  Although since I will be pregnant over the summer I will most likely be living in dresses at that point.

Sleep:  Super tired, all the time.  I usually fall asleep on the couch as soon as the kids are in bed.  If I could go to bed with Enzo at 7pm I would, but Claire’s bedtime isn’t until 9pm.  But I am pretty much useless after that.  I think the hubs is hoping I perk back up soon so we can have our evening snuggle-watch-tv-or-a-movie time.

Have you told family and friends: Yes, we told everyone about three weeks ago.

Baby’s Size and Development?  According to the internet, the baby is a size of a fig, measuring about 1 1/2 inches long.  It is almost fully formed, and will soon be able to close it’s little hands into fists.

Movement:  Too soon.  I am hoping though that this baby won’t be as much of a mover and shaker as Enzo was.  He was crazy in the womb!

Food cravings:  Yes, things like miracle whip, pickles, nacho cheese (I know it’s terrible), spicy foods.  I usually crave the spicy foods while I’m pregnant, but I also like them when I’m not pregnant.  And since I am feeling queasy from about noon until 6am, I feel the urge to eat something every couple hours to help settle my stomach.  And if I don’t think I can stomach food then I will suck on a piece of candy.  That usually helps.  And drink 7up.  I am not a fan of ginger, even though they say that helps the tummy.

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Oh my gosh, the first week we knew I was having issues with meat.  I couldn’t eat all of my chicken burrito one night because it suddenly tasted way too much like a chicken.  Haha.  I’m past that now, but one thing I cannot stomach is sweet potatoes.  Enzo loves them and I bought a couple to puree and freeze for him.  I had to ask Mark to do it because just the thought (I’m gagging right now just writing about it) made me want to puke.

Have you started to show yet:  Well, I have a bulge, that’s for sure.  But I’m in that stage of “is she fat or pregnant?”

Gender prediction:  I am not making any.  If it’s a girl, awesome because I have the best girl name picked out.  But if it’s a boy then I will be thrilled because I think two little boys would be really fun.  A lot of family members think it’s a girl because I am more queasy this time than I was with Enzo.  But I wasn’t sick at all when pregnant with Claire, so I don’t believe in that myth.

Mood can be described as:  I am good, not cranky that I know of (my family might tell you different).  But I cry at everything!  Commercials, sitcoms, the Ellen show when she surprises guests with cars or money.  Last night I welled up with tears watching proposals on America’s Funniest Home Videos.  Yeesh.

How is this pregnancy different than the last:  This time around I am way more sick to my stomach.  I even threw up once, which I know, it could be worse I could be doing that constantly.  But I don’t remember it lasting this long with Enzo.  Also, I had really bad acne issues with Enzo.  It was like I was 14 again, and they were big and painful.  I am not having that yet this time, knock on wood.  I wonder if the different time of year has anything to do with that?

So that’s what we are up to!  I’ll do this on a regular basis, sounds like a fun idea.

It’s really rainy and windy outside, and snowing in some parts of the city.  So bundle up and stay warm, wherever you are!

xoxo

Where have I been?  When will I be back?

Soon.

Just trying to wrap my brain around a few things, I will be back to the blogging world very soon with some really great news!

xoxo

12 months old!

One year ago, I still can’t believe it, our lives were forever changed by the birth of this sweet little man.  I will always cherish the intimate details of that day, sharing it with my close friends Brandee and Sascha and feeling the incredible strength and love from my husband as I labored through the night and morning and then pushed for 3 1/2 grueling hours.   It was all worthwhile when my eyes met those baby blues, making the beautiful connection between mother and son, a love like no other in this world.

Mommy accessory = drool on her sleeve <3

Do you remember when he was this tiny?

just a peanut!

Neither do I!

In honor of our boy turning one year old, we threw a huge party and invited all of our friends and family.  We reserved the upstairs at the Laurelwood Public House & Brewery, because we love that place for eating out (they have a great children’s menu and play area).  And it couldn’t have been more perfect!  From the start, speaking with Bobbie and making our reservations, to the day of when our server Micah was there with superior customer service and patience (we crammed a lot of guests, including about 20 children, into that little place!).  It was chaos, but it was super fun chaos and the adorable kiddos helped keep him smiling I’m sure! I was really bummed when my good camera again decided to stop working a few days before, so forgive the poor quality of the photos, I did the best I could.  In hindsight, I wish I would’ve hired a professional (friend) to take pictures.  Regretfully I did not get enough shots of the party guests, because I was just too busy doing my best to mingle with all of them!

Here was the invitation:

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Details of the party:

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desserts

Enzo's personal applesauce cake

favors for the littles

I made all the little guests a special take-away.  The boys got bow ties, and the girls got hair bows.  My favorite part was when some of the little girls decided to take bow ties instead and wore them during the party!  Soooooooooo adorable!!

Birthday boy:

So dapper!

Claire and her little bro

3 generations of Ritchie men!

No, you aren’t seeing double, that is Mark with his Uncle Chuck on the left, and his Dad on the right!

I made an applesauce cake for Enzo, so that I could control the amount of sugar he ingested.  He didn’t end up eating too much of it, which surprised me.  I think there was just too much going on around him.  The night before I had given him a piece of it to make sure he didn’t have any allergic reactions, so as not to ruin the party the next day with a red faced vomiting birthday boy.  Nothing happened, except that he inhaled the cake!  He was loving it.   So I figured he’d dive right in when given the chance at his party.

Patiently waiting, while everyone was singing him the birthday song...

...oh yeah, get some!

I wish that I had more photos of our lovely guests, here are a few that I did get:

Scott and Roslyn

Sam seriously working on her puzzle...

Raine <3

Enzo and his buddy Mike

Ebin, Ethan and Evan

Ebin in full regalia!

Aaron (with one of his twin boys) and Mark

sweet kiddos!

Julie and Evan

Raine and Enzo = best buds!

Claire and Enzo = <3

I can’t say enough thanks to accurately explain how grateful we are to all of our friends and family for making the day so incredibly perfect!  We love you all, and it’s been amazing to share our family with you.

THANK YOU!!!!

XOXO

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Today is a very special day.  It is the birthday of Mark’s older brother Jay, who tragically lost his life in a motorcycle accident in September of 2008.  He will forever be alive in our hearts and the memories of those who knew and loved him.  I wish I could say that I knew him, but unfortunately I only met him once, on Halloween in 2007.  Mark and I had been dating for a year and his brother and his wife were in town so we had them over for dinner.  I remember that he was quiet, and tall and handsome.  His wife was really sweet and kept talking about their new puppy, calling him “crazy Charlie”.  I kept having to have her repeat it though because I couldn’t understand what she was saying (she is from Spain, very strong accent).  They were kind and gentle people and I felt as though they were already family to me.  And then a year later, he was gone.  I was angry for a long time because I never had the chance to get to know him.  But that pales in comparison to the feelings of loss and pain that Mark and his family carry with them everyday.  Thankfully, his spirit and beauty live on in his son Jay David, born just two weeks after he passed.

our nephew J.D.

Happy Birthday Jay, we love and miss you.

xoxo

Sunday we celebrated with family and friends that one year ago our lives were blessed with this little munchkin!

THANK YOU for those who attended, it was such a special day! I hope to do a larger post with pictures in the next couple days for those who are interested in the details!

Until then, enjoy the above video, it seemed that Enzo knew he was going to have a party yesterday so he woke up ready to smile!

xoxo