Ultrasound Update

This morning Max and I headed down to Children's Hospital for an ultrasound of his hips.  Our little froggy did SUCH a good job and let the ultrasound technician get some really good images.  Truth be told, he did better with the whole thing than his mama did!  At one point the tech said "I'm going to go get another technician to look at things and then we'll have the radiologist come take a look as well."  A feeling of panic started to build in my chest as my mind flashed back to the ultrasound where we found out about Charlotte's heart.  In our previous experience, "I'm going to have the doctor take another look" generally means "uh-oh....something isn't right here."  Luckily, that wasn't the case today and I'm thrilled to be able to say....

HIP HIP HOORAY!  HIS HIPS ARE OKAY!

Mr. Max playing it cool during his scan.  

He wasn't necessarily a "fan"of the whole thing, but was a trooper none-the-less.

 Max and his new best friend - the paci. We aren't really pacifier people, but when Max's head was on the verge of explosion in Target yesterday I frantically tore open the package in the baby aisle bought him one.  Holy crap was he mad.  I think God was trying to prepare me for today's appointment because that little sucker made things go pretty smoothly.

So what now?  We've been told that Max's froggy legs will eventually straighten out - that we just need to give him some time.  After all, he was scrunched up in my belly for months and months - he might need to same amount of time to stretch!  We'll keep an eye on his "click" at our well visits, but there shouldn't be any cause for concern.  Such good news!

Ribbit.  Ribbit.

A Clean Kitchen {For Now}

Remember MONTHS ago when I promised that I would share pictures of our house once we were a little more "settled"?  Oops...sorry about that!  We've been living in our new home for almost 8 months now, and truth be told, most times our space looks very lived in (translation - a pile here, a mess there...You know how it goes!)  Anyway, yesterday while H was off to daycare and Max was down for his morning nap, I set a goal for myself to have at least ONE room in the house picture worthy!

I present to you...our kitchen!

 This space it really the heart of our home and we L.O.V.E it!  With a big huge island, walk-in pantry, farm house sink and plenty of storage space, what's not to love??  {A word of advice for any of you who may be building, though...make sure that there is ample space between your island and the counter space behind it.  Ours is a little bit on the close side, which is fine when it's just us...but gets a little tight as more bodies try to work in the kitchen.}  

Here she is from another angle.  I had to be careful so that you didn't see my secret stash of dirty dishes in the sink!  We really put a lot of time into the design choices for this space and couldn't be happier with how it all came together.   {For those of you who have asked, our paint is Sherwin Williams Functional Gray.}

When we were piecing together our floor plan for the house, we knew right away that we didn't want to have a "formal" dining space.  It's just not us.  Instead, we opted for a more casual setting that is very open to the kitchen.

 Curtains for the sliding door to the deck are on my official maternity leave to-do list, but other than that, the space is pretty complete.  One of my favorite parts is the industrial light fixture.  We found the white fixture on Etsy, and then found another woman who custom fit it with Edison bulb lighting.  

 I'm also in love with our windows {minus the dog nose smears}.  They let in awesome light during the day and give us a pretty perfect view.  I'm envisioning me sending the boys out to play on a cold fall day while I sit and watch them from INSIDE while drinking a hot cup of coffee.  Like I said...perfect!

So there you have it...Room #1 (and kind of Room #2) of the Casa de Ritchie!  

Happy Weekend!

So Fresh and So Clean, Clean

After gracing us with his presence 3 weeks ago, Mr. Max finally decided that it was time to ditch the old umbilical cord.  Thank goodness!  1) It was a pain in the butt to work around with diaper changes and 2) It was about time for this kiddo to take a REAL bath!

I approached this inagural bath with very few expectations.  I knew there would be tears.  I knew there would be screaming.  I assumed that I would probably get peed on in the process and need a bath of my own!  Instead I got a totally "chill" little boy who acted more like he was enjoying a day of pampering!  As a matter of fact, the only tears came when I took him OUT of the water.

Taking in the fine art left behind by big brother the night before.

 He kept scooting his way down toward the water - you can see the water line right up by his lips!

 We're all business at bathtime.  No smiling allowed.

This is more a picture for my inner heart mom - I'll never take pink fingers at bath time for granted.

 See how Max is holding his legs up like a little froggy?  That position prompted many nurses/doctors to ask us if he was breech (he wasn't).  

He's starting to stretch out more, but apparently there is a little bit of a "click" in one of his hips.  Our pediatrician is confident that his hip is NOT dislocated or popping in and out of place, but there is some concern that his hip socket is a little on the shallow side, causing the joint to bounce around a little.  We're making a trip to Children's next week for an ultrasound to get a better look at things.  If it is, indeed, a shallow socket, then he'll likely end up in a soft brace for 4-6 weeks.  If things are normal, then we just continue to let him stretch things out on his own.  While our hopes are that no intervention is needed, we're just thankful that we have a pediatrician who identified the "click" early when things are still correctable.  I'm sure that our little froggy would appreciate some extra prayers going into next week!  

Five Years and Counting

"Today I give myself to you in marriage.  I promise to encourage and inspire you, to laugh with you and to be there for you in times of need.  I promise to love you in good times and in bad; when life feels easy and when it is a challenge; when our love is simple and when it requires more effort.  I promise to cherish you and to always hold you in highest regard.  Today I give you this ring, knowing in my heart that you will be my constant friend, my biggest supporter, my kitchen dance partner, the love of my life and my #1."

Five years later and I still mean every single word.

We've seen so much change in the last 5 years, and every day I am thankful for the one thing that has remained constant through it all.  Thank you, Mathew, for loving me.  For supporting me.  For holding me up when I couldn't stand on my own.  For making me laugh.  For not running for the hills when my "crazy" sneaks in.  For being the most incredible daddy to our 3 kiddos.  For making me want to be a better version of myself...

...though the best version of me is who I am when I'm with you. 

*Sniff* *Cough* *Sneeze*

Poor Harrison has been sick--we're talking pink eye, stomach bug, fevers, an ear infection, terrible diaper rash from antibiotics and a nasty cold--for over a month now. Thanks, new daycare.  He's never really been sick before, and boy oh boy, has it been rough on all of us.  While we have been catching glimpses of our happy-go-lucky little boy here and there, every day has felt like we are walking a tight rope...one wrong step (or glance, or word) and everything comes crashing down.  We know that this new "volatile" personality is a result of feeling like absolute crud, but after 5 weeks of BLAH it's proving hard to keep our cool...especially since we welcomed a newborn into the world right in the middle of it all.  Hello stressful!

Just when we thought that we were leaving the "sickies" behind, Harrison spiked a 102+ fever on Friday night...not exactly the "hot date" I was planning on for Valentine's Day!  The fever was soon accompanied by a nasty sounding cough and a constantly runny nose.  Poor babe.  Poor mom and dad.  Poor anyone who has to come in contact with us!  We hunkered down for the weekend, hoping to ride things out without killing each other going totally stir crazy.  

Today is Wednesday.  The fevers have been gone since mid-Monday morning.  Sleep is still interrupted by coughing spells.  His nose is still red from all of the wiping.  BUT...today it seems like we are seeing some light at the end of this dark (and long) tunnel.  My morning greeting was "Hi, Mama!" instead of tears and a bear chucked at my face.  He actually ate breakfast.  He played with cars and blocks and actually let me change clothes without totally melting down.  Now that I think about it...he didn't utter the word "NO" all morning long.  That's gotta be a sign, right?!

We broke out the Play Doh on Saturday afternoon in an effort to distract H from his misery.

In and out.  In and out.

Even daddy got in on the action. 

My two yahoos.

I spy a happy boy behind those glassy eyes!

Here's to the start of a healthy stretch for all of us.  Bring on SPRING!

{Almost} Wordless Wednesday

Some pictures don't need to be accompanied by words...so while my hands want to type a novel about how this particular image makes me feel, I will cut myself short and simply say "I am blessed."  

I've been waiting a very long time for a picture of myself with 2 of my children, and while I still harbor an empty feeling knowing that there should be 3, I remain thankful for the love and healing that these baby boys have brought to my heart.   

Thankful.  Blessed.  Forever grateful.

He's HERE!

Our home and our hearts became a little more "full" this past week...

Maxwell Thane Ritchie

Tuesday, January 28, 2014 at 12:29 PM

8 pounds, 20 1/4 inches long

Big brother Harrison has been under the weather (with just about every illness known to man) these past few weeks, so we haven't subjected him to any pictures.  One thing is certain, however, he loves his "baby Max!"