Baby Ritchie #3 {24/25 weeks}

Six weeks ago they told us that our baby's tiny heart looked beautiful - that the ventricles looked perfect, the plumbing was all in the proper place, and the blood was pumping just as it should be.  Yet, despite all of these "assurances"....I still walked into today's fetal echo/ultrasound with a pit in my stomach.  I was the same way with Harrison.  I'll probably be the same way with any future Ritchie kiddos.  It's a fear that is engrained into me.

Today, at 25 weeks, Matt and I once again sat in a darkened ultrasound room as they examined every square inch of our sweet little boy.  The sonographer couldn't get over how cooperative this little guy was and commented about how easy he was making the scan.  There may have even been a few "amazings" dropped in the conversation.  Good job little guy!  When it was all said and done, we were once again told that everything was just as it should be.  His heart looks healthy, his weight is spot on and he's pretty darn cute to boot!

It's insane too me how much I already think that he looks like his big brother and sister!  

I can't stop staring.

I've raved about our doctors here before - Charlotte's cardiologist, Dr. Sami, her heart surgeon, Dr. Hammel - but I don't think that I've given an appropriate amount of credit to the man who has taken care of ME through all of the chaos.  If you are EVER in a situation where you need to be followed by a high-risk OB, please please please go visit Dr. Robert Bonebrake at Methodist Women's Hospital.  I love him.  Seriously.  100 gold stars.  This man has welcomed both of our children into the world (even though I wasn't high-risk with H) and is one of the most compassionate, comforting, down to Earth physicians I have ever met.  He's wiped away my tears on many occasions (today included) and never lets me walk out the door without a hug.  And while I love that I don't have to be followed by a high-risk OB again this time around, I love that we still get to see him on these big days!

So here we sit...25 weeks, 3 days pregnant.  I've been pretty quiet about this pregnancy here on the blog.  It might have something to do with the fact that we have a crazy, goofy little boy running all over the place these days!  I'm starting to see why my baby book was a little more bare bones than my sister's who came before me.  I promise, baby boy, it doesn't mean that I love you any less!  

Curious what else is happening on the baby front?

-I continue to feel FANTASTIC!  Yes, heartburn has started to rear its nasty head...but nothing near what I know is in store for me in the next few months!

-I can still fit into my favorite pair of non-maternity jeans....BUTTONED even!  Their days are limited, though.  Guaranteed.

-They told us today that this little peanut weighs about 1 pound 11 ounces.  That means I'll only gain about 6 more pounds during this pregnancy, right?!?!

-Our list of names is shrinking (in a good way!)  We always keep the final decision to ourselves until d-day....so don't hold your breath for a big reveal!  

-My sweet tooth is out of control.  Period.

-A new baby started at Harrison's daycare this week, and rumor has it, we have a little big of jealousy to contend with!  Turns out H likes being the center of attention...go figure!

Sticking with tradition, I took my 24 week belly picture wearing the same shirt that I wore with Charlotte and Harrison.  What can I say...I'm a little bit weird like that!

Charlotte - 24 weeks

Harrison - 24 weeks

Ba-ba-ba-baby #3 - 24 weeks

The days weeks months seem to be flying by, and this little guy will be here before we know it.  We're so excited to meet you, baby boy!

Say CHEESE!

Harrison finally had his "official" 1 year pictures taken a few weeks back, and though he tried his best to beat himself up the night before (translation, fell flat on his face in the driveway), his pictures turned out AMAZING.  I promise that I'll give you a sneak peek of his cuteness...but I feel like I need to give a little bit of background into why these pictures were extra special to our family. 

Rewind to 2010.  We were living in Sioux Falls with our little girl.  She was happy, thriving, and rapidly approaching her first birthday.  First birthdays are a big deal.  First birthdays in the heart community are big beyond explaination. Anyway, one night I got a phone call from my sister Jill "proposing" a gift that she and her family wanted to give to Charlotte for her birthday...a one-year photo session with the amazing Amanda Fish.  Jill and her family have been going to Amanda for years, and their pictures are always beautiful.  While hesitant to accept such a large gift, I was very excited for the opportunity.  I just knew that Amanda was the perfect photographer to capture the true beauty of our sweet Charlotte.

We scheduled Charlotte's session with Amanda for the same weekend as her first birthday.  We were going to be back in Omaha for Matt's sister's graduation and for Charlotte's big birthday celebration, so the timing was perfect.  That weekend rolled around and on the morning of our session we woke up to find lots of clouds, lots of gloom, and lots of rain.  All.  Day.  Long.  Not a good thing for outdoor photos!  The simple solution would have been to move the session indoors, but knowing that Amanda's specialty is natural light photography, we opted to reschedule for another day.  We went about our weekend, celebrated Charlotte's one year milestone with family and friends, and headed back home knowing that the photos would have to wait.

Two weeks later, she was gone.

Her photo session left unused.  Her brand new picture outfit left hanging unworn in her closet. 

I've regretted rescheduling that session for so long. 

Sigh. 

So now here we are.  Two years later.  Harrison turned 1 in June, and again, my phone rang.  Jill and her family were never able to follow through with their photo session gift with Charlotte, but in a tearfilled conversation let me know that they wanted to do the same for Harrison.  We graciously accepted.  It took me over a month to get the date on the calendar, and no face-plant, forehead goose egg was going to get me to reschedule.  I snapped a few photos of our bruiser's injury and sent them to Amanda who assured me that she could work some of her magic to disguse the lump/bruise.  As long as I could help it, these pictures were happening!

The night of our session was absolutely perfect.  The sun was shining.  The temperature was just right.  And Harrison gave us some killer smiles/giggles with just a little (or a lot) of goofy entertaining from mom and dad.  Amanda sent us the link to our online gallery last night....and I haven't stopped smiling since.  I'm pretty sure Charlotte was smiling down on us that evening.

Our little boy is pretty darn adorable.  If you need proof....

Thank you, Amanda, for sharing your talent with our family.  We've been waiting two whole years to have this "one year" photo session with you and couldn't be happier with the results of that night!  You captured Harrison's personality perfectly - his grins, his shy glances with his finger in his mouth, his fake half cry/half smile, his goofy giggles.  These pictures mean more to me than you could ever imagine.

If anyone in the Omaha area is looking for a photographer...call Amanda Fish Photography.  I promise that you won't regret it!  The professional pictures on H at the blog header were also taken by Amanda and were just as perfect as his year ones.  We can't wait for Baby Ritchie #3 to get here so that we can finally have her take some family photos!

Everyday Moments

It seems like lately my posts have been about BIG events...baby news, Books for Charley updates, house pictures.  And while those are all important parts of our lives, I sometimes forget to document the little things....the simple, quiet (well...maybe not so quiet) moments spent at home as a family.  We know from our own heartbreaking experience that its often these little details that escape our memories first, and because of that, I want to do my best to capture our ordinary everyday lives.  Our baby boy is becoming less and less "baby" right before our eyes, and I know that someday we'll appreciate the details of these moments.

H is an excellent stacker...we'll work on color/size order another day!

The highchair has been moved to the basement and H officially transitioned into a booster seat.  He loves getting to sit with mommy and daddy at the "big kid" table, and as you can tell by his food-stuffed cheeks...he's still a fantastic eater!

Monthly chair pictures?  Forget about it.  This kid doesn't sit still long enough for little things like that! (He obviously doesn't have time to let me brush his hair either!)

Playing on the couch with daddy is his new favorite.  There is usually lots of hat stealing, tickling, belly flopping and laughter involved.

Husker football games really wear a guy out!  I laid H on the floor to change him into pjs, but before I got a chance, he rolled over and fell asleep!

One of my favorites.  H loves his cousins!

Someone took a tumble in the driveway the night before his 1 year 15 month pictures.  OUCH!

Looking tough with his headband...errr....sweatband...

Breakfast by flashlight.  We lost power around 11:30 pm as a big storm passed through, and didn't get it back until around 9:30 the following day.  (Yes, I realize that 10 hours without power is far from the end of the world...especially when you sleep through most of it!)  We made the most of our time in the dark with a gourmet banana and yogurt breakfast followed by lots of couch snuggles and stories.  

“Be present in all things and thankful for all things.”
― Maya Angelou

   

Books for Charley {2013}

Book collections the whole month of May.

A big move and birthday celebrations in June.

Chaos, catching up and book orders in July and August.

And FINALLY (yes, FINALLY) a big donation to Omaha Children's Hospital and Medical Center in September!

Two Thursdays ago Harrison, his grandmas and I loaded up our vehicles (it took 3 to carry all of our books!) and headed to the hospital.  As I drove, Harrison strapped in his carseat in the back, I couldn't help but think back to our first donation back in 2011.  It was just 3 months after Charlotte had died and it was my first trip to Children's without her.  It took every bit of will power that I had not to turn around and drive back home to Sioux Falls...I was shakey...nauseous...terrified.  Fast forward two years, and I was actually looking forward to walking through those doors.  The employees at Children's will always and forever be an important part of our lives, and seeing them always warms my heart.  They loved (and still love!) or little Charlotte so much.  Having Harrison along certainly didn't hurt either!  I know that he doesn't understand the significance of "donation day" yet, but I'm so excited for him to grow up with Books for Charley as a part of his life and for him to understand the importance doing for others.

We arrived at Children's at 10:00 and were met by two smiling faces that we have come to know quite well over the past 2 years.  Rob and Cheri helped us get everything unloaded onto a large cart and moved into the lobby.  

Once there, we had the chance to catch up a little and even ran into a few of our FAVORITE ladies from the cath lab.  Talk about a bonus!  I wish I would have remembered to take more pictures...go figure!  

 Holy cow I can't believe how much Harrison has grown since last year's drop off!  And to think that next year there will be another little one in tow!

When it was all said and done, our local Books for Charley event was able to donate 1,185 books to Omaha Children's Hospital.  ONE THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FIVE BOOKS!!  I always fear that the excitement around this program will die out, but once again I was proven wrong.  2013 was our biggest year yet and things are showing no signs of stopping. 

South Carolina - 84 books

University of Iowa Children's Hospital - 167 books

Texas Children's Hospital - 500 books

Children's Hospital of Orange County - 300 books

Waverly and Sumner Hospitals (Iowa) - 213 books

Duke Medical Center - 46 books

University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital - 150 books

Omaha Children's Hospital and Medical Center - 1,185 books

2013 Books for Charley - 2,645 books

That's 500 more books than we collected last year!

I know that I say this about 200 times every year, but THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to each and every one of you who helped out with this year's collection.  There is no way that we could do it without you.  I hope that you realize how much happiness a simple book can bring to a kiddo who is stuck in the 4 walls of a hospital room or preparing for scary procedures.  And to our fellow Books for Charley heart families....you are amazing.  I'm amazed at how much this little books drive has grown and that is all thanks to you (big virtual heart mama group hug!)  I love you all!

Surprisingly enough, we already have a small stock pile of books being gathered for our 2014 Books for Charley collection.  Remember that even though the official event takes place in May, we never turn away donations.  So keep having those Books for Charley birthday parties, setting out those collection boxes, keeping eyes out for book sales and telling your friends to do the same!  And if there are any heart families out there who would like to join us in coming years by holding donations for your personal hero hospitals....PLEASE let us know (charleysheart@gmail.com).  

Thanks again for a wonderful year and for helping us celebrate sweet Charlotte!

A Boy and His Bear

One of these bears is not like the other.

One is worn ragged.  Two are not.

One is stinky.  Two are not.

One has had the fuzzy coating on its nose sucked off.  Two have not.

I know that I've mentioned this sweet little Charley Bear here before.  We received our very first little bear as a gift from my cousin's family.  It sat on our dresser for awhile, and then I came home one December afternoon to see that Matt had transformed it into the most perfect Christmas tree topper.  One year later, my best friend (Harrison's "Aunt" Jessy) got one for him as a gift.  I knew immediately that that little bear was going to be a very special friend for Harrison...but I don't think I realized just how much so!

He carries her around in his mouth like a puppy.

Holds her hand in his sleep.

Keeps her close by his side where ever he goes.

We even found him hanging out in his future big boy room with her...feet crossed, chewing on her nose.

The more and more that he fell in love with his Charley Bear, the more I started to realize that back-ups were in order.  I purchased 2 "understudy" bears off of Amazon and was so excited to see his reaction to his new fluffy friend.  The scene that ensued was not what I had hoped for.  Yes, his eyes lit up when I pulled Charley Bear II.  Yes, he snatched her from my hands and pulled her nose to his face in true Harrison-Charley Bear fashion.  But that's where my brilliant plan fell apart.  He immediately detected the switch, pulled the imposter back to examine her, then chucked her to the floor of my in-laws car.  I was busted.  That night I put him into his with a new bear (he had fallen asleep in the car so I thought I was safe)....until I heard him start crying at midnight (totally not like him).  I stumbled into his room only to find him sitting up in his crib with tears running down his face and Charley Bear II thrown out onto the floor.  Busted again. 

Harrison has won the battle, but he has not won the war.  I caved and gave him back his stinky bear, but I'm continually making attempts to "break in" the newer version.  I've taken one to daycare.  I leave the old bear in his crib while the new one is strategically placed among his other toys.  I've even resorted to this....

Yup...a true desparation move!  

Yet the truth remains, as much as I would like to have a clean bear rotation, my heart is really just happy that he loves that bear like he does.  Stink and all, it melts my heart.  Charley Bear may be just a snuggly stuffed bear to our sweet Harrison, but to his daddy and I, she is so much more.  

Our First Look

Yesterday was a big day in the Ritchie household - a day that had us all full of excitement and anxiety all at the same time.  When the doctor's office called me a month ago and scheduled our 20-week anatomy scan for Friday the 13th, I pretty much convinced myself that we were going to hear that there was something wrong.  Silly?  Yes.  But I don't think that you can blame me.  Most people look forward to these appointments, but I get more and more "ugh" as the day inches closer.  I tossed and turned the entire night before and felt like I was mentally preparing myself for a bomb to drop.  Don't get me wrong...the first time I lay eyes on that little black and white image of our child, my heart melts.  Healthy, "broken-hearted"...I love them all the same...but I'm fearful none-the-less. 

Yesterday morning, Matt and I sat together in a darkened sonogram room as an ultrasound tech gave us our first peek at Baby Ritchie #3. 

And he was perfect.

Perfect heart.

Only a heart parent gets a huge smile on their face when the doctor says "look at those big juicy ventricles!"

Perfect thumb-sucking profile.

Perfectly perfect baby boy.

We'll get a much closer look at this little boy's ticker in another month when we have our fetal echo, but we're definitely breathing a little easier after our preliminary peek.  Big sister undoubtedly had a hand in keeping him safe and sound in there! 

Thanks to all of you for the kind words and well wishes yesterday.  Sometimes I forget just how many people we have helping us through this crazy life.  Every text, prayer, and "congratulations" helped make yesterday a pretty amazing one.  We can't begin to thank you enough.

Harry's World

After finishing up a full year of "birthday" posts on the 26th of each month, I thought that I would try to stretch things out a little further to give my updates a little more substance.  Well, here I am, two months and 16 days later....seriously missing my monthly posts!  I was going to wait a few more weeks until the 26th, but there are just too many things going on in Mr. Harrison's world to hold off any longer.

So let's get to it little boy!  Here's are some bits and pieces of what you're up to at fourteen and one-half months!

You, sweet Harrison, are a total ham.  It takes you a little bit to warm up to a new crowd, but once you do....holy cow.  You play peek-a-boo behind the ottoman, show off your killer dance moves, spin around on the floor, belly flop onto pillows, tell stories in a language all your own...the list goes on and on.  You are such a happy little boy, full of grins and giggles!

Your first steps may have resembled a drunken stumble, but it didn't take long for you gain confidence on your feet.  It's almost hard to remember a time when you weren't walking all over the place!  In true Harrison form you are busy, busy, busy and move with impressive speed.  Your favorite is running away from daddy when he sneaks up on you, repeating "I'm gonna get you, I'm gonna get you."  It usually ends with tickles that fill our house with laughter.  

You're 100% boy and have the bumps and bruises to prove it.  Just when one forehead goose-egg is starting to heal, you go and bonk your head again.  Right now you have a pretty killer yellow/green camoflage bruise!   

Mr. Bruiser snapping a "selfie"

Your mama comes from a long line of chatter-boxes, so it's no surprise that you are quite vocal as well.  There's a lot of jibberish to be heard in our house, but from time to time you do throw some English into the mix!  So far we've heard dada, daddy, mama, mommy, puppy, ba (ball), nana (banana), up, hi, hat, boo (moo), baa, PopPop, and various car/truck sounds!  The first thing out of your mouth every single morning is "whassat?" as you point at something in your room.  From there, we continue to answer that curious question approximately 1,000 more times throughout the day.  I was peeling a banana for your breakfast the other day when you pointed and said "whassat?"  I turned the tables on you and replied "I don't know Harry, what do you think it is?"  Your response?  A bashful grin and a confident "nana!"  I love watching you learn!

Your fascination with balls (or anything else you can throw for that matter) continues. Your eyes light up when you see one.  We're slowly learning which things that are ok to throw (balls, rocks in the driveway, toys from the water table) and those that are best left alone (cell phones, remotes, food).  

Rock heaven 

You continue to eat like a horse and have very little patience when it comes to waiting for meals.  You like most everything, though fruit is an obvious favorite. Other front runners include raisins, pasta, green beans, peas, ice cream and anything off of mom and dad's plates.  You're still fitting into a size 4 diaper and wear a size 18 month in most of your clothes.

No kidding...he walked over to me, stole my apple and walked away 

Other odds and ends...You've perfected the art of the tantrum, have your 4 front teeth, love to read books (especially if they are about animals or trucks), are great at entertaining yourself, love being around other kiddos, splash in the dog bowls (a total no no), refuse to stay sitting in the bathtub and can't decide if your a 1 or a 2 nap guy and haven't had a bottle in months!

Life at the Ritchie house is as busy as ever, and we're loving every minute of it!  You make our hearts smile, sweet Harrison, and we thank God for our time with you every single day.

Happy 14 months and 16 days :)