Happy Holidays!

22 Weeks

What an exciting time of year! Shannon's finished her Fall semester (but still doesn't comprehend the meaning of "time off"), we've celebrated the holidays with family in NC, and we're about to embark on a road trip to MN for Christmas -- complete with fun stops along the way. 

But first, we need to update you on some exciting happenings...

• The baby is kicking up a storm now! Carl has felt it move a number of times and it's really fun to interact with our little one inside. 
• It weighs over a pound, so this fancy iPhone app tells us, and is the size of a papaya. Sure is a long way from that little sesame seed! 
• We (mostly) cleaned out the room we will designate for the baby, at least for the first few months until we upgrade to a new home. Of course, we use the word "room" loosely as it's technically a large walk-in closet in our loft. As long as it has a door to keep it nice and quiet in there for long bouts of sleeping... we can dream, huh?  :)
• Oh, yes... and one more thing... 

We found out our baby's gender during the ultrasound several weeks ago. It was really exciting and both of us were quite shocked. The only "hint" either of us had that it was a boy was that we both had multiple dreams about our baby and it was a boy in all of them. So... don't believe in any of the old wives tales, none of them were true in this case!  

Halfway There - 20 Weeks!

We feel like it was just yesterday that we were sharing our exciting news with you all. And now the adventure is half over! 

Just after Thanksgiving, we had an ultrasound at UNC Hospital. Our little one was measuring right on track with a "strong," 144bpm heartbeat. We were perfectly happy seeing the 10 wiggling fingers and toes but glad they covered all the medical bases, too.

The most interesting part of the visit is that baby decided to stay curled up in a ball, with its head down for the entire scan. It was not interested in being disturbed and put up a little show when we tried (kicking and flailing its arms). Shannon moved around, tried coaxing it - nothing. Stubborn little thing was not moving. To prevent us from staying for further testing, Carl decided to put his hand on the belly and move it all around and voila, the baby moved out of the position. Though it apparently has a preference for daddy, we appreciate that it inherited both parent's ability to stay curled up and sleeping for long periods of time.

Here's to 20 more happy and healthy weeks ahead... 

So Thankful

We've been pretty busy as of late. Braving cooler temperatures, we took a trip to Chicago to see friends and family (we're now referring to the windy city as our "home away from home, away from home"). It was so nice to get away from home and truly unwind.

Thanksgiving soon followed - and oh, do we have a lot to be thankful for. A healthy pregnancy, friends and family supporting us along the way, a comfortable home to bring our newborn to, a job for Carl... we are overwhelmed with joy. 

We had some photos taken on Thanksgiving, as we realized there are lots of "bump shots," but none with Carl sharing in the action. More to come... 

(Special thanks to Meghan Balfrey for taking the photos for us! My brother's girlfriend - and incredibly talented.)

17 weeks

Things that Shannon was not told about being pregnant: 

• Heartburn is no joke.
• You'll make grunting sounds when you move - getting in/out of the car, bed, or couch. 
• There's a good possibility you'll reach High School Acne levels.
• Headaches come - and go - for no discernable reason.
• Nasal congestion comes and stays - and you'll wake up with a pile of of tissues next to your bed in the morning as a result.
• You'll wake up at least 3 times a night either to use the bathroom or blow your nose (see above).

Despite these, err, symptoms, we have never been happier. Though there are sacrifices and discomforts, this little one is worth it. We're starting to feel like a family.

15 weeks

The belly growth is picking up speed! It's hard to say, for sure, but we think it could be the cheesecake that Shannon's been craving... 

Shannon's pleased with the hips she's (finally) acquiring, but not the expansion-induced aches and pains they're causing. It's truly miraculous what a woman's body does to grow a baby. 

A lot of people have asked if we're going to find out the sex of the baby - and the short answer is "we haven't quite decided yet." If we decide to, we'll learn soon after Thanksgiving. Stay tuned... 

Our dear friends Katie and Ryan visited from New York this weekend. They were in town for UNC's Homecoming Weekend and they thankfully decided NOT to rub in their painful victory over Wake Forest :) Katie was pretty excited to peruse the baby section in Parker and Otis after brunch and had to get her hands on the belly for good measure!  

We're getting really anxious to see more friends over the holidays and share in this fun! 

Nama and Dapa Visit!

Carl's parents, Tom and Linda, came to visit! We last saw them in August when Shannon was suffering from terrible nausea. What a difference two months can make. We ate great food, enjoyed plenty of time outside in perfect fall weather, golfed, and took in a wonderful concert on campus. We even went to the annual 'Shannon Ritchie Bowl Game', otherwise known as Wake Forest v. Duke. As you can see, she did not hide her true allegiance.

Our niece, Finley, has renamed her grandparents "Nama" and "Dapa." We're so happy to have them come visit NC during the pregnancy and share in this fun (and 2nd trimester energy!).

Oh, and at 14 weeks, the belly is definitely in full force:

Wake Forest Homecoming

This weekend, we traveled to Winston-Salem and celebrated Homecoming. Our dear friends Lisa and Aaron were in town from New York and together we soaked in perfect fall weather, plenty of socializing with friends and a packed stadium of deacon fans for the big game.

We couldn't resist a quick stop in the Deacon Shop on campus to buy an outfit for the little one. Shannon got a little teary-eyed watching all kids playing on the Quad with their parents, knowing that someday soon we'd be able to do the same.

To all of our sweet friends we caught up with yesterday - we love you and promise to keep this blog updated as requested!

Guess What?!

More than 3 years ago, we started this blog to document our wedding planning. Today, we're taking it from the shelf and dusting it off because we feel it's the perfect space to once again communicate with those we love... because we have some big news!

WE'RE HAVING A BABY!

Baby Ritchie is expected to enter our world around April 21st, the Saturday after Shannon finishes classes for grad school (how's that for timing?) This means, she's almost 13 weeks along and finished with the dreaded first trimester (and the saltines and ginger ale that went along with it).

Since moving to NC, we've been extremely fortunate to have the Appalachian mountains close by for weekend getaways -- the place we first met 10 years ago. So, it's only fitting that we found out about this new adventure as we celebrated our anniversary in the mountains this past August. It's such an enormous blessing.

We'll use this space to keep y'all updated on the pregnancy and new arrival so feel free to subscribe or check in once in a while.

We love you all and are so grateful to have your support along this journey. This baby's pretty darn lucky to have you.

xoxo,

Carl and Shannon