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

Weekend Activities

And now for some fun events to check out that are taking place August 6th - 9th.

Center City Art Walk

Concert - Perpetual Groove

Asheville Quilt Show

Through the Years

Invitations

We sent out our invitations about 2 weeks ago, followed by the RSVP email (from pingg.com). If you haven't received your invitation or RSVP, please let me know. Email me at:

critchie84 at gmail dot com

Thursday and Friday activities

And by activities, I mean food.

For those of you that will be in Asheville on Thursday and/or Friday, here's a quick run down of some planned get togethers for our guests:

-Thursday evening, our families will be putting on a casual BBQ out of our parents' villas at the Crowne Plaza for all of you that are able to make it! We'd love for anybody driving, if able, to throw in a lawn-chair or two so we can spread out comfortably.

-Friday morning, Jerry Leeman will be serving his famous (or is it infamous?) biscuit and gravy breakfast, from their villa, for everybody.

Free food can't hurt, right??

GOLF

Attention golfers: I've made a block of tee times on Saturday, August 8th between 8 and 9am at the Crowne Plaza course. It will be 9 holes and cost around $30. If you plan to golf, please email me to make sure we have enough spots for everybody:

critchie84 at gmail dot com