Month of March Recap

Guys I am so sorry I have been so MIA lately! I feel like March 1st just hit and here we are already on the 27th today. Where did the past 4 weeks go?!? We have been super busy but all of it has been so much fun! If you follow me on Instagram this will be a repeat for you. Bc lets be honest, all I have time for is a few pictures and 2 sentences...not even time for Facebook haha. So here is what has been going on!
Delainey has started softball and she is really enjoying it. There are no practices, just games, so the idea that they aren't really learning is kind of driving me crazy! Crazy mom over here has brought her up to the field early once or twice to do batting practice and practice her catching and throwing. Her swing is coming along nicely and she loves playing pitcher bc they get the most action. Games are usually once or twice a week. We also signed D up for the Julington Creek Swim team starting at the end of April so stay tuned for the swim posts to come back!

Mom went out to Oklahoma to get the twins so we spent a week in Jax playing with them nearly every day after school. One day I let D skip and we all went to the zoo which was lots of fun.

We had our spring break and we did a big Richie family reunion to Banner Elk this year. 7 adults and 8 kids all in one house. The house we got was dynamite and had plenty of room for the kids to run and things to do. It had a tennis court, pool table, ping pong, video games, lacrosse, archery... anything you could think of. While we were there we went on some adventures and went to the Linville Caverns, went tubing on Sugar Mountain, went to Grandfather mountain and walked across the mile high swinging bridge, and saw snow and sledded in our yard. We also celebrated Georgia's 5th birthday and Blakely's 4th bday a little early. It was great to have all the nieces and nephews in one place and we all had a great time! Cant wait for our next adventure next year!

This week we have just been getting back into the swing of our daily schedule of BSF, gymnastics, and school. Tomorrow is Blakely Ann's 4th birthday though!! So we are off this weekend on another trip to Disney to celebrate her. We are staying at the Disney Dolphin again and will be doing Epcot on Friday and Magic Kingdom on Saturday. We've got lots of swimming and fun ahead and I have little surprises for her throughout the weekend. It is going to be a great time! Hopefully I will be better in the month of April on posting. In a perfect world I will do a whole Banner Elk recap, Blakely's 4th bday recap and Samuel's 3 month recap because he is 3 months old tomorrow! Big day tomorrow! Off to bed I go friends! XOXO

Samuel's 2 Month update

Height: 25 inches - 99%
Weight: 12 lb 2 ounces - 46%
Head Circumference: 16 inches - 89% (I think this one may be off a little since he was moving so much but we will see next visit)
Vision: So this was my biggest concern at his 2 month check up. I am used to life with girls, smart ones at that who did everything way sooner than they are supposed to. Well Sammy wasn't tracking things good so I asked Dr. Mary about it. He didn't do it for her either, but she didn't seem concerned and surely thought he wasn't blind. I of course come home and print out black and white flash cards like a crazy lady to do with him. He tracked the contrasting cards so we are good! He just may not care to follow you. He is in his own world looking and taking in all the sights and sounds. I think he is seeing about 18-24 inches now. (Also just for my own future reference, you still have clogged tear ducts which hopefully will go away soon)
Movement: Your neck is getting stronger and I have been more diligent about tummy time. Dr. Mary told us to make sure we were doing it because your abs are still separated some so we need to strengthen them and bring them in closer. During bath time, you kick your legs like you are swimming. You love your bath! You still aren't holding much bc your hands are still in the fist position from birth so hopefully soon you start loosening those babies up.
Eating Habits/New Foods: You are eating about 3 ounces of milk every 2.5 to 3 hours. Sometimes during the day we even feed every 2 hours. I am not too concerned with the time between during the day. As long as you are sleeping good at night I will feed you all day long. I really need to start pumping to get a supply for dates or time away but every time I pump, I feel like you are starving the rest of the day. We tried giving you formula once to see if you liked it and you gagged. You hated it! So I guess you are stuck with Mom for the next 10 months lol! I need to do bottles more often too because we really have only done it a few times and we are going on a cruise come Memorial Day so you need to be a champ with a bottle by then.
Sleeping Patterns: You are sleeping great! You gave me a 6 hour stretch last night but usually it is 5. I try to feed you at 11 because I don't go to bed before then and then you usually wake around 4 and then again at 7 when it is time to get up and get the girls up! So once a night, I will gladly take that! Naps are short cat naps here or there depending on what we are doing. There isn't really a long nap in the morning or mid afternoon. You still love to be swaddled and you are sleeping in the dock-a-tot. We have you in our room, but I think it is time to go to your crib. I tried to get rid of the swaddle the other day before moving you and you were not having it. So we will stay in the swaddle until you roll, which is nowhere close to happening.
Sounds/Words: You are starting to make some coo sounds. And occasionally you will make some sounds after I do. It's very cute!
New discoveries/accomplishments:
-We have cleaned out more clothes that don't fit anymore and it is heartbreaking. How did we run through so much stuff already! We moved into size 2 diapers this week too!
-You are tracking with your eyes now.
-You got your first round of shots and you did very well! It was quite the yell, it broke my heart, but I fed you right after and you were fine. You didn't get a fever and were only a little sleepy so that is great!
Places you went/Adventures: You went to your 1st amusement park! We took you to Islands of Adventures for Dad's work trip and stayed in a hotel. We stayed at Kellis house too and played with our cousins. Grammy babysat you for the first time so mom and dad could go out for our 12 year anniversary. You came to the marriage retreat with us and slept in that chest pack the entire time like a champion! You had another boat adventure and went and watched your sister do the Spartan race!
Clothes: You are in between 0-3 and 3 month clothes now. Of course it just depends on the brand. All newborn items have been packed away to give to another sweet little boy. You just moved up to size 2 diapers.
Sisters update: Delainey is still obsessed with you! Blakely still loves you but doesn't feel the need to touch you or be in your face every 2 seconds like Delainey does. They are doing good though being gentle and not messing with you too much. They are great little helpers at getting towels or gas drops and love to watch me change your diaper and get you dressed. D is definitely a little mother hen!

Month 2 was a great one and you are filling out and getting some hair back on your head. No more newborn you look more like an infant these days.

Life lately - February recap

I feel so bad I haven't been keeping you guys in the loop the past month. My last post was Sammy's 2 month update. Whoops! We have had a fun and busy February so here is a recap of what we have been doing if you don't follow along on Instagram. (By the way I'm pretty good at updating things on there so follow along, since I am clearly not reliable on here lol). Anyways here is what we have been up to.

The first weekend of February we just hung out and enjoyed some time with Dad since he was away on his national sales meeting and on call lots in January.

The 2nd weekend we all went down to Universal for Dave's annual branch meeting. They have wised up and treat the families now so we all got to go. They put us up in a room at the Royal Pacific hotel and paid for all of us to go to Islands of Adventure the next day. It was a lovely weekend and Samuel was a champion!! We drove down early on Friday and took the ferry boat from the hotel to city walk. We walked around and ate dinner at the Toothsome Chocolate factory restaurant. The girls thought it was Willy Wonka's factory lol. We of course had an over the top milkshake for dessert bc they are known for those and their sundaes. Then we headed back to the hotel to hang out with some of Daves coworkers and the girls swam till about 9:30. The next morning Dave had a breakfast meeting and then we headed to Islands of Adventure. There wasn't a ton Blakely could do but Delainey had a blast. She loved all the rides and her favorite was the drop one from way up high. She was too short for the Hulk so that upset her but soon she will be able to do it. We left the park around 4 and headed to my sister Kelli's house about 30 minutes away. We let the cousins play and just hang out and spent the night there. Sunday morning we headed to a trampoline park with tons of different activities. It was totally up Delainey's alley. She rock climbed, did the ropes course, zipline, did bumper cars... it was a great time. We headed back home after that. 

We celebrated Valentines Day 

The next weekend Dave and I attended the marriage retreat at our church which was 2 days. It was the author of the book called Love and Respect and he offered some great advice. We really enjoyed it. Then we took the boat out for an afternoon cruise. Sammy loves the boat! 

This weekend we started softball practice for D which is every Friday night until games start in 2 weeks. Today we took Delainey to her 1st Spartan mud race and she loved it! She did really well and ended up getting 1st place in her age division/group. She said this is what she wants to do when she grows up. LOL The adult one looked intense though. Way more than this mama would like to do. 

D also had a big project we worked on all month called the Living Museum and she was pocahontas for it. 

Other than that we have just been busy with our usual gymnastics, Bible study, Mom 2 mom and school. I will be back on Thursday with Sammy's 2 month update. Time for shots :( I can't wait to see how big he has gotten though. He is such a great baby and we love him so much. He just goes with the flow to all his big sisters events. 

Samuel's 1 Month Update

Height: About 22 inches (We don't go back to the Dr. till your 2 month check up)
Weight: About 10 lb 2 ounces
Head Circumference: About 15 inches
Vision: I think you can see about 12 inches in front of you and you are starting to see the differences in colors!
Movement: Not much to report. You are doing a decent job of holding your head up when laying on your stomach. Most of tummy time is spent on my chest vs laying on the ground. You are starting to enjoy laying on the playmat and looking at the lights and toys move. You are learning how to move your hands and have a very strong grip. Time for Mom to start wearing her hair up because you pull it constantly.
Eating Habits/New Foods: You are eating about 3 ounces of milk every 2.5 to 3 hours. I have given you a bottle a few times and that is usually how much you eat so I am assuming thats your average amount from the boobies. It was a rough 2-3 weeks of breastfeeding only because my milk letdown was too fast so you would choke every time. Now we have gotten used to it so you rarely choke when drinking. You are a gassy man so we have added in gas drops and I cut back on my dairy, but I am not sure if that made any difference. I am going to add dairy back in and see how things go.
Sleeping Patterns: You are a good sleeper! Atleast compared to the girls I think. At night you get your bath and last feeding between 9 and 10 and are off to bed. You usually go a 4-5 hour stretch and then eat and go right back to bed. Then you will go another 3-4 hours. At that point, I change your diaper and snuggle for the next hour or 2 till its time to get the girls up for school. I love that hour or so you sleep on my chest. Then I lay you down and you sleep a while longer while I get the girls ready. You usually dose off after eating and take 2 longer naps during the day. Of course being the 3rd child, naps happen wherever and whenever you can get them. But you are flexible so thats nice!
Sounds/Words: Not much noise besides and occasional cry or whine. It almost sounds like a lion cub  growl. It is cute.
New discoveries/accomplishments:
-We have got a smile every now and then, not sure if its intentional though.
- You are filling out nicely and have moved on to size 0-3 clothes and I had to put away your first set of newborn clothes
-You like laying on your playmat and kicking your feet and watching the toys go round.
Places you went/Adventures: You haven't been many places yet outside of being dragged to things for your sisters. You are a great shopper and have of course gone to gymnastics, Mom 2 mom, BSF, church, and anywhere else I take you. We haven't been on any real adventures yet.
Clothes: You are in 0-3 clothes now. Some 3 months fit lengthwise but are loose on your body. You do have a little pot belly though! Still size 1 diapers.
Sisters update: Your sisters are still fascinated and love touching and kissing you. I have given them a little more freedom and they love to lay with you on the playmat and touch and kiss you. They are right by my side for all your diaper changes and are very helpful getting things for me when I need them. They love you so much! It was a great first month of life for you and it flew by! I hope time slows down because you already look so different!