by Rachel | Family Life
After a year filled with amazing travel adventures, it’s pretty hard to believe that we’ll never again take a trip either without our little guy or without leaving him in the care of his grandparents (and missing him like crazy, I’m sure).
So we called our vacation in southern California our “last hurrah” — and we definitely made the most of it! While I would be perfectly happy just lounging by the pool or at the beach the entire time, there’s never a dull moment on vacation with Zach. We saw lots of sights, did quite a bit of walking and exploring (including conquering “Heart Attack Hill” in Dana Point…not sure how my doctor would feel about that one at 8 months pregnant), and got tons of great photos along the way.
The “bump” was featured in quite a few of those photos, you know, just so that someday we can prove to Baby Rambach that he was indeed quite the traveler even before he was born.
We took a day trip to Catalina Island, and it was absolutely gorgeous. Zach went to town photographing the boats and scenery, and I loved the cute little town with all its shops and history. The nausea-inducing ferry ride there was well worth it, after all.
The last three days of the trip were picture perfect weather-wise, so I got my pool and beach time :) The first beach we visited was in La Jolla, where this photo was taken.
On the last full day of vacation, we headed to Coronado Island to visit the Hotel Del Coronado, where we stayed last time we were in San Diego. We hung by the pool, had lunch on the deck, and then sat on the beach before heading back to La Jolla.
Click here for the full album.
It was a wonderful week from start to finish! Of course, it was a little difficult coming back to reality, but we had a very happy puppy waiting for us at home and I had my first baby shower the very next day.
The next vacation we have planned will be WITH the baby! We’re going to Naples, Florida in August to visit my grandma, and she’ll be meeting him for the first time. Now that will be an adventure, for sure.
by Rachel | Listen & Learn Music
I have been on an “instrument song” rampage lately! It seems like I go through cycles when it comes to choosing song topics, and all of those instruments stashed throughout my studio are currently getting plenty of use.
I went back to the basics — good old rhythm sticks — with my latest song, because there is just so darn much you can do with them. As far as addressing goals and objectives, the possibilities for motor development are endless. At one of my classes recently, the mom of one of my tiny kiddos commented on how much progress she had seen her daughter make when manipulating a pair of rhythm sticks.
1-2-3, Tap With Me offers specific directives for playing the sticks, but I always change it up when using this song in a class or music therapy session. It’s also fun to let my students take the lead, choosing different ways to play.
1 – 2 – 3, tap with me
Tap your sticks together
1 – 2 – 3, tap with me
Tap your sticks like this
On the ground, on the ground
Tap your sticks with me
On the ground, on the ground
Tap your sticks with me
CHORUS
In the air, in the air
Tap your sticks with me
In the air, in the air
Tap your sticks with me
CHORUS
On your knees, on your knees
Tap your sticks with me
On your knees, on your knees
Tap your sticks with me
CHORUS
by Rachel | Family Life
It was very fitting that at week 31, the baby was a size of a pineapple. We spent the week in California, and were surrounded by pineapple everywhere we went :)
I’ll be posting lots of vacation pics soon, but right now we’re in recovery mode and just trying to get back into the swing of things. As far as baby news goes, I have my first shower today and I’m very excited!
I’m not so excited about my appointment with a hematology specialist tomorrow to discuss my low platelet count. But as far as complications go, this is a small bump in the road according to my OB…so I’m trying not to let it freak me out just yet.
Enough about that, though. I’ll share updates after I know more — until then, I’m going to enjoy the much more FUN parts of pregnancy.
by Rachel | Family Life
Every week I write about how fast time is flying by, and that I can’t believe how far along I am. But 30 weeks feels like such a huge milestone — I’m 75% of the way there!
This weeks is off to a great start so far. The weather has warmed up considerably, and I’m enjoying going places without a coat on and having people notice my bump. I’m still getting lots of comments about how small I am for 30 weeks, but I don’t feel small! Especially after all the food I’ve eaten this weekend.
On Saturday, we went out to dinner for my mom’s birthday at one of our favorite restaurants, American Harvest. And then after our huge meal, we decided to get frozen yogurt at Cherry Berry…big mistake! The baby is taking up a lot of room these days, which doesn’t leave much space for extra food. You’d think I learned my lesson, but I followed another big dinner tonight with a bowl of ice cream. Where are the Tums?
To balance out all that food, we did manage to get in some exercise this weekend. Sadie had the time of her life at the dog park yesterday, followed by a long walk around Washington Park today. And we discovered that she loves riding in the back of the CR-V, as opposed to her usual spot in the passenger seat. That will help keep dog hair to a minimum :)
This week is a little busier than usual as far as work goes; I’m trying not to think about everything I have to do, and instead concentrating on the fact that at this time next week, we’ll be in California! This will be the baby’s 3rd out-of-state vacation…he will be quite the experienced traveler by the time he is born.
by Rachel | Family Life
This week we started making progress on the nursery after several delayed attempts. The first step was getting the carpet cleaned, which had to be pushed back two weeks — first due to a sick puppy, and then thanks to 18 inches of snow (which inevitably resulted in several days of muddy paw prints).
But it finally happened last Monday, and we didn’t waste any time moving the baby furniture in afterward. To be completely honest, I was a little nervous about how the bright white furniture would look against the white-ish carpet, but it works…especially since our beautiful rug covers so much ground.
I am in LOVE with the yellow walls paired with the blue and white. I chose the nautical theme because it ties those colors together, but little did I know that there is SO much out there as far as decorations and accessories to complement this theme.
Here’s another shot from the opposite side of the room. The changing table we picked out is so cute, don’t you think? I like that it provides extra storage space, since there’s no closet in this room.
What I like best about this room is the big picture window, and all the natural light it provides. Of course, we will have shades and blackout curtains so that Baby Rambach can sleep during the day, but this room just feels so fresh and airy when the sun is shining in.
The newest addition to the nursery was delivered on Wednesday — a beautiful navy blue rocking chair that perfectly matches our rug! It’s so comfortable, and I love that it swivels all the way around so that I can face either the inside of the room or the window.
I’m anxious to start decorating the walls and adding accessories, but with three showers coming up this month and next, it seems a little silly to go out and start buying things just yet. For now, I’m just happy to have the basics in place, and I can’t stop walking by the room and admiring it :)
