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 | 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 :)
by Rachel | Family Life
If you’ve followed this blog for a while now, then you’ve probably seen the evolution of my home studio. When my husband and I first purchased our house in 2009, I set up my studio in what quickly became my favorite room in the whole house. It made for a beautiful work space, and it stayed that way for 2 years. The studio looked like this:
But when I decided to go into private practice full-time, my husband and I agreed that I needed to make some changes to my studio. Since I’d be working longer hours, it made more sense to have a studio that was separate from the rest of my house (so that Zach didn’t feel like he was intruding on my business when he came home).
We came up with the perfect solution — one that still allowed me to have a home studio, but offered a separate entrance and was closed off from the “home” part of my house. So in the summer of 2011, we renovated the two back bedrooms and turned it into my new studio.
After we moved out my studio, we talked about the fact that someday that room would make the perfect nursery. It’s right next to our bedroom, the space is bright and cheerful with lots of natural light, and like I said before, it’s my favorite room in the whole house. That time has now come, and the transformation has begun! Here is Baby Rambach’s nursery it in very beginning stages:
We’re still missing a glider, curtains, and of course, decor, but at least now we have a starting point! I’ve been collecting ideas for a nautical-themed nursery on my Pinterest board for a couple months now, and I’m so excited to bring those ideas to fruition (with the help of my female family members).
It’s pretty hard to believe that in just two short months, this will be home to a newborn baby. I’ve spent some amazing moments in this room, and I have a feeling there are many more to come.
by Rachel | Family Life
Holy cow, this is the LAST week of 20s before I enter the final 10 weeks of pregnancy. 10 weeks. That’s just mind-boggling to me. I am so grateful to still be feeling awesome, though that 3rd trimester exhaustion kicks in earlier and earlier each night, it seems. Other than that, I’m not having any discomfort, aches or pains — just lots of happy kicks and wiggles from inside.
We had a great weekend full of friends and family, and spent Sunday celebrating Easter. First came two church services, followed by a delicious brunch at the Inn at 835 with my mom and stepdad. We got a couple photos while we were there — I had to show off my bump in my cute new maternity dress!
Next, we went over to Zach’s parents for more Easter fun with his siblings and our nieces and nephew. Holidays are a lot more exciting with kids around, and once our baby is born, there will be 5 of them to keep us busy and entertained at Rambach family festivities!
Thanks to a gracious neighbor, we actually got the whole family in a photo. After an Easter egg hunt, lots of playing, and dinner, Zach and I were ready to crash. But that wasn’t the end of Week 29 excitement — I’ll fill you in on the rest soon!
