Free Download: “Little Red Apples”
This is one of many counting songs I’ve written, which focuses on counting both up to 5 and down from 5. I created simple apple visual aides (using red construction paper and then laminating) which my students can then manipulate as we count.
Click here to download the mp3 and lyrics/chords.
P.S. If you want access to my entire collection of over 200 songs (mp3, lead sheet, and instrumental track), videos, tutorials, and visual aides, plus ALL new releases from Listen & Learn Music, consider joining me over at Listen & Learn Plus!
Week 34
This week has been a bit of a turning point in my pregnancy. Up until now, when people asked how I felt, my answers were always the same: “Great! Wonderful! Sometimes I even forget I’m pregnant!” But at this point, I’m really starting to feel it.
The third trimester exhaustion I kept hearing and reading about has kicked in, which means lots more “naps” after my morning workouts (and by naps I mean crawling back in bed for a couple of hours). It’s also getting progressively harder to make it through my work days, since they don’t usually end until 7 or 7:30 at night. Not to mention that sitting on a stool for long periods of times is becoming increasingly uncomfortable. But then I remember that I only have a little over 3 weeks of work left, and I can do anything for 3 weeks!
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not all complaints over here. All things considered, I do still feel pretty good and have enough energy to tackle things around the house and in my office on most days. I even made a trip to St. Louis with my mom last weekend for my friend Vickie’s bridal shower, which was wonderful even if I couldn’t drink any of the wine :)
I’m really looking forward to these next few days, which include a doctor’s appointment (and ultrasound!), my third and final baby shower, and Mother’s Day. Week 35 is going to be a good one, even if I am a bit sleepier than usual :)
Week 33 – Featuring Baby Shower #2!
Week 33 was another eventful one. My best friend Katie flew home from NYC to host a baby shower for me, and it was so beautiful and perfect! Everything — from the food to the decorations to the gifts — were nautical themed; I was so impressed with her attention to detail.
I couldn’t get over how cute the table was decorated. And how adorable are the napkins and silverware, with the lifesaver ties? Katie also ordered napkins with the baby’s name and little anchors, and there are tons leftover…I think we’ll have a nautical themed first birthday party :)
The clothesline full of nautical baby clothes was thanks to Annette, Katie’s stepmom who did most of the actual decorating (since she lives here in town, as opposed to a plane ride away). And since both Katie and my mom ordered cookies — from the same person — we had tons of these cute sailboat and anchor treats for dessert.
My lovely neighbor Wendy was kind enough to take photos of me with most of the guests; here I am with my mom and with Katie. I was so grateful to her for the shower, and also to all the guests for the huge pile of amazing gifts I brought home.
I feel so lucky to have such wonderful friends and family who are showering us with baby items and love. I had so much fun going through everything this week, especially sorting all the cute, tiny clothes! One thing is for sure: washing them and organizing the dresser is making this all feel very, very real!
Tapping, Shaking, Music Making!
There’s a little over a month remaining in the school year, and if you’re anything like me, it’s right about this time that your repertoire needs a boost. Whether you work as a music therapist in the classroom or one-on-one setting or you are a music educator, my newest creation might be just the boost you need.
Tapping, Shaking, Music Making! is a digitally downloaded songbook containing 12 Listen & Learn songs for playing instruments — including rhythm sticks, shakers, bells, drums, castanets, cabasa, ukulele, and more. Not only does the PDF songbook provide the notated melody line, chords and lyrics, but you also receive full and instrumental mp3s for all 12 songs:
“Animal Rock”
“Click Clack”
“I Can Do It By Myself”
“The Lollipop Bop”
“Play the Cabasa”
“Rhythm Sticks Waltz”
“Ring to the Music”
“The Shakin’ Song”
“Shaky Fruit”
“Tap Your Rhythm Sticks”
“The Ukulele Song”
“You Can Strum Too”
Purchasing the lead sheet and mp3s for each individual song would cost you $3 a pop; multiply that by 12 songs and you’re out $36. But since I’m all about sharing the love, I’ve priced Tapping, Shaking, Music Making! at a mere $12.
Week 32 – Featuring Baby Shower #1!
Week 32 rolled around while we were on vacation, and I loved telling people that I was eight months pregnant. It sounds so far along, even though I still have two entire months to go!
I thought my belly would be much bigger at this point, and apparently so did my doctor since she told me at my appointment on Friday that I need a growth scan at my next appointment. She said that although I am measuring a bit behind, the ultrasound will give a better estimate of his size and he could very well be right on track. I’m crossing my fingers that this is the case, and also looking forward to seeing him again :)
The day after we returned from vacation, I had my first baby shower. It was hosted by Deb Watts (our family friend and accompanist for my church chorale) and attended by the members of our chorale. Of course, Baby Rambach was the main topic of conversation — I never get tired of talking about him — and I got to hear lots of baby stories from experienced moms and grandmas. Such a fun shower, and I was extremely grateful to my lovely host!
I received so many great gifts, including clothes, blankets, baby gifts, bottles, toys, and accessories for the nursery. We just barely managed to fit everything in the back of my car afterwards:
Our giant basement closet is currently serving as the depository for all things baby-related, since we don’t want it all piling up in the nursery. I still have two showers to go, and already I am a little overwhelmed by the gigantic pile of clothes, blankets, toys, and necessities. I guess I better just get used to it, huh?
One Last SoCal Hurrah
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.
1-2-3, Tap With Me
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
Week 31
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.
Week 30
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.
The Beginnings of a Nautical Nursery
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 :)
Studio Turned Nursery
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.