by Rachel | Resources & Tips
It’s a BIG SUMMER for Music Therapy Connections, my private practice and teaching studio. Not only are we moving to our own building next month, but we are also welcoming new members to our team. “Expansion” is the theme of 2015 — both personally and professionally!
We want to kick off all these exciting changes by hosting a Midsummer Music Celebration, and you’re invited. On July 19, our friends, students, clients and their families will gather for music-making and mingling. We’ll host an interactive mini-concert, introduce our new staff, share more about our new location, and enjoy some sweet treats at a reception to follow.
It should be a fun afternoon, so we really hope you’ll join us if you are in the central Illinois area. I’m especially looking forward to it since I’ve been on maternity leave all summer and missing all my wonderful students and families.
One more thing, speaking of growth: we are currently raising funds for a recording studio in our new building. Click here to learn more about why this is such a great opportunity for our students and clients, and how you can contribute!
by Rachel | Family Life
I find it more than a little amusing that we’re weaning one child from the pacifier while simultaneously trying to teach the other child to take one. And it’s going better than expected…for one child, at least.
Mia isn’t a fan quite yet, but if she’s anything like her big brother, she’ll develop a deep love for the “paci” over time. Parker didn’t take one consistently until he was about 10 weeks old, but from there on out, they were pretty inseparable.
I was never a huge fan of letting Parker have his paci during the day, but we were pretty lax on that up until the time he hit 18 months. At that point, we stopped taking it with us when we went places, and he started to learn to put it (well, usually them — he liked to sleep with multiple pacifiers) on top of his dresser on his way out of his room in the morning and after his nap.
That helped with his transition to daycare, where he spends 3 whole days per week with no paci. He did great with that, and had no problem taking naps there without one. So I knew there was hope once the time came to get rid of it altogether.
Once he hit 2 years old last month, I was ready to ditch the paci. Zach was a lot more apprehensive than me, but game to give it a try. So one morning after Parker woke up, we told him that Dada was taking his pacis to work so that another baby could borrow them. We said he would bring them back that night, but that he wouldn’t have it for his nap.
Parker ate the story up, and we continued talking about it throughout the morning until he was able to tell me where his pacis were when I asked. We talked about it one more time as we walked upstairs for his nap, and then — for the first time EVER — he did not so much as ask for his paci before he went to sleep. Then he slept for an hour and a half with no issues.
We continued the conversation about where his pacis went during the day all week, and then at the end of the week, it was time to bite the bullet. We told Parker that the “baby at Dada’s work” was going to borrow it overnight, since Parker was a big boy and didn’t need a paci anymore. There was no crying, no meltdown…nothing. He went to bed and slept through the night as usual.
I’m not sure how we got this lucky, because Zach and I were both convinced that the big wean was going to be a miserable process. I’m crossing my fingers that we don’t have any setbacks, especially when he naps or spends the night at his grandparents’ house. But for now, I’m proud of my big boy and pretty ecstatic that we made it over this hurdle painlessly.
Next up, potty training. Maybe that will be just as easy…one can dream, right?! ;)
by Rachel | Family Life
The question everyone is asking these days: “How is Parker adjusting to the new baby?” I think this video pretty much sums up his relationship with her.
In all honesty, I thought we were going to have some serious jealousy issues to deal with once Mia arrived. Parker is used to having 100% of our attention, and he thrives on it. But from the moment he met her, he was completely in love.
Every morning when Parker wakes up, he asks to see “baby”. And he gives her about 500 hugs and kisses a day. He can be a little aggressive with his affection, but what do you expect from a 2-year-old? ;)
It will be interesting to see how their relationship develops over time, but for now I am soaking up the mutual admiration. Mia is one lucky little sis!
by Rachel | Business Ownership
I’ve been on maternity leave for almost a month now, and it’s been pretty great. All the newborn snuggles, quality time with my two-year-old, and if I’m being completely honest, Netflix binges (OITNB, anyone?) have been a nice change of pace.
But just as I predicted earlier this spring, I’m getting a tiny bit antsy. I need just a little something to fill my professional cup, and I’ll have that opportunity in a couple of weeks when I head back to work to teach the summer session of our early childhood music classes.
It’s just one morning and one evening per week for the five-week session, the perfect amount to help ease back in after wearing my “mom” hat exclusively since Mia was born. That way, returning to my regular schedule at the end of August won’t be such a shock to my system.
Although it will be hard to leave the baby at home for those few hours (considering we haven’t been apart since she was born), I’m excited to pick up my guitar again and see all my little students. No doubt I’ll be itching to get right back to Mia as soon as class is over.
Nursing around the clock has given me plenty of time to read all those blogs and articles about motherhood posted on Facebook, so I’m constantly being reminded how quickly this time goes and that I should be enjoying every fleeting moment. I’m doing just that, and at the same time looking forward to taking a little dip back in the proverbial water.
by Rachel | Family Life
I’m so happy to share with you that my baby girl is here! Mia Belle Rambach was born on Saturday, May 23 at 9:29 am. She weighed 6 lb 13 oz an measured 20 inches in length. She looks just like her brother Parker did when he was born, except with a lot more hair!
I wrote Mia’s birth story on my personal blog and shared many more photos from her first day of life. She’s almost two weeks old now, and we are starting to find our rhythm as a family of 4. Parker LOVES his little sister and gives her about a million hugs and kisses a day.
It’s funny how you forget what it’s like to have a newborn; at first, I couldn’t believe how much she slept. I’ve actually been able to get things done around the house and even get some rest myself on the days Parker is at school — the days he is home are a different story! Mia is even sleeping well at night, sometimes for 4 hours at a time.
I’m so happy to have the entire summer at home with my babies (minus a couple hours per week I’ll be teaching early childhood classes next month). Life has been so fast-paced with work up until now, and will be again come August, that I want to soak up this time as much as possible. I learned very quickly with Parker that it flies by in the blink of an eye.
I’ll be posting here as often as I have the chance, not because I have to but because I love doing it :) I’m making a bigger effort to stay connected to my work during this maternity leave; I didn’t do that last time, and it felt like a big part of me was missing after awhile. Thanks for reading, however sporadically, and all the words of encouragement and support I’ve received so far!
