by Rachel | Family Life
Home stretch, baby! And it’s a good thing, because I am getting restless. On one hand, I want to get out of the house and do things, but on the other, I’m so exhausted that I can barely keep my eyes open half the time.
Despite the exhaustion, I managed to have a pretty eventful and productive week. It started with my third and final baby shower, hosted by my wonderful sister-in-laws Rebecca and Shannon. The theme was “nautical” (shocking, right!?) and everything about it — the decorations, games, gifts, guests — was delightful. Click here for more of the photos my father-in-law took.
Rebecca and Shannon went all out, not only with hosting the shower but also their awesome DIY gifts. The boat-shaped bookcase (pictured below) is something I’ve been on the hunt for since I came up with the nursery theme, so I was super excited to see it on display when I arrived!
Zach arrived at the end of the shower to help load up all the gifts and pose for a few photos.
Baby Rambach must have known he was the guest of honor, because he didn’t stop kicking and wriggling around until after the shower was over. He is quite active on a regular basis even though he’s starting to run out of room in there!
Speaking of the little guy, we had an appointment this week and found out that he’s growing right on track…actually, he’s in the 63rd percentile at 5 pounds, 11 ounces. My doctor was surprised, since my belly has been measuring smaller than it should at this point. He’s also head-down, which is awesome news for delivery. At this point, there’s less than a 5% chance that he will change positions.
In other baby news, we bought the rest of the stuff we need off our registry and are pretty much set as far as the nursery goes. Once we get the pictures hung and a few other finishing touches, I will post photos. Also coming soon are photos of our newly painted playroom. Yay for progress!
by Rachel | Family Life
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 :)
by Rachel | Family Life
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!
by Rachel | Family Life
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?
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.
