It’s Listen & Learn’s birthday, but YOU’RE getting the presents.
My baby is hitting double digits! It’s hard to believe that this little website I started as a brand-new music therapist is still going strong 10 years later. Recording the songs, creating the materials, and writing the blog posts that fill up these pages brings me SO much joy, but what fills me up even more is knowing that they are benefiting YOU.
YOU are the reason that Listen & Learn Music is still alive and well today, and YOU are the reason I’ll be celebrating another 10 years in 2028. Every email and comment I receive detailing how a song was brought to life in a classroom or music therapy session, and how it helped a child to learn a new skill, provides the motivation to make this an even more valuable resource for you.
To properly thank you for your support, I want to give you a gift for every year of Listen & Learn Music. Starting September 1, I’ll be sharing one of my favorite resources with you from the L&L collection each day in yearly chronological order, all the way through September 10.
Our Biggest Giveaway Ever
And last, but not least, I hope you’ll participate in the GIVEAWAY I’m doing on September 10! One extremely lucky winner will receive a LIFETIME VIP MEMBERSHIP to Listen & Learn Plus, including all current and future CMTE courses.
All you have to do is help me celebrate by:
1) following Listen & Learn Music on Instagram
2) Creating a post about how you’ve used a L&L resource, or just simply sending a birthday wish
3) Tagging @listenlearnmusic on your post
4) Using the hashtag #listenlearnmusicturns10
Feel free to save and post this image and use the caption:
Wishing @listenlearnmusic a very happy 10th birthday! I’m joining in the celebration and hoping to win a lifetime VIP membership to Listen & Learn Plus! #listenlearnmusicturns10
Follow the steps above to enter as many times as you’d like between September 1 – 10.
Start from the beginning.
Each day, I’m writing a blog post recapping each year of Listen & Learn Music and announcing the resource gift for that day.
If you’ve entered your name and email address above, you’ll receive these directly to your inbox, and you’ll also have access to them (along with other cool stuff) inside the private Facebook group.
No Results Found
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
More from Listen & Learn Music
{Parker Weekly} Five Weeks Old
The summer is flying by, and Parker is growing by the day. Everyone keeps telling me how soon I’ll forget that he was ever this little, so I am taking tons of pictures and holding him as much as possible.
The first month felt a bit like I was living someone else’s life; as much as I absolutely adore my son, I missed the way things used to be. But now we’re five weeks in and I’m finally getting used to life with a newborn — it feels, dare I say, normal. It helps that I’m feeling much better physically and emotionally, and we’re getting out of the house much more often. In the last couple of weeks, we’ve been to the park, shopping, and friends’ houses. I love showing Parker off almost as much as the change of scenery :)
The most exciting thing this week has been witnessing Parker’s first “real” smiles. I was lucky to catch a few of them with my iPhone, and they are by far my favorite photos of him up until now. Most of the time he looks so serious; his smiley faces are so cute and playful.
The most EXHAUSTING aspect of this week has been the constant eating. Parker’s going through what can only be a major growth spurt, and he demands food almost every hour of the day (and most nights, too). Luckily everyone tells me this is temporary, and soon we’ll go back to a much more normal eating and sleeping schedule.
So in the meantime, I’m just trying to enjoy the extra bonding we’re doing during all those feedings. Oh, and playing lots of Candy Crush Saga on my iPhone ;)
One Month Old
I had grand visions of spending my maternity leave blogging, writing in Parker’s baby book, writing and recording songs, organizing my house, etc. while the baby slept peacefully in his bassinet a few feet away. HA! The number one lesson I’ve learned since becoming a mom: don’t expect to get much of anything done with a newborn in your arms.
Parker has made it clear that in my arms is where he likes to be at ALL times. Sometimes if I’m lucky I can put him down in his rock ‘n play without waking him up, and he’ll nap there for awhile (which is how I’m getting this blog post written), but mostly I hold him, which leaves me with only one hand free. Needless to say, I spend a lot of time watching TV and playing on my iPhone.
This first month of Parker’s life has been mostly wonderful, with just a few hiccups along the way. I’m coming to terms with the fact that my job now is to care for and feed my baby, and that I have to let everything else go. It’s been a big adjustment, in all honesty. But when I’m holding him in my arms, watching him eat or sleep so peacefully, I feel like he is all I need in life.
This morning at his one-month checkup, we found out that Parker has grown two inches since birth and is in the 85th percentile for length! He is also gaining weight like a champ and the doctor called him “perfect” — we are so lucky.
And now, some photo highlights from this past month:
My kissy-faced angel!
Destined for superstardom.
Meeting his Uncle Josh and Aunt Jeni for the first time.
Chilling out after bathtime.
Isn’t THAT the truth.
Our little family.
Sensational Ideas for Working With Children With Autism (Part 1)
I’m currently on maternity leave, and many of my colleagues have been kind enough to share their expertise via guest posts throughout the summer. The following comes to you from Amy Kalas, MM, MT-BC.
I am constantly on the lookout for ways to improve my skills as a music therapist, aren’t you?
I find it fun and motivating to discover more and more effective ideas for engaging children in music therapy and connecting with them through music.
The children I work with at both my full-time job at UCP’s Early Beginnings Academy and in my private practice, Wholesome Harmonies, are primarily diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
One of the main things that enhanced my work with these children is co-treating with occupational therapists who specialize in sensory integration. Through these co-treatments, I began to learn about the unique sensory needs of children with ASD and brainstorm how I can address those needs in a therapeutic music experience.
In a session where I have children who are “sensory-seeking” (those are the ones jumping and crashing into things, seeking sensory input), I always ‘start with sensory.’I’ve found that if I “feed” that sensory need by providing the children with a sensory integration experience such as jumping on the trampoline or bouncing on the therapy ball, they are better able to attend to and engage in the subsequent music therapy activities.
Here is a video showcasing an example of one sensory integration experience I use in my sessions with children with ASD:
In this video, the children are receiving proprioceptive and vestibular input by bouncing on a therapy ball, while the music is organizing the whole experience. The lyrics cue the children to bounce and stop; and the rhythmic beat and tempo tell the children how fast to be bouncing. All these elements work together to create an experience that is appropriate and beneficial to the children.
This activity can be extended by having the children move in different ways on the therapy ball: they could lay on the ball on their stomach and bounce up and down, or they could lay on the ball on their stomach and roll front two back, using their arms and legs to push themselves back and forth (I hear a nice 6/8 accompaniment in my head for this one!)
The ideas are endless…why not meet with an occupational therapist and find out some other ways you can utilize the therapy ball in your music therapy sessions?
This is just Part One of a series I am starting on Music Therapy & Sensory Integration on my blog, Wholesome Harmonies. Want to stay up to date on the next installments? Click here to hop on the list!
Amy Kalas, MM, MT-BC is a board-certified music therapist with eight years of experience working with children and adolescents with special needs. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Music Therapy (2005) and Master’s degree in Music Therapy (2010) from University of Miami. Amy has been employed at United Cerebral Palsy of Miami as a music therapist, practicum supervisor, and internship director since 2006. She recently accepted the position of Interim Professor of Music Therapy at University of Miami.
Amy is also the owner of Wholesome Harmonies, LLC, where she provides music therapy services in the Miami area. She is the author of two E-Books: Tuneful Teens: Creative Ideas for Engaging Adolescents in Music Therapy and Sensational Songs & Ideas: Sensory-Based Ideas for Music Therapy. You can visit the website and blog for Wholesome Harmonies at www.WHmusictherapy.com.
Mommyhood Reality Check
It’s taken me at least four separate sessions spread out over two days to type this blog post, so hitting “publish” is going to feel like quite an accomplishment. Just like completing a load of laundry, making the bed, putting on makeup, and writing a thank you card all feel like big accomplishments these days.
Before I had a baby, I just couldn’t understand why new moms always say they’re lucky if they are able to shower on a daily basis — and now I totally get it. Caring for a tiny human being is a LOT of work, between feeding, changing, comforting, and just holding him while he sleeps.
I have an inbox full of fantastic guest posts by several fellow music therapists and bloggers, and although it was my goal to have them queued up and ready to post starting last week, it just hasn’t happened yet. Parker and I are still establishing a routine, and when I do have the opportunity to get things done during naptime, I usually resort to either sleeping (because not much of that happens at night!) or taking care of the basics around the house.
This blog post is anything BUT a complaint; I absolutely love being a mom and everything that comes with it (including the sleepless nights). It’s more of a reassurance that I haven’t dropped off the face of this earth, and that there’s some good stuff coming your way thanks to my colleagues…just as soon as I have the time and mental capacity (that darn sleep deprivation again) to post it. Thank you for being patient and sticking around during this hopefully short-lived blogging drought!
Zach’s First Father’s Day
I celebrated Mother’s Day as an almost-mommy, but Zach was lucky to get the full blown Father’s Day experience! He took this photo the morning of, as we were all relaxing in bed before starting our day.
We hung around the house for most of the day, and being the sweet wife that I am, I even dressed Parker in Cubs gear to make his daddy happy. Unfortunately for Zach, the outfit didn’t last long as Parker had a little accident while I was changing him later on — he might turn out to be a Cardinals fan after all ;)
We spent the afternoon with my parents and had a little cookout to celebrate the dads and grandpas. All in all, it was a really nice Father’s Day — just another “first” in our lives as new parents!
{Parker Weekly} 1 Week Old
It’s insane how fast the first week of Parker’s life has flown by. The first two days are a bit of a blur, as they were spent in the hospital where we were up pretty much around the clock and just learning the basics of caring for a newborn. Needless to say, we were excited to get out of there and come home!
Those first few days were a BIG adjustment. Parker is the new boss around here and dictates when we feed him, when we sleep, and when we find time to attend to everything else going on in our lives (which isn’t much nowadays!). Luckily, our family has been awesome and has brought us food, helped out around the house, and of course, held and changed Parker so that I can get naps in here and there. My mom has been here just about every day — she and Parker have become best buddies :)
Although most of our time is spent just hanging out at home, we have managed to get out of the house a few times. Parker’s first outing was a trip to Target, and then the next day we went for the very first spin in his new stroller. On Thursday he had his newborn photo session, and on Friday we took him to his first pediatrician appointment. Busy week!
It is so much fun getting to know this tiny little baby, and I have honestly fallen in love with him more with each passing day. Life is definitely much more complicated now that he’s here, but I can’t imagine it without him after just a week.
Introducing Parker Joshua Rambach!
I’m thrilled to share with you that my beautiful baby boy was born on Saturday, June 8th. He arrived at 10:31 am, weighs 7 lb, 5 oz, and is 20.5 inches long. He’s perfect!
After spending two days in the hospital, we were able to come home and settle into our new life as a family of four (that includes our golden retriever, Sadie, who is adjusting to our new addition incredibly well).
Although it’s only been a week, I can hardly remember life before becoming a mom. Parker has been such an incredible blessing to our lives already, and I know that life will only continue to get sweeter with him in it.
I’ll be writing about Parker and motherhood in general here at Listen & Learn on occasion, but for lots more about our baby boy — including the story of his birth — feel free to pop over to my family blog. Thank you for all the support you’ve offered as I embark on this new journey!
Due Date
Like his mommy, Parker likes to be early — he proved that by making his appearance 6 days before his due date! But after 30+ weeks of documenting my growing belly, we couldn’t let the series end without taking one final photo for week 40. And posing with Parker was infinitely more fun than doing so with any fruit or vegetable.
We spent the morning of Parker’s due date at his one-week pediatrician appointment, where he checked out perfectly! He has already gained back the few ounces he lost after he was born, thanks to being such a great eater. We both got incredibly lucky as far as breastfeeding goes; he took to it naturally on day 1.
I’m so happy that we were able to have this “bonus” week with Parker…I think I would have been going crazy with anticipation had I spent one more week pregnant!
Parker’s Birth Story
I should have known that the story of Parker’s birth would be nothing short of spectacular. After all, he was conceived on the very first try, and my pregnancy was nearly picture perfect. What started as a story turned out to be more of a novel, as you’ll see below, because I don’t ever want to forget a moment of the best day of my life.
The wheels were set in motion on Friday, June 7. We had our weekly doctor’s appointment that morning, at which time a growth scan was performed since I had lost 5 pounds the week before. Luckily, the baby looked wonderful and was estimated to weigh around 7 pounds, 15 ounces.
After examining me, Dr. Dignan-Moore announced that I was almost fully effaced and 1 centimeter dilated. She was excited about my progress since the week before, and suggested doing a membrane sweep to get the ball rolling. She said that if it was effective, I would go into labor within 24 hours. That thrilled me to no end, because I was really hoping for a June 8th birthday (8 is my lucky number; our wedding anniversary is 8/8/08).
I spent the rest of the day cleaning the house, putting some last touches on the nursery, doing laundry, and grocery shopping. I was pretty discouraged that I wasn’t having any contractions, but was still holding out hope.
My friend Crystal texted me that afternoon and offered to go walking with me, since that had worked for her. After walking the Centennial Park trail near her house and hanging out with her family a bit, I headed home and was excited to be feeling a little crampy.
Zach and I had plans to go on one last pre-baby date that night, and by the time we got in the car, I was having contractions. They weren’t super painful, but they were pretty regular (about 7 minutes apart). We headed to Lake Pointe Grille, and I enjoyed every last bite of my salmon while timing my contractions. They continued after we got home, and I was fully convinced we would be off to the hospital that night.
By 11, they were not getting any closer together nor stronger. Discouraged, I went to bed, waking up every hour or so to use the bathroom and feeling a little contraction here and there, but nothing substantial.
That is, until 4:15 am, when I was jolted awake by a contraction that was stronger than anything I had felt the night before. Of course, I was very excited and laid in bed tracking them using an app on my phone until about 5. Once I determined that they were regular (about 6 minutes apart), I got up and went into the living room. I bounced on my exercise ball for a little while, but the contractions continued to get stronger to the point where I had to lean over and breathe through them.
At about 6 am, I decided to take a shower…just in case. During that very quick shower, I had 4 strong contractions that were about 2.5 minutes apart. This had to be the real deal. So I got dressed and told Zach to get in the shower and put his things in a bag (mine had been packed for weeks!). He thought I was overreacting — after all, my water hadn’t even broken yet! But after speaking with the nurse at Springfield Clinic, and checking in with my doula Janet (who had just gotten back from vacation the night before), I was told to go, go, go.
We dropped Sadie off at Zach’s parents, and by that time, I was in a lot of pain. I was also a little scared, and just completely flooded with emotion. Once we got to the hospital and were checked in at 7:30 am, we headed up to triage to get checked out. Sure enough, those contractions were coming about 2 minutes apart, and I was 3-4 centimeters dilated. Holy cow!
Just as the nurse finished checking me out, Janet walked into the triage room. I had several more contractions right there, and she talked me through each one. She immediately calmed me down and made me feel confident that I could have this baby naturally (epidural-free), just the way I had been planning for the last few months.
Janet walked the halls with me for about an hour, and we’d stop and lean over the railing with each contraction. She helped me breathe and stay in control, reminding me not to let the contraction overtake me. Zach and my mom were also with us, but they hung back for the most part and let us do our thing.
At one point, I had to stop walking and have my IV line inserted as well as my blood drawn. Sitting through that was torture, since standing up made the pain much more tolerable. Then the OB resident wanted to check my progress, so we went to my delivery room (we got the best one on the floor, thanks to Janet!) and I had to get into the bed for that. More torture, but awesome to find out I was dilated to 6-7 centimeters!
I sat on the birthing ball for the next few contractions, which really helped. Of course, the pain was tremendous during each one, but I got through them because I knew they would only last about a minute. The breaks I got in between were so nice — I even managed to crack a little smile for Zach, who (no surprise) had the camera out.
After awhile, Janet encouraged me to get back up, since all that walking had helped me progress so far in a short time. I made it over to the chair in my room and had one last contraction before I told her I needed to get into the bed, because I was getting the overwhelming urge to push.
I was starting to get panicky at this point, because I knew I couldn’t push yet. Janet was so amazing at talking me through, and telling me exactly what I needed to do. The on-call OB, Dr. Ertmoed, came in to check my progress, and then they started wheeling in all the equipment for the delivery. This was really going to happen soon!
The next thing I knew, everything was set up and I was in pushing position. My lovely nurse, Lindsey, reported that my OB, Dr. Dignan-Moore, was rushing in and hoped to be there in time for the delivery. I was so happy to hear that. Just as I was about to give my first push, she ran through the door and put on her gown while cheering me on.
The next thing that happened was simultaneously awesome, gross, and hilarious — my water broke and reached all the way across the room on that first push! I still laugh every time I think about it. Talk about a dramatic moment. After that, it was serious business; pushing with strength I never knew I was capable of. This went on for just 25 minutes, and then Janet told me my baby had a head full of dark hair. He was almost out, which made me even more determined. A couple of pushes later, there he was; my baby was on my chest.
I couldn’t believe how beautiful my baby boy was. I also couldn’t believe how in love I was at first sight. As soon as the cord stopped pulsating, Zach cut it like a champion, and then I just stared into my baby’s eyes while trying to process the fact that he was finally here.
Parker Joshua Rambach was born at 10:31 am, a mere 3 hours from the time I checked into the hospital. He weighed 7 pounds, 5 ounces, and was 20.5 inches long.
So many moms have told me that they forgot the pain of childbirth almost immediately afterwards, and I could never wrap my head around that. But it’s true. When Parker was in my arms, all of those contractions were a distant memory and all I felt was happiness.
When I first found out I was pregnant, I didn’t even want to think about the actual delivery process. It completely terrified me, and I just always assumed I wouldn’t be picky about my birth experience. But once I reached the middle of my second trimester, I had some serious conversations with a couple friends — specifically Vanessa and Crystal — who turned me on the idea of an epidural-free, all-natural birth.
The more I researched, the more I felt like it was the right decision for me. I was met with a lot of resistance; even Zach was skeptical for a long time because he didn’t want me to experience all that pain unnecessarily. But he eventually came around, and was an amazing support. The three people who were by my side on the big day — Zach, my mom, and Janet — helped me to have a birth experience that surpassed even my highest expectations.
And now Parker is here, and I am on cloud 9. I can’t wait to share him with my friends and extended family, but for now, we are just enjoying our time as a very, very blessed family of three.
Week 39
We made it to week 39! I spent all of this last week crossing my fingers that baby Rambach would wait until today at the very earliest to make his big debut. Not only did I not want us to have to share our birthdays, but also my doula Janet just returned from vacation. Thank you for waiting, baby!
There’s still one week to go before his due date, but I’m hopeful that he comes sooner than that…like, tomorrow! 8 is my lucky number and June is my favorite month, so really there’s no better birthday that June 8. And since we found out at our sonogram this morning that he is measuring a little over 7 pounds, I’m even more ready to meet him. We shall see when he decides to join us on the outside!
Joining the 30s Club
When you’re almost 10 months pregnant, you can pretty much expect to have a fairly tame birthday. And although it was a BIG one, I was juuuust fine with that.
My day started with Sadie jumping on the bed to wish me a happy birthday at 5:30. Luckily after Zach left to get me some breakfast (my favorite bagel and smoothie from Panera), she snuggled next to me and we both went back to sleep until about 8.
The rest of the day was spent with my mom, going out to lunch at Incredibly Delicious, playing tourists at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, and then enjoying the nice weather at Starbucks — my belly made a nice shelf for my drink, as you can see in the picture.
That night, the whole family went out to dinner at American Harvest, and then we did dessert and presents afterwards. I got completely spoiled with a Keurig coffee maker, some furniture and goodies for the nursery, and gift cards to spend on myself. I couldn’t think of a better way to ring in the big 3-0!
Week 38
This has been one fantastic week. Since I am officially on maternity leave, I’ve been getting things done left and right in preparation for the baby, for my online businesses, and around the house. Everyone told me to relax and get as much sleep as possible, but I pretty much have done just the opposite.
I’ve still been making my morning pilgrimages to the gym, although I have a feeling those days are extremely numbered. I’m trying to keep this baby INSIDE through Friday, because my doula Janet is on vacation until then. And getting on that treadmill is just tempting fate a little too much, so I’m going to take it easy the rest of the week. Not to mention that tomorrow is my birthday, and that calls for a little sleeping in!
Maternity Photos
After a few weeks of planning a maternity photo shoot but not actually getting around to it, I was a little nervous that the baby would arrive before we had the chance. Luckily, though, we found some time last week — and finally had a nice day of weather as an added bonus.
Lots of the photos we took include Baby Rambach’s name, which we’re keeping off the internet until he arrives, so I will post the whole album once he is born. But here are a few to tide you over in the meantime!
We are so lucky to have a talented photographer in our family…big shout out to my father-in-law Steve for always providing his services (for free, no less!). Another person who deserves a big shout out is our 4-year-old nephew, Mason, who was a trooper for almost 3 hours. Uncle Zach rewarded him with a few hours at Chuck-E-Cheese afterwards.
We’re heading out again tomorrow to get a few more shots, and I can’t wait to share the entire bunch with you! It will be so nice to have these visual reminders of my last few days of pregnancy.
Week 37
I have officially made it to “full term” point in my pregnancy! I never imagined that at 37 weeks along, I’d still be doing everything I’m currently doing — working out daily at 5:30 am, keeping the house insanely cleaned and organized (hello, nesting), working full time, and somehow managing to stay calm despite the fact that in just a few weeks, we will have a newborn living with us.
As much as I’m ready to meet him and not be pregnant anymore, the truth is that a small part of me is actually going to miss this. I love feeling the kicks and rolls throughout the day, and even the attention I get for this big ol’ belly is kind of fun (sometimes). But I know that it won’t compare to actually having my little guy in my arms!
We’ve been seeing the doctor for weekly visits, and at this point, she says it could be any day now. The great news is that he is head-down, and in the past week, I’ve started to feel some contractions here and there…signs that my body is preparing for labor.
I’m hoping that he stays put for at least one more week, though; the longer baby bakes, the more prepared he will be to enter the world (not to mention that my doula is on vacation until June 7!).
Faking It
Surprise! We had a baby! Or…I got dressed up in a hospital gown, grabbed a doll, and pretended that we did :) Baby Rambach is still safe and sound in my belly, but we sure had fun going through a “dress rehearsal” of labor and delivery at the hospital last week.
I jumped at the chance to be models for a photo shoot at St. Johns Hospital — not only will the photos be used in future trainings, but it gave us the opportunity to have a dry run of what our hospital stay might really be like (wardrobe and all).
First came my admittance, by wheelchair of course. Not sure if I’ll actually be smiling this big when the real deal happens…
Here I am just after getting hooked up to the monitors. It was fun getting to hear the baby’s heartbeat, and now I have an idea about what I’ll be wearing as far as “accessories” during the labor process.
Fastest labor, delivery, and discharge ever! Just a couple hours later, here I am getting ready to take baby home! (That’s our wonderful doula, Janet, who also served as a model in the photos). People passing me in the hallway actually thought I was holding a real newborn, which I found hilarious since the doll was HUGE. I guess I just had that “new mom” glow!
Week 36
I officially have nine months of pregnancy under my belt, with only one to go. Four short weeks left of carrying around this 6-pound “watermelon” — after that, he’ll be in my arms!
We kicked off Week 36 by spending our entire Saturday at Lullaby University, where we learned all about newborn care and breastfeeding. I learned a LOT, but probably not as much as Zach did…I think he is beginning to realize what a HUGE job a baby is. Rewarding, for sure, but much more time-consuming than he originally thought. The class also made us even more excited about our little guy’s arrival.
On Sunday, I got a little taste of what it’s like to be very pregnant in the summertime, thanks to spending a couple hours walking around the art fair in the 85-degree heat. That experience made me really appreciate the fact that I’m due June 14 rather than August 14!
The rest of the week has been pretty uneventful, just busy with wrapping up work (only one more week to go!) and getting as much sleep as I can. Coming up: another doctor’s appointment on Friday, followed by a long holiday weekend :)
The Most Annoying Symptom of Pregnancy
After 9 long months of pregnancy, I’ve discovered the most annoying symptom — and it’s not one of the usual suspects. Morning sickness, leg cramps, heartburn, interrupted sleep, and exhaustion have been no fun at all, but my least favorite of all is my hoarse voice.
For almost 3 weeks now, my voice has sounded like I just finished screaming and singing along at a Taylor Swift concert (and yes, I would totally do both of those things at a Taylor Swift concert). It’s been raspy, a little mannish, and any hope of hitting high notes is out the window. At first I thought maybe I was getting sick, but I had no sore throat, cough, or sneezing. Then I suspected allergies, but I’m not really one to suffer from those. And I hadn’t been using my voice any more than I usually do, so it wasn’t due to overuse.
It all started to make sense after I explained my condition to one of my client’s moms before a music therapy session. She told me that she thought a hoarse voice was a symptom of pregnancy, and after some quick Googling on her iPhone, we found that she was right.
At my doctor’s appointment the following week, the OB confirmed that pregnancy can cause the vocal cords to swell just like the rest of the body, so my hoarse voice is normal at this point. The downside is that it’s probably here to stay until I have the baby, so I can look forward to a little over 3 more weeks of raspiness.
By now I’ve adapted to my new voice, though it sure makes my job interesting! Luckily, there are only 9 more working days left before I’m officially on maternity leave for the summer. I have quite a few new songs I’d like to record, but they just might have to wait until after baby’s arrival if I actually want people to listen to them.
So far, no cankles in sight…just a man voice and a few other manageable symptoms. I suppose if that’s the worst it gets at 36 weeks, I don’t have much room to complain :)
Week 35 – Featuring Baby Shower #3!
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!
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!
My Book + Course
This is the book + course that will help you shape your music therapy career in order to make more money and live your ideal lifestyle. Details here.
Access the Collection
