The Best Day Ever

Here we are at the end of yet another month, which just so happens to be the best month of my life (so far)! Read on to find out why <3

Molly Joan Rampley
The Stats
We are SUPER STOKED to announce that our beautiful daughter, Molly Joan Rampley, was born on February 1, 2015 at 9:38 PM. She weighed in at 3.300 kg (= 7 lb 4 oz), and she was 52 cm (= 20.47 in) long. Her head was 33 cm (= 13 in), and her chest was 32 cm (= 12.6 in). After 1 minute, her Apgar score was a 9, and after 5 and 10 minutes, her Apgar score was a 10. My original due date was February 2, and at my doctor's appointment on January 31, we were told that I would be induced that following morning! I was planning on squeezing in one more week of work before baby, but that didn't happen! We were in the hospital by 6 AM that following day, and after some fetal monitoring, I was induced by 8 AM. Contractions started around 1 PM, and Molly Joan was welcomed into the world just before 10 PM. I will spare you the details of in between! We were discharged from the hospital 2 days later.

The stats

Right after delivery

Love
At 9:38 PM on Sunday, February 1, 2015, I learned just how much I could truly love another person when I held my baby girl for the first time. That day was, by far, the best day of mine and James' life. We could not have been happier at that moment, and we are still glowing with love for Molly Joan.

Going home!

A Special Moment
Shortly after delivery, while the nurses were cleaning off Molly Joan, she was crying ever so loudly. James went over and started talking to her, and she immediately stopped crying and looked in his direction. We both could not believe it, but we think she recognized his voice! And for anyone that knows James, he is quite the talker, so this is highly possible ;) It was such a special moment for all of us.

Already giving Dad looks!

<3

Names
As for her name, Molly is a name that James and I have always really liked (maybe me more so than James!). And Joan is a name in honor of both of my grandmothers (Joan Theresa Stapleton and Joan Catherine Yerkes) as both of their first names are Joan, and we absolutely love that name.

Relaxing :)

Maternity Leave
I am currently on maternity leave for a total of 10 weeks. One of my good friends, Amy, had her baby just 8 days after Molly Joan, so we are on maternity leave together, which is awesome! I will go back to work mid-April for about 2 months, and then, we will be back in the States for the summer starting on June 19. Aside from the fact that I get to spend all day with Molly, there is another really cool thing that my school does when one of their teachers has a baby. They have a meal sign-up for the family where other teachers sign up to bring them food. So, every 2-3 days for the next 10 weeks of my maternity leave, one of the teachers at our school will bring us a meal. How cool is that? James and I are definitely stoked about this, and the meals so far have been absolutely delicious!

Baby Buddha ;)

Passport Photos
We took Molly Joan to get her passport photos on February 21 at 20 days old! I couldn't believe it. James had to hold her up, and she had to look straight at the camera and keep her hands out of her face - not an easy feat with a newborn ;) Mission accomplished! And we had her appointment at the U.S. embassy this week to report her birth abroad and apply for her passport. She will be a world traveler at under 1 year old!

Molly Joan's actual passport photo :)

Photo Shoot
Our friend, Taylor, who also happens to be an excellent photographer, came over this weekend to take some pictures of our family. I just can't stop looking at the photos she took. We are so grateful that she was able to capture these beautiful moments for us. I am so in love! Here are some of my favorites.

St. Patty's Day
My other new mommy friend, Amy, and I have planned our first night out. Dads are watching the babies while we head over to the U.S. Embassy with some friends for the St. Patty's Day celebration. This is one of my favorite holidays, so I am stoked that I am able to go out for it!

Travel Plans
We have Spring Break at the end of March and a couple of long weekends before our summer vacation begins. We don't have any definite travel plans for before summer yet. We are thinking about heading back over to Bahrain for a 4-day weekend we have in April, so we will see about that! It will all depend upon when we get Molly Joan's passport. I also posted last time that we have our summer travel plans squared away. We will be in Michigan from June 19-July 1, and from there we will head on down to Philly. We rented a house in Sea Isle City from July 4-25, and we plan on being in the Philly/Jersey Shore area until August 8 when we head back to Saudi Arabia.

This month has been one wild ride with the birth of Molly Joan, and we are stoked for what the upcoming months will bring.

Stay stoked.

Black Tie Gala, Baby Rampley, and Some Summer Plans

It's almost the end of January, and Riyadh already seems to be starting to warm up again. So much for the cooler weather here! Not much has gone on this month in the Rampley household - mostly just resting up for Baby Rampley's arrival. James keeps telling people that our due date is February 2nd or any second!

We did end up making it to one bigger social function this month, the AIS-R Black Tie Gala. It was a fundraiser sponsored by our school for the AIS-R Foundation. We got to get all dressed up, - I had to be quite creative about a formal maternity dress - eat amazing food, and dance the night away! There was also a live and silent auction as well as a raffle. The event was held at The Gardens at the British Embassy Residences. It is a gorgeous outdoor venue, and it was a great night was friends.

Before we left for the Gala

Prom-style photo from the Gala

January was more of a quiet month for us as we anticipate Baby Rampley's arrival - hopefully soon! We had a doctor's appointment yesterday. My blood pressure and weight are normal, and Baby Rampley's heart rate and movements are normal - no dilation yet, so we are not expecting anything to happen too soon ;) Tomorrow, I will be exactly 39 weeks. I plan to work up until my due date unless she makes an early appearance as we get exactly 10 weeks of maternity leave starting on the due date. I want to maximize my time with her at home as much as possible!

39 weeks and feeling good :)

We did make some summer plans this month, which is super exciting! We know we will be in Michigan from June 19-July 1, and we will be in the Philly/South Jersey area from July 1-August 8. We rented a shore house in Sea Isle City, and we will be there from July 4-25. The house is on 38th street a half block from the beach, and we have an extra room if anyone is interested in staying with us. We would love the company!

I imagine that next month we will have much more to write about or maybe,  as new parents, we will be too tired to write anything at all! We will see. In the meantime...

Stay stoked.

Baby Rampley, A Swedish Christmas, and Bahrain

It's been quite a year and quite the month over here in Saudi Arabia! I am a bit late getting this December post out, but better late than never...

Thanksgiving in Saudi
Tis the season! At the end of November, our school hosted a 2.5K, 5K, and 10K Turkey Trot. James and I participated in the 5K - walking only for me, but I did finish! Later that day, an American Thanksgiving dinner was prepared by the Social Committee at our school. It was 2 days later than actual Thanksgiving, but it was a fun event with great food and friends.

Finishing the 5K Turkey Trot

Baby Rampley

James and I have been preparing the nursery for our baby girl - so exciting! We bought a very cute crib and changing table that James put together. Thank God! Because there were about a million little pieces for each. We graciously received a glider from another couple at our school that wasn't using theirs anymore, and it matches the crib and changing table perfectly. We think that the nursery is ready to go whenever Baby Rampley decides to make her appearance. February 2nd - Groundhog's Day - is her due date!

James still has a smile on his face after putting together the crib and working on the changing table :)

Nursery view from the bedroom door

To the right as you walk in the bedroom door

Glider and dresser

Crib and glider

Changing table and crib

Crib

Glider with baby blanket quilted by James' Mom :)

My coworkers and friends decided to host a baby shower for me, and it was absolutely lovely! The girls and I got to spend the morning chatting, eating great food, and opening presents in my friend Jessica's backyard. It could not have been more perfect <3

Playing games with the girls

Opening presents!

A Swedish Christmas
Although we were not able to come home for Christmas this year, thankfully, James and I were able to spend it with some friends that also did not go home for Christmas this year. Our friends, Chris & Sara had us over for a Swedish Christmas meal on Christmas Eve, and everything was delicious - the food and the company! The spread was quite amazing - cooked salmon with a caviar sauce, pickled herring, smoked salmon with a mustard sauce, Swedish meatballs with beat salad, just to name a few. It was not our typical ham and turkey Christmas meal, but it could not have been better!

Delicious Swedish food

And more delicious food

The beautiful dining room table

Bahrain
James and I stuck around Riyadh for the first few days of our vacation, and the day after Christmas, we ventured out on our last "childless" vacation to Bahrain for 5 days. Bahrain is a small island to the east of Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf. We stayed at a spa resort on the beach where we celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary!! We relaxed, did some shopping, and most importantly got to spend time with each other in a beautiful place :)

Map of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in relation to Bahrain

View of the beach and the Persian Gulf from our balcony

View of the pool from our balcony

A surprise cake from the hotel for our anniversary <3

Famous camel statue to promote peace

Best place to get some bacon and pork, owned by an American

Our attempt at some maternity photos :)

Another maternity photo attempt ;)

Today, I am 35 weeks and 3 days pregnant. I have 4 weeks and 4 days to go, and according to thebump.com, our baby is as big as a coconut ;) We cannot wait to meet her!!!

The bittersweet end & an exciting new beginning

New Year's Eve was our last event for this month and this year, and our friends Bryan & Disha had a bunch of us over for drinks and appetizers. And for any cousins reading this, I made buffalo chicken dip, and it was a huge hit! Although we did not watch the ball drop, - that happened 8 hours after our midnight and we were fast asleep by that time! - we did watch a new year's countdown on TV. It was low-key, and that was just fine by me (and baby)!

As I reflect upon this past month and the past year, I realize how lucky we are and how grateful I am to be me! In 2013, James and I got engaged and got married, and in 2014, we got pregnant. We have a new niece, Keely Marie - love her! We also got new jobs and moved to a new country. And most importantly, we are safe and healthy. I couldn't be more stoked about all of the wonderful things that have happened to us this past year, and I am more stoked than ever to see what 2015 holds for us and for all of you!

Stay stoked.