40.5 weeks and 41.5 weeks (or before and after)

These pictures are obviously a little late, but the first one was taken just two days before Palesa's birth.  We went on a long walk Saturday morning in the Arboretum, and then to downtown Jamaica Plain.  We had Thai food for lunch, and I asked our waitress to make it extra spicy, so that hopefully I would go into labor.  It worked, because the next day I was in labor!

This was taken just 5 days after her birth.  She still curls up into a little ball when she sleeps, and I can imagine her being in the womb still.  It is a little hard for me to think that I'm no longer pregnant, and the series of belly shots have come to a definite close (this pregnancy)

Update from Daddy- she has a name!

Amy and Osei have chosen a name. Our daughter shall be called Palesa Sela May. Palesa (pah-LAY-sah) is an African name from the country Lesotho meaning "flower." Sela (SEE-la) is a biblical name/word meaning "rock." Our little daughter is preciously beautiful as a flower and strong like a rock. She has might in her hands and a strong grip. She can lift up her neck already and she can suck like a Dyson. Her name suits her features and personality. We wanted to get to know her first before naming her. You can see why we waited.

It's a girl!

Yesterday afternoon (October 24, 2011) we gave birth to our beautiful daughter.  She was born at home in our bedroom after 24 hours or so of labor.  I was supported by my amazing husband Osei, and a team of 3 midwives.  It was intense and absolutely the hardest thing that I've ever done, but worth every moment.  Osei and I are head over heels in love her.  I remember seconds after she was born looking at Osei, shouting out, "We had a BABY!" and feeling overwhelming love for Osei, that I couldn't possibly love him any more than I did, and then overwhelming love for our new baby.  It was absolutely incredible.  We feel so blessed.

She is 7 lbs 4 oz, and 20.25" long and was born at 2:18 pm.  Apgars were 8 & 9 and she is now latching very well.  We wanted to get to know her a bit first before giving her a name (but she is no longer just "Omee" the fetus).  Baby is healthy and in our opinion, absolutely perfect. She was born with a beautiful full head of hair and both Osei and I just want to kiss her all over.  

We are still pretty exhausted after laboring all night long (Sunday night).  Sunday during the day I was in pretty easy early labor, and things started getting intense (active labor) in the middle of the night Sunday night, going into Monday.  I was in active labor for about 12 hours, and pushed for an hour.  Somehow I went through transition twice (at least it felt like it)!  A few different times labor slowed down enough that I could lay down and fall asleep between contractions, but overall I don't know how to describe it besides intense (think projectile vomiting).  But somehow the moment I first held her on my chest I instantly forgot everything about how challenging labor was.  Osei was an absolutely incredible birth partner.  I could not have done it without him.  He is smitten with our baby girl.  Our midwives were also fantastic.

We will send an update shortly with a name (and another picture, hopefully we can get her to wake up and show her beautiful brown eyes!).  For now, we're trying to get some rest.  Though we went to bed early last night, I could hardly sleep because I just wanted to look at her and listen to her breathe next to us.  

I'm working on the detailed version of the birth story and am more than happy to share.  Please email me back if you are interested in reading though.  :)

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.  We are truly, truly blessed.

Love and blessings,

Amy, Osei, and baby girl May

Labor Update

Hi All,

There is no baby yet.  Amy is fine, being a true champion.  Right now she is relaxing in the tub experiencing contractions and rolling with them.  There are no complications.  We appreciate your continued prayers, wishes and blessings as Omee enters the world and for a continued safe labor and delivery.  We are currently dilating and haven't gotten to pushing yet.

Thank you all family, friends, and friends who are family :)

Blessings,

Osei
(from Amy's email)

Sorry we didn't get to respond to previous messages.  As you can see we have our hands full being in labor :)

Early Early Labor... update

Hey all- 

Just wanted to send a quick update while things are still feeling easy.  I've been having contractions since last night, and they're getting a bit more regular and closer together.  We're still probably a ways off from having the baby, but just wanted to let you all know that things are definitely changing.  We appreciate all your love, support and prayers, and we'll keep you posted as much as we are able.

For those counting, contractions are somewhat all over the place, but generally in the 7-12 minute range.  

Love and hugs to all,

Amy & Osei

39.5 weeks- any day now!

Hello all!

As I write this letter, we are now 40 weeks pregnant, which is our official "guess date."  We call it a guess date, because only 5% of babies actually show up on their "due date" anyway.  Which is actually fine with me... I'm not quite ready to be done being pregnant, but ask me in a few more days how I feel.  The good news is that it appears my belly has finally dropped.  I can walk up stairs without breathing heavy, and the heartburn has basically gone away.  The only downside is that instead of having to pee every 40 minutes, I now have to go every 20 minutes.  

My last day of work in the office was Wednesday, and now I'm working from home until the baby comes.  This has been a true blessing to have this flexibility right now, especially because last week I was hit by a nasty cold (and thanks to all this extra pregnancy blood, daily nosebleeds too- no fun!).  I complained to Osei about how I was supposed to be enjoying my last week of pregnancy, this week was supposed to be really fun!  

Luckily, I'm feeling much better now, and we enjoyed a beautiful weekend together- very typical New England fall weather.  We spent the day Saturday frolicking around Boston, taking lots of pictures, sightseeing, and soaking in a wonderful day together.  It was a perfect weekend.  Osei has been pampering me silly, and we're definitely enjoying our last few "just us" moments.

Hopefully our next update will be to introduce this little kiddo cooking inside.  Our birth plan is to have this baby during the Patriot's bye week.  

Love, hugs, and blessings to all,

Amy, Osei, and baby "Omee"

38.5 weeks- only a few more to go!

Hello all,

As of today, I am 39 weeks!  This is getting really exciting!

Our weekends now amount to precious moments of attempting to cram as much as we can into a short amount of time, and take advantage of the opportunity to get as much done as we can (while also building in time for naps and cuddling of course!).  This weekend was particularly special.

Our major art project of the weekend was making a plaster belly cast.  At first, I started putting on the plaster strips myself, with Osei simultaneously a bit fascinated and grossed out.  However, half way through he got his hands dirty and had a blast finishing the rest.  We learned a lot for next time- mainly that Osei will take over from the beginning-  I couldn't exactly see what I was doing on my own belly! 

Osei also fixed our sewing machine!  We'd bought an old Singer 457 (metal machine, from the 1960's), and the timing became out of sync, causing a gear to break.  The estimate to repair the machine was 5 times what we even paid for the machine, so my saavy and industrious husband did research, ordered a part, watched multiple youtube videos and figured out how to fix it himself!  I'm incredibly impressed, and this means that our next project of sewing a cover for the diaper changing pad is ready to begin.

Finally this weekend, we also went apple picking.  Osei and I had gone apple picking on our 3rd date, so the entire event was incredibly sentimental for me.  Though we went to a different orchard, we did manage to recreate some pictures, as well as our enjoyment of fresh apple cider donuts.  We picked over 20 pounds of apples and promptly baked 3 apple-cranberry pies, which in my opinion, far surpassed the deliciousness of the pies we made after our first apple-picking adventure.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) is my last day of working in the office, and then I'll work from home until the baby is born.  My commute to work has gotten progressively longer in the past month, as my walking speed has slowed to turtle-like pace.  I won't miss fighting for a seat on the crowded subway and am very thankful for the flexibility to work from home!

Please continue to pray and send healing thoughts for my mother, Nancy.  After surgery last month for breast cancer, she begins chemotherapy on Friday, and we are all prayerfully optimistic that her cancer will never return.

Love and blessings to all,

Amy, Osei, and soon-to-be-welcomed-to-the-world, Omee 

33.5 weeks

Hello all,

We are happy to report another big adventure for this past week!

Last Wednesday, we had a wonderful visit with Osei's parents (who are both extremely excited to meet their first grandchild). After work on Thursday, we headed up to Vermont for a weekend of wedding festivities and to celebrate the marriage of my dear dear friend (and my oldest friend!) Chelsea to her now-husband, Dave.

Osei, Omee, and I also spent 3 days camping at a pond recreation area. Our new tent is a massive barn of a tent- it sleeps 8 people and was big enough to stand up in. We had an air mattress, and the ground itself was incredibly soft to begin with. We brought a few extra pillows, and it was remarkably comfortable. We both slept so well that we hardly even heard the team of college rugby players (at least 30 of them!) crammed into the campsite next to us!

We probably also slept so well because we were so exhausted from all of the fun wedding activities! The bachlorette party was breakfast and a hike, followed by a day of working on the farm where the wedding was to be held. I was first in line to volunteer for picking blueberries (and actually picked more than I ate this time). Saturday we all went orienteering. This took place in the woods, and we were given a topographical map with little controls located all over the map area (1 square mile). Each team had to navigate and find as many of the controls as possible, competing against the clock and other teams. We certainly weren't the fastest team, but we were far from last! Saturday night we all went Contra dancing, (which is the New England version of square dancing), and I can't honestly remember the last time I had so much fun. I would highly recommend trying it!

The wedding on Sunday was beautiful, and it was an honor to see two people I care about so much get to marry their best friend. I know from experience that there is nothing greater than being married and getting to spend the rest of your life with your best friend! The wedding was on a beautiful hilltop meadow, overlooking lush Vermont mountains and surrounded by foggy forrests. Due to the wet grass, I opted to go barefoot for the ceremony (I was a bridesmaid). The sun emerged just as the ceremony ended, and I think I will always remember standing in a beautiful field that looked like something from the Sound of Music, barefoot, pregnant, and with the sun now shining. And as if it couldn't get any more perfect, little kids carrying bowls of blueberries and blackberries ran around feeding us delicious treats grown on the bushes around us.

After all the fun we had this weekend, I also realized that I'm definitely not finished being pregnant yet! Which is a good thing, because I have about 6 more weeks to go, but right now I am enjoying this pregnancy so much that I'm not ready for it to be over!

Hugs and blessings to all,


Amy, Osei, and Omee

31.5 weeks

Hello,

I know what you are probably thinking. No, I did not swallow a soccer ball!

We're now inside two months to go until the expected due date! Happily, the baby now has a place to sleep! Here is also a picture of the finished co-sleeper. Over the weekend we sanded the wood, and then finished the wood with beeswax. I made the mattress out of old 100% wool Swiss military blankets, which I washed and cut into panels and sewed together with yarn. The only thing left to do is make an additional mattress pad (the same wool panel treated with lanolin to make it waterproof), as well as sew the bedding. The sheets I will make with some fabric given to us by my Aunt Rosemary (thank you again, Aunt Rosemary!). The co-sleeper is now attached to our bed (there are handles underneath) and it is ready to go. It only took 7 months, but I was finally able to convince Osei to switch sides of the bed with me, so now I'm also 4 steps closer to the bathroom. At this point in pregnancy, those 4 steps are definitely important!

Osei and I are doing very well, and getting more and more curious to meet this little baby constantly doing hula and breakdancing moves in my belly!

Hugs and blessings to all,

Amy, Osei, and baby Omee

32.5 weeks and what an adventure!

Hello all,

In a single week Omee has now survived its first earthquake and hurricane. Actually, though we felt the earthquake here in Boston, it was quite minor. I thought it was Omee moving, until I realized that I don't usually feel my head spinning when Omee moves! And Hurricane Irene was just a tropical storm by the time it reached us, and about as uneventful as we could have hoped. Though we were supposed to meet up with Osei's parents in Western Massachusetts, the storm changed all of our plans and we all stayed put for the weekend. Osei's parents will come to visit us this Wednesday instead.

Osei and I were happy to report that we received no flooding or power outages, and just a few branches down in our backyard. We hope that the storm was just as uneventful for all of our friends and family along the East Coast!

In other pregnancy news, I am a little sad to say this, but I believe I now waddle when I walk. I am thankful to be able to be so active this far along, but I also believe that my running days are coming to a close this pregnancy. I said all along that I would only run until it stopped being fun, and I think that time has come. Previously, I thought that if Paula Radcliffe (women's world record holder in the marathon, who won the NYC marathon 8 months after giving birth) could run right up until her due date, then so could I. Apparently I had forgotten that I am not a professional runner, and I do not have a personal support staff of massage therapist and chiropractor. But on the bright side, I'm still happily riding my spin bike and taking other classes at my gym, including using weights.

I hope all are doing well!

Love and hugs and blessings,

Amy, Osei, and Omee

30.5 weeks

Hello all,

Here are two more pictures from about 30 1/2 weeks. Last weekend Osei and I flew to Pittsburgh for a wonderful family reunion. On our flight, I had to dress carefully so that I looked pregnant enough to get priority boarding on the airplane, but not too pregnant that anyone would question the safety of me flying (according to the airline we flew, I can actually fly up to 72 hours before my due date without a doctor's note).

In Pittsburgh, we got to visit my grandpa and many cousins on my mom's side of the family, as well as spend the afternoon with Osei's Aunt and Uncle, and a few of their kids. Friday night we all went to an old Pittsburgh landmark- the historical amusement park, Kennywood. I learned that there are NO rides recommended as safe for pregnant ladies, so I ignored the warning signs and went on the carousel 3 times (as well as a few other pretty tame rides). I definitely missed the roller coasters this year though! Osei seemed quite proud of what he called my "horseback riding adventure." Our weekend trip away was incredibly special (time spent with family is always special, and we are definitely blessed with amazing family!)

We had another prenatal this week, and Baby Omee is doing great, and definitely growing "on schedule." My blood pressure and vitals are all excellent, and my iron levels have actually increased since my 12 week blood test! I attribute this to floridex iron supplements, but mostly, the efforts of Osei to cook lots of iron (and protein) rich meals for our growing family.

I hope everyone is doing well. Love and hugs to all!

Blessings,

Amy, Osei, and baby Omee

29.5 weeks... and counting

Hello all,

Here is a picture from last weekend when I was still back in my "20's". As of this week, I'm now 30 weeks. Or 75% there!

Major highlights from this past week include putting the legs on our cutsom-built co-sleeper. We will "finish" it with a non-toxic beeswax, and then just need to drill a few more peg holes so that the shelf the mattress will sit on is adjustable. We are also still working on the mattress, which will be sewn by us out of 100% wool blankets treated with lanolin to be waterproof.

Osei recently got me my first sewing machine! It is an older model, a Singer 457, and super sturdy. We've both been studying and learning how to use it and are excited to use it for real projects! So far, one of Osei's old undershirts has been our practice cloth, but we also have some lovely flannel waiting to be sewn into a few baby blankets and burp cloths.

Love and blessings to all,

Amy, Osei, and baby "Omee"

28.5 weeks- Third Trimester!

Hello all,

This picture is from nearly a week ago, at 28.5 weeks, taken last weekend in Canada.

Osei and I spent a very romantic weekend in Quebec at a little mountain lake (Lac Morency) in a town called Saint Hippolyte, about an hour north of Montreal. We stayed at a timeshare, given to us by my very fabulous in-laws as a wedding present. It was the perfect blend of staying in a nice resort (hello- jacuzzi in our room! I'm sold), and being outdoors in an incredibly beautiful and natural setting. We envisioned using a timeshare for a honeymoon, but then life got too busy and it never happened. So instead we had a babymoon! Osei and I had a wonderful time- canoeing in the lake, hiking in the mornings, swimming in the pools, and of course, wonderful time spent together. We love getting to visit friends and family all over the country (and we love using that as an excuse to travel), but this was the first time when we traveled just for us, with no errands to do, people to see, or activities to attend.

We had a perfect blend of cooking meals ourselves in our condo and enjoying some delicious meals locally as well. It is possible that each of us are still full from the amazing brunch we had last Sunday. On Monday, we also spent the day in Montreal before driving back to Boston (only about 6 hours away). We made a slight detour on the way home to visit the Ben & Jerry's ice cream factory in Vermont. Though we didn't take the tour, we certainly enjoyed some ice cream!

Baby Omee is doing very well. We had our prenatal this week too, and baby is growing and moving as much as ever. I love seeing my belly move from the outside, and the movements have become so much more defined that sometimes I feel like I'm being tickled from the inside- it makes me jump!

I hope everyone is doing well too! We are thinking of all of you!

Hugs and blessings to all,

Amy, Osei, and baby omee.

27.5 weeks- this pointy belly could poke your eye out!

Hello all,

It is now 4:30 in the morning, and I figured now is as good as any time to send this email out! Last night we had a delicious and filling meal of orzo, swiss chard from our neighbors garden with onion, and Korean bbq chicken, deliciously prepared by my adoring and talented husband, Chef Osei. For dessert, we then ate homemade ice cream (vanilla with chocolate chip, toffee, and walnut) that we created in an ice-cream maker we're currently "babysitting" while a dear friend of ours is out of town. Despite all of that, I woke up in the middle of the night absolutely famished and had to get a snack. In fact, given the way my mouth is still watering as I'm thinking about last night's dinner, it might be time for round two of the middle-of-the night snack!

Actually, hunger right now doesn't seem the least bit surprising, because Omee has been growing so much this week that I can actually see the difference in my belly! Plus, all week, I experienced lovely stretching and ligament pain from my belly getting bigger. Indeed it is, and is getting nice and pointy too!

This past weekend Osei and I started construction of our co-sleeper, which is a 3-sided bassinet that will attach to our bed. Right now we just need to put on the legs, make the mattress, adjust the height of the mattress, and attach it to our bed. We'll make the mattress out of felted wool sewn together (which is both water and fire resistant). The co-sleeper is very big, but Osei and I wanted to make it tall enough that the baby could potentially sleep there for as long as we didn't mind the company, without the risk of falling out over the sides! We'll send pictures soon, but probably not until it is finished.

This week starts the 3rd trimester! Things are starting to feel more and more real, but we also feel like we still have a lot to do to get ready for this little baby! This coming weekend Osei and I will be going to Canada, just outside of Montreal, for a romantic 3-day weekend to ourselves. It will be nice to have no agenda to accomplish other than time with each other!
Love and hugs to all,

Amy, Osei, and Omee

26.5 weeks

Hello all,

Here is a picture from last weekend, at 26.5 weeks. Luckily, you can't see the sweat dripping from my face here, but wow, is it hot! (Our big heat wave isn't even supposed to get here until tomorrow- gulp!).

Today we have another prenatal visit, which is our last "monthly" visit before we switch to bi-weekly visits. Time is ticking along though- we start the third trimester next week!

Major accomplishments this week (outside of the 1/3 of a full-size watermelon that I devoured lastnight, though Osei helped some) include getting cloth diapers from two mothers who have either happily reached pottytraining or decided that they are not the crunchy cloth-diaper type and wanted to pass them along. I'm amazed at how far cloth diapers have come since my middle-school babysitting days, of bulky cloth prefolds with gigantic safety pins and plastic covers!

We still have several baby name books on loan from the library, and have actually opened a few of them. The other day I dreamed we had a boy, and I told Osei, "Ok, I think we better start picking out some baby names we like!" Hopefully we'll have our list down well before October!

Much love and hugs to all,

Amy, Osei, and baby Omee (who loves watermelon and won't stay still)

25.5 weeks

Hello all,

Here is a picture from this past weekend, at about 25.5 weeks. It has been quite hot here, and I'm thankful to be working in an air-conditioned office building! Not too much new to report, except that baby Omee is, as usual, moving around nonstop.

Hope all is well!

Love,

Amy, Osei & Omee

Almost half-way there! 19 weeks & 5 days

Hello all,

This has been an incredibly exciting week for the May family..

Last Thursday Osei and I had our prenatal with our awesome midwives. Baby and mamma are both looking healthy and good. We listened to the heartbeat with the fetoscope (which is a special kind of stethoscope with a flat plate you rest your forehead on in order to hear a baby's heartbeat, which is really quiet). The midwife was able to find it (144 beats per minute), which was surprising to me, because 19.5 weeks is on the early side for the HB to be strong enough to hear with a fetoscope. She said she'd never heard it that early before! Must be all the running! We are thankful for a strong heartbeat. The really exciting part was that even Osei was able to find it and listen. As a midwife-in-training, I know that is not an easy skill- it is hard to know what to listen for, and it is so soft! I'm very impressed with Osei's talent!

Also this week, we had some family in from out of town, and celebrated with henna tattoos! (See second picture)

This morning we celebrated the almost-halfway-point in our pregnancy with a half-marathon, called Boston's Run to Remember. Osei raced, and I took it easy. I drank lots of water, ate food during the race, and started out in the back of the pack. I felt really great the whole way, and about halfway through began feeling really great, and began passing people. Osei doubled back after the finish line and met me at mile 12 to run the last mile with me, which was wonderful to share. I got choked up when I saw him, thinking about how our whole family was running this race... Anyway, my time was 2 hours and 17 minutes (vs. my personal non-pregnant best of 1:37)! I didn't see any other pregnant ladies pass me, so it is possible that I was the fastest one at the race!

The rest of the weekend shall be devoted to relaxing, drinking water, and enjoying good food and sunshine. We had our first cook-out Friday night, and it feels like summer is finally here! I am thinking of everyone running the Bolder Boulder tomorrow! Happy memorial day to all!

Love,

Amy & Osei

18.5 weeks

Hello all,

Here is a picture from 18.5 weeks, just before heading over to Osei's graduation. Yes, Osei graduated! I'm so proud of him. My mom got me this lovely outfit, and I'd just like to point out her excellent taste and sense of style.

I'm feeling great. Getting up is a little harder, and I can definitely feel the changes in my center of gravity. When I'm laying down or sitting in a deep chair, I sort of feel like a bug stuck on my back with my legs and arms just sort of sprawling in the air. I have to roll over and carefully maneuver, and getting up is a little more awkward. I have a feeling that is only going to get worse though!

We have our next prenatal this week with our fabulous midwives, Audra, Tara (and apprentice Catherine, who, last year completed the same midwifery program that I am taking).

Love to all,

Amy

17 weeks 5 days

Hello all,

This has been an exciting week in the May household. Osei is working very hard finishing is final thesis paper (the thesis he already presented a few weeks ago). He will graduate next Saturday, woo hoo!

Not that the days matter very much, but this picture is from today, 17weeks 5 days. The shirt actually says "Smith" and is in honor of Smith College Commencement, which happened this weekend. Unfortunately, I missed my 6 year class reunion, but I was there in spirit. Who knows if we're growing a future Smithie too!

I've been feeling the baby (who we call Omee right now) moving a lot. On Friday, I could feel thumping from the outside, just placing my hand on my belly. It kind of feels like a goldfish you buy at the pet store hitting into the side of the plastic bag. Please promise to never tell our child that we often compare it to a goldfish. :)

I hope all are well. Hugs to all!

Love,

Amy & Osei

16.5 weeks, and the Proud-Parents-to-Be

Hello and Happy Mother's Day to all!
This weekend felt extra special for us- today we had a picnic in the Arborretum across the street from us and saw all the blooming lilacs. It was nice to be pampered today by my adoring husband for Mother's-to-be Day.. :)

This picture is from yesterday, so 16.5 weeks. We thought we needed a picture of the proud papa-to-be as well. I'm feeling wonderful, loving the new curves of my growing belly, and really really enjoy being pregnant!

Much love and hugs,

Amy