37.5 weeks

Hello all,

Time is ticking and we should get to meet this baby within the month (though hopefully closer to two weeks). As of today, I'm 38 weeks and 1 day.

This past weekend we had a wonderful party/baby shower where we got to celebrate with friends and family in Boston. We all had such a nice time and both Osei and I are extremely blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful and supportive people. We were especially touched to have people come from so far away (Vermont and New York City) to join us for the festivities, and were blown away by the generosity of all.

It finally hit me Saturday night that our next "event" is the birth of this baby. It has felt like non-stop activities and travel all summer long, and now nothing is left on the list but to have this baby! Now feels like the perfect time to just slow down, cuddle on the couch and enjoy this last bit of precious time between just Osei and I. It feels very special.

Much love and hugs and blessings to all,

Amy, Osei, and baby Omee

36.5 weeks (and full-term as of today)!

Hello all,

This picture is from this past weekend, at 36.5 weeks. As has been the case lately, we had another busy weekend of nesting, errands, washing baby clothes and cloth diapers, and getting things ready for the impending arrival of baby Omee. In fact, we're so busy these days, there is hardly time to shower and actually dry my hair before taking these pictures!

Things are going very well and I'm still feeling pretty good, for the most part. As of today (Tuesday), I'm now considered "full term," which means that from now on, whenever I go into labor, we are cleared to have our homebirth. However, being full-term has no bearing on when this baby will actually arrive (it could literally be anytime in the next 5 weeks, but hopefully somewhere close to our expected due date of October 18th). We still need a few more weeks to figure out this whole name thing too!

Much love and blessings to all,

Amy, Osei, and baby omee

35.5 weeks- About a month to go!

Hello all,

We're getting closer! Our "guess date" is around October 18th, which a) is now less than a month away and b) means that the baby should arrive anytime in the next 1-6 weeks. Not exactly a small window or anything, but we are getting ready and very excited to meet this little person who keeps kicking me!

Osei and I spent the entire weekend nesting and organizing our house- such as sewing, washing all of of our baby clothes and moving our computer/office to our downstairs room. Years ago, Osei inherited an antique buffet from old roomates made by Consider H. Willet, a brand named after the maker himself (yes, his first name was actually "Consider"). It has spent the duration of our marriage in our laundry room kitchenette until now. In a wonderfully productive spurt of "daddy nesting," Osei did all sorts of research and then stripped and refinished the wood to turn the piece into a beautiful dresser for baby clothes. We're still waiting on the drawer handles to arrive, but it is absolutely gorgeous. Pictures to follow!

In other news, the past few weeks has been a mix of positive and somewhat stressful news. On September 2nd, my mom (Nancy) and Ralph, her sweetheart for the past decade, got married in a private ceremony on top of Flagstaff Mountain in Boulder (see picture of the glowing newlyweds). I've thought of Ralph as my stepdad for years now, and we are all so happy for them and their marriage!

Their choice of wedding day and their good news was also intended to triumph over some not-so-good news... We also confirmed that my mom has breast cancer. It is somewhat beyond "early stage" but is the most common and treatable type of cancer, and we are all incredibly encouraged and hopeful for her full recovery. Last Thursday, her treatment began with surgery, and chemotherapy will follow. She is in wonderfully good spirits and the surgery went very well. I am struggling with being so far away from her right now, but I greatly value our frequent phone conversations. Also, as this impacts our travel schedule in the next few months, this is a great opportunity for us to join the new millenium and learn to skype! We are all greatly appreciative of your continued thoughts and prayers for her recovery.

Much love and blessings,

Amy, Osei, and baby Omee

34.5 weeks

Hello all,

For the second weekend in a row, I was back in Vermont this past weekend. This time, I was there for a Childbirth Educator Training course in Montpelier, which was a great time! It was extra special as well to see a very special newlywed couple, who was gracious enough to host me!

Osei spent the weekend representing the May family in NYC at our Goddaughter's 3rd birthday. I wish I could share the video of her enthusiastic WOW reaction to the floor puzzle (a map of the USA) he gave her! I got choked up when Osei told me about the gift, mainly thinking how much I loved my nerdy husband for selecting such a cool educational toy. Thinking about it makes me very excited to see Osei with his own daughter or son.

Pregnancy is chugging along at an alarmingly quick rate. It is shocking to think that I'll be considered "full term" in another 2 weeks (but full term means the baby will likely be born anywhere within the next 2-7 weeks, but hopefully closer to about 5 weeks). Osei and I are planning on a homebirth and slowly preparing to get ready for birthing.


Finally, I wanted to share an interesting pregnancy tidbit you all might want to know! Even if you're not a Patriots fan, you have to admit that Tom Brady is an amazing quarterback. In fact, he and Osei definitely have a lot in common (especially the good looks). Tom Brady and his wife (who happens to be supermodel Gisele Bundchen) also live in the Boston area and also had a homebirth. Just thought you would enjoy knowing how much Tom has in common with Osei!

Hugs and blessings to all!

XOXO,

Amy, Osei and baby 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.