Our first plane trip!

 

Unlike previous trips with just Osei and I, we packed in advance, so getting ready to leave town wasn't too stressful.  We have an entire suitcase full cloth diapers, by the way.  Anyway, I put Palesa down at 10:00.  She was awake, but I turned the radio to static and she put herself to sleep.  Major success.  Osei and I went to bed around midnight, exactly when Palesa woke up again to eat.  And eat.  And eat.  And poop.  I tried putting her down, but she makes all kinds of cute noises, and I can't sleep when she's awake.  Finally, at 2:30, she and I both fell asleep, at last.  And at 4:45 am, the alarm clock rang.

We made it out the door and to the airport without incident.  Palesa spent most of her time in the Moby wrap, and she did wonderfully on the flight (a 5 hour flight from Boston to Denver).  She nursed during takeoff, but I couldn't wake her up to nurse for landing.  By the time we landed, she needed a new diaper and was pretty hungry.  She didn't cry until the plane landed, which I consider a major success.  Unfortunately, I didn't get much sleep on the flight- just a few short cat-naps.

Mom and Ralph picked us up from the airport, and were so thrilled to meet their new granddaughter!  It is hard not to fall in love with Palesa as soon as you set eyes on her, and just as we predicted, they are both smitten.

Eventually, we put Palesa on the dining room table while we ate dinner.  She was our centerpiece.

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"

5 reasons I can tolerate winter, and 5 things that make me pout

The good:

1. February is a short month.  We're almost halfway there.  Spring happens in March.  That is next month.
2. Twice this week so far, I caught the 5:20 train home from work, and it was still light when I left the office building
3. Running in nasty winter weather makes me feel like I'm a super hardcore athlete
4. With all the moisture in the ground, when the snow finally melts, you know there's going to be lots of green!
5. I've got great boots and a great poofy winter jacket

 The not-so-good

1. My black pants seem to be covered in "slush splash" and I think yesterday I might have ripped one of them walking in the snow
2. Dirty snow doesn't look as pretty as freshly fallen snow
3. There are still a few houses on the big hill on our street that haven't shoveled their sidewalks, so twice a day I risk breaking my neck walking across 3" of packed ice
4. Our street is so narrow and the snowbanks so high that we have to do a 3-point-turn just to back out of the driveway
5. Far too often I take off my boots and promply step onto a hidden puddle of dripped slush in my bare feet.

I need a sunny picture today

Here are a few pics from our second engagment session in front of the Boston Public Library. All photos by Susan Horn of In Harmony Studios

This is Why You Need a Marshmallow Puffy Jacket and Sorel Boots in Boston

Last week Boston got pounded by Blizzard #2 of the season. Unlike Blizzard #1 where I got my first grown-up snow day, this time I was considered "important enough" and had to come into the office. Here is the view of the Arborretum from our front porch.



To get to work, I walk up and down a gigantic hill to the train station. Most of the sidewalks were not yet shoveled. Trees were dropping branches right and left. I got pelted in the eye with a chunk of snow and was momentarily blinded (imagine that- everything went white) and then spent the rest of the morning with mascara smeared all over my face.

This is why puffy jackets and good boots are so essential for Boston winters. I found my boots, brand new Sorels, at a thrift store for $20. And my down puffer North Face jacket? Originally I bought it in college (I went to school in Western Mass). When I moved to New York, I gave the jacket to my big sister in Colorado, because no New Yorker wears a jacket that makes them look like the Michelin Man, no matter how cold it is. And then I moved to Boston, and my very dear sister re-gifted the jacket back to me. Best gift ever, too.



After the blizzard, despite the snow and all the related hazzards while walking to work, the next day was absolutely beautiful.

One Reason I like Boston better than New York-Winter Preparedness

Since I moved to Boston from New York last March, I am most excited about a few subtle changes that have made my life so much more bearable here, especially in the winter. Namely, practical shoes and weather-appropriate attire.

In New York, one of my New Year's Resolutions was to not walk to work in high heels. Yes, I was lucky enough to live within a 12 minute walk of my office building (quicker if I timed the walk-signs perfectly). And yes, I would walk to work and back in high heels, thus necessitating a Resolution to wear flats to work.

So, I compromised with flat dress shoes. Not tennis shoes or practical walking shoes, but high-heels without the heels. I'd jump over puddles and walk on snow, and my little feetsies would absolutely freeze in the winter because I couldn't wear more than nylon stocking socks.

Now, I commute to work by train, with a 10-12 minute walk on either side. And I wear warm, practical shoes. Sometimes even sneakers. When there is snow, I break out my Sorel boots. Did I even own boots in New York? Only black leather zip up boots with a 3" heel. This is exactly my point- in Boston, people wear practical shoes and boots in the winter. In New York, the selection of winter boots for sale are practically all a) leather b) uninsulated (but sleek) and c) with pointed toes and high heels. My heels (the bones, not the shoes), arches, and cold feet are forever thanking me now that I'm a proud Boston resident.

Also in New York, I had a stylish black dress coat. Sleek, fitted. And thin. Obviously, too tight to throw a few wool sweaters and fleeces under that baby either. Not so good for a Northeast winter, but very elegant. Just like all the other New York women wore too. I had a winter jacket with a hood, but a hat would have messed up my hair too much. Ear muffs- perfectly acceptable. But a big ole' furry wool hat that actually keeps your head warm? No New York Lady would dare look that silly.

Since I moved to Boston, my hair has remained in a pony-tail since the weather dipped below freezing. The other day I wore TWO hats out in public. I now own (and wear) long underwear, and hardly remove my company-issued LL Bean fleece jacket. Sometimes I think I should just wear my jammies underneath my fleece jacket, which has now become my new Boston-winter uniform. I wear wool socks to work, and every winter morning, I bundle up into an unrecognizable snow-woman before my trek into the cold. I am far from sleek, and nothing close to stylish. Buy for the most part, I manage to stay toasty enough in all of my bulky layers.

Not to say I'm loving Boston winters, but after spending 5 winters in New York, I realized that I unnecessarily suffered through cold, slush, city blocks, and other hazards to my overall comfort and warmth. And why? All in the name of being a fashionable New Yorker. Now, I've happily traded my pointed-toe "walking" dress shoes and thin coats for some honking clunky shoes and poofy jackets. Score two points, Boston.

Date Night with the Hubs

Now that we're married, we don't get out as often. Date night becomes a big deal. We decided to get dolled up, take some pictures, and have a good ole' fashioned date. We went to the "Cheesecake Bistro" as my hubby calls it, and then made out like teenagers on the edge of a fountain. It was fantastic.

And then we bought me a bike helmet. I was so excited to try it that I wore it the whole car ride home. Safety never takes a holiday.

A Columbian Dark Roast to start the day

Since moving to Boston in March, my coffee drinking habits have changed dramatically. In my New York City condo, Starbucks was literally adjacent to my building lobby, and my baristas knew me by face and by my coffee order- grande drip coffee in a venti cup with cold soy at the bar. If I needed more coffee, there was also a Starbucks in the lobby of my office building.

Daily between 9:00 and 10:00 am, my Coffee Buddy and I would rendez vous in the elevator bank for a coffee run... I'd get a refill (free, of course) of my drip coffee, and he'd get a single-shot expresso (double if the week was really tough). Keep in mind, I worked on Wall Street at the time, an industry that has perfected the dysfunctional balance of high stress, low sleep, and intravenous caffeine drips.

Just before I left the city, I even received a gold credit card with my name engraved on the front in size 16 font. Preferred Customer. Basically, Starbucks was probably going to ask me to run the company, because I had earned gold card status for my loyal coffee consumption.

And then I moved to Boston, where I'd maybe pass by a Starbucks once a week. Certainly there were none in my neighborhood. But all was not lost. I shortly after married a former-Starbucks-barista, who brought not only his coffee expertise, but a stainless steel coffee press.

We registered for a Cuisinart expresso maker, and my fabulous hubby now makes lattes for me in the morning, swirling the tip of the foam milk just so as to make the treat delicious and aesthetically appealing.

Today I attempted regular coffee in the coffee press, for the first time in a solid 3 or 4 months. I guess I underestimated the capacity of the container, because this brew is as thick as sludge. Since beginning to write this, my typing has increased by about 20 words per minute. My heavy eyelids no longer beg me to return back to bed- in fact, I'm probably about ready to go take on Wall Street or something like that.