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)

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 

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.

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

Very late pictures- 23.5 & 24.5 weeks

Hello all,

Sorry for the massive delay in sending pictures! I'm now 25.5 weeks, so this is really late! Anyway, here is a picture from 23.5 and 24.5 weeks during our trip to Colorado. Super cute maternity clothes thanks to the lovely Tamara Hopkins, mother to two beautiful daughters.

Osei and I spent 10 wonderful days in Colorado for vacation. The trip was actually way too short, and we unfortunately didn't get to see many wonderful Colorado people we'd hoped to connect with. However, we spent a great day camping up at Rocky Mountain National Park, saw fireworks in Loveland, and hiked Royal Arches at Chataqua. My very talented sister, Suz, of In Harmony Studios (http://www.inharmonystudios.com/) took some professional maternity photos of us, and we had a fun little baby reception.

Now, we're back to reality in Boston... a lovely summer to come, hopefully full of lots of blowing fans and air conditioned places to visit!

Love and hugs to all,

Amy, Osei, and baby Omee.

22.5 weeks

Hello all,

Sorry for the delay in the picture this week! We just got back late last night from an amazing anniversary weekend in NYC! We saw many dear friends, and had a great time celebrating our own first year of marriage at the wedding of a wonderfully beautiful and happy couple, Daniel and Irina. Another fun highlight of the weekend was seeing Osei's brother, Khari, and then going bowling at Brooklyn Bowl. I'd forgotten how slow the ball seems to move down the alley when you use the super light kiddie bowling ball!

Here is a picture of us with Osei's parents just after enjoying a delicious brunch in Williamsburg. I also threw in a full belly-shot. Definitely no mistaking that belly for too many cookies now!

Omee is doing great- moving around all the time these days, which is a really fun experience for all of us!

Hope everyone is having a great week. Lots of love and hugs to all.

Love,

Amy, Osei & Omee

21.5 weeks

Hello all,

We spent a nice and busy weekend working at home in rainy Boston. Osei and I built an upholstered wood-paneled headboard for our bed, which looks awesome. It was a very fun project to work on together, and it is probably the most sturdy headboard ever- I think we used about 110 screws total! Luckily, since it is also massively heavy, we had a friend come over to help move it upstairs to our bedroom, and even help us attach it to the bed frame.

It was especially exciting for us to work on this project together because we wanted to do something crafty and fun before the baby comes, and it gives us a lot of confidence for other projects too- like building a co-sleeper! (A co-sleeper is sort of like a bassinette, but it attaches directly to your bed like a side-car).

Both of us are feeling really great. This picture is kind of late this week (because today I'm actually 22 weeks!). Osei has been able to find the heartbeat pretty easily with the fetoscope, and I've actually gotten to listen as well. It is amazing to hear the heart beating... I can feel Omee kicking and jumping and bouncing all the time, but it is really fun to remember that there is something ALIVE in there!

Hope all are well. This coming weekend Osei and I are going to NYC for the wedding celebration of dear friends of ours, which also happens to be on our one-year anniversary. What an amazing year it has been...

Hugs from all the Mays!

xoxo,

Amy, Osei, and Omee

20.5 weeks

Hello all,

Here is a picture from yesterday, at 20 weeks 5 days. I can't believe we made it to the half-way point!

A few times lately, people (ALWAYS young women) have given up their seat for me on the subway train after realizing I am pregnant. This is usually because I will rub my belly and relax my core so that my belly sticks out as far as it can (though hopefully not too passive-aggressively!). Anyway, yesterday, for the first time, an unrelated stranger asked me if I was expecting! I was so surprised and excited when she asked that when she next asked me how far along I was, I couldn't even remember! My mind was totally blank...

Yesterday was also a big day for us. Over the past year, I have been in Midwifery school, and yesterday I graduated from my course. I still have a long road ahead of me before being ready to officially practice as a midwife, but completing the formal portion of my studies feels like a huge step!

I hope all are well.

Hugs from all three of us!

Amy, Osei, and our fetus, growing-baby Omee